And Then... My Life Changed

by frutineo

Chapter 7: Train of Tought Part 2

Chapter 7

I woke up on my own in my bed in the sleeping car. I looked at outside the window to see that it was still very dark and my roomates were asleep. I attempted to walk as quietly as possible from the room.

I walked out to the seating cart we had occupied before, just to find myself staring at a pair of light blue eyes that caused me to yelp.

"Pinkie Pie! What the hell are you doing here?" I asked the pink mare.

She giggled "I was waiting for you silly!"

“How-why-when- ok ok ok…” I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Since when have you been waiting for me?”

“Five minutes ago”

“… Five minutes? How did you know I was going to wake up at…? What time is it anyway?”

“It’s 4:27 A.M.” She said nonchalantly.

“4:27? And you have been waiting for me for five minutes? How did you know I was going to wake up?”

“My eyelids were fluttery.”

I drew a blank there unable to answer she talked. “It’s part of my Pinkie Sense.”

“Pinkie Sense?” she is losing me faster than my public opinion teacher.

“Yes. It’s like a set of spasms my body has whenever something is happening like… when my tail is twitching; something is going to fall. When my back is itchy, it means it's my lucky day. There are also combos.”

“Combos?”

“Like when I have ear flop, then knee twitch, then eye flutter. That means the sky is about to be graced with a beautiful rainbow!”

“Ooh, that sounds amazing.” I stated leaning against the door.

Pinkie started “Wait I feel a combo coming up… Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch!”

“Hey, how are we supposed to see a rainbow in the dark? (that is a damn good song)”

Suddenly the door disappeared from behind me making me fall over something squishy that complained all of the sudden.

“Would you get off of me?” asked my new cushion.

I got up with haste and saw that I had fallen over Twilight Sparkle and I helped her get up. “Sorry Twilight… what are you doing up so late?”

“I was woken by you two talking… now that we are on that topic. Why are you up so early?”

“My eyes where Fluttery which means that somepony has trouble sleeping and is going to wake up soon.”

“I don’t believe you Pinkie.”

“Why?”

“Your Pinkie sense said that there would be a rainbow.”

“No. I said that an ear flop, knee twitch and eye flutter means the sky is about to be graced with a beautiful rainbow. I had an ear flop, eye flutter, and a knee twitch, that means to be careful around doors”

I sincerely can’t believe her. “Believe me.” said Twilight. “I learned a long time ago to just accept her for who she is.”

I can’t believe she is letting it go like it was nothing… I think it is better if I let it go. “I think I woke up because I am accustomed to doing so.”

Twilight and Pinkie arched their respective right eyebrows “Why would you be accustomed to doing so?” asked the pink mare.

“It’s because I have to wake up at least at 4:15 to make breakfast so I can take a vehicle at 5 A.M. sharp just to get to school early.”

“That sounds way too early.” The purple mare said.

“I rent an apartment with my brother since we are from another state. We need to live somewhere close to public transportation so that it can bring us to our respective schools”

“And yours is so far away that you need to wake up at this hour?”

“I know it sounds awful Twilight but it isn’t that bad... Ok it was, but I managed"

"If you say so." she replied and I just shrugged it off as I made my way to a seat next to a window.

Looking now at the night scenery I noticed a town in the distance. "It's too early for the dining cart to be open, is it not?" I asked my companions.

"No it isn’t, Luis" said Twilight sitting right next to me. "But I don't think they have any meat on board"

"Please forget that I eat meat for as long as I am near you. Some Humans can survive well enough without meat. I am sure that I can as well."

"S-sorry" Twilight said seepishly. "It's hard not to think about it... Tell me Luis what do you usually do to pass the time when you can't sleep?"

I sat there pondering for a bit, trying to think of a good answer for that obviously distracting question. "I usually grab my cellphone and play music until I fall asleep again."

"What is a cellphone?" asked Pinkie.

"It's a device that allows people to talk from werever you are to other people that are in another city or even another country."

"That sounds amazing! You have to tell me more!" said Twilight in a manic tone.

"Some other time. It will take a lot of time because of the sheer amount of background I’d have to cover. Bottom line, we usually end up using our phones to listen to music or other things."

"I wish you could show us." said Twilight.

"Wish no more!" was heard and from next car came Trixie, Rainbow Dash (who was carrying my bags), Applejack and Fluttershy.

"Hey girls... we woke you up didn't we?"

"No... What made you think that?" said Rainbow handing me my bags.

"Sorry girls, I didn't expect you to wake up." I apologized while looking through my bags.

"Don't be Foraneo, I was restless as well."

I pulled out my phone and turned it on. "Sorry to hear that Trixie"

"Don't be. It ain't your fault... Anyways is that your cellphone?"

"Indeed it is. Right now it's turning on. Let me tell you all that it’s nearing half its electrical charge so I might need to turn it off later"

"Are all of your devices electrical in your world?"

"Most of them."

"Could you let me have a look?"

"Sure, I guess…" I reluctantly gave her my cellphone and she started using her horn on it.

“What are you doing?” I asked her.

“Just a simple analysis spell to see if I can understand the electrical system and it seems to be a more compact version of a DJ turntable.”

“… Wait DJ turntable? You have DJ’s here?”

“Yes we do. I find it amazing the little square acts like a battery of sorts. Now let me just enchant this…”

I feared those words. “WAIT A SECOND!” I yelled.

She dropped my phone which luckily had its hard case to avoid any kind of serious damage.

“Why did you stop me?” Twilight asked me.

I picked up my phone from the ground. “For the safety of the world.”

“HUH?” all of my new friends said.

“Look… Magic in my world is only a myth. One that has spawned innumerable works of literature and a thing called video games…”

“You have video games in your world?” Rainbow said.

She said what I heard she said? “You have videogames here?”

“Pfft, yeah, why?”

“Then you must have televisions and that means TV stations and programs… Maybe I can learn what kind of programs you have and I will have some means of distraction.”

“What’s a TV?” asked Twilight.

She just crushed all of my hopes. “You mean to tell me that you have Videogames, electricity, but not TVs?”

“We use some kind of electricity but it’s just in the form of a jewel that contains an electrical spell that powers up most of our instruments like the screen of a video game or the rotors of a zeppelin.” explained Twilight.

“… Remind me to tell you how we handle electricity and what a TV is. For now lets return to the issue at hand.”

“The reason I stopped your spell is the fact that the story of one of my video games called ‘Tales of Phantasia’ tells the story of a group of people that tried to combine magic and science.”

“They didn’t know that every time they activated a device with magic, the energy that the magic normally uses in a spell would restore itself. Over time, the overall supply of magic would be depleted little by little.”

“I know that in my world it’s fiction but… what if it happens here? I don’t want to take any chances.”

Twilight looked at me funny and she laughed at me. "Pffft, hahahahaha!"

"What are you laughing at?"

"The-the *snort* fact that you would believe that magic *chuckle* would be depleted so easily!"

"Hey, I am only looking out for the wellbeing of your world!"

"Heh a haha aaah, sorry but it just sounds as ridiculous as believing that you are dead even though you’re sitting right next to me."

Then I remembered that conversation.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

I was walking up the stairs that lead to my room in the castle with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and my friends following me.

"I can't believe that you would dare to insult a member of the council like that. Goodwill none the less!" Princess Celestia said scolding me.

"He deserved it. Besides I think he is the kind of guy that no one stands up aginst and he is used to that." I replied entering my room.

"What I did, was give him a dose of reality... I really hate guys who use the guilt card like that."

"Excuse me Princess Celestia but... What are you talking about?"

"If you must know, my dear student..."

After a short recap of my little exchange, everypony was... surprised to say the least. "YOU DID WHAT!" Twilight more so than the rest.

"If you must... I laughed at him because he grew up an orphan." I said nonchalantly while taking out my stuff, though I stopped and took out the rest of my books. "Princess, I think it would be best if you keep these. They will be safer here."

"How can you say such a thing Foraneo?" Trixie asked me.

"I already said that he was treading on thin ice with me. Besides it is not every day that I get to antagonize with a high ranking member of a foreign government."

"Mister Luis, even if Councilor Goodwill was being rude to you, it does not give YOU the right to insult back!”

“You know Princess Luna, I would have taken that scolding a little more seriously if you weren’t smiling so smugly.” I said to the Night Princess.

All eyes focused on Princess Luna, who currently had a devious smiled engraved in her expression. “Luna, I would really appreciate if you could hide your personal feelings a little better.”

Princess Luna changed her expression to an apologetic one. “Sorry Tia. I promise I will try harder.”

I just sat there trying to think of a reason why Princess Luna had that smile. “Princess Luna if I may be so bold… do you have some kind of…” I made a circling motion with my index and middle finger looking for the appropriate words. “Quarrel with councilor Goodwill?”

Princess Luna’s expression became really dark at that moment sighing heavily. “I do Luis. I regrettably do”

“Luna if you don’t want to…”

“No Tia. They all have the right to know. When I first returned from my… banishment, I found myself with minor concerns from some of the families of the Canterlot Royalty and few members of the Council.”

“Tia defended me from all of their attacks, except from those of Goodwill. He was restless and ill-bent on having me banished once more. In the end, all of the Council members but him saw that I was no longer Nightmare Moon but Princess Luna of Equestria.”

After the story we all stood silent unable to speak. “It seems that… he’s put you through all kinds of hell. Has he not?”

Princess Celestia looked at me quizzically. “Excuse me Luis but, What is that ‘hell’ you talk about?”

“It is the place where all of those who have sinned in life go to be punished by bathing eternally in the fires of the underworld.”

“Oh, you mean Tartarus?”

I wish I had misheard that. “I think I misheard Princess Celestia. I thought you said the word ‘Tartarus’.”

“Indeed I did Luis. Tartarus is the place containing the greatest criminals and threats that have ever existed in our world. It is located in the deepest part of the Everfree Forest”

“A few hours west of Canterlot and next to Ponyville, where you are heading. Why do you ask of it?”

“Because it shouldn’t be possible for it to exist. This ‘Tartarus’ is only a myth in my world. It’s supposed to be the deepest part of hell where only the worst of the worst are imprisoned.”

“And you say that the entrance to it is here! In this very world… I am beginning to think that I died and was brought to hell… AC/DC was right!”

“What’s an AC/DC? And what were they right about exactly?” Princess Celestia asked.

“A music band from my world. They said that hell is not a bad place to be… THEY WERE RIGHT!”

All of the present stood silent.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Ok. Not my finest moment, but still…”

“Luis. I assure you that your fears are unfounded. But if you are still afraid, I will only apply a little charge and monitor it.”

I was sincerely doubtful about this… experiment, but as long as we could pull the plug when things got dangerous, I had no problems. “Ok Twilight, I will let you do it.”

“Thanks Luis, I’ll get right on it.”

“One more thing girls. Could you just call me Foraneo? I would feel more comfortable if you used my nickname.” one by one they agreed while I made mental notes to get them new nicknames.

“No problem Sugarcube!” Honest Applejack. I shall call her AJ.

“Fine by me.” Rainbow Dash… somehow she reminds of my brother, but I doubt she would like to be called Teddy… RD shall suffice.

“If-if it’s not a problem.” Fluttershy… I will call her by her name for now.

“Yeppers!” the ever-hyperactive Pinkie Pie. Just Pinkie will be enough.

“Sure thing!” Twilight Sparkle said… I will call her Twi just so I won’t have to see Vampires every time I speak her name.

“It’s ready Foraneo.”

That was fast. “Thanks Twi. You don’t mind if I call you that, right?”

“It’s ok. I don’t mind. Now what kind of music are you planning on playing first?”

“This is music form a video game. It’s titled ‘Roar of the Departed Souls’ I hope you enjoy it.”

I pushed play in my smartphone

“It’s so cool!”

“Haha, I knew you’d like it Rainbow.”

“Of course she would like music, that sounds so loud!”

“Hey, that sounds really cool.”

“Rarity, Arcane you are awake.”

“Thanks to you we are… would you please stop that music? It’s getting to my nerves.”

“Oh come on!”

“What if I put something equally as good but a lot more... what’s the term I’m looking for? SOFT! That’s it!”

“Aww noooo!”

“Don’t worry RD, I know you will like this one as well.” I reassured Rainbow while I was looking for the next song to play.

"This is 'With a Litlle Help From My Friends' the Joe Cocker version"

After hearing the song, we listened to some more until we were nearing the incredibly crowded station. “Twi… would you mind telling me what is going on over there?”

She looked at me with a worried expression. “I sincerely don’t know. Why would the mayor call for a town meeting here? It’s really strange.”

I sighed heavily. “It seems that they came here for me then… I hope we can work this one out.”

“We will Foraneo, we will.”

I looked at Twi, then again to the growing crowd at the upcoming station and just hoped for the best.