//------------------------------// // 15. Conversion // Story: Twilight's World // by grouchopony //------------------------------// For a while, Mike had been lost in his memories of his sister. He wasn't grieving so much as permitting the memories to have their way with him. In a strange way, this was his private homage to his sister, to never shut out his memories of her, whenever and wherever they came upon him. It wasn't until he was turning the truck off the highway, onto the concession road leading back to his home, that he realized that the two of them had been silent for quite a while. She's been so quiet. I hope I didn't upset Twilight. He thought. I appreciate being allowed some time to indulge in my memories and collect myself, but I certainly didn't intend to shut her out. “Twilight?” he asked, hoping to check how she was feeling. “Mike.” She turned to face him suddenly. “I hope I didn’t upset you with my questions earlier.” “Not at all, I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I was upset or anything. I was just indulging in some memories of my sister. ” “Well that's a relief. I was starting to get a little worried about you.” “I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me, and I’ve long since made my peace with what happened to my sister. On the other hand, Twilight, I do worry a little about you.” “Me? Why would you be worried about me?” she exclaimed in puzzlement. “Please don't think I'm trying to intrude on your privacy or anything like that, but from what I can see you are still affected by what has happened to you.” “Wha-What do you mean?” Twilight's ears folded back and she looked away, as if she did not want to hear any more or engage in this conversation anymore. “Twilight, when we were in that mall, you nearly had a panic attack-” I won't mention how she clung to me afterward, though I kind of liked holding on to her shoulder. “-and then afterward in the store, you were practically bouncing around in excitement over some paper and pens. “Twilight, I don't for a minute think that a strong intelligent girl like you would be unable to handle a whole mall full of predators. But I do think you might be experiencing was a bit of emotional instability brought on by the stress of your situation.” “M−My... situation?” she repeated with a nervous note to her voice. “Twilight, something is bothering you, and I don't think it's simply the fact that you are currently here on this world. If you don't want to talk about it, then just tell me to shut up─ but I think you need to face whatever it is that has been bothering you.” They rode in silence for a while. Twilight did not respond in any way to Mike’s observations. She sat there just staring at the dashboard. Well, here's hoping that silence is implicit assent. “Twilight, just this morning, you called yourself my friend, and pleaded with me to share something that was bothering me. Well right now I can see that something is bothering you and as your friend I am asking you to share your worries with me.” Mike waited for her reply. Letting Twilight have the space she needed. She hadn't told him to shut up− yet. The only reaction from Twilight that Mike could see was that now she would steal glances at him, as if she were having an inner debate concerning him. Mike kept waiting, but it was not long until they reached his home. Mike slowed down the truck as he approached his driveway and checked the road ahead for oncoming traffic and using his mirror, the road behind as well. Determining that there was no other traffic in sight he drove his truck onto the opposite side of the road and stopped alongside his mailbox. “What are you doing!?” Twilight asked in sudden alarm, breaking her silence She must have been observing the driving habits of both myself and others for this driving irregularity to draw her attention. Mike noted. “Don't worry; I made sure there were no other vehicles on the road before pulling this maneuver. I'm just checking my mailbox to see if I have any mail.” After opening his window, Mike pulled down the front cover to his mailbox, even as he explained his actions to Twilight. Mike noted that the mailbox contained a bundle of letters and postcards, and all too many advertising flyers. Reaching into the mailbox he pulled out the entire collection, depositing them into the spacious coin tray that was located in the center console between the front seats. Twilight looked at them curiously. After closing the mailbox cover and closing his window, Mike started the truck moving again, turning into his driveway. Soon the truck was parked in his garage. Instead of getting out of the truck, Mike just sat there staring ahead into the unlit depths of his garage. Twilight had released her seat-belt and popped her door open before she noticed that Mike was not moving. “Mike?” she asked. “You haven't answered my question Twilight. Do I shut up about it, or do you want to discuss what's been eating away at you?” “Please Mike, I really don't think that there's anything we need to discuss.” she stated in a small voice. Well that's it then. She told me to shut up. “Well okay then. I think you're making a mistake. But have it your way.” Twilight gave a tiny nod indicating that yes, this was what she wanted. Getting out of the truck, Mike proceeded to open the rear passenger door in order to grab some of the groceries when he noticed the whole lot of them glowing rosily and floating off to join Twilight on her side of the truck. “You didn't have to do that Twilight; I could have carried some of them.” Mike protested “It's really no problem Mike. In fact it's a lot easier for me to carry them than it is for you.” Mike felt unhappy for Twilight who was obviously working hard at pretending that nothing was wrong. When they approached the back door, Mike was at least able to hold it open for Twilight and her payload of groceries. She cantered into the kitchen with a good score of bags floating in behind her, as well as the mail. Even as the last of the bags of groceries were still coming in, Mike saw Twilight fanning out the individual pieces of mail in front of her; obviously she was curious as to what human mail looked like. “Just put the bags down on the floor Twilight.” Mike directed. While her attention was distracted by that trivial task, Mike reached out and plucked out the few real letters, Christmas cards mostly, from the fan of mail that was hovering in front of Twilight. “Hey!” she exclaimed, and then immediately backed off, “Uh, sorry, it is your mail after all.” Twilight responded meekly. “Not to worry Twilight, I was just taking advantage of your magic.” Mike gave a big smile to show all was okay and held up the envelopes in front of him. “This is my mail. The rest,” he indicated the spread of flyers still floating in front of her “is just unsolicited junk. Please put those into that basket up on the counter over there.” Mike pointed at the indicated receptacle. “Junk?” she asked, nonplussed at his casual dismissal of the flyers. “Yes, it's just various stores and restaurant's advertising their special sales and promotions. Can't avoid getting them really. Canada Post Corporation has been losing money these last few years, and has started accepting contracts for its mail couriers to deliver these flyers on their local mail routes. I just throw them out; don't even bother reading them.” “You throw them out?” Twilight seemed stricken by the notion. “But they're so colorful and shiny. Somepony went to a great deal of trouble to make these− and you're not even going to read them?” “I'm sorry Twilight, but the flyers simply have no relevance for me. If something is advertised as having a special sale price, I don't go rushing out to buy it when I have no need for it. And I never go out to eat at any restaurants.” “We went to a restaurant last night.” she argued. “Perhaps I should have said I don't go out to restaurants alone. Last night I had a lovely dinner companion who helped make it a memorable and enjoyable experience.” Apparently Twilight didn’t have a rejoinder to that statement, so she focused back on the flyers. “But the effort that went into them...” “The cost is quite minimal I assure you. My guess is maybe a hundred dollars for ten thousand flyers.” “A hundred dollars? Is that a lot?” she asked. “My guess is that it's somewhere between a week or two worth of food for a pony.” was Mike's reply after some consideration. Suddenly, Mike could hear a grumble coming from Twilight's stomach. She blushed and tried to laugh it off “Ah heh, heh.” The stomach noises reminded him that they had not eaten anything since breakfast. “I'm hungry, would you like it if I made us something to eat?” Mike asked. “How does an asparagus omelet sound?” Twilight's stomach growled even louder. Mike grinned. “I'll take that as a yes. Just give me a few minutes to put everything away.” ---------------- As it turned out, putting everything away took a little longer than expected. They had purchased quite a lot of fruits and vegetables, not to mention a variety of new and unfamiliar spices and condiments as identified in the vegetarian recipes that they had selected earlier. Eventually, however, Mike got busy making the promised omelets. He obtained two stainless steel mixing bowls from his upper cabinets and cracked a pair of eggs into each. At the same time he turned on the oven and began heating a pot of water on the stove for blanching the asparagus. Mike finished prepping the eggs by adding various spices ─ salt, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, chives and a squirt of milk. It only took a minute. The silence stretched between the two of them as Mike waited for the water to boil. When it was ready he added the asparagus, letting them blanch for a few minutes. Several times as he waited, he opened his mouth to try and convince Twilight to change her mind. Each time he closed his mouth again. No! I pressed her too hard earlier and forced her to tell me to drop it. I agreed that I would shut up. Soon the asparagus had blanched and Mike was able to proceed with the making of the actual omelets. First he poured the egg mixture into the greased pan. After the egg mixture had partially set he added in chopped pieces of blanched asparagus and sprinkled some shredded parmesan cheese over the greens. In another moment he had folded one half of the omelet over the other half. In just a few minutes both omelets were plated, whereupon he put the two plates into the oven to finish cooking. While he waited for the omelets to cook, he made the toast. The silence continued to be depressing. ---------------- “Here you go Twilight. Careful, the plate just came out of the oven, so it's very hot” He stated as he carried the still steaming omelet over to the table to place in front of her. “Oops, I forgot the cutlery.” “Mmm. It smells and looks delicious.” Twilight commented. The plate before her bore an omelet folded into the traditional half circle, along with two pieces of unbuttered toast. “Go ahead and get started if you want.” urged Mike as he placed a knife and fork down beside Twilight's plate. “That’s okay, I think I'll wait for you to finish making your own so we can sit down and eat this meal together.” She flashed him a wan smile. Mike placed a jar of strawberry jam and another jar of marmalade upon the table. Returning to the table with his own plate, he noticed Twilight levitating both jars, turning them so that she could read the labels. Her head gave a slight nod, as if approving what she saw. Doffing his oven mitt, Mike sat down and offered a quick and silent prayer of thanks for their meal. Dear Lord. Thanks for blessing us with this food. And Lord, I know Twilight is hurting. Help me to find a way to help her. ---------------- Well I think she enjoyed her meal. Mike was thinking to himself. Her next statement confirmed that supposition. “That was delicious, thank you Mike.” “You’re welcome. Are you sure you don't need anything else?” “No, I'm quite satisfied, thank you.” she replied. And there the conversation ended. Mike was frustrated with her withdrawn demeanor. He was also frustrated with himself for bringing it about. Okay, maybe we can just do some planning for tomorrow. “Um, Twilight?” “Hmm?” Her response lacked enthusiasm, as if she wished to avoid any further conversation. “I was thinking, all of my business is taken care of for the next few days, so without that as a distraction we can get started on finding you a way home.” Twilight was looking directly at Mike now, though her ears still drooped down half way. No other expression was apparent on her face. “So I was thinking, the first thing we might do, is try to find the location where you first entered my world-” “Why?” She interrupted. Her voice sounded distraught. “Why?” Twilight's question brought Mike up short. “Why to find clues of course. To see if there is anything remaining at the arrival site which might help you find your way home. Some residue, some energy signature, some− some− I don't know what. But there has to be something.” “That's not necessary Mike, I already know how I got here. There won't be anything there for us to find.” Twilight dismissed his proposal with a sad voice. “How do you know that?” Mike was confused by Twilight's statement. “Even if you do know how you got here, a full analysis may turn up some useful anomaly.” “Please Mike. When it comes to magic, I'm the expert.” Twilight's voice was gently condescending. “I know that there will be no anomalies at the place where I entered your world.” “But have you actually checked?” Mike persisted. “There's nothing there Mike. I'm sure.” The way she avoided the question irritated Mike. It's one thing to tell me to keep my nose out of her problems. Mike thought. But it's another thing altogether to squash my attempts to find her a way home. Something is wrong here. Mike was getting angry. “You didn't answer my question Twilight. Have you checked already?” Mike's voice held a little more intent than usual, being driven by his growing anger. “Please drop this Mike,” now Twilight's voice was getting heated as well, “we don't need to waste our time returning to where I entered this world. It would be an absolute waste of time, we won't find anything there.” Mike couldn't believe what he was hearing. He could feel a fury rising. You can't just take something as fact unless you can verify it. Unless, maybe she can't verify it− “Oh. I guess you're unable to detect the use of magic.” Mike stated bluntly, hoping that he had simply misunderstood what Twilight had been saying all along. “Of course I can detect magical discharge signatures.” Twilight stated proudly. Suddenly Mike's anger flared at how Twilight was crippling herself with her mindset. - SLAM! - Mikes hand slapped down on the table making the crockery, and Twilight, jump into the air. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GIRL?” Mike yelled. The pupils and irises of Twilight's eyes shrank to little dots and her ears were pinned back tightly as she reared back in her chair. “Have you just given up? Are you getting ready to just lie down and die?” Mike raged. “Have you abandoned your friends and family without even trying to get home? What would they say to this behavior? What would your teacher, Princess Celes− Seles−” Mike stumbled upon the name. “Celestia.” Twilight added in a small voice. “Right, Celestia.” His voice calmed down and he continued in a more normal tone, “What would your teacher Princess Celestia say if she could see your apathetic attitude right now? If she saw how you're not even trying?” Tears began streaming down Twilight's face and her mouth moved even as she tried to speak, but nothing came out except a sob. She buried her face in her forelegs and wept. Oh no, I made her cry. I didn't want to make her cry. Mike nearly started crying himself for what he had done. “I− I−. You don't understand Mike.” Mike came around the table, to stand behind Twilight and placed his hands on her shoulders. He leaned forward and spoke gently into her ear. “Then help me to understand Twilight. What possible reason could you have to neglect a chance, even the tiniest, slimmest, one-in-a-million chance of finding a way back home?” “B−Because I k−know how I g−got here, and it means that there simply is n−no way home!” she stuttered through her weeping, her sobs taking on a renewed strength. “And why is that?” He spoke gently again. This time he rubbed her shoulders, trying to establish his empathy. “If I t−tell you, you'll hate me! And I don't w−want you to hate meee!” she cried. Mike paused suddenly, his hands no longer rubbing her shoulders. Wait. She's worried that I'm going to hate her? That I might turn on her? Mike moved around to a position where he could face her, “No I won't Twilight. I don't abandon my friends. Nothing you could possibly say will make me hate you− unless of course it's to tell me that you've been lying to me all along and that you really are here to conquer the earth.” Mike winced at what he had just said. Way to go stupid! This is no time to crack a joke. “What?” Twilight's head shot up from her forelegs, “N−No! I haven't lied to you Mike.” “Well then, you can tell me what's going on.” “I can't. I just know you'll hate me!” she buried her head in her forelegs again, weeping softly. “All right Twilight. That's enough.” Mike spoke firmly to the mare. His anger was growing again, though he was trying hard to rein it in. “You are being quite insulting you know, presuming to 'know' that I will hate you. In truth, you know no such thing, but are letting your own fears and worries run away with you.” Twilight raised her head again. She wore a surprised expression on her face. Mike continued with his lecture. “Well I won't have it. I am no longer the shallow self-centered boy I was before my sister died. And Twilight, you can just drop that silly notion right now. There is no way I will hate you.” Twilight gazed upon Mike, her expression one of agonized indecision. “Twilight, I trust you, and I trust my God that everything will be okay. Won't you trust me?” Slowly, Twilight's weeping subsided and her face grew peaceful. “Okay.” she whispered. “Good.” Mike replied. Slowly he raised his hand and used a knuckle to wipe the tears off of the soaked fur on her face. “Let's get you cleaned up first. I'm sure it will make you feel better.” ---------------- It was a new Twilight that returned to the kitchen table. Physically she had merely washed her face and combed out her mane, but mentally and spiritually she looked much relieved. Mike watched as she returned to her seat. Even though she appeared nervous, she wore a faint smile as if anticipating the moment. Mike prompted her. “Okay Twilight. What is this dark secret that you were so afraid to tell me?” Twilight looked down, as if unsure how to start. Mike gave her some space, allowing Twilight to find her voice. Suddenly she looked up again and drew in a breath. “It concerns the nature of the accident which put me here.” she began. “I was preparing an enchanted book for my assistant Spike.” An enchanted book? Mike thought. How in the world could a book make me hate her? A frown appeared on his face. Twilight must have noticed Mike’s puzzlement because she stopped to explain “Perhaps I should explain what an enchanted book is. It creates a pocket universe patterned after the narrative of the story. The pony reading the story, the subject, gets transported into that story world and becomes engaged with the narrative flow. When the subject meets or fulfills certain conditions set out in the narrative they are returned to their proper universe.” It sounds like some kind of immersive virtual reality. Mike thought. But− “What do you mean 'gets transported into the story'?” he asked. “Do their minds somehow fully interact with the story, like some kind all inclusive hory-morphic glamor?” “That's horaómorphic.” Twilight corrected him automatically. Suddenly her face took on a look of astonishment, “You know that just might be possible...” her voice trailed off as she became lost in thought. She soon came out of it with a shake of her head, “But no Mike. I mean that the pony is physically transported into the pocket universe. “What?!” Mike exclaimed. “Their whole body? Transported right out of their universe and into a book universe?” Twilight nodded. “Exactly so. What's more, the transport can reshape their very being, altering them so that they can properly become part of the narrative.” Mike was disturbed by what he was hearing. “Twilight, as an Ethical Approval Authority proxy, I have one thing to say to you ponies− Are you out of your freaking minds!” Mike raised his voice for that last part. Twilight's ears pinned back and she looked down at her hooves. Upon seeing Twilight's reaction Mike started to apologize. “Pardon, I did not mean to yell.” “No, scratch that, I did mean to yell, but not at you Twilight, I meant it for whichever lamebrain of an Ethical Approver ever allowed such a spell to be used.” Twilight looked up again upon hearing Mike’s apology. When she realized his anger was actually directed at some other party her ears raised themselves up as well. She appeared confused, “Why what's wrong with an enchanted book?” she asked. “Ugh. Where do I begin...?” Mike muttered to himself. “Never mind Twilight. We can save that conversation for later. Right now it's distracting us from the real issue at hand. You were telling me the truth about how you got here.” Mike gave her a reassuring smile. Twilight's eyes expanded momentarily, as if she was astonished at how the conversation had gotten so far off track. Twilight's expression firmed up, taking on a look of resolve. “As I was saying, I was preparing an enchanted book for my assistant Spike.” she paused for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut. “I had almost finished preparing the imprinting spell, that's the spell that sets and shapes the universe with the given literary content. All I needed to add were the exit sequences, which permit the participant to return from the book's universe.” She sighed. “And then, something startled me and I let go the imprinting spell prematurely.” She gave another sigh. “I must have been badly rattled, because next I did the most foalish thing imaginable. I reached out with my magic and tried to take back the imprinting spell.” Foalish. Heh! That's funny. Mike smirked briefly, thinking his own foolish thoughts. “But it was too late. The imprinting spell had already engaged with the book's reality generator. And due to the interference of my own magic, the transport spell also started up. Now I was being pulled into the book.” Mike listened in silence, but internally− I knew it! That magic is inherently dangerous. “And this is where things went very wrong. The imprinting spell− shattered. All the literary content was lost, and there was no pattern for forming the pocket universe. “I've thought pretty hard on what happened next and this is what I figure happened. Without the requisite literary matrix, the pocket universe could not be formed. And without the pocket universe, the transport spell had no place to put me. With no other place to go, my etheria ended up being dragged along with the now empty imprinting spell, into the reality generator's spell matrix. “How I survived that experience, I may never know, but when I finally woke up, I was here on your world suffering from severe magic exhaustion. I found myself all alone in the middle of a forest, the night was pitch-black and that miserable icy rain was slowly freezing me to death.” Twilight had apparently finished her story, so Mike spoke up. “I'm glad you managed to make your way to my house Twilight. But I don't get it. Why would that story make me hate you?” Twilight's eyes teared up again, “Because Mike, your universe is nothing but a pocket universe created by that enchanted book. This world is simply part of a story. And I know for a fact that there is no exit sequence, because I did not have time to add it to the imprinting spell. I can't leave. Her eyes were streaming tears again, though her voice remained firm. “I'm so sorry Mike, but you yourself are nothing more than a character within the story. You're not real.” Twilight dropped down from her chair and left the kitchen. Mike sat there stunned, listening to her hoof-steps as she proceeded up the stairs. After that he heard a door close when she entered her bedroom. ---------------- Mike sat quietly at his kitchen table. Mulling over the bombshell that Twilight had dropped. My universe is just a story in a book? Mike was trying to wrap his head around the concept. Well what if it's true? What would that mean? He tried to analyze it logically. According to Twilight, this all occurred early yesterday morning, so... the universe was created forty hours ago? Then what is all this stuff I remember, like my childhood, school, my sister's death, university, a job, my father’s death and moving to this farm? Is my entire life just a 'background story'? Mike thought hard about the implications of that. Eventually he realized that his life was far too detailed to be any sort of literary creation. He had far too many memories of trivial inconsequential events for such a life to be a 'back story'. “My life is not a background story.” Mike spoke aloud, declaring his conviction. “And Twilight− is wrong.” Finished with his brooding, Mike raised himself up from his chair and followed Twilight upstairs. Soon he was standing in front of her door. - Tap. Tap. Tap. - Mike knocked gently on Twilight's bedroom door. “Twilight.” He called out. “Are you all right in there?” There was no answer, but he could hear a creak from her bed. - Knock! Knock! Knock! - Mike knocked again, louder this time. “Please Mike. Just leave me alone.” came her response through the door. “I'm sorry to bother you Twilight. But it’s important that we finish our talk about what you told me earlier. Can I come in? “Please.” He added, surprised that there was a note of pleading in his voice. After a moment, the doorknob rotated and the door swung inward into the room. Mike could see Twilight resting on top of the bed. She was lying down on her abdomen, resting on all four limbs, much as a dog or cat would. Her body was generally aligned with the bed, her front facing towards the headboard. But as Mike came in he saw that her head was raised up, and turned around to face the door. “Thank you.” Mike murmured as he entered the room. He approached the bed and sat down on the edge across from her shoulders. He angled his legs and torso so as to face in the same direction as Twilight. At least she only had to turn her head to the side now. Twilight was frowning and her ears were held low. She did not look happy at Mike's intrusion, but for some reason did not ask him to leave. “Twilight, the first thing I need to say is thank you for being honest with me.”, Mike then reached out and put his hand on her shoulders, “The second thing I need to tell you is that I don't hate you.” Astonishment lit up her face. “How can you not hate me? I just told you that you don't exist. That your whole life is amounts to being a story book character motivated by magic.” Mike could hear a certain amount of bitterness behind those words. “Twilight, I've spent the last few minutes thinking about exactly that. And I've come to the conclusion that you’re wrong. I am not a character in any story. And the corollary which follows is that I'm your friend, your real friend.” A slight smile graced her face, but soon disappeared, “Well of course you'll think that you are real. Your character is supposed to behave like that.” Twilight turned her head forwards and lowered her chin down upon her fore hooves. “No Twilight. I did not reach my conclusion by basing it upon a subjective feeling. My conclusion was obtained by applying reason and logic to a few simple facts.” “What kind of 'facts' are those, which allow you to 'reason' that you exist?” she asked, her voice had equal parts curiosity and despondency. It made Mike wonder about her state of mind. What must it be like from her point of view? To desperately need a friend, and yet be forced to swallow a 'reality' where you end up destroying your friend. I forced her to admit that her friend was nothing more than a fabrication. Well cheer up Twilight. Your friend is here for you. Thus filled with concern for his friend, Mike began his argument. “The philosopher Rene Descartes is perhaps most famously known for this statement 'I think therefore I am.' So, plagiarizing a bit from Monsieur Descartes’ philosophy, I wish to preface my reasoning with a similar statement, 'I remember, therefore I am.' “My argument begins with this question, 'If I were a character in a story, then how detailed would my life need to be?' “If I am nothing more than a character in a story that was created a mere forty hours ago, then obviously I could not have actually lived any part of my life. It follows then that all memories in my possession should amount to nothing more than a reasonably detailed 'back story' for my character to act upon. Anything beyond the required minimum would be a waste of time and effort, or perhaps in this case, of magic.” Twilight's eyes widened momentarily at that last statement. Obviously he had caught her attention in some way. “So, here's a question for you Twilight, exactly how detailed should any character's back story be?” Mike could almost see Twilight running calculations in her brain. She spoke her conclusions. “Today you told me about your work and how you won a lottery and bought this house. You told me about your childhood on a farm and how your sister tragically died. Mike, all of those things make a wonderful back story for your character. I have encountered quite similar amounts of detail in many stories that I have read. Few stories have more.” Twilight's expression was more animated now, as if she were enjoying a debate. Mike nodded to himself. Exactly what I would have said. “Yes indeed, those events, as I have related them are my back story, not because I am a character but because I was relating to you those events of my life which you had asked for. “But tell me Twilight, in addition to those events I have related to you, why do I also have a lifetimes worth of detailed memories? I have endless memories of countless days of trivial events which are of no possible consequence to my character's development.” Twilight face now bore a troubled expression. “Could you give me some examples of those memories?” “Of course,” stated Mike. He then launched into a presentation of innumerable banal memories. “...I remember, when I was a child, I was in grade three I think, I stepped on a nail. And then not two months later, I stepped on another nail. I was so angry at myself for not having learned my lesson the first time. Now both experiences were extremely painful of course, but no lasting harm was done. How do those experiences make any difference to my existence here and now...” “...I remember in grade seven, I rather disliked my teacher, simply because of her appearance. Then for some reason she left her position and a new teacher took over. I ended up disliking her as well, but for her it was because her perfume reeked. What does it matter that I had two consecutive teachers in grade seven instead of only one teacher. The material I was taught was not altered. But I remember those two teachers, a Mrs. Olsen and a Mrs. Laroq...” … Five minutes had passed and Twilight seemed riveted to Mike's narration. Not interrupting as he continued to pour out memory after memory. … “I remember my first job. My boss was a Mr. Smith and he had a very unique laugh. I remember hearing his laugh echoing from a ways down the corridor and knew from past experiences that he would pop into my work room in the next minute or two, just to say hello. You know, that peculiar laugh of his is stuck in my memory, but I'll never be able to let others know what it sounded like. That was three jobs ago and I'll never meet him again. What possible impact does Mr. Smith's laugh have on my present existence...” “...I still remember the combination code for my high school locker. It's 12-46-33. Now what possible relevance does that have for my present existence? That padlock is long gone...” “...I remember that the last time I boiled an egg for breakfast, last Tuesday I think. The egg's shell cracked and a large puff of coagulated egg-white was protruding from the egg shell. What weighty significance does that have for my character?” Mike had gone on for a good fifteen minutes; Finally Mike noticed the mare had begun to fidget. Perhaps she's getting a crick in her neck. Mike thought. Still, he continued pulling up memories. “I remember-” “Alright!” Twilight exclaimed. Her ears had fallen back and her face held a vaguely disturbed look. “Alright. I will admit that you have a large number of memories that don't seem to have any relevance to your character-” “But that's exactly my point Twilight.” Mike pounced on his opportunity. “They aren't irrelevant memories. They are simply the memories of my existence. A whole lifetime's worth of memories.” “But− the spell! The reality generator created this universe.” she argued. “It had to have created you.” “If so, it has managed to craft an immense work of simulated life, without any holes or contradictions.” Twilight grew still; her eyes were now riveted on Mike. Perhaps she was awaiting something. Mike drew a deep breath. Time for the closing argument. “Twilight, do you honestly believe that this reality generator, or any spell for that matter, is capable of creating my character complete with all the memories I have for every single day of my life?” “No.” she stated with a small voice. “Not any longer.” Then she smiled, “You've convinced me.” Suddenly Twilight jumped up from her recumbent position and embraced Mike in a hug for the second time that day. “You're real.” she stated, “You're really real.” This time she did not squeeze nearly so hard, for which Mike was grateful. “Yes I am.” he replied, “So my argument convinced you?” Twilight giggled. The sensation of her fur vibrating upon his skin as she did so was indescribable. Sadly, Twilight ended the hug and sat back upon the bed, leaving Mike feeling strangely disappointed. Seated on her haunches as she was, her face was nearly of a level with Mike's when she spoke. “You didn't know it Mike, but you won your argument when you first started enumerating your memories. The amount of magic required for any spell increases as the square of the complexity. And every memory you gave simply increased the complexity count. “Even then I did not want to see it. I was still holding on to my initial assumptions, but at the end of your argument you finally made me realize that you do have a lifetime's worth of memories, tens of thousands of memories and more. The magic required to create a being like you would be far in excess of what I or even Princess Celestia could manage.” Mike noted how she had left unstated the lesser capabilities of some enchanted book. New tears began to pool in her eyes and threatened to drop down her smiling furry cheeks. “What are you crying about now?” Mike asked plaintively. “I can't help it. I'm just suddenly so happy.” “Heh. I imagine you would be. Suddenly finding that your friend who you thought couldn't be a friend really is your friend.” Mike couldn't resist, he reached out a hand and tousled Twilight's mane. She shied away from his grasp with a giggle. A look of astonishment took up residence on her face. “How did you know that?” Mike smiled, “It wasn't hard to guess. A lost pony, all alone in a strange world. Who wouldn't need a friend under such circumstances? It must have been terrible to think that your only friend wasn't real.” She hung her head and sniffed. “It was.” She lifted her head again and took a long look at Mike. Her eyes narrowed as if she was thoughtfully contemplating something that she saw. Mike began to grow nervous as her intense scrutiny continued. “Is anything wrong Twilight? Why are you looking at me like that?” “Huh? Sorry Mike, I was just having a good look at my very real friend. And then I started to wonder how you could possibly exist in this universe. A universe which was created by the reality generator? I can't figure that one out.” Mike grinned at the purple alicorn. “That question is easy to answer Twilight.” “Well if it's so easy then why don't you tell me.” said the alicorn in mock affront. “I think Twilight, that you would have already seen the answer for yourself if you weren't clinging to a certain erroneous assumption.” Twilight frowned at his elliptical response. “What erroneous assumption?” Mike would have grinned even wider if that were possible. “Your assumption Twilight, that this universe was created by your enchanted book.” Twilight's eyes grew startlingly wide, and her ears, which had been at half mast, pinned themselves upright. Soon confusion was evident upon her face. “What? It does make sense− but how− I know for a fact that I was dragged into the book. There's nowhere else I could be.” Twilight turned pleading eyes upon Mike, as if begging him to resolve this logical conundrum. Mike shrugged. “I have no explanation for how you got here. But maybe the explanations can wait for later, after we collect more information and are able to formulate a suitable hypothesis.” Mike gently touched her face, under her chin, “But what I can do is offer you proof that this universe is real. Would the 'complexity' argument suffice for this as well?” Twilight nodded her affirmation. “Good. Then why don't we take a trip down to my office.” --------------------- The trip to the office was interrupted by the acquisition of some hot drinks. Mike elected to make himself a cup of decaffeinated coffee, while Twilight made herself a cup of tea. Mike looked on in amusement as Twilight's magic simultaneously operated the kettle, opened the cupboards and fetched their mugs and unpacked a teabag. As he began making his own coffee, he couldn't help but notice her keen eyes tracking his every movement. She'll be making me a cup of coffee real soon now. He thought to himself. Soon their drinks were ready and they finished their interrupted journey to his office. The computer was soon booted and they were ready to proceed. Twilight's attitude was different now. Instead of showing resistance to the idea that Mike's universe was real, she appeared almost eager to see what he had to show her. “Okay.” said Mike, taking position in front of his keyboard. “Since the subject is the universe, how about if we begin our journey by examining it on the macroscopic scale.” Mike keyed in a search for 'Hubble images'. In two seconds Google presented them with a list of selections, the most obvious of which was a mosaic of miniature astronomical views under the label 'images for hubble'. Mike heard a sharp intake of breath from Twilight as she caught sight of the colorful images. Without waiting he clicked on the link. Within seconds they were presented with a wall of tiny astronomical images. Using the mouse, Mike started scrolling the page downward, slowly. “Are these...” Twilight began to say. But then she corrected herself, “Some of them look like pictures of stars. But most of these images are like nothing I have ever seen. What are we really looking at?” Mike grunted in dissatisfaction as he became aware that the image wall was not strictly composed of Hubble images. Among what he presumed were Hubble images were 'artist's conceptions' and other more liberal works of graphic art. I can’t base my argument on fabricated evidence. “Believe it or not Twilight; most, but not all, of those were astronomical images captured by the Hubble telescope.” Mike clicked on the back arrow to return them to the main search page. He continued, “The Hubble Space telescope is probably our most famous telescope and has captured incredible images of astronomical sights and objects. It has a power and resolution far beyond that of most earthbound telescopes.” “Space telescope?” Twilight asked. “Yes. It's positioned out in space, orbiting the earth.” Twilight's eyes widened in astonishment. Mike continued, “Being outside of our worlds atmosphere, it can take pictures with unparalleled clarity.” After searching for a more 'pure' site, Mike finally selected 'HubbleSite – Gallery, Picture Album'. Up came a somewhat busy page that had a slide-show presenting Hubble images. Mike found the control for making the images go full screen. Suddenly they were seeing the Hubble telescope images in all their glory. Twilight was entranced as the images fled by. But she soon noticed that the images also had accompanying text. “Wait! Stop!” She cried out as one image vanished to be replaced with another. “Can we go back?” She pleaded. “Which one?” Mike asked after finding how to pause the slide-show. “Two pictures back, the one that looked like a big moth.” Mike found a likely image in the gallery at the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the miniature image reset the slide show to a view of the Butterfly Nebula. Twilight took the opportunity to read the text and examine the image closely. Suddenly her aura pulled Mike's hand off of the mouse. With a click she was delving along the 'Learn more' link, to find out all she could about the Butterfly Nebula. “Don't follow the links any deeper than that Twilight.” Mike admonished after taking a sip of his coffee. “Why not?” she asked plaintively. “Because I know how distracting the web can be. It's quite easy to follow the links one after another until you find yourself quite lost. Normally I would be quite happy to let you follow your fancy, but not right now. We came down here for the purpose of determining whether this universe is a construct of your enchanted book.” Twilight's expression grew somber. “You're right of course. We need to get this matter settled.” “Hey, don’t worry about it. I'm not saying you can't look at the links, just don't get lost in them. Save any new questions you have for later research.” “Okay, I know what to do.” With that Twilight turned her attention back to the computer and began a journey through the night sky. --------------------- As she absorbed the information being presented before her, Twilight's requests to Mike for additional clarification became fewer and fewer. After about an hour, Mike felt it was safe to leave Twilight's side. She was cooing excitedly over the stellar imagery and did not notice his absence. About ten minutes later Mike returned, carrying a tray laden with a teapot and their uneaten desserts from the night before. Mike had even taken the trouble to locate his teapot and prepare a 'proper' cup of tea for Twilight. “Care for a break Twilight.” he announced. “What?” the mare asked intelligently, her eyes never leaving the screen. It was obvious that she was having a hard time dragging her thoughts back to the real world. “Would you like to take a break Twilight? I brought you some cake and a fresh pot of tea.” Twilight's concentration broke at the mention of cake. Her eyes were soon fixed upon said confection. “Are those the deserts we ordered at the restaurant last night? Which one was mine again?” she asked, eyeing both with interest. “I believe you ordered the Black Forest Cake, though if you want I suppose we could switch desserts.” Twilight considered Mike's generous offer, but a rumble from her abdomen prompted her to go for broke. “Um, is it possible that we could share? They both look so good.” “What?! Your own dessert isn't good enough for you? You want a piece of mine as well?” Mike gasped in mock affront. Twilight made a pouty face at Mike, but showed that it was no more than an act when she let escape a short giggle. “No I meant we could cut each dessert in half and share them that way.” “Ah, I thought that's what you meant.” stated Mike as he uncovered a knife that had been buried under some napkins. Twilight smiled at his preparedness. Very soon, with the help of Twilight's magic, the desserts had been divided into equal halves, enjoyed by both man and pony. “Mmmm!” Twilight crooned around a mouthful of cake. “The icing on this cake is real whipped cream!” “Sure is.” Mike agreed after taking a bite from his own cake. “But I think the cherries are what make the cake exceptional.” Both of them enjoyed their break without further comment, the occasional sound of gustatory delight and a sip of hot beverage being the only noises for the next couple of minutes. Mike put down his empty plate on the counter. “So Twilight, have you reached any conclusions about my universe?” Carefully Twilight levitated her own plate, now empty of course, to where Mike had placed his and stacked her plate on top of his. “First, Mike, I have to say that I am impressed by the quality and detail of the images I have seen so far. I find them to be stunning and utterly fascinating. Never have I seen their like.” Twilight paused and then went on, “Your night skies are so incredibly dynamic. I've seen images of stars being born and images of stars dying and images of stars assembled in groups called clusters. “Beyond that, I’ve seen the stars assemble themselves into enormous assembly’s called galaxies, comprising hundreds of billions of stars rotating majestically in the night. And even those galaxies, immense as they are, are in turn grouped into clusters. “The galaxies are also very dynamic. Sometimes they collide with each other, throwing sprays of stars across the heavens, and sometimes the galaxies mysteriously emit powerful jets of energy from their cores.” The mare closed her eyes. She opened her eyes again and looked directly at Mike. “As soon as I realized what a galaxy was, how an assemblage of hundreds of billions of stars interacted with each other by their combined gravity, I knew that no amount of magic could ever manage to create something with the complexity I saw before me.” Twilight's expression became bleak. “If I'm not in the closed reality bubble created by my enchanted book, where am I? I feel even more lost than ever before.” Mike's heart went out to the mare. Getting out of his chair, he approached Twilight and knelt down beside her. Reaching out an arm he pulled her in for a tight hug. “You’re in a place of hope Twilight. Before, you thought you were in a place without hope. But now you find yourself somewhere altogether different. And you have a friend. “How you got here, I cannot say, but it was surely by different means than what you assumed it was.” A smile formed on Twilight's face, her ears were both focused on Mike. “Thanks Mike. Do you really think there is any, hope I mean?” “Absolutely.” Mike affirmed. He suddenly let go of Twilight and stood up. “What do you say to watching another movie before we go to bed for the evening. After a tumultuous day like today, I think we could both use some entertainment.” “I think I might like that. What kind of movie did you have in mind?” Twilight asked. Upon hearing Twilight’s response, Mike began shutting down his computer. “Hmm,” Mike pretended to give her question some thought, though he had already picked out the movie he wanted to show her. “I'm thinking of a movie about two very lonely individuals overcoming their differences to become friends.” “A movie about friendship? Oh I really want to see that!” Of a sudden, Twilight seemed very excited though Mike could not figure out why. “What's it called?” she asked as they exited the office, Mike turning off the lights behind them. “Hmm? Oh, It's called ‘Wreck-It-Ralph'.” replied Mike.