//------------------------------// // 34 - Parallel lines // Story: Just a day in Equestria // by dave89898989 //------------------------------// I had stayed in this alternate time for quite a while now. Opare gave me a gift a couple of days ago, a painting of the equestrian valleys at sundown to be precise. This must have been the early stages of Hearth’s warming. Soon enough I realised that I had overstayed my welcome, and that it was time to go back to the present. The dusk princess was standing at the doorway now, waiting for me to get out of my bed. “Hey, sleepy head, the sun has risen, why haven’t you too?” I groaned and flipped myself over, obscuring the rays from my eyes. “I mistakenly overheard you talking about leaving last night, where will you be going?” I flipped over again and sat up slowly. “Uh, I hope you can understand, but it’s not good to stay in the wrong timeline for too long.” She looked down, then back up again. “I understand.You must go to the future, where you belong. It won’t be too much trouble for us all to say goodbye, will it?” “Not at all,” I said, knowing that will be a hard goodbye to accept. “I shall request for them while you get ready,” Opare nodded and disappeared from the doorframe. I washed my face at the basin in the private bathroom and stared out of the window above it. The old Ponyville will be long forgotten, but it will be rebuilt again. In the optimist’s point of view anyway. My mind then transitioned to the thought of having too much alcohol, which I have done for a while now. Where did this dependency come from? I walked back into the main part of the bedroom to be greeted by the castle’s main residents. They held strong faces when they saw me, trying to hold back the emotions for a while. “You’re...going...now?” Luna piped up with a dry voice. “Unfortunately yes, I must. My duty lies in the future, and I must fulfil it,” I replied, wondering what was actually going to be in store for me. “Will...we ever see you again?” Celestia asked me in a pained tone. “Of course you will. You all will see me again, just as long as you promise to stick together like a family.” I smiled, edging the sadness off a little bit. They each put a hoof on each other’s shoulder, and promised, through thick and thin, to stay together, as a family. Maybe this was the start of my good, reformed self. After regaining my memories and accepting the past, I could change it all around. Time was running out now, and I was fading out. I walked towards the fillies and their mentors, gathered them in a tight hug while forgetting everything for a moment in peace. I was actually with one distant piece of my family, making me heartbroken but content at the same time. My soul was immersed in love for those few seconds. Everything was all too familiar when the darkness surrounded the room. I was dropped on my back at high speed in a thick layer of snow covering the ground. It broke my fall from wherever I came from, so I could safely get up and survey my surroundings. Rows of tall buildings bore down on me, high class ponies walked the streets at a slow pace, big banners and signs stuck out of most surfaces, and a lot of carriages were driven back and forth. This was Manehatten; I was sure of it.I was back in my actual hometown, which felt strange. I was in the park that I used to play in when I was younger, which was even more strange. Why the hay am I here though? I walked through the alleyway nearby, as that path would take me to the bigger part of the town and nearer to my old home. the sun was high in the sky, and the icicles hanging from the lampposts dripped beads of defrosted water. The packed snow made my hooves paler than normal, and made me walk slower. If only I had something to cover up like everypony else around here... “Hey, what’re ya doin’ round these parts?” A hooded pony yelled from a distance in the alley. I looked at the gravelly-voiced colt with a confused face. “Well I’m just, uh, passing through...” Another similar looking pony stepped out from another turning. “You-you wanna buy some horse tranquilisers?” He whispered in a slightly mellowed out tone. “Real good stuff, makes ya see some very colourful images,” The first one joined in. I shook my head at them. “No thanks, buddy.” “Okay, ‘cause it’s you, we can do it for free. Ya wanna get high ‘cause it’s free, right?!” The mellow colt offered. What were they trying to do? “I don’t want your mind altering product. Never touched the stuff before, doesn’t mean I’m gonna start now. Please excuse me...” I tried to edge past them. They laughed weakly. “Suit yourself, but someday everypony will want these.” Getting away from those lowlifes fast, I removed that whole situation from my head. I then entered a bustling marketplace filled with all sorts of low price foods and clothing. The stench of the whole place wasn’t the most pleasant, and the appearance of some of the ponies weren’t the best either. My living space was pretty close to the seedier side of Manehatten, I realised. At least the snow wasn’t as thick around this area, so my hooves could at least gather their internal warmth back. Passing the shouting, heckling ponies and crowds of street shoppers, I made it closer to the location of my old place. There seemed to be some ponies sitting on my house’s doorstep, busking. Guitars were being played, and singing was going on. I couldn’t see them though as they had attracted a mass of passers-by. Pushing my way through the audience, I managed to get to the front and see who was playing. There I saw a white pony with jet black hair; some sort of cutie mark that resembled a flower. The second pony I noticed was what astounded me the most. How was I sitting there, when I was standing here at the same time? It was me playing the guitar. Me. Over there. Fully grown too. What was this, a parallel world or something? What was I to do? Just walk up there and say hi? I looked up to the first floor window to look in amazement at Thunder Hum and Zap Flower, my parents. How could this be happening? I moved away from here ages ago, according to my timeline. Too many questions were spouting from my mind. Soon enough, the merry melody had finished, so the audience were clearing away after giving the players some bits. I was left standing there, causing the remaining ponies to become as dumbfounded as I was. “Who...who are you?” The other me asked, others following with the same question. “I...must be you. From a parallel world, I’m thinking. I was dropped here for some reason, stupid transport system,” I explained, improvising. “How can this even work?” The black haired mare asked me. “Hay if I know, that’s why I’m figuring it out too,” I replied. “Also, who are you, may I ask?” “My name is Cherry Blossom, Blue’s best friend!” Interesting. I guess I met Destiny in Canterlot, but that didn’t happen this time. “Nice to meet you, Cherry,” I happily welcomed her name to my tongue. “Also, meet Hibiscus and Shimmershine, if you please!” The polite pony told me. The two said ponies came from out of the doorway behind her. I guessed that Hibiscus was Cherry’s identical twin, as he had another flower cutie mark, just a different breed of flower, and Shimmershine had an intriguing grey coat with yellowing hooves and ears, complete with turquoise and light yellow streaked hair; ponytailed mane. I also witnessed Hibiscus give a peck to the other Blue. Well...my preference is changed to normal in this world. It was kinda creepy to watch myself be in love with somepony. The two new ponies looked at me, then back to the other me, but I explained to them the situation too. “Hey, do you mind if I talked to your parents, Blue?” I asked my doppelgänger. “Sure, go ahead, other Blue,” she replied, clearing the way of the doorway so I could step through. My actual parents could be anywhere, as far as I know. I haven’t had a chance to meet them properly yet, after all these years of waiting. The best I could get for now would be a parallel. The house was exactly the same as my own from way back, as I observed while walking to the stairs. Blue’s parents appeared at the top and told me they’d meet me down here, so I waited for them to come down. “What is that you’d like, honey?” Zap Flower, Blue’s mother asked. “To ask some questions, if you will. How come you haven’t moved to Ponyville yet?” I awaited whatever response I would be given. Zap Flower looked at her husband in confusion, then Thunder Hum talked. “Ponyville? We’re happily settled here, the best town in Equestria!” “Is that so... Well what about Canterlot? Have you visited there yet?” This question will probably give me a different response to what I would hope for. “We haven’t been to Canterlot at all. The closest we’ve got to there is getting some clothes imported, but nothing more,” The father answered. This had to be the clincher. “Okay, so does the name, ‘Azure Spark’ ring any bells?” “Nope, sorry.” The conversation returned to Zap Flower. I reeled a little. I didn’t even have a brother in this world. “Alright, thank you for your time.” I turned away and exited the house swiftly. “And where do you think you’re going?” My double called to me as I was walking away. I turned around bearing a serious expression. “I’m going to get a drink.” “Can we come with you? It would be fun to be with another me too!” She laughed. I didn’t want much more of a part in this, but I was curious too.” Uh, sure, come along.” “See you folks later!” Other Blue pleasantly said goodbye to her parents, the others waving at them too. Why was she so sprightly? Not like the real me at all. The group caught up to my side, and we continued on. I could just about recall where the nearest bar was, so I headed in that direction. The other parading ponies didn’t notice that I and the other I were the same pony; maybe dismissing that we were identical twins or something. I looked at Other Blue, studying her bright, smiling face. She must not have had a care in the world. Reminds me of somepony pink... We all reached the bar, and entered the premises to get a well deserved refreshment glass. “One of your finest liquors please, barkeep. And for you?” I ordered. “Just a round of ciders for the rest of us, please,” Other Blue quietly said. “That’ll be twenty bits, thanks.” The bartender started pouring the beverages. Definitely not like me, free of alcohol. “Uh-oh, I don’t have any money...” “Don’t worry, I managed to get loads from earlier, remember? I’ll pay for us all,” Other Blue placed the golden coins on the bar’s surface. We sat at a nearby table, and I drank almost immediately. My parallel took polite little sips. At least she’s able to handle herself... “Thanks for the drink, Blue.” I gave a weak smile. “Anything for myself,” She said, chuckling at the strange kind of feeling when saying that. “I see you have a coltfriend,” I looked at Hibiscus. “Heh, we go way back,” Cherrry’s twin spoke up. “My sister was in the same music class as Blue; they became best friends. I became attracted to Blue when I saw her the first time, and things just went from there. Shimmershine helped push it along though, as I and Blue are both quite shy at times.” Shimmershine asked, “Do you have a coltfriend yourself?” That almost hurt, but I guess they were none the wiser about my personality. I had to go with it for now, as I didn’t want to get more attention than I should. “Um...no, I don’t. No, unfortunately I don’t have one.” “Aww, that’s a shame. With a pony as beautiful as yourself, you should have one,” She returned. What a good conversation. My cheeks couldn’t help but turn rosy. “Uh, th-thanks, Shimmershine, but you don’t have to flatter me.” “Do you have a job, or profession? Like us, we play guitar,” Cherry Blossom grilled me. This was going to become a question and answer session, I just knew it. I could just about see Blue’s cutie mark; it was the acoustic instrument instead of a computer. “I don’t have any employment yet, no.” “Do you have a best friend? What is his or her name?” Blue asked me. “I do, her name is Destiny Bond. She is a feisty, happy pegasus, her coat is white, she has black, messy hair a bit like Cherry’s, but with red streaks.” “What’s different in your world?” Hibiscus examined. “Well, nothing much, only that I don’t know any of you, and I’m living alone in Ponyville. slightly different lives me and Blue live, right?” I took another large swig of my drink before being asked the next question, which came from Shimmershine. “ “So is where you are fun to be in?” She asked. “Not exactly, as there was an invasion of corrupted animals before, tearing apart the whole of my town, I lost all my friends by giving up the will to stay strong, I am shunned from society now, and the memory that was permanently burned into my mind was the loss of Destiny’s parents; I had to watch over the burning wreck and cover it up for all of Destiny’s life, until she forgot. And now I have to drink loads to drown out my past in order to cope, just about.” By the time I blurted that out, my vision was starting to blur and distort. “Whoa hey, she didn’t mean to tell us about your personal life, she just meant to ask if it was nice, scenic there...” Other Blue told me, shocked at what I had said. I rose from the table, bashed my hoof on the table and pointed at my counterpart, attracting the rest of the eyes in the humble tavern. “You don’t know what I’ve been through! You don’t know what I’ve seen. None of you have lived a life as miserable as mine, you just think it’s all roses with your fancy guitars and your happy faces! I’ll tell you something, it’s not that easy to survive out there in the world. Have you ever seen three dead ponies mangled and melting after a sky-crash, at the youngest age of five?! No! You haven’t! But I have! I stared into their souls, I heard their last screams for salvation! And that’s not all! I was in the army once, and I saw so many pale, departed face; heard every single one of their cries as they were shot down and destroyed, every last one of them! My family...they passed away in front of my very eyes...I survived the bomb drop, but they didn’t! They were eviscerated of their skin and their bones turned to complete ash. I ran so far that day, scared out of my mind as the bombs dropped all over the city! My life was ground down to nothing but pain as I lived through each day knowing I had to keep going. I couldn’t die! I can’t die! I am protected by the gods! I just had to sit through each and every death that wasn’t my own until I was run through by the god of revenge himself. But still I remained, and then I had to suffer in this new world too!” “S-sit down, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings...” Other Blue tried to calm me down, but it didn’t work. The whole table was pretty much terrified by my drunken, monster-like form that I had taken shape of in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t take this anymore. I stormed out of the bar, into the freezing snow. Was there a way to get out of this place? Was there a way to remove the gods from my life? Was there a way to end it all? Was there a way to be happy again? I galloped to a nearby patch of grass hidden under the snow, and threw myself into it in a feeble attempt to cause injury. I looked up at the falling snow coming from the grey sky, as if staring down the gods above me. I knew they were there, looking over me. Did they care about me? What about Rose, did she actually care? She left the group to become a mortal, but for what purpose? And what about Glais? There was too much mystery in my life. I just wanted to be settled into this world without having any repercussions. It started out normal enough, but where did it go wrong? Destiny’s family losing their lives hugely affected me yes, but it didn’t change the course of my steady lifestyle. Was it when I met Fluttershy? Was then after punishment for not having the right orientation? Was it beforehand, when I met Applejack? Was that chose disapproved upon because she wasn’t supposed to be a friend? “Hey!” a voice shouted to me. I adjusted my skewed view to face front. It was my apparent twin, yet again showing up. “We’re sorry that we pushed you too far, we shouldn’t have asked so much...” I wasn’t like this at heart. My anger slowly subsided, and I got up the right way round. I stumbled a little bit because of the effects from my alcohol induced mind. She put a hoof on my shoulder, and looked me straight in the eyes. “Blue, I can sympathise with you. I’ve been through losses as well. You know Hibiscus and Cherry? They had lost their parents too. I comforted them for their whole lives when I shared my home with them here. I’ve heard their stories over and over, I know how much they miss who bore them as children. I know it isn’t as much as what you’ve been through yourself, but it’s almost like my own family, and it means alot to me. I’ve helped them for so long that we are so well knit together now. You know, I’ve had foals with Hibiscus recently? They look a lot like their father.” “I’m sorry,” I said, painfully. “I shouldn’t have had that outburst. Sometimes I don’t think, sometimes I act selfishly. You know the rest, you’re me aren’t you? The only thing is that you’re the more refined version, the two point zero if you will. You’re straight up, your morals are correct, you have your life sorted out and you know what you’re doing. But me, I’m the older model, I’m the pathetic mess of a pony. Whatever had happened in my life was my fault, and really, my life is pointless. Everything I’ve done will be for nothing in the end. But you can actually live a decent life. I know you. It’s like I’ve been here before.” I proceeded to look at the ground, realising how small my life really was, and how my existence would not matter to anyone, here or not. I was just another number on the record; I was just a test subject to the gods. “Listen, everything happens for a reason,” Other Blue assured me. “Not all of what happened is your fault, you were only part of something bigger. You aren’t an evil pony, you can’t be! You just seem to have a tough time with your life and your history, I’m guessing. You don’t know where to go or what to do. I’m not trying to be harsh or anything here, but you never learned the meaning of how much you are a part of the universe and life itself, did you? In everypony’s hearts that you know, each and every one of them reserves a place for you, as friends or as family. They never want to see you gone, they never want a replacement. You can only be one pony, a personality that is made and shaped one time ever, and that’s how valuable you are. Nopony in Equestria can copy you, so they rely on you as who you are. To be honest, I know you’re going to be leaving this place soon, and even though we haven’t met you too much, we’re going to miss you. Before you go, I want to help you. I want to comfort you. We want to comfort you. Please, come back home, stay for a night, we will make you feel welcomed, like a family.” Has everypony been noticing my loneliness all of a sudden? I don’t tell them this, so how do they know? “I...I accept your offer. I’d like that, Blue. I’d want to see your foals too. It will give me hope for the future.” The feeling of serenity cleared my stained soul for now. We all got together again, Blue explained the situation and the rest of the group’s intimidated faces turned back to pleasant ones; then we went home. It was altogether a crowded house, but it was a decent sized abode nonetheless. We sat down and had a healthy, sumptuous hay-based dinner. I followed Blue up to her room afterwards, and I saw her two children playing. She was right, they did look a lot like hibiscus, both of them, but just with a slight orange tint to their coats. Blue had it all under control, everypony in this home did. They all stuck close by each other, they all looked satisfied with their lives, they were all family. It inspired me to think. My parents were long gone, but I still had my brother. Destiny was my sister by heart, but I didn’t want to think the same by her human form. Any god or goddess is evil in nature, and Rose had to have something planned, even if she did act friendly towards me. Cherry Blossom showed me how to play guitar, and I strummed away while watching Hibiscus and Blue gently kiss each other. Shimmershine told me all about the twins’ past, and everything that went on in this family; I listened with utmost intent. I was intrigued by everypony’s lifestyle, and so I was willing to listen and learn to what this wonderful pony had to say to me. I slept on the sofa as usual, but I accepted it because it was pretty comfy this time. By the time of the morning, I said my goodbyes as I knew I was about to slip away from this timeline. Everypony was tearful, especially Blue, as I talked to her at sunrise about how I personally will miss her and what I could have done with her if I had more time. They wanted me to stay, but I noticed that I was fading again. It was time to go back to the correct time and place; Canterlot castle to see if Opare and Aora were there. I waved a final goodbye, choked, and flashed into darkness for a time.