(James' Point Of View)
Almost immediately after I fell asleep, I was thrown into a vision of swirling purple, blue, and black. It seemed as though I was falling through a void, only I didn't feel anything. Instantly, the colors stopped, and faded away into a new world.
It was a beach. Crystalline sand, diamond-clear water, no washed up plant or animal matter that I could see, and my sight was stretched for miles. I turned around to see the grass. It looked like it was made of gold, with ruby red flowers, lavender reeds, and a plethora of other hues mixed into a painting of beauty.
"This isn't my own dream, is it?" A feminine voice that I easily recognized as Nightmare came from behind me, or in front of me. My head was facing opposite of where my chest was pointed, so I don't know what the situation would be dubbed.
Moving on, I turned my head, expecting to see Nightmare in her pony body, but instead found her non-anime sized eyes piercing into my own. Recalling that she asked a question, I shook my head.
"No, this is mine," I replied.
She stared at me quizzically. "You have been to a place that looks like this? I would have thought there would be, what did you call them? Postcards, yes, that's it, postcards of this place at the stores."
"No, I haven't been here, nor do I imagine anyone in this universe would be able to come to this place," I shook my head again.
"Then why do you dream of it?"
"And that, Nightmare, is the question," I smiled cryptically. "I've been dreaming of this place ever since I was five. It's not like any beach I know of, and that is including otherworldly ones. I even asked the Doctor about this place, but none match up."
"That's, confusing," she pointed out slowly.
"I would like to think of this place as my personal get away, even if I never truly come here."
"It looks beautiful," she stared in awe at the world surrounding us.
"It is," I concurred. "... Do you want to go for a swim?"
"Are you sure the water is safe?" She asked uncertainly.
"It is a dream. Besides, I have swum in this ocean several times ever since I've started dreaming of this place. No monsters in these waters, unless we make them, since this is a lucid dream."
"But what about clothes?"
"You're the dream expert. Just imagine they are different."
"And what about-" at that point, it appeared to me like she was simply wanting to avoid the water.
"Nightmare, are you afraid to swim?" I interrupted.
"I- I," she faltered, before directing her attention to the sand beneath her in shame. "I don't even know how."
"Then we shall have to change that." I grinned, changing the reality of the dream so we were both wearing bathing suits: me, a pair of simple red bathing trunks, and Nightmare, a midnight blue bikini. "Into the water, my young Padawan!" I commanded, marching shamelessly towards the ocean.
"Your young what?" She obviously didn't get the reference. That kind of ruined the whole effect, but I wouldn't let that stop me.
"Student, now stop stalling!"
I heard a harrumph before I could hear the crunching of soft sand behind me. Soon enough, we both waded into the glassy liquid.
"Alright, I want you to lie flat in the water, belly up!" I demonstrated the simple floating technique. She tried to copy me, but only succeeded in fully submerging under the water. After dragging her up from under the surface, ignoring the scowl she gave me, I looked into her eyes, and smiled.
"Better than my first try," I continued to smile, which prompted her to cease the venomous look and crack a grin.
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It must have been hours since I began to teach Nightmare how to swim. Thankfully, she has proven herself once again to be a fast learner, and soon enough she was swimming and stroking her way through the waters like an Olympic contestant. So what else could I do but play a joke on her? Not much.
"Oh Nightmare!" I called out to her with one of my most innocent of tones, even if what I was about to do would be far from that.
She stopped and gave me a questioning look. I splashed at her, blinding her for only a second, but that was all that I needed. I dove under the surface of the water, and imagined the water to continue being clean, but losing it's opacity at the same time. I slowly swam in her direction, using memory as my guide.
Through the dream control, I was able to hear Nightmare sputter to get the water out of her mouth, before she started calling out for me. "James, James, where are you?" She was turning her head left and right, up and down, trying to find me. "James, please be okay."
I just can't let you worry about me too much. I had eventually reached her without her knowing where I was. I was in place, so I allowed my evil plan to take action.
I grabbed her leg, and pulled her under, making Nightmare yelp as I did so. I forced the water to be clear once again, so I could give her the biggest smirk possible. She looked down at me in annoyance, before getting a sly grin on her face. Oh crap! I realized too late what she was about to do. Namely, payback.
Her eyes began to glow, and soon enough I was sent out into the air on a column of water. She managed to pull that one on me, but I still had a few tricks up my sleeve.
I thought of all of the water in the air, and pictured them condensing into clouds I could stand on. Soon enough, both of my feet were engulfed in fluffy white shoes, and I used them as hover boots. Moving my legs as if I were skating, I flew in the air, until finally coming into contact with the ocean's water. As I did, I forced the clouds to become ice, which I used as a surf board. I felt like I looked pretty awesome from where Nightmare was looking.
She clearly had other plans...
She dove under water before flying back out like a dolphin, reaching at least ten feet in the air. She then floated without any form of water, which kind of felt like cheating, until I saw the foggy wings on her back, like an angel.
I hate to admit it, but she was good. In the skill way, not the whole angel thing, although-
Nope, getting off tangent!
Anyway, she then cupped her hands as if they were holding tennis balls, and about one hundred plus baseball-sized spheres of water rose up from the sea and existed freely in the air. Oh snap!!!
She made a throwing motion with her left hand, and about twenty of the orbs charged at me. Luckily, I have had a lot of practice dodging laser fire, so those things were going to be a piece of cake... Or so I thought.
I forgot how bad of shots Daleks were. Thankfully, I did maneuver out of the way for all of them, though with way more effort than I was used to. Nightmare, of course, would not have that. She tossed the other eighty something water balls at me, so I did what I could think of. I forced the water to orbit around me, remaining in their ball form, had them travel around me about five times before rocketing towards their original sender.
She elevated out of the way, letting every single shot miss. What she did not take into account however, was the water lasso that took shape behind her. She screamed as she was dragged back down under water. Suddenly though, my surfboard flew into the sky, me along with it, and evaporated. It was a brilliant and almost foolproof move on her part, but I was not finished with our little game just yet.
Using my downward momentum, I concentrated on the idea of monstrous tidal waves. As soon as I landed my cannonball, a giant series of ripples generated around me. Nightmare was forced out from underwater as the waves lifted her out into the open. She went sailing through the air in free fall for a few seconds, before I sent up a path if water for her to slide on, ending it right in front of me.
Not my best move.
As she came towards me, she raised her arms, and a bunch of bubbles came up from under me. It got very difficult to keep afloat, and I was struggling to maintain my balance. Unfortunately, I had to focus on staying up, and didn't notice she had continued her ride directly at me. She rammed into me, which would have hurt more if that was not a dream.
We skidded across the surface of water, stopping about a mile off shore. I did the only thing I could think of at the moment, and began to bombard Nightmare with tickles. She laughed like crazy, trying to keep my fingers from reaching her sensitive stomach. After about thirty seconds, she tried to tickle back, resulting in an all out war of fingers.
By the time we finished, my sides were killing me. I looked over to see Nightmare taking many deep breaths, face flushed. I was planning on challenging her a second time, but it took me several moments to gather myself.
As soon as I did, I felt the darkness close in on me, warning me that my dream was about to end. I was about to tell Nightmare, but she looked at me and nodded.
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The dream ended in an instant. I once again felt the familiar weight of Nightmare using me as a bed. I also began to hear the sound of my alarm going off.
"I don't care what you say, we are so doing that again," a cheery voice claimed from under my chin.
"And what makes you so certain?" I asked, reaching over and turning off the alarm.
"Mistress of dreams, remember?" She answered smartly.
"Alright, you win. Now up we go, we have a job to get you," I muttered.
"Fine!" She tossed off the blanket, and marched over to the dresser, where a disarray pile of clothes now held residence. I stared at it, but said nothing. I crawled out of the comfy bed, and went through my side of the dresser, picked out some clothes, and rushed into the shower. I only took a few minutes before I was finished dressing, brushing my hair and teeth, and prepared breakfast.
I was looking through my phone, trying to find some way to explain why Nightmare didn't exist as she was taking a shower. I had to make sure my plan was full proof, and it was, I hoped.
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(Nightmare's Point Of View)
"Alright, Nightmare, let's get going!" James yelled from the living room.
"Just a second!" I called back. I finally finished putting on my enseble of clothes, and rushed out of the bathroom. When I came into James' view, his jaw dropped.
"... What?" I asked, confused by his reaction.
"You look... Amazing!" The hesitation in his voice didn't sound like a lie, more like awe.
I was wearing a black blouse with many stars and galaxies sewn into the fabric which shimmered when I moved, a midnight blue knee length skirt that was split in several different places, purple high heels, black socks, golden bracelets, and a necklace of a crescent moon, just like my cutie mark. My hair was curled, and fell down to my shoulders. Midnight blue mascara thinly lined the area above my eyes, and I threw in a small amount of blush on my cheeks.
I admittedly blushed a little at his compliment. "Thanks," was all I could say.
"Alright, we've got a little more time, so dig in!" James announced as he gestured to the table. Fruits, vegetables, toast, milk, juice and eggs were spread out on it. My mouth watered at the sight.
The food was fantastic! I honestly wished I knew how to cook, which prompted me to ask about him giving me lessons.
"Sure thing," he smiled. "But not right now, okay?"
"Clearly," I gave him a sarcastic look as we finished cleaning up.
We got into the car, which still seemed extremely weird to me, and began to drive off into the sunrise.
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We finished our conversation as James pulled his car to a stop. In front of us stood an extremely decorated building. I looked to the front of the store to see the name of the establishment: BANDERSNATCH: WONDERLAND EMPORIUM. I had recognized the term 'Bandersnatch', but I could not remember why.
"What's a Bandersnatch?" I directed at James.
"It's a creature from a story," he half answered.
"What was it?" I repeated.
"Well, it was never well described, but in the original story, it was an intelligent creature with enough strength to pick up a man as if it were a feather, as fast as an unladen swallow, had claws that could shred through a tree as if it were perforated paper, and a neck-"
"A neck that would be able to reach great lengths." I finished, slightly surprised as I did so.
"... Did you read a book called The Hunting of the Snark, by any chance?" He asked nervously.
I shifted lightly from foot to foot. "Not that I know of," I answered, just as confused as he was. "But now that I think about it, the title does sound familiar. Maybe there was an equivalent where I come from." I shrugged.
"Well, as strange as this is, we can't worry about it right now. In we go," he held open the door as I walked past him. I couldn't see anything from the outside, so I got my first look at where I planned to work and...
"Wow," was all I was able to enunciate as I stared at the interior decorations. The place was decked from wall to wall with clothes, costumes, trinkets, and other objects. Many represented the creatures of my own world. Dragons, griffons, Rocs, Minotaurs, and sprites appeared on tee shirts, costumes, and balloons.
"You know you're going to let pigeons nest in your mouth if you leave it like that," James commented. I moved the muscles in my jaw around to find that it had been hanging open. I quickly closed it. James just continued to smile at me. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to say that. Now come on, interviews that way." He grabbed my hand and started to drag me towards the back of the building.
In front of us now stood a door that read 'Manager' in a variety of colors, light refractions, sparkles, and other forms of decor. James gave it a light tap, to which a voice called out "come in". Inside was a small, poorly lit room with a single, unpersonalized desk with only a strange looking black object, a white box with light emanating from it, and a weird flat thing that I can't really describe. A skinny brown-haired man with glasses sat behind the desk. He seemed to be older than James and I, though I couldn't say how much.
"Welcome back James," the man smiled, somewhat forced.
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," James began to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Didn't feel too well. But I brought another slave- I mean employee to make up for it." The way he said that last bit was liable to have been pre-planned with how smoothly he said it.
The man, whom I assumed to be the manager, stared blankly at James for a couple seconds, before breaking into laughter. "Yes, I can see that. So, you are the one he called in about?" He directed at me.
"Yes, I am," I answered. He gave me a strange look.
"So serious," he grumbled.
James squeezed my hand. I turned my head to see him switch from an emotionless face to a smile a couple times before nodding. I could only guess what he was trying to say, so I went with my instincts. I giggled, which didn't sound as real to me as I wished it to be, but it was a giggle none the less.
"Only when I'm a princess," I smirked, although it felt extremely forced. I wanted to kick myself for letting the truth be the best comeback I could think of.
The manager changed his expression to one of pride. "What's your name then, princess?"
James and I went over this back in the car, thankfully. "Diana. Princess Diana Magrenith, my newest subject." If he was going to call me princess, I was going to have fun with it. "And what, pray tell, is thine name?"
He bowed sarcastically. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Princess Diana. My name is Brandon Maublé. Are you prepared for your interview?"
I nodded, but I was surprised when James let go of my hand. I turned to see him walk towards the door. "Wait!" I nearly shouted, causing both James and Mr. Maublé to jump. "Can James stay with me?" I didn't want to do anything I would regret, and I knew next to nothing about interviews. Besides, James knew my backstory better than I did.
"Normally, I would say no," Mr. Maublé mentioned in thought.
"I'll sort the back room," James interjected. Mr. Maublé's eyes lit up.
"Done," he slapped his hand down on the desk. "No take backs!" James' shoulders drouped at that, but he said nothing.
"Now, what is your full name?" Mr. Maublé became extremely business like. But dealing with ambassadors for five centuries has a way of keeping such acts from bothering you.
"Diana Star Magrenith," I answered.
"Where were you born?"
"New Wilmington, Pennsylvania," I really didn't know why James stressed that specific part, but I figured he knew what he was doing. Not that I really knew what he had planned.
"Why do you want to work here?"
"Because I want to bring joy into people's lives in a magical way," I felt silly saying it, but it seemed to work. I was going to have to thank James for making me say it later.
"Do you have anyone to vouch for you?"
"Um..." I didn't know what he meant by this, so James stepped in.
"Yes, she does. Me."
"Obviously. Aside from that?"
"Yup. His name is John Smith. Here, I have his number."
John Smith? Who the heck is that? I wondered.
An strange bell sound came from the black box on the desk. After a few repetitions, it stopped, replaced with a person's voice.
"Hello?"
"Hi, yes, this is Mr. Maublé from Bandersnatch, Wonderland Emporium. I would like to talk to John Smith."
"That's me, what do you need?" A Trottingham accent came out.
"Do you know of a Diana Magrenith?"
"Give me a moment, oh wait, yes I do. Sorry, it's been a while. It feels like a lifetime ago. What about her?" The voice rambled.
"Can you tell me about what she is like?"
"Brilliant girl, although stubborn when it comes to her friends. Fantastic worker, can do almost anything she sets her mind to. Give her a while and she'll warm up to you. Wonderful people person. And absolutely brilliant when it comes to handling kids. I know that may be a bit cliché to say, but when you put her in the same room with them, they become instant best buddies."
Why is this man talking as if he knows me? I looked to James for an answer, before he slipped a paper into my palm. I opened it to see it read: Doctor.
"Do you trust her?"
"I trust her to be there for her friends. I trust her to be the most compassionate when it comes to others. I trust that if she has a job, she will get it done. And if she makes a promise, she will do what she can to keep it. I trust her with the lives of my friends, family, and even more surprisingly, my own. There is not a more trustworthy person than her, and I know a lot of people."
Even after threatening him, he still stands up for me? Strange.
"I will have to call you back later, if that is okay with you."
"Of course, have a nice day Mister Maublé."
"You too, Mister Smith."
A sound of banging and the conversation stopped. I had absolutely no idea what just happened, and I was about to freak out.
"Telephone, I will explain later, but stay calm," James whispered into my ear. I felt my heart beat slow down, as did my breathing.
"With that part out of the way, tell me, why should I pick you other than any other person for this job?"
"Are there any other applicants?" I asked, smirking.
"Good point. Alright, I am going to need to see your social security card," he stuck out his hand. Once again, something in the interview was lost on me. I am so glad I forced James to stay here. I thought to myself proudly.
"Actually, she grew up in an Amish settlement, but she decided to remain in the 'new world', as she calls it." James spoke up. I could almost see the victory within his eyes, like he wanted to say that the entire time.
Really, a 'new world'? Was that pun necessary James? When we are alone again, I am going to face palm. Hard. I swore to myself.
"Very well. What's your contact information?"
"She's living with me, so just put my stuff down. I still need to get her a cell phone." James mumbled the second part.
"That's, odd. Anyway, welcome to the job, Diana. We will have your badge, shirt, and other stuff in by tomorrow. Today, how about we let your boyfriend over here take you through training." He smirked as my jaw dropped.
"We're, um, not, dating," James stuttered. At least he could speak.
"Pity, 'cause you two seem closer to each other than any of the couples I've seen. Not to mention you have been holding hands since you've walked in here."
James tried to drop his hand, but in my daze I continued to grip it. My new employer just laughed at this.
"'Not a couple' my rear."
"... Let's just go," James grumbled. I merely nodded and walked beside him as we exited the office, the manager still laughing.
We walked to the front of the store, where James pointed to an oddly shaped desk, similar to what the saleswoman at the clothing store stood behind yesterday.
"Do you remember yesterday when I took you shopping, that lady stood behind the counter and checked the clothes?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Same thing. You stand here, and put the black and white line parts of the tag, known as bar codes, in front of the red moving light."
"Fair enough."
"Good, now, if they can't set it on the counter, you need to use this thing. It's called a scanner. Point the black part at the bar codes. Then pull on this thing with a finger." He demonstrated, which in turn caused a red light to flash out from the end. It surprised me a little, but not enough to make me scream.
"Okay."
"That is the simple bit of that job, and I will go into details later, but right now we need to introduce you to the store, so come along, my little grasshopper," he started to skip away.
"Why am I a grasshopper?" I asked, confused. "I thought I was an Alicorn." He stopped in his tracks.
"That is two for two. Grasshopper also means student. I am going to have to sit you down and force you to watch every single important movie and reference, aren't I?" He sounded disappointed.
"Probably."
"That's going to be so much fun," he moaned, appearing to be tired in an instant. "Anyway, we should let you get used to the layout of this place. Come on."
We went through the store, with him explaining the basics. It seemed simple, almost monotonously so. Eventually, we reached an isle within the store which caught my eye. I couldn't fathom why, but I decided we needed to check it out. James followed me, and what we saw made both of our hearts nearly stop.
WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA