//------------------------------// // Questions, Stories, and ? - Edited! // Story: Live, Die, Repeat // by Hidden_Night //------------------------------// You know, it’s awkward to carry three tuckered out Ponies on your back. As a human anyway, but as a pony it’s quite simple. Just tucker one near my neck, one rests in the middle and carry the last one in my magic. Dunno, Scootaloo seems to be enjoying it, hearing the very fast buzzing of her wings as she pretends to fly is quite adorable. I don’t say anything though, she might get embarrassed. Though, the stares I get from others is quite harsh. My anxiety flaring. A guy with kids? He must be up to no good. Oh no, Madam, I’m a babysitter. So you can be close to those kids you sicko! Man, you’d think I’d learn how to think without hating myself. With Scootaloo being gently set down I had to open up the pocket dimension to grab the keys. It was way safer to pocket them in there than under the plant. Gotta remember to put it back. “Woah! What was that?!” I heard the voice of Sweetie Belle behind me, with her resting on the middle of my back. “Uh. Pocket Dimension?” I point to the hole in the air. The other side was mainly static, but it still was holding my two books, proudly at the edge. “Wow! Ah bet Twilight ain’t even know that!” Applebloom, you’re too close to my ears to be so loud. Since she’s on my neck and her chin resting on my head. Also, Twilight? Sounds like the resident mage type. Could learn something from them. “I mean, it isn’t that complicated. Just rip a hole somewhere.” It was complicated, just became second nature at some point after learning it. It really is a useful spell to know. “C-Can you teach me that spell once I get some magic out of my horn?” I don’t even need to be facing Sweetie Belle to see the eyes. I know they’re hopeful. Just…gah. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?” I unlock the door and let them inside. The two girls hop down from my back and head upstairs, I decided to start following Sweetie Belle up. Rarity did say I could spend the night. I assume in her room. Any high class lady would want their room spotless after a visitor. So best to keep an eye for that. “So what time do you girls usually sleep?” Had to ask, I know the routine I’m going to go through. “Oh. Our usual foalsitters usually let us stay up all night!” Thank you Scootaloo. How did I know it was going to be you to say that line? “Good thing I’m not the usual. I’m me.” I look at the walls, only for my eyes to find a wall clock. First of many modern advancements I see. That’s odd. Anyway it’s reading 8:49 right now. Best to put them to bed right now. I have no idea if it’s a school night, but if they’re staying together tonight it’s probably not. Kids have school in small villages, right? “So, about time to bed. Uh, soon I think.” “Awwww.” The kids are sad now, good. Though, what I wasn’t expecting was for all 3 to climb into the same bed side by side. That can’t be comfortable. Then again, they are small and that looks like a King Sized bed. “I would tell you a story before you girls slept, but all the books I have on me is a spell book and a law book.” I stand over the middle of the bed. They’re oddly snug in there and it looks maybe comfortable. For tiny little horses. “Oh! Oh! Ah know, can you tell us how you got that right there cutie mark mister?” Applebloom points to my bum, taking a glance at where she’s pointing meets me with the question mark I showed up with. Well, if anything it just appeared on me, but cutie mark. Mark…what do they mean by a mark? Oh, I think it’s like a seal or a sign signifying something. I’m not a stranger to magic symbols meaning something. What did they want me to say? “I mean, it’s not that exciting.” Pretending to be bashful. “Naw. It must be cool. Like you solved a mystery!” Thanks Scootaloo, not a detective. “Or you’re good at hiding things!” Last time I tried to hide something I died Sweetie Belle, so probably not. “Maybe ya learned yourself a secret spell! And you’re really good at that hole stuff.” Not that secret where I’m from. A few lives ago. So, they might my Talent. Come to think of it, I’ve seen those symbols on everyone’s flank but theirs. Perhaps that’s what they’re going for, that thing. That’s what the whole lumberjack business is about, it’s about seeing what they’re good at and getting that symbol on their flank. What fits in with a question mark. What do I say? I can’t lie to them. So might as well tell my tale of…uh. I put my hoof to my chin and decide to think about it for a moment. The kids tense up anxiously waiting my answer. “If it helps you sleep. I’ll tell you.” I take a deep breath, sitting down and steeling myself for the tale. “Yay!” Even tired, they’re still loud. “So you see, back when I was younger. I was a traveller, hopping around place to place with folks that weren’t my parents.” “So you’re an orphan?” Scootaloo interrupted. “Nah, they’re still alive. Just haven’t seen them in a while. Anyway, so then I learned of a strong wizard who’s taking in an apprentice.” “Woah…” An audience that reacts to my story with interested eyes. Finally. “I never was the best…or used magic at all, but I still was excited about the possibilities. Learning under someone strong to because as strong if not better was appealing to me! So I had to sign up. Then I was brought into a chamber, with plenty of kids, adults, and everything in between. It was heart pounding, I kept thinking to myself. Maybe he’s looking for someone with potential, maybe that someone isn’t me, maybe I’m in over my head. Then when I was about to turn away to leave, I’m called up next.” “Then I was bought into an office. The wizard, with his wizard hat and his cloak. Extended some sort of spell towards me, strange blue tendrils shot out and wrapped around my body, even still I felt a flicker in my heart. I now know he was using a detect magic spell to figure out how much I have, but still it was odd to feel something dig into me.” I shook my head at the thoughts. Feeling an extra level of violated is not easy to remove. Nor the trauma is. “Next thing I know I screamed and my magic burst from my body, rejecting the intrusion of being touched. Apparently that’s a very good reaction to it. It means my magic capabilities were unknown. No one knows if I have a limit, or if they can even find the source of my magic. An enigma of what my magic is or where it is. It’s Unknown.” “I don’t know when this thing appeared afterwards, but I assume it has to be related to my magic. Either that or I’m just a confusing person myself and I always had it.” Those were the days, one of my first lives when getting Isekai’d for the first time. I had nothing, ported into the body of an orphan to be enslaved by that wizard. Fuck you knock off Merlin! At least I lived bitch! I made sure your soul would stay in hell! All that’s left is stunned silence by the girls. They looked down at my cutie mark and back at me. “So your cutie mark is magic related?” Sweetie Bell seems to be the smart one here “Yeah. I think so, these things are up to interpretation no? That’s why they’re symbols and not words.” “I mean. Yeah. Thought you were a detective.” Scootaloo crossed her arms and sulked, then yawned. These kids do not know the mental trauma I went through, good. They do not need to know. “Well. It seems it’s time for bed. I could show you some magic tricks to squeeze the last bit of excitement out.” If my pocket dimension is unknown here, then I could use some other useful spells. For me at least. “Hmmm. Okay…” Sweetie Bell. You’re getting sleepy~. “Okay. Let’s see here.” Using my horn I snuff out the candles and focus myself. I can do this. If anything I should find this spell quite simple. From my horn an aura surrounds it, as streaks of green light slowly fill the room with a beautiful somber light. Filing the roof of the bedroom with waving soft green light. Extra white dots line the roof as well with some slowly dissipating. It stings. I’ve used too much magic today. I should’ve short rested after using Magic Missile, would’ve helped me. Looking up, I admire my work. I have created an Aurora Borealis in her bedroom. At this time of year at this time of day, in this part of the neighborhood, localized entirely in her bedroom. It’s quite nice. “Woah…” the Fillies are watching as the sky slowly dances in her room. “Sleep well little ones. I may not be here tomorrow, but put in a good word with your sister, okay? I wouldn’t mind watching over you three.” “Okay!” The girls were happy, either at the prospect of a cool babysitter or the fact I can do that. So yeah, I’m now Anonymous the Cool Babysitter. Title pending. Closing the door. I take a deep breath, poking my horn and feeling my eyes weigh down. I am definitely tired after that spell. Maybe I shouldn’t have made it last all night, whoops my bad. Soon I found myself poking around, finding a broom close that is mostly fabric and no brooms. The bathroom with an extreme amount of conditioner, each a different scent, and shampoo, also different scents. Using the bathroom, shower, I’ll just use the baby shampoo, use one of the many stack of towels. Hang it up. Then it’s showtime. First I waited to dry off then I continued exploring. Finding the bedroom. It also had a workshop on the other end, I guess work is a priority. It was nice to sleep in a bed the first night of any new world. It was nice. The velvet sheets were nice to sleep ontop of, and the pillows had lots of softness. Just absolutely sleeping on my stomach, limbs sprawled, it’s not good for my spine, it just feels correct. Then I pass. First day and night, successful. Next goal: A week. In my dreams, I was running for my life. Tears from my eyes as I heard the thing get closer. It’s bloodstained finger tips inching closer to my back. As I heard him yell. “Come back here! You will have your soul devoured! Hahahaha!” It laughed, Huh. Anyone else feel aware right now? Are my dreams usually this cringe? This could be the dream of a 12 year old for all I know. Next thing I know I felt a dark blue light hit both of us. I was back at home, sitting in front of my computer. Just scrolling through Twitter dot com. It was a nice reminder of what I lost. I laugh at something funny, a tweet of triple demon dog attack! Written in Japanese and English. It was like a very cool reference to a show I watch. Haha! Relatable am I right? Then I tried reading it again, only it was a little blurry. I can recognize that it says, but the details were fuzzy. Huh, wait the images are also blurry. That’s odd, and I hear the familiar ring of my phone. Huh. Weird. This is a memory, but I’m aware… Oh shit! I quickly kick the chair I was sitting on away, causing myself to tumble downwards. I forgot to stand up. Quickly getting myself level using the table, I take a few steps back. Even in a dream, I could still fight back. “Halt! We do not wish any harm!” A female voice called to me. “Nope! Not trusting dream magic!” I called out, using the depths of my soul as my magic conduit, I forcibly woke myself up. Meeting morning. My heart was pounding, my mana has recovered from overuse yesterday, but now, I’m back to being me. I didn’t have that much mana stored up when I was first woken up in this world. Now that I felt magic that wasn’t my own, my body reacts a certain way. Quickly absorbing any magic, then it adds to my own supply. It’s a weird ability, but saved my ass a couple of times. Doesn’t work against volatile bolts though. Still, I’m probably gonna see the Dream Wizard tomorrow in my head, if she’s out in this town somewhere. Dream Magic has range…right? With a quick glance at the window the moon is still out, best to try to sleep.