//------------------------------// // A talk with the Big Guy // Story: Taking Life by the Horns // by Judoon_Warrior //------------------------------// I open my eyes and I’m not met with the usual sight of my bedroom ceiling or even the unusual sight of the inside of the linen closet (Hey! It was one time and I was really drunk) instead I wake up to a stone ceiling. I sit up to get a better look at this place I have woken up in, I look around and I appear to be in some kind of stone corridor, kind of what you would see in a old castle or pyramid. “Where the hell am I!” I shout out for no one to hear. ‘Wait? That was my normal voice’ I look down and see that I have changed back to normal. 'I wish the universe would make up its mind does it want me human or as a minotaur, I was just starting to get used to the body plus having all that muscle was a bonus.’ I then start to hear music coming from the hallway straight ahead of me. “Where is that music coming from” I ask myself aloud ‘Only one way to find out’ I start walking in the direction that the music is coming from. }{}{}{}{ “WHERE THE HELL IS THIS MUSIC COMING FROM” I yell out in frustration, it feels like I’ve been chasing the source of this music for hours within this labyrinth of hallways. I continue following the sound of the music, I go around a corner and then I see it, at the end of this hallway I can see a light. ‘Down there must be the where this music is coming from’ I enter the room and have to cover my eyes as I’m temporarily blinded by the sudden change in light. Once my eye have adjusted to the light I look around the room “Woah” I whisper to myself the room is big and I mean really big think Grand Central Station big.  The contents of the room seemed to be an odd assortment, there is stuff that would make up a library including numerous shelves full of books, computers and desks to work on, then there is also the makings of a gym, there are weights and a large assortment of gym equipment and I swear I can see a pool down the back of the room. As I’m looking over the gym equipment I see someone towards the back lifting weights, I start walking towards them hoping to find out who they are and finally get some answers. As I get closer I realise that what I thought was a person working out is actually Iron Will. “About time you showed up” said the now familiar voice of the minotaur working out “I thought you’d never show up” he continues lifting the weights without a change in pace  as he talks to me. To say that I’m totally freaking out at the moment would be an understatement, first I turned into him then I turned back into myself and now I’m talking the the very minotaur that I turned into in some strange building that I have no idea where it is. I have a million question that I want to ask him, I finally ask him the first question that come to my head “Where are we?” I ask “For a smart person you sure are slow on the uptake, we are currently inside your head” he responds without stopping what he is doing. “Ok then my next question is what are we doing here?” “I don’t know about you but I’m currently lifting weights” he says with a grin on his face “That’s not what I meant!” “I knew what you meant, I just felt like messing with you a little kid” he stops lifting the weights and places down, he then sits up “If we’re gonna continue with this game of twenty questions we might as well do it somewhere a little more comfortable” he stands up and motions for me to follow him, as I start walking I quickly take a look at the weights he was lifting. “Holy Shit!” I say a little bit to loud, Iron Will stops and turns around “What’s wrong now kid?” he asked a bit annoyed “We don’t have all night you know” “Oh sorry it’s just I noticed how much weight you were lifting” “Yeah so?” “It’s 900 Kg “ He rubs the back of his neck and looks at me as if he’s embarrassed “Yeah Iron Will knows that it’s not that much but Iron Will’s mainly been going for high reps over weight. Now if you could just stop asking stupid questions for a short time that would be good”  }{}{}{}{ I slide into the bubbling water letting it engulf me up to my neck “ahhh this water feels amazing” Iron Will who was already sitting in the hot tub looks over to me with a big smile on his face “Iron Will knew it was a good choice to come here, nothing beats sitting in a hot tub after a long workout or in your case getting lost in a maze” I give him a sheepish look when he says this “Ok” he continues “Let’s get down to business you may now continue asking questions of Iron Will” “Oh ok, I guess my first question is do you know why this is happening, the whole people turning into ponies thing?” “No” he answers simply “Is that all no” I reply a little irritated “What did you want Iron Will to say, I have no idea the reason this is happening, I had finished one of my seminars in hoofington and had gone to bed and when I woke up I was no longer in control of my body. That is the plan and simple of it” “Ok I guess that makes sense, then my next question is-” Iron Will holds up his hand signaling for me to be quiet “Before we continue kid there’s one thing I have to warn you about Minotaurs” “What’s that?” I ask “Well you probably noticed when you were watching the news earlier that you started to feel angrier than you normally would about something like that” “Yeah I did notice that, what’s that about?” “Well all us minotaurs we suffer from major anger problems and it doesn’t take much to make us angry, I think the best way to describe it is like this Hulk character I’ve read about in here we’re kind of like him, when we get angry we really get angry and barely anything can stop an angry minotaur. Fortunately most Minotaurs have pretty good control over their anger, the problem is you’ve only been one for a day so you don’t have this control, so I’m going to do you a favour so you don’t do anything you regret I’m going to help you control our anger” “How are you gonna do that?” I ask “Well at first I’m gonna directly help you by talking to you during the day, so we can start working on it” “Wait! Hold on a second you’re gonna start talking to me in my head” I half yell at him Iron Will stands up in the hot tub and looks down on me with a hint of annoyance in his eyes “And what may I ask is wrong with that it is my head after all” “Nothing, nothing” I say as I wave my hands in front of me Iron Will sits back down “Good. Next I’ll start training you while you’re asleep so we can strengthen your mind” “That sounds cool, I do have one more question though” “And what would that be kid” “Well I wanted to ask what happened after your trip to Ponyville? Iron Will starts to look nervous and starts to sweat heavily “Urgh well the thing with that is... Oh my..” Iron Will looks at his wrist “Is that the time you had better wake up now” I open my eyes and I’m back in my room in my comfy bed, ‘Dammit Iron Will what are you hiding from me, next time I speak with you I will get an answer from you’ I feel something big and soft in my mouth, I spit it out and check to see what it is. It’s my pillow, ‘Why was my pillow in my mouth? Oh God! I can not let Alex know that this happened to me as well if he knew about this after the shit I gave him he would never let me down.’