//------------------------------// // Illness // Story: Confusion // by Lonice //------------------------------// I wake up to see a concerned Apple Family looking over me and a filly in a bed beside mine... Well. I guess now I know I am sick... That sucks. I was really hoping to avoid this... I'm helpless when I'm sick, after all... Either that, or I'm just not recovered from all of that work yesterday... Yeesh. That was rough. I seriously hoped this wouldn't happen. I hate to look weak in front of anyone, pony, human, child, teen, adult... Ugh. I laid there for almost thirty minutes before I heard Apple Jack say "Ah thahnk he's fahnally up, y'all." And almost immediately, I'm surrounded... Just great. I, of course, just let my muscles relax... Of course, that's physically. Mentally... Well... They've just surrounded me, and probably won't know what to do or what I'll do, since I don't think they're used to humans being around here. I lay there, carefully pacing my breath as something cool and camp is laid across my forehead... Wait... "How... How do you know... What to do... When a human... Is sick? It..." I stop talking and shake my head 'no' as I open my eyes. Applejack's giving me a questioning look... What? What'd I do this time?! "Ah thought that yah would know, considerin' what yah already know 'bout Equestria... Ah thahnk Ah should get Twi... She mahgt be able to help y'all," Applejack says, and then sets off... Damn, she's fast! I don't think I'd ever be able to run that fast... Not anytime soon, that is. After about twenty minutes, there's a flash of light with a pop, and as the light fades I see Twilight and Applejack recovering from the long-distance teleportation. Looks like they're disoriented. Twilight then sighed as she regained her balance, and she slowly trots over to me, holding a book in her mouth... I'm guessing I'll be learning how they know about humans soon, then. As Twilight sat the book down next to me, she sighs, and asks me "Are you sure you want to know how we know about humans? It... Isn't a pleasant story." Her face has so much concern... So... It wasn't the whole Equestria Girls incident? Then... What was it? "Twilight, you saying that makes me want to know even more... It's almost human nature to prefer to know, whether it's good or bad. Believe me, if you hadn't tried to reverse the spell that brought me here already, I'd probably be begging you too, just because I couldn't know for certain if it'd work. So I... I feel like I need to know now," I say as I reach for the book. When I touch the rough, leather binding, it immediately begins to flip through its own pages, and light begins to shine from the pages of the book... Not a bright light, either. It looks the color of volcanic ash after an eruption... I begin to feel as though my mind is being pulled into the book, and then I feel knowledge being poured into my mind... A massive war, but sadly pointless as neither side would truly win. On one side, the humans. They were defending themselves with what they could. Whilst they had magical powers, very few had enough to challenge them. Who "they" where wasn't clear... But they had an army of Alicorns at their disposal. Many had given their lives to utterly destroy parts of the land... Eventually, only a select few Alicorns were left... Three total, though they were given more power by them. The power to manipulate things such as love, the moon, the sun, the land, and so much more... Of course, they were restricted to what they could actually use. One was restricted to manipulating the sun, which had stopped moving, whilst another manipulated the moon. The other was gifted the power of giving love... The scary thought was that, just as she has the power to give it, she can just as easily take it if she deems it necessary. The humans... Their land had become magically irradiated. Magical Radiation had consumed the landscape, and caused the humans to mutate into beasts and strange creatures that were almost completely unrecognizable as "human." Then "they" seemed to lose all power, to fade away... They left it to the Alicorns to take control and maintain peace. They may have had nearly complete control over them, but beings had been capable of gaining control, making artifacts... There were a few humans left who tried to survive, but... They were usually enslaved by the ponies, and forced to work in gruesome conditions, such as traveling a vast mountain range with nothing but tattered clothing and a piece of bread to sustain them. Others had managed to become free and attempted to create some spells... Some were successful, some weren't. There were so few, it was hard to find a way to measure it. There seemed to be four successes and nine failures... Most of the spells were just outright selfish, and only one selfish spell worked, because it was designed with a consequence in mind. It would grant the caster one wish, but the caster would later lose something of equal value. The rest were commonly known nowadays, such as levitation, and making extremely basic illusions. One spell, however, stood out above the others. It is an extremely difficult spell to maintain, and powerful in it's own right. A combat barrier spell, so powerful that it could stand against Discords magic, and even dispel it from the surrounding area... Sadly, such a spell has been lost, never to be found. "Guh!" I gasp for air as the book lets go of my consciousness. That... Hurt my lungs... A lot. "You know..." I say, pausing for some breathing, "I don't... Have books that... Do that kinda stuff... Back home... A little... Warning next time... Maybe?" Twilight blinks and says "Really? You have Video Games but not books like this?" "Twilight, we have things like that, on a screen, and it doesn't normally stop us from breathing, unless it's that amazing or that awful or... Do you understand?" I ask, explaining that movies DON'T force you to stop breathing... My lungs still hurt. I look up to see Twilight nod yes, and I turn to be on my back again as I ask again, "Still, that doesn't explain how you know how to take care of me. Could you please explain it to me?" Twilight sighs and begins to explain to me that "I had made some basic guesses on how your body worked... I assumed some things too, like where your brain is. I'm guessing I was right about that. Since you have a fever, we just assumed..." Oh. I get it. Okay. "It's alright. But... I'm going to need something to drink. Applejack, can you get something for me?" I ask, focusing on creating something... I don't know the exact parts and everything, but a painkiller sounds really good right now... It'll help with my head and lungs... I'll create three and give one to Twilight... I'll have to explain what it is to her... A loud Pop! signifies my success as three little pills from in my right hand, which I quickly clench into a fist... I'm nowhere near strong enough to crush one of these, so I don't need to worry too much. Not much longer and Applejack shows up with the cider. I thank her and take two of the pills. Twilight and Applejack are looking at me, confusion so obvious on their faces. I smile as I begin, "It's called a painkiller. Basically, it's meant to relieve pain. I may need you to create some sort of crushed apple thing for Applebloom, Applejack. Twilight, I want to give this to you. I want you to study it and learn how to make more of them... I'm... Not certain I can make much more. And be careful. Using to much ends up hurting you... For a while you should only need one. Since Applebloom is younger, she'll probably need something weaker, so she isn't effected negatively from it... Of course, if she's in serious pain, a painkiller like this should work, though I can't be certain as to what the repercussions might be... I'm also not a hundred percent certain that it'll even work on ponies... Usually it takes about 30 minutes to kick in, for me... It usually depends on the person, or in your case, pony," I finish as I zap another painkiller into existence with my mind... I think I'm starting to get the hang of this magic thing... "Also, unless you crush it into its powdery state, you should always take it with water or something to drink. Now, Applejack, if you could make a mush of some kind... These things can't be baked into pies or anything fancy, and we do need to see if she can eat," I say to Applejack. Enar "I have to admit, you really can make a decent campfire..." I say, stopping to cough. "Though I'm not sure it'll do any good, since we're going to have to get going again soon. That, and I think I'm starting to get sick... Or my dumbass counterpart is. I don't think he's realized that we're still partially connected." "Well, I just don't get why you're part of this crazy plan, Enar. I get that this is supposed to be for the best, but why all the effort? Is it really that important? I mean, what you're talking about is a lot more than just Pony Ville, you know. You're basically wanting to take the grand stage right off the bat! Do you know how stupid that sounds! Yeah, I get that you have inside sources. True, some of them may even feel indebted to you. But seriously... Using illusions only does so much... There's always something that gives it away. Say you do successfully create an illusion of one of them? How do you intend to keep them from involving themselves? I know that they won't just sit there!" A voice argued from across the campfire. Again, she was hiding under a black robe. "Relax. Since Ajil seems to think everything is what it was like in the show, he won't expect to see you here, miss. I'm afraid, however, that your time in hiding has to come to an end. And I don't mean sending out other illusions... You're going to go out there for real this time. After all, your going to lead me right to their doors. It's the only option I have, or I won't be able to properly go through with this plan." I explain to the mare. Truly, I feel as though she deserved it. Her fault for messing around with that kind of magic. Her fault entirely. Any living being could understand why it's forbidden. Though my plan should be set in motion here soon. Ajil I stare at the wooden beams above me, waiting. I don't really know what for. Twilight and Applejack have managed to give Applebloom the medicine I had recommended, but... I'm not sure it'll do much good. I mean, the medicine that I use might not be compatible with a ponies immune system. Hopefully, if it doesn't work, Twilight should be able to use some healing spells on her. Right now, I don't think I'll be capable of leaving like I want to... Who knows how long it'll take me to recover... I wait for what seems like an eternity when Twilight walks in. "Twilight?" I ask, making sure she knows I'm awake. "Oh, hey Ajil. Didn't know you were up. Is there something I can do for you?" Twilight responds. "Yeah, I... I wanna look at that book again. You know, like, as a way to make sure it's burned into my memory!" I say, hoping that she buys it... A part of me is really curious... "Oh, sure! I'll be right back!" Twilight says, and, after two very quick teleportations, levitates the book next to me, open on page one. "Thanks," I say as I reach out and put my hand on the book, this time calmly letting the volcanic light flood my senses. As I thought, being calm had a huge factor in what the experience was like. Now, instead of looking like I'm watching a movie, I feel, and from the looks of it, I am in the history. Literally. I don't seem to be able to alter things... I try to pick up a rock and sort of phase through it. As I orient myself, realizing that I'm in the middle of an ashen wasteland, I hear a familiar voice... "Oh, how you humans love to experience everything a different way, every time!" I hear Echoe... Well, echo from above. "The fuck are you doing here, huh?!" I shout upward. "Well, well, well. Somebodies angry! You know what? I think I'll correct some of the... Errors that this book tried to teach you. Lets see here, just change this and that..." Echoe states, and I swear I can hear pages turning and scribbles from a pen being written on a paper... So weird. "Seriously, what the fuck do you want from me..." I ask, lowering my voice, because honestly, who would reply to that? "Well, for one, your not a human from... Let's say, our time and space? Based on your genetic structure, you were only exposed to our magic when you were accidentally teleported here by Twilight's spell... I guess I should mention that that spell was originally made by our humans." Echoe states, replying to my question that I had intended to be rhetorical. "What?! But the book said...!" I start to protest, but I stop as I see the landscape turn to what looks like Ancient Egypt.... My Ancient Egypt, something that ponies should have no information on, but for some reason do. "This is where Equestrian history truly begins. You see, humans and ponies acquired sentience around the same time on your world. Although, your world has no magical capabilities. Sure, you humans say things look magical, but in reality... If there was magic, the Magical Radiation would've have made many places you inhabit, uninhabitable. This is mostly because things from your mythologies would actually exist. In the world that Equestria resides, they do exist. That means that, at some point, our humans made contact with your humans. However, you seem to be the very first human from your time and space to enter our time and space. In other words, your the most unique creature here besides the Alicorns." Echoe elaborates, though I'm not certain as to why. Wait a second... "What do you mean, 'besides Alicorns'?" I ask. Well, I can't blame your human curiosity... I believe it to be the major reason as to why your humans managed to survive. Our humans denied the changes that were obvious. Now, I can't explain the Alicorn facts to you, as the Alicorns themselves... Well, one of them, at least, has cast a spell to make it where only an Alicorn can tell you. So I'm afraid I can't answer that. I suggest you pay attention, too. This history lesson is much more real than it was a few moments ago." Echoe says, his voice fading and becoming much more menacing. I can tell that he's left. "Damnit..." I say aloud, ignoring the world around. Suddenly, I feel a fist collide with my jaw. "Man up, Jackol! If we're to survive, we must defeat the ponies, or we'll all be doomed! So stop stalling us, and let's get out there! We're gonna have to kill every single one of them!" I hear the man say... Only a few things stand out to me... He's saying we have to kill ponies to survive... "No." I state. The man's figure becomes clear to me... He's scrawny, having the body of a physically depleted human being. Clearly he hasn't been eating properly. His facial hair looks like it was cut off with a broadsword, cuts everywhere, all extremely large. He looked like someone who was to be feared. I say looked because... It's a history book, right? I doubt I'm going to have any impact. "What was that, Jackol?" The man's tone had turned serious, and he looks over his shoulder, both shock and anger obvious in his face. He turns quickly, swinging a broadsword at me. I leap back, over an edge... And I immediately begin levitating. I'm using magic... With so much ease! "So you'd rather through yourself in with their lot, would you? Alright, men! Shoot him down! After he falls, we slaughter the village ahead!" the man, who I assume is the General, screams at his army. So many pull out bows and draw their arrows... "If you use your goddamn brains, maybe you'd see that there is another way to this than killing! If we make peace, then we could...!" I'm cut off by the release of thousands of arrows... I feel my arms raise above my head... I think of creating a massive shield around me, and in a round motion, I move my arms downward. In an instant, a shield forms around me in all directions that the arrows are approaching me. Then I notice the ones preparing to cast spells. "See, men? He's thrown himself in with them, letting them teach him those unnatural magics! Magics that will destroy the balance of nature, magics that will ruin the world! Magics that, with, he will wipe out our entire race! He has decided that ponies are worth more than humans, that we'd be better off as the minor species, that we can't overco-" the general begins talking, trying to work up his men. I am the one that's interrupted him. "Hey, asshole? You ever think that you might just be being stubborn? I've seen the goddamn future! If you're thinking that I'm acting weird, it's because you lose this damned war! What I'm doing isn't even a fraction of the power of an Alicorn, the greatest magic users on the opposing side!" I shout, trying to convince them to retreat... I might be able to save them this way... "Don't listen to him, men! He's trying to brainwash us! We must fight!" the general argues against my advice. "If I really wanted to, I could've cast a spell that would take control of you and make you all march off of this cliff to your death!" I continue to try to argue... Some of the soldiers stop a murmur to one another... I think its working! "Don't let him trick you! There is no such magic, or we would have lost this war by now! Head my warning, men! Anyone who uses such advanced magic must be an enemy, as that magic is not a normal magic!" the general states... It seems like all the soldiers listen... I have no choice but to try... "Fine!" I shout, focusing on brainwashing all of them, clenching my eyes shut... And I feel a massive snap!, and my eyes seem forced open, to see a stunned general. "N-no! My magic...! No, you can't break my brainwashing magic, you fool! It's the only way to defeat them!" the general says, catching me off guard... Then he smirks... And a giant hole is formed in my body, and I can feel a burning unlike any other... "Is this... what Magical Radiaton... does...?" I ask, feeling my blood flow out of the hole that had just been made where my body should've been. I feel my body focus the last of its energy in a spell meant to destroy all of them... "No!" I shout, but I can tell... This was the choice Jackol had made so long ago. There was no altering it... All I could do was watch as a mass of dark energy formed, and absorbed them all, and Jackol's conscious faded... I watch as what looks like several Alicorns appear form the sky, most of them fighting the dark mass, eventually erasing it. One flies down to land next to me. And it's an Alicorn that looks awfully familiar... "Princess... Celestia...?" I ask, coughing blood as I do so. "What do you want with me, bipedal pest?" Princess Celestia asks, disgust clearly in her voice. "Listen... Countless years from now..." I stop because of having to cough up more blood... "You will... Raise a student... Who will become a princess... She will right... About a human she accidentally dragged here..." I resume coughing much more this time... Though Princess Celestia's shock turns to a hardened face, and I feel my human body levitating, before everything is black... But only for an instant. I'm immediately awake. "So, human, what is your name?" Princess Celestia asks, her voice stern, cold, and nearly heartless. "The name of the one I seem to be using is Jackol... My name, as you will hear in the distant future, is... Ajil." I state. "This isn't my body, actually. I went into a history book, and then... Oh, it's so messed up... I... I'll start from when I first arrived in Equestria. That way, you should know what's going on..." And so I go on to explain how everything had happened. "First off, you should know that there aren't any greater beings, that I'm aware of. Also, as of the time being, I have no sister, and if I did, I mostly certainly doubt that she'd be Princess of the Moon. After all, at this time, none of us Alicorns are Princesses of anything. Second off, this... Echoe being you mention... What is he?" Princess Celestia demands. "I'm not sure. I only hear him, though I haven't been the only one.. All I know is that he considers what I'm capable of to be pathetic." I state plainly. Princess... Well, I guess this her isn't a Princess, so Celestia, I guess? I don't know, but I'll go with that. Celestia looks taken aback when I state this. "Despite the fact that you just cast a Dark Magic that was designed to wipe out an entire country, he considers you to be pathetic?! This is truly concerning, Ajil. Though if what you say is true... Does that mean that you're stuck in this book, or can you leave whenever you so wish?" Celestia asks me, seemingly raising an eyebrow. "I uh... I don't actually know... I haven't tried... Also, I don't think that I cast the spell... I think Jackol's conscious took over and cast it, something that I wasn't expecting. If you want, I can try to leave the book, but I'm still trying to learn as much from it that I can. If I'm not able to leave, then uh... That'll be a problem," I state, seeing Celestia nod in understanding. "Well, I should probably try to return back to reality. This whole war thing... It's crazier than I though, ya know?" I say, focusing on leaving the book as I see Celestia nod yes. With a soft and seemingly muffled pop! everything resumes in the normal world. This time I don't gasp, either. It was like I managed to keep breathing the whole time in their. "Hey Twilight, I didn't uh... Struggle breathing at all, did I?" I ask as Twilight walks towards the door to leave. "Huh?!" Twilight seems shocked at first, then looks at me with relieved eyes. "I guess I can tell the others your up, then. You, uh... Do realize that..." Twilight pauses, looking at me concerned... "Never mind, I'll ask you about it later. I need to tell the others that you're okay," Twilight finishes, and teleports out of the room. I look around and notice that I'm the only one in the room... So... What happened to Applebloom? Did they just move her to another room? Probably... A flash of magenta light floods the room as the Elements of Harmony, Discord, and the CMC materialize near the doorway. I can feel all of my muscles standing on end. I put on my most serious face as I ask "How long was I out?" All of them look extremely concerned... Discord just says "Well, I'd say that in your time, about a few days or so... It's hard to say, considering somebody warped you into the future about a month or so," which causes my stomach to sink. "Thank you soooooooooooooooooo much for saving us, Mr.!" I hear the CMC shout, and expect them to try to group hug me, but they keep their distance... "Okay, so why are you evading me?" I ask, and immediately regret as Discord slinks next to the bed. "Oh, I'm not evading you, Ajil. They, however, have every reason to right now. You see, it seems that their are some... Diseases you've had exposure to, that those in Pony Ville simply haven't. It also appears that the same goes in the opposite way. They've dealt with... Ulgh, diseases that you haven't," Discord explains, saying the word diseases like it itself is a plague that annihilates all life. Of course, after Discord says this, I feel the fever I've probably had for a while. My head feels like it's literally starting to melt, causing me to sweat everywhere I possibly can... I think my ears are even sweating! I feel my whole body going numb... I can't keep my body lifted upright... I feel my head fall onto the pillow beneath it, seeing the world spin rapidly, like I was suddenly put on a spinney-top spun by the forces of light itself... I can't tell which way is left or right, or which Discord is the real one! I turn my head to see thousands of the ponies who had recently entered the room... I have to do something... A vaccine! I need... A cure, right! Suddenly, I feel a sharp point stab into my arm, resulting in me tensing up for a moment, and then relaxing as I let sleep take me. My dreams never arrive. Nor do any nightmares. It's just been black. Then I wake up. I wake up in a bed that seems nearly familiar... It seems clean... I blink and my vision is suddenly filled with the familiar images of the barn. I've just woken up and I already feel a lot better. I maneuver myself to get up, and feel my legs gain their strength... It's an odd sensation. One that I've never actually experienced before. It was like my legs woke up on their own. So weird... "There are a few things I had to alter for you to experience that book the way you did... Heh. Don't worry, you didn't have an actual impact on history. Poor old Celestia doesn't even know I exist! Haha!" Echoe booms from above. "Why the hell are you telling me this?" I retort. I wait for a response... Only to get silence. I continue to walk out of the barn, and then head to the library. I'm stopped by the sight of ponies lined up to enter the hospital. Each of them looks like they're gonna drop dead in a moments notice... I have to do something! Let's see, let's see... Damn, why can't I think of anything?! Oh, wait! I focus teleporting to the library, only to feel a chunk of my shirts sleeve disappear... Okay, so no teleporting myself for a while... I rush to the library as fast as my feet will carry me, nearly tripping on twigs, until I finally make it. I slam the doors open, and look around. Not a single living organism in existence. I think of my lantern and it appears in my right hand. This time, though, somethings wrong... There isn't the slightest sign of it having worked for a long time, as it's all dusty, and I can't get it to turn on... Why?! Oh well, I just gotta... I have to write a letter to either of the Princesses, whether it be Princess Luna or Princess Celestia... Hell, even Princess Cadence could probably help! I focus on materializing a pen and paper before me, and hear a few pop's that signify my success. I grab the pen and paper and sit at a chair, and begin scribbling a letter that I can only hope gets to one of the Princesses... I write the following: Dear Princesses, I am afraid that I have to send you this letter with urgency. On my way to Princess Twilight Sparkle's Crystalline Library, I saw what appeared to be the majority of Pony Ville's population lined up to enter the hospital. The problem is is that most of them look as though they may collapse within ten minutes, and the line showed absolutely no sign of moving. I urge at least one of you to come to Pony Ville, in order to cure them of their ailments. I sincerely hope that you will listen, as I believe time will not slow for those ponies. From a Concerned Human, Ajil "Spike! Come here, now! Please, it's urgent!" I shout, and almost immediately Spike shows up, standing directly before me. "Yes, Ajil... Wait, how come you're not in bed!?" Spike yelps, jumping up, shock clear in his eyes. "There isn't any time! Send this to any of the Princesses, it's urgent! If any of them are busy, send it to another!" I say, shoving the letter into Spike's claws... "Okay, so Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are busy, Princess Celestia's at a meeting with foreign leaders, so that leaves Princess Luna... Who's probably asleep right now, but... If it's that urgent..." Spike says, finally sending the letter. Only a few minutes pass before Princess Luna flies overhead outside. I rush out to see what she does, only to be blindfolded. "Agh!" I shout, falling forward, right onto my stomach. "Ergh..." I let out a moan. "Hehe... Quick, check for our cutie marks!" I hear Sweetie Bell say... Crap, this isn't the time for this shit! "Uh, Ajil? Why did you fall over?" Spike asks, and suddenly the blindfold is gone, and their isn't a trace of the CMC... "Oh no, don't tell me..." I think aloud... "Spike, stay away from and do what you can to keep others away... I may be dangerous, though I'm not sure for how long I will be..." I tell Spike, walking out the door of the Library. Upon opening the door, I see Enar flinging fire across all of Pony Ville, nearly every pony that I've seen killed, their bodies sprawled across the burnt grass... I shake my head as hard as I can to break free of the hallucination... I need to hurry. Hopefully Princess Luna can help me... Please, for the love of-! I collapse to the ground as I feel what seems to be metal inside my stomach, altering it in ways that shouldn't be possible... I feel blood fill my mouth and begin to leak from it... It hurts so much... Then it stops, and I get up... To be face to face with what looks like an angry Princess Celestia... Angry might be putting far too lightly... Even if this is a hallucination, I'm pretty sure it's still gonna hurt... "Ajil! Snap out of it!" I hear Princess Luna's voice, and I recognize a feeling similar to that of being slapped across the face... Except the slapping is being done by the hoof of Princess Luna. I see realization in her eyes, and she immediately casts a spell. "The problem has been fixed. I thank thee for informing Us," Princess Luna says before beginning to fly off. "Wait!" I manage to choke out. Princess Luna stops and turns to look at me, as if to say 'Go on.' I then told her about my experience with the magical book, and what Echoe had said to me. "'Tis is strange indeed. We shall inform our Sister of this at once. We assure thee that thee shall be watched closely," Princess Luna says before flying off... This time I don't stop her... I don't think I'll get much more out of her, after all. I turn to look around, and see that all of the ponies in the Pony Ville hospital seem to be cured... Well, at least they're healed. So, I guess the whole epidemic crisis has been averted. I lay down in the grass and sigh a massive sigh of relief... I guess I've finally managed to relax. I get up and see the main six eating at Sugar Cube Corner, and I begin to walk that way, when I hear something similar to the static of a television that was just turned on... And as I look upward to my left, I see what I can only assume is a magical screen meant to deliver important messages. Messages so important that Princess Celestia herself had to announce them, seeing as she's the one on the screen right now. "Citizens of Equestria! I have an extremely important announcement that must be made immediately. It has come to my attention that this man..." Princess Celestia says, and suddenly a picture of Enar shows up on screen. Princess Celestia continues "...has caused much distress in Pony Ville, and has recently been spotted in larger cities. His name is Enar. There is a human who looks extremely similar to him, in fact, he is almost identical. Enar has red eyes, unlike Ajil. Ajil desires to help those in Equestria in bringing Enar down. Enar is a threat to all citizens in Equestria, considering that he wishes to kill ponies and other creatures with sentience." Princess Celestia states, showing to separate images of me and Enar... That, of course doesn't stop the weird looks from ponies in Pony Ville... I ignore the rest of the magical television screen thing, and begin jogging to Sugar Cube Corner. When the main six notice me, the concern in their faces is plain obvious... The worry that I can see... I guess now I'm going to need them to help me run off... Hopefully one of them can tell me why I can't use my lantern, too.