The Journals of Magical Rocket: Remastered

by aricaitlyn

Chapter 1

Author's Note:

What a story to revisit! I figured since I have been rewatching MLP (2020 is quite a year that has made me do many things), it would be a perfect time to give this fic a much more substantial and well-written treatment, especially considering some plot-relevant chapters have straight up been lost?

Comments are appreciated. I feel like I can take criticism a lot better now.

“Hurry up! We’re gonna miss it!”

“Alright, alright,” I shouted over the loud popping of the popcorn on the stove. I moved the pan a bit, making a bit of noise and causing the flames to flicker blue. Once the popping had finished, I reached for a large bowl and dumped the popcorn in.

“Marie, get in here!” I shouted, reaching for the salt and the butter.

I heard my bedroom door open from down the hall. My best friend Marie stepped out and made her way into the kitchen to help me prepare the popcorn.

Marie and I had a lot in common, yet she was practically my opposite in every sense of the word. She had a clear face; I looked a bit like a pizza with eyeballs. Her hair was short, curly, and soft; mine was long, straight, and felt like a bundle of greasy straw. Physical differences aside, though, we were inseparable.

Marie pulled the spice cabinet door open, a look of deep concentration on her face.

“What’re you looking for?” I asked.

“Onion powder,” she replied nonchalantly, as if it were some normal popcorn seasoning.

I made a face in disgust. Marie then returned the favor by sticking her tongue out.

That’s another thing Marie and I don’t have in common. She likes weird food combinations and I prefer to stick with the more “normal” fares. Ever tried salt-and-vinegar chips with ketchup? Visit Marie's place, and she’ll eat those all day, washing them down with a tall bottle of Faygo. I had my exceptions for taste, but onion powder on popcorn just threw me for a loop.

“Nah, let’s just have regular popcorn. I don’t get that weird way you eat your foods,” I told her, putting a tiny bit of butter in the bowl. She just shrugged but began instinctively helping me shake the salt across the bowl.

“I am so excited for the premiere,” Marie squealed.

I nodded in agreement. “I’ve been waiting fifty years for this.”

“But…you’re fourteen.”

“I’ve still been waiting! Yearning, even! The off-season for this show is enough to drive me mad.” I put the bowl down on the table and reached into the fridge, where I grabbed a can of soda for myself and a glass of iced tea for Marie. With drinks and popcorn in tow, we headed back into my bedroom and dimmed the lights.

“You know, while you were taking a century and a half to make the popcorn, I decided to watch some of the new episode,” Marie said casually.

“You what?!”

Marie shrugged and repositioned herself in the bed. “Do you want to hear what happened?” And then without even getting an answer from me, she continued by giving me a bit of a synopsis of the new episode.

“Hush!” I shouted, throwing my hands over her mouth in retaliation. She giggled, slowly licking my palm. I threw my hand back in disgust, which only made her laugh harder.

“I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t hear anything!!” I shouted, throwing my hands over my ears. I curled myself into the fetal position and rolled off the bed.

Marie continued to laugh, near maniacally at this point. “But Twilight Sparkle - “

With expert speed, I jumped up and covered her mouth again. Then, remembering the horrible fate my action had brought before, I pulled my hands away.

That was another thing. While Marie and I may have our differences (and quite a few at that), we both love this TV show that’s really big on the Internet right now. It was around when we were kids, and we both showed interest in it then. But now, since we’re teens, it’s brought on new meaning to us. Can you guess what show it is?

It’s called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Alright, laugh all you want, but I am absolutely, 120% serious. (Ha- get the reference?) It’s pretty awesome, but sometimes it makes me wish I was gone from this world. No, I’m not depressed or anything, but being a human is a slight bit, uh… obnoxious. The fictional land of Equestria, however, seems still and tranquil, the perfect place for me.

I looked down at my watch dramatically. “Oh, oh, oh, Ivy, oh…”

“What is it?”

“I think it’s tiiiiiime,” I said dramatically, slowly reaching out to grab the TV remote. “Tiiiime… for… ponies!”

Just as Marie and I began to cheer, the doors to my bedroom closet flung open, making a loud banging sound as they hit the wall. We both gasped, and I dropped the remote in shock. Marie was convinced that her house was haunted, and I was beginning to wonder if, perhaps, these spirits she believed in had taken a little road trip.

I stood up and walked towards the closet, getting a closer look. Instead of my usual clothes hanging in color order, there stood a portal.

“Don’t go in there!” Marie shouted, as if she were watching a horror movie.

I shifted closer to the closet, jokingly trying to throw myself inside.

“Don’t!” she repeated.

And then the portal sucked me in like a vacuum.

Marie’s shouts grew softer and softer as I fell further and further to what appeared to be my doom.