Suddenly the gravity of the situation started beating on my head. I started looking around to try and find something familiar, but anything I knew was on my back. “Wai- wait, wha... what?” I asked absently, trying to think of something to explain what happened in a rational manner.
“It’s called a cottage, and you are called?” Baba asked, turning to face me with a raised eyebrow and a smile. A smile that held no warmth.
“Eh, Twi- er, Asher.” I replied, quickly catching myself before I said Twilight’s name. “M-my name’s Asher.”
Baba yaga shook her head. “You have another name, the name the nice man gave me. I want to hear you say it.” She demanded.
“Uh... Asher?” I said questionably. I knew I had a personality disorder, but sometimes people had to have completely different name to be able to cope with their disorder. Not common, but definitely not unheard of.
“No, your pony name. What is your pony name?” She said, frustrated.
“Tw-Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!” I said, crouching down a little as I backed up by instinct.
“Good. Good, now Twilight, I want you to sign a pact, agreeing to what you will do for me, and what I will do for you. All I need you to say, pony, is that you agree to help me destroy the inner net and in return I will take you to New York.” She said, her eyes cold and intense.
“Er, I don’t even know how I could be of use to you when it comes to destroying anything... I-I can’t even use magic.” I protested nervously.
“You know this land, and you know of the spell that brought you here. You are pressing a point that you do not wish to press. Do you wish me to take you to New York or not, little pony?” She snarled.
“What? I’ve tried using magic several times in the past twenty four hours! I have no idea how I could use it, and the spell wasn’t even my doing!” I shouted.
“I am talking to the wrong pony...” Baba Yaga mumbled.
“The wrong, wait wha-...” Before I can finish, the witch holds out a hand towards me.
“I need to talk to all of the Twilights, and all of the Ashers. I need you all to sign the contract.” With that she snapped her fingers, and I felt a tugging at the back of my head, as though someone was pulling on my mane.
“You should be.... more the pony I need by tomorrow. Are you hungry, pony?” She asked as if nothing had happened.
“N-not overly...” I said cautiously. All the stories of witches eating people I didn’t believe, although that didn’t mean squat about not eating animals. That made me question how she would need me to destroy the internet though, so chances are good that I’m safe... for now.
She shrugs and pulls a head of cabbage from a bag, slowly chewing on it as the cottage rocks back and forth underneath us.
I looked at the bag, filled with what I assumed to be cabbage, for a while before I started looking around the rest of the cottage. The tugging at the back of my head didn’t mean much to me at the moment, as it wasn’t really a pressing matter for now.
I was curious about it, but I’d have to learn about it a little later. For now, I had to figure out how I would get out of here, and fast. I needed to have the internet handy, so helping her destroy it was far out of the question.
What was her whole deal with saying “Inner net” anyways? That could be interesting to make a joke about. Wait, she’s not even saying it right... She wants me to join into some pact thing to destroy something that doesn’t exist! I can actually use this to my advantage!
“So, uh, about the inner net,” I force myself to say, although it irks me to do so. “how exactly are we going to go about destroying it?” I ask, trying to pry her plans out of her.
She sighed, taking another bite from the cabbage before answering. “If I knew what it was, I would not need you, would I? You will guide me to it, and we will destroy it. I am sure that my powers will be enough.” she said dismissively.
“I-I suppose not...” I said. As creative as I was, I wasn’t entirely sure how I could pull this off. Being obsessive compulsive, I had a hard time saying inner net. I couldn’t think of anything to make her target either. I could have fun with it, but I needed to keep the chaos down.
“I could take something physical and target it, but that could break spirits, so I need something abstract. Everything on a small enough scale never actually makes contact with another, so basically everything has its inner nets, but that’d destroy the universe.” I thougth to myself.
“Try something metaphorical.” I heard a thought say.
“That could work actually... Everything is caught in a giant net. Bad ideas, money, even down to thoughts. Maybe I can finally get that void filled by having her destroy the walls in my mind. Let myself hear all my thoughts.
“No, hearing my thoughts too much could hurt or become confusing... I need something to help me focus on communication with myself. How does one focus on oneself? Mirrors. Seems vain, yeah, but at least it’s doable. Wait, I’ve already heard a thought...
Maybe just my imagination, I’m trying to think about too much at once. Now, how do I phrase it?” I asked myself. How does one ask to have the barriers that one had put there for one reason or another that they can’t remember why they put the up in the first place, taken down?
“I think I have a different idea on what to do...” I said, finally taking note of the fact I was sitting on the floor. I wasn’t sure when I did that, but whatever, I was lightheaded. No complaints from me, I’ve had enough falling.
The witch had finished her Cabbage silently and was picking her teeth with some sort of bone that could only have been summoned from thin air, unless it had been pulled from her ratty hair.
“You talk of another way to destroy the Inner Net?” She asked suspiciously. “You must agree to the pact before I take you to New York, though, pony.”
“I’m actually going to change the agreement a little.” I said, lifting a hoof to my head. The rocking of the cottage did little to ease my lightheadedness.
She only narrowed her eyes.
I shuddered a little as her eyes narrowed. “We’ll destroy the inner nets,” I said, this time without the hesitation. “but instead, I’d like for you to give me a way to have some control over how I talk to myself.” I said, struggling to stand up without falling over.
“What are the inner nets, if you have become the pony I need to talk to, you must know.” She demanded.
“They’re a metaphor, one that represents my subconscious will to keep my personalities, or possibly even identities, separate.” I said, trying to keep her off my intents to protect the internet... I wasn’t even sure if that’s what she was going at anymore.
“So... If I help you destroy this inner net, you will become one pony, like I wanted anyway, and I will have fulfilled my debt?” She asked, smiling.
“I’d like to not become one person, or pony, as you say, but I’d like to not have to worry about not knowing what I’m talking to myself about when I’m not in my head.” I explained, hoping she would understand.
She thought for a moment. “If I destroy the net, and in place put... a window... if I give you a barrier that does not keep the parts separate, that would do what you wish but destroy the net, yes?” She clarified.
“Well, I would use something more like a low fence, but a window would work.” I said. “I mean, I just don’t want to hear myself complaining about what I’m doing when I’m doing it, and talking to myself is kinda hard when my head doesn’t hurt, so I’d like something that would allow me to know what I’m doing and hear my thoughts under certain circumstances.” I added, trying to clarify further.
“You wish to be at peace with yourself, pony. Such a thing cannot be forced with magic. But until that time, I can make a window, I can make you sane while destroying the Net. Will this be enough for you to agree to the pact?” She asked eagerly.
“Okay, so would you explain what this window would do?” I asked sheepishly.
“You will be able to think from one part of yourself to another, as though talking to another person, your thoughts will be kept to your own.... room. You will be able to give control of your body to the other ponies in your head. Such things are simple, but to have you share your soul and self with them... I cannot do that by magic, and I have no reason to try.” She said with a frown.
I sat and thought about it for a moment silently. “Do you think I could have the control giving part taken out?” I asked with a bit of a grin. “I kinda have fun with being in control at random.”
“You wish for them to be able to control your body without your permission? I will never understand mortals.” She shook her head, sighing.
“Er, no, not them to be able to control my body without permission... I’d rather have our whole random cycling of who’s in control to keep going... It... makes me giggle.” I said, chuckling.
She rolled her eyes. “Very well, so you must agree to the pact, by your name.” She prompted.
I took a moment to clear my throat. “I, Asher-”
“No! your pony name.” She demanded again.
“Er, s-sorry...” I said. “W-wait, shouldn’t I be using both names, to signify that all three parties, or, four parties, really, are in agreement?” I asked, expecting to be treated like an idiot.
“The pony name, is the name that matters. It is the one that I was tasked with finding.” She said.
“Oh...” I sounded, a little insulted by this actually. “Well then, I, Twilight Sparkle, agree to help Baba Yaga destroy the inner net, in exchange for an inner window of sorts.” I said, fairly certain I had screwed something up.
“And in return, I, Baba Yaga, will take you to the New York. To this you swear?” She asked in her screeching, high pitched voice, as the lanterns lighting the cottage began to dim, casting eerie shadows across the wooden interior, the building rocking back and forth with more force.
Well, that seemed to be a bit of a mistake on her end, but who was I to complain? Or maybe it was misinterpretation... oh well. “I swear.”
Then the lights were gone.