Talunion's Life

by FlutterTal

Chapter 3

Yeah, I know letting go your best friend is absolutely not the best solution, but it’s precisely my default: when I am in a situation like that, I never take the best solution. I would call Blue Night back, but he’s already gone, there’s no turning back. But I wonder, why am I making life more complicated?

“Just go find her, and ask!” I say to myself as I am walking around. “She must be able to accept you. You just need to prove you can be with her.”

But I don’t want to suffer right now. So I try not to think about that and I go find Blue Night. Good thing I know where he lives. His house is a very spacious place, as if it’s an observatory. Well, it’s not like a dome, but it’s still a huge house. Since I enter in his house, I don’t see him for the moment, but he heard me anyway.

“Oh, hi there Tal!” he starts, as he shows himself.

“Hi…” I answer, tired.

In fact, I am so tired I cannot stand straight. And to the point where I am, I end up losing my balance and falling over. Well, that’s what I thought, because Blue Night was here to catch me up. Thank you Blue Night.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he says.

I give him no answer, I’m too tired to do anything. Suddenly -and quickly-, I think again about that unicorn mare, and all my thoughts is a nightmare for me now. But Blue Night is still determined to find out about what is happening to me[1].

“You know? I’m not a psychologist, but I always can do my best to help a friend in need. And you’re not an exception. More precisely, you’ll never be an exception. We are best friends, and I can’t let my best friend like that. So please, be nice and tell me what is happening to you.”

I sigh as I finally say an answer.

“I don’t wanna talk about my nightmare.”

This time, it’s his turn to sigh. And even if he hates to insist in this situation, I can see he has no other choice.

“Tal… You already know I hate to be angry in a situation like that, especially if it’s about helping a friend. I don’t want to torture you about what is going on, but if you don’t tell me what is happening, I will never be able to help you. So, do you have my trust?”

Yes, I have his trust. I guess I have no other choice.

“Well, as you guessed previously, I found a crush.”

As soon as I give this answer, I can see stars in his eyes. That was precisely what I feared: I don’t wanted to be mocked because of that… No, that’s my friend, he will never do that. Instead, he said:

“I absolutely don’t understand why you said this was your nightmare.”

“I know it shouldn’t be like that.” I reply. “But it’s just… I’m not prepared for that.”

“I guess you already thought about that but, why are you making your life so complicated? Won’t hurt to, at least, ask. And do you remember what you said before you left the orphanage?[2] Just try! Who knows what will happen next. And if you’re not still ready, why don’t you talk to your brother about that? He’s a hypnotist after all, I’m sure he can help you.”

Wait, my bro…? And then I realize: indeed, I remember when we were at the orphanage, about this filly who had trouble to sleep. He succeeded to help her, why won’t he succeed to help me? So I take my backpack as I ready to go home.

“All right? Filled with courage?”

“Thank you Blue Night!” was all I said before leaving.

So after my short trip to my friend’s house -pretty short yes-, I run to my house. And I’m thinking: indeed, I never thought about telling my brother about that. The only moments I told him to hypnotize me was when we wanted both to have fun, but I’m sure he essentially do it as a psychologist -or something close to it-. Once in front of my house, I slow down the pace before entering.

“Oh, so now you’re here.” Sleepin’ says.

“Yes. Yes, I’m here.” I reply, out of breath.

After some seconds, I decide to take my chance and ask to my brother: “Also, I have a favor to ask you. I need to be hypnotized again. Can you do that for me?” I ask with a willing smile and my hooves dancing.

Here I see my brother very surprised about my request. Not because I asked him to hypnotize me, but because I said it was a favor[3]. So he replies.

“That was the first time you wanted me to hypnotize you as a favor… So what do you want?”

“Oh, nothing special, I just want to be confident for later.”

“Why?” he ask as I see in his head he wants more info.

Well I guess I have to say it to my brother. Here goes nothing!

“I found a crush and I’m not ready for that…”

“Oh, love!” he replies, smiling. “You know, you’re very lucky to experience that. Because you surely know I not very talkative, and that’s my handicap.”

So my bro already tried to experience that? Good to know.

“Okay, follow me!” he says as he walks to the first floor.

Here! This will be the first time he’ll hypnotize me for a special case. I feel excited and scared at the same time, precisely because it’s the first time. So I follow my bro, and as we arrive to the hypno chamber -as he like to call it-, I sit on the couch as I’m now in front of my brother.

“So, are you ready? Because the effect may become permanent.”

My body is ready, I say to myself! And good thing this will be a permanent effect, this isn’t something dangerous after all.

Nearly immediately after, the session commences. In the beginning I can see my brother with a glowing aura on his horn and colorful spirals replacing his eyes. But… What beautiful spirals! I look at them, open-mouthed. Perhaps I have my own eyes totally replaced by the spirals -I can’t tell-, but I can still see my brother with some colors at the edge of my vision.

“Now. I want you first to take a deep breath in… and out.” He was saying that at the right pace and by breathing in and out. And that’s what I also do: I take a breath in slowly and deeply with my nose, before breathing out with my mouth. And I continue as he tells me to continue.

“Good. Now just continue to breath at your own pace as you relax.” As he says that, I see my vision being slowly engulfed by the colors. Furthermore there is one word he said that echoed in my mind, I think it was “relax”. With that I slow down the pace of my breathing.

“My voice is now the only thing you can listen to.” That’s kind of true. In fact at this moment, all the sounds in the background are slowly fading away, while my brother’s voice is slowly making an echo effect.

“At this point you can feel a strange energy starting from your hooves.” That’s precisely what I feel. But I also feel this energy not only starting from my hooves, but also slowly spreading through my body. At this moment, I feel really heavy. Good thing I wasn’t standing, I may fall.

Now I have the beautiful colorful spirals invading my vision, the background sounds completely faded away, my brother’s voice slowly echoing, and the strange energy spreading through my body. And when this energy is invading my head, I hear my brother saying his soft catchphrase: “Sleep!” Immediately my eyes shut, my mouth closes and my head is down.

“You really are a wonderful pony.” he says after that.

After several seconds -meaning when he was tricking my mind-, it is now pretty hard to think, as I hear at this moment a small light ping[4]. Now I let out a small smile, as my brother is lifting my head and command me to open my eyes. And as I open them, I can still see my brother, but only his outline. Anything else are completely engulfed by the spirals. I guess they replace now my eyes completely.

“Now I want you to imagine what you really want in the future.”

Immediately after he said that, I take a deep breath and start imagining something. In this, I see myself living happily with my crush. Surprisingly, it’s no longer a nightmare. Or was it a nightmare before? I don’t remember. All I can do right now is following his commands and smiling lightly.

“Do you still feel this heavy energy? This is your freedom, your confidence.” he says as I moan at this.

“So you also want your imagination to become a reality, right?”

I let out immediately a “Yes” without thinking of anything else. At this point, I’m not even worried of what will happen.

“I know you can make this happen because you are somepony confident. So repeat after me: I am a confident pony.”

After that, I repeat this phrase “I am a confident pony” without resisting. In fact, why would I want to resist? I am currently feeling good, relaxed, free, and confident. My brother repeat this phrase over and over, just to be sure I’m really confident.

“I am a confident pony.” he says.

“I am a confident pony.” I repeat.

“How do you feel?”

“Very confident.”

“Good. I know you can accomplish what you’re thinking, because you are such a confident pony.”

“Such a confident pony.”

At that moment, I am very pleased and extremely confident. My brother did it, he literally sealed my worries and fears away, to help me becoming happy and confident. I will never thank him enough for that, maybe two thank-you could do it.

“And now’s time for the waking up process.” he says.

In addition to that, he tells me the confidence will remains engrained in me permanently, even after the waking up. And after some seconds -meaning slowly when I feel the process-, he gives the order: “Wake up!” When the phrase was said, I shut my eyes just for the moment I’m shaking my head, and I opened them as I see the colorful spirals slowly disappearing.

Then I watch my front hooves while breathing in and out. So my confidence is engrained in me forever. Time to test it out! But first:

“Really, thank you Sleepin’!” I say as I share a hug with him.

“You’re welcome!” he replies.

“Now time to test that thing!” I announce as I leave the hypno chamber, take my backpack and exit the house. Once out, I see Sleepin’ through the window blinking at me, I let out a smile as a response.

Now where’s my crush?

---

[1] He was also like that when we were colts. I realize he never changed his manners.
[2] I’m pretty glad he remembered what I said. But I hope my speech won’t haunt me after all.
[3] I know my brother, he would never be surprised if I ask him to hypnotize me just for fun.
[4] Good thing this sound wasn’t too loud, my brother really hates mind control.