It's All A Little Strange To Me

by Essay Jay

Issue 2 ~ ...Or Maybe Not

“I’ve heard that Kamare-taj was- er- is a place that I could find myself and help in my healing,” Starlight said, watching the Ancient One move around the room, picking a book up.

“Well, it can be that if that’s how you would wish to see it,” she said cryptically.

“So you can do it?” Starlight asked, “You can help me?”

“Well, that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” the Ancient One asked, “You’ve taken quite the trip.”

“Yes, I have,” Starlight agreed. “What kind of magic is it that you have that can heal a horn? Not even the Princess of Magic, my friend, Twilight Sparkle could do it.”

“Oh yes, that,” the Ancient One smiled, circling around to talk with Starlight. “Tell me, Starlight, when you cast magic, how do you do it? Is it you, or is it that horn of yours?”

“Well, everypony has some kind of magic inside them,” Starlight relayed, not quite knowing where this was going.

“And is it you or the magic that does what you want?” the Ancient One continued, drinking some tea.

“It’s the magic,” Starlight replied.

“And magic can only really be controlled by the horns of unicorns?” the Ancient One questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“...Yeah?”

The Ancient One smiled widely, as if greatly amused by her answer. Starlight was trying to rack her brains in an effort to understand what was funny. “What if I told you that magic can be conjured, regardless of race or lack of innate magic, in all sorts of ways?”

“You’re talking about magic casting as if you don’t need magic,” Starlight gasped, thinking it over, “The very thing you need to cast magic in the first place!” She quickly began to connect some dots and her mind went racing at the implications. “Is that why you’re here? Without other mages, witches or wizards to watch over you? Nopony to watch over whatever it is you do? Just how advanced is your magic?”

The Ancient One made an ‘about’ face and grinned. “Quite.”

“So you managed to figure out a way to be able to cast spells and use magic, without the necessary requirements to do so?”

“No, Miss Glimmer,” the Ancient One began, “I know how to reorient the spirit, to better heal the body.”

“R-reorient the spirit… heal the body?” Starlight stammered. “How does that…? N-nevermind… Alright, so, uh, where do we start?”

The Ancient One grabbed a book from the table near her and flipped through a few pages before landing on one. Looking it over once, her smile dominated her face once again. She faced Starlight once more, holding the book up, showing an image that made Starlight do a double take.

“Don’t like the map?” the Ancient One inquired, frowning slightly at the book.

“Oh, uh, no, it’s fine,” Starlight sighed, “I’ve just seen them before, you know, done by amateur magicians.”

The Ancient One laughed at that. “Oh, Jade, she’s funnier than I thought.”

“She’s a keeper,” was all Jade said, a high level of mirth evident in her tone.

Starlight looked between the white robed mare and Jade, now a little vexed at how they seemed to be shrugging the whole thing off as if it were a joke. “W-what?”

Raising an eyebrow at Jade, the Ancient One continued on. “How about… this one?”

Starlight stared at the image. “...Acupuncture?”

“Yeah?” the Ancient One asked, “Are you familiar with this one?” The Ancient One turned one more page to see a magical scan of a pony’s nervous system and skeleton, causing Starlight to groan.

“I… no, I can’t…” Starlight whispered, turning away, her mind racing. None of this was good. Here she was, in a place she had thought would help her. The head of whatever this place was, the Ancient One, was showing her pictures she had seen dozens of times before. Pictures that did not seem relevant at all. “I… sacrificed time with my friends and- and travelled so far, and now you’re saying I can just heal myself through the power of belief!”

The Ancient One remained smiling, though less prominent. It annoyed Starlight very much. “You’re a mare, looking at the world through a keyhole,” the Ancient One began, putting the book down and moving closer to Starlight. “And you’ve spent many hours trying to widen that keyhole.

“Our Town, the Sonic Rainboom, Mind control, Chrysalis and the changelings,” the Ancient One listed off, each striking a personal chord with Starlight. “You’ve tried very hard to excel, to see more, to know more… and yet, upon hearing that this keyhole can be widened in ways you can’t begin to imagine, you reject the possibility?”

“No, no, that’s not it,” Starlight laughed sharply. “No, you see, I reject it because you can’t just wish your problems away-”

“A valid point,” the Ancient One interrupted. Starlight ignored her.

“There’s no such thing as chakras or spirit. Mana, yes. It’s what fuels our magic, what surrounds Equus itself, but this? I don’t believe in healing by the power of belief. The world doesn’t revolve on our wishes alone. We control the weather, the moon, the sun, but this? This is madness, this is as false as the view I had on equality when I was still a delusional maniac!”

“You know, you think too little of yourself,” the Ancient One remarked, “You do much more than just operate under your own free will. You do so much more than you can truly see. Everything you do does more than just affect yourself. Even just coming here has altered future events, coming here has changed the very destiny of the world.”

Starlight chuckled bitterly, shaking her head and walking around. Facing the Ancient One again, she let her voice wind down. “You think you see through me, do you?” Starlight whispered, her voice low with jaundice, “Well, you don’t. You don’t know a thing about me, you don’t know me!” Starlight began to approach the Ancient One with resentment and hysteria. Jade could see what Starlight was beginning to do, but Starlight didn’t see the glance the Ancient One sent her, telling her to stay back.

“You think you can see me?” Starlight continued. “You can’t. But you know what? I can. I. See. Through. You!” Starlight finished, jabbing the Ancient One in the chest with a hoof as she faced her.

As if she expected it, the Ancient One grabbed Starlight’s hoof with precision, catching her by surprise. Another twist of her hoof in the same instant caused Starlight to shout in alarm, before Starlight was suddenly jabbed by the Ancient One’s free hoof, sending her flying back. All in the same moment. All in one fluid motion.

Starlight could see herself floating.

And she could also see herself falling.

And thinks that she may have screwed up a little. Just a little.

Or maybe a lot.

Author's Note:

What do you all think of this one? Here heralds the next major point of the story! Huzzah!

Everything is coming together...

Comments

[everydaygamer]

OK we're finally getting to the good stuff. Been a real slow burn but I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end.

[VikingOtaku6]

Tangential question: Is Pinkie a Watcher (Since she can peer and interact a bit beyond the Fourth Wall)? For that matter, is Discord a Watcher?

[VikingOtaku6]

Come to think of it, Discord is more likely to be The Beyonder... And Tirek could be Galactus. Who's Doctor Doom? Someone awesome, probably, and I'm looking forward to reading Starlight's interactions with them.