There once was a man. He was called the Computer Man. He really enjoyed fixing, using, and generally being around computers. He programmed them, played games on them, wrote stories on them . . . this man was named Booker Gray, and he is me.
So, being the Computer Man, I was doing what my second title entailed: using my computer. Specifically, I was logging onto League of Legends with a couple other of my pals.
I adjusted my "Boise State Broncos" baseball cap, cracked my knuckles, and selected my favorite champion: Karthus. Soon I was laying waste to my foes with the power of Rah and generally being on all around badass. This, however, was when something rather odd decided to happen. Well, most people would probably consider it odd, I know I did, first time it happened to me, but I had gotten used to it by this point.
I was just about entering round two when there was a near-deafening *crack*, accompanied with a rather bright flash of purple light that scared me into spilling my soda.
Instinctively, I whirled around. I relaxed a bit and smiled when I saw who it was. I turned back to my computer and made some excuse through Ventrilo, thus ending my role in the game early.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry; I interrupted something, didn't I?" she said in a slightly panicked voice. She held her ears down and her large, expressive eyes swept the red carped underneath her. She was, as always, adorable.
My smile grew and I said, "Little bit, but it was just a game. Though I'm slightly curious. This is the first time your arrival has been so . . . loud. Sudden."
Twilight looked up at me, widened her eyes, and looked down again.
"Oh no!" she said again, "I should've warned you; I found a new teleportation spell that made me not so tired after I was done and-well, I'll just keep using the old one, it was much better and . . . ."
I'm sure a better person would have jumped in at any time to stop her self-destruction, but I guess I'm heartless. I let her continue for a few more moments, but then decided to have mercy and piped in when she stopped to take a breath. Honestly, I had been a bit annoyed at her sudden arrival, but no one (no one) - can stay irritated at such a cute purple little pony.
"No, no, there's no point. I know about it now, you can use this one."
Poor thing. She was so submissive and kind of tore herself up when she made mistakes. But mistakes are the best way to learn.
"And how many times have I told you not kick yourself so much? Based on what you've told me so far, you're not really that way back home, so why here?"
"Well, the fact that you're an alien from another world-"
"One that you know."
"Regardless, you still kind of, uh, intimidate me."
"Aw, I'm hurt," I said.
Twilight saw my sarcasm, thankfully, and perked up, a smile on her muzzle.
"So," I said, smiling at the tiny jump Twilight made, "what can I do ya for?"
"Well, today," she looked out the window, "Tonight I was just hoping to 'hang out' a bit."
I nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, yeah, I can do that."
Twilight smiled happily and happily trotted over to me. While she was on her way, I stood from my computer chair and sat on the nearby couch. Twilight hopped up on my lap and we began a age-old (month-old, really) - ritual: I scratch behind her ears while holding in laughter at the cute sounds my pony makes, and she sits, enjoying herself and not really realizing how much effort I'm dishing out on my part. Words too, of course, if companionable silence gets boring. You'd be surprised, though, how much we don't speak, a lot of the time it's just platonic cuddling and scratching, enjoyment of each other's company. This can be done with two human beings, but even more so for us. Just being in the presence of an alien was totally awesome for both of us. Once or twice we've even fallen asleep (what? She's warm.) When this happens, I wake up and am amused. Twilight, however, freaks out, despite the fact that when she's here time doesn't move near as fast in her home world, and she probably hasn't missed a single thing on her home planet.
This silence was not something that happened on that night, however.
"So what's been going on with that search for Button Mash?"
"Oh! Good news! We finally found him!"
"Oh? Where was he? No one kidnapped him?"
"Thank Celestia no. That sort of stuff doesn't really happen much in Equestria. No, he had gotten himself lost in the Everfree Forest after playing a game with Sweetie Belle. It was that little pony who pointed us in his direction in the first place; she thought he had found his way home after she had left early."
"Well that's great. I wish Earth was as crime-free as your place."
I felt Twilight shiver. "Me too. I mean, you're planet's great and all, but . . . "
"It's kind an awesome place and simultaneously the worst."
"If that's how you want to describe it, yes."
"Great technology, great people, great books, great opportunities . . . and yet everyone's a complete and utter moron."
My pony (don't tell her I call her that) - giggled. "Yes, I feel that way, too sometimes."
We were silent for a few seconds until a thought occurred to me and I frowned in interest.
"Hey 'Twi?"
"Mm-hmm?" she purred in response.
"I've been wondering . . . why me?"
She looked up at me, a shade of curiosity in her massive eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Well, there are billions and billions of people on this planet, how did you end up with me? Was it something random or what?"
Twilight, surprisingly, blushed slightly at this. Curious . . .
"Well, I did go through a lot of people, but I chose you, well . . . ."
"Yes?"
"Alright, fine, your name."
"What?"
"Your name. 'Booker.'"
Realization hit me and I couldn't help but through back my head and give a few bouts of over-exaggerated laughter. But of course.
"Is that it?"
"Well, no, but that was mostly it."
I smiled again.
"Well I'm glad you ended up with me."
"Me too."
"D'aww."
"Knock it off."
"Why?"
"Because."
I smiled again (I can't stop doing that) - and leaned my head back a bit, staring at my blank television, preparing to lapse into a silence. It happened for a little while, but that's when things started.
"Booker?" came her voice. I furrowed my brow in concern; her voice was quiet, distant.
I lifted my head and let it fall down until my chin struck my chest. The gaze Twilight was giving me was one that she hadn't before. It was sad. Longing.
I frowned deeper. "What's the matter?"
The delicate creature on my lap sighed and let her head hang for a few seconds as I raised my eyebrow.
"Booker, I have a confession to make?"
I smirked a bit, my worry gone.
"Oh?"
" . . . yeah."
"What?"
"It . . .it's easier if I just show you. Close your eyes."
I furrowed my brow - were things going to get more and more out of the ordinary? - but did as she said.
I felt a soft hoof on the back of my neck gently pulling me down and I had to fight the temptation to open my eyes. What was going on?
Then I felt it. A soft pair of lips brushing against mine. My eyes shot open and I jumped back a bit, Twilight mirroring me.
"Woah, what the-?"
Twilight said not a single thing, she simply turned around and dashed away. Her purple blur was enveloped in a bright light and a loud *crack*. Then she was gone.
I sat there, breathing heavily. Alright. Twilight the pony from another world had just kissed me, I think. It wasn't unpleasant, to be truthful, but it was surprising. I may have offended her in my expression of that surprise. I groaned to myself. I sat there, staring up at the rather unpleasantly yellow-colored ceiling of my apartment, watching the ceiling fan slowly rotate. Then my gut sank as a sudden, unpleasant realization dawned on me: what if she never came back?
I jerked up, my eyes wide and my mouth gaping slightly.
"Oh no."
A knock on my door startled me and my mind provided me with the thought that it was Twilight, though that notion really makes no sense.
I ran over to the door and opened it only to see a very short old lady looking back up at me with a stern expression.
"No. Firecrackers."
What? Then it dawned on me.
"Uh, yeah, sorry, won't happen again."
The woman, my landlady, haughtily sized me up and then stalked away.
I quietly shut my door and sighed, the woman already out of my mind. Why couldn't I control me surprise? Why was Twilight so sensitive? I started down at the floor, pondering and absentmindedly chewing my bottom lip. Eventually I checked my watch, realizing how late it must be, and slumped over, the events of the past half hour or so gnawing at my mind.
I went to bed with the large, ugly scar on my back irritating me and found that sleep evaded all of my attempts to capture it.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light - green this time - and I sat up, excited. I frowned, both in disappointment and in curiosity, when I saw a letter on my bedside table.
I gently grasped it and unrolled the scroll. I frowned even deeper as I read it more and more, and then sighed, heavier than ever when I finished. I halfheartedly tossed it on the floor beside my bed and turned over, pulling my heavy blanket over my shoulder.
Dear Booker, it said. This is rather odd for me, seeing as I was not in any way aware of these recent events, but my student, Twilight Sparkle, has requested that I do this. Twilight regrets what she has done and wants you to know that she is sorry. She would also like you to know that, due to her mistake, she will not be visiting you again. She, again, is sorry.
P.S. Booker Gray, whoever you are let me inform you that my student is an emotional pony, and has been know to "freak out," as it were. Though it is my duty as Princess to find out what exactly it was that Twilight was up to, I'm assuming that you are a good soul, and Twilight is more than likely not gone from your life forever.
Princess Celestia.
I wasn't so sure.