The Mage's Jump

by Marvelous Cheshire

Prologue Part 2: Meet the Mage

THE MAGES JUMP
BY GENOSABER
PROLOGUE PART 2/3

(Location- Unknown city, Gaia)

Twilight slowly awoke to the sound of metal being struck repeatedly, random objects falling to the ground, and what sounded like somepony swearing extensively. Forcing her eyes open, the confused unicorn was shocked to find that she wasn’t in the library, or anywhere even vaguely familiar for the matter. Lifting her head and look around, she came to the conclusion that she was in somepony’s living room, there were a few large chairs placed around a wooden coffee table in front of her, she was laying on a comfortable couch flanked on both sides by simple end tables. Along the wall directly across from her, multiple shelves stood, each one almost completely filled with books of various sizes and colors. An single doorway lay open on to her right, and a covered window with another chair to her left, the only light in the room was provided by a series of lanterns place on each wall. As she looked around Twilight’s confusion only grew as she wondered just who it was that put her here.

The sound of footsteps broke Twilight out of her trance, and she turned toward the door just as a rather startling figure stepped into the room.

The figure appeared to be a humanoid creature of unknown gender, though Twilight assumed it was male based on similarities to Alex and Matt. It was dressed in a long blue robe that almost covered its feet and partially obscured it face. Atop its head a large pointed amber color hat sat, further hiding the figures features. Its face was cloaked in shadow, and the only visibly change was the two glowing yellow spots around where its eyes should be. The creature was rather tall, standing a bit over six feet, not counting the hat. The creature’s arms were folded, hiding its hands it the long sleeves of its robe. Twilight was instantly unnerved by its appearance, but her fear only grew once she noticed the creature was staring directly at her, and had began to slowly walk over to her.

“Ah, I see you’ve awaken. I was beginning to get worried there for a minute,” The being said calmly, its voice distorted to cover any evidence to reveal its gender.

Twilight just stared at the creature, unable to find the words to respond.

“Something wrong, can you even understand me? Nod if you understand me,” It said politely, glowing eyes flickering in confusion.

Twilight slowly nodded. The creature didn’t seem to bear any ill will toward her, but she was still somewhat frightened by its appearance.

The creature nodded in response, before drifting into an awkward silence. Twilight nervously flicked her eyes left and right, hoping to look at anything other than the figure in front of her. After several minutes, she returned her gaze to the creature, its head cocked to the side in confusion over her actions. Seconds later, realization hit the creature and it finally spoke up.

“Oh dear you scared of me aren’t you?” Twilight slowly nodded before the creature continued. “Sorry about that, the enchantments on my hat tend to do that sometimes, one second.” The creature quickly turned, removing its hat and tossing onto one of the chairs, allowing Twilight to see the creatures face for the first time.

Thee creature was indeed human, and appeared to be a male in his early-to-mid thirties. He had long, dark blue-almost black hair that hung down near his waist. The glowing spots changed to normal gold colored eyes, and the shadows vanished, relieving light colored skin. Glancing at his mouth, Twilight noted two small white fangs just barely poking out between his lips. Finally, Twilight noticed his ears had a slight point to them, similar to her own ears. Turning back to her, the human presented her with a polite smile and spoke in a calm, friendly tone.

“I do apologize for that, I tend to forget to take of my hat around company. Now, I believe introductions are in order, my name is Trace Reinhart, it is a pleasure to meet you.” The man, apparently named Trace, finished, reaching out with his left hand towards her.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight replied, placing her left hoof into his hand.

Trace quickly blinked in surprise, before smiling once again while giving her hoof a gentle shake.

“So you can talk, that proves that I wasn’t just hearing things earlier. Now, I’m sure you have plenty of questions, as I do my self, but I think it would be best if we eat first, don’t you agree?” Trace said as he rose and began to make his way back to the doorway.

Before Twilight could reply, her stomach decided to make itself now by growling like a manticore. Twilight looked at Trace, a sheepish smile forming, the man just smiled in return before disappearing through doorway. Minutes later, Trace returned, a bowl and spoon in each hand, before placing both down on the table a giving Twilight a skeptical look.

“I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but how are you going to eat without hands. I would very much prefer if you didn’t make a mess on my couch,” The man said with a frown. Twilight didn’t speak, but instead choose to sit up and use her magic to her food over and taking a spoonful of the soup, bringing another look of surprise to his face.

“You can use magic?” Trace asked absently, before shrugging. “Well I suppose that works. Now let's eat, then we can get our answers,” Trace said, lifting up his own bowl. Then two remained silent as they ate, content with focusing on the task at hand. Twilight had to admit, the soup was delicious, the mix of celery, carrots, garlic and various other vegetables Twilight couldn’t recognize mixed together in a way that filled her mouth with flavor and warmed her entire body. She felt a smile slowly grace her lips as she continued to eat her meal, completely unaware of Trace smirking at her obvious delight. Eventually, both had finished and continued to sit in silence as they allowed the pleasant warmth from the soup to slowly fade.

“I take it you enjoyed it?” Trace finally said, causing Twilight to smile even brighter.

“It was great, I’ve never had anything like it,” The unicorn replied, her smile refusing to leave her face.

“I’m glad you liked it, I assumed that you would prefer that over meat, which is just as well considering I’m running low on groceries and didn’t have enough to go use in the soup.” Trace spoke with a polite tone.

“I have to ask, where did you learn to cook like that?” Twilight asked.

“I learned a while back that if I was going to live on my own, I would need to either spend money frequently at restaurants, or learn to cook. Later, I was able to cut costs by planting my own garden in the backyard and learning how to hunt in the woods surrounding the city. All the ingredients I used in the soup were picked this morning, so I think that not only shows my cooking skills, but my talent for gardening as well don’t you think?” Trace said as he walked over to the chair by the window and picked up a notebook and quill from the seat before returning to his place in the chair across from Twilight.

“I certainly does.” She replied before glancing at the notebook with a raised eyebrow. “What’s that for?” She asked.

“Well, I believe I mentioned that we could ask each other any questions we might have. So if you’re ready, then we can begin, as you are the guest, you can ask first.” Trace reminded her, causing Twilight to frown as memories of what happened returned.

“I guess the first thing I’d like to know is where am I, and if possible, how did I get here.” The unicorn asked. Trace simply tapped his chin in thought for a second, before replying.

“Well, we are in the City of Cornelia, on the Northern continent of Gaia. Before I answer your other question, I have to ask if you recognize this?” He said while pulling a piece of folded cloth from his robe. Inside the cloth lay the stone Twilight was examining before, causing her eyes widen and her heart race.

“That's the stone I was examining earlier, I touched it with my hoof, and next thing I know I’m here on your couch!” The terrified unicorn shouted as she tried to back away from the accursed rock. Trace said nothing, but simply folded the cloth back up and placing it on to the side before turning his attention back to the frightened mare.

“That stone is what's called a Chaos Seed, a fragment of the god Chaos created after he was destroyed by the warriors of light about two hundred years ago. After his defeat, Chaos split himself into hundreds of these pieces and spread across time and space, whenever one is found, the are found to only react to contact with an organic creature, the outcome differs for each piece. Some simply explode, others corrupt their victim, granting them vast amounts of power and causing them to attack everyone and everything they see, and a few end up using the power stored in them to rip creatures from the world, dragging them across time and space before dropping them off on some random world. Now that I think about it, you’re the fifth being to end up here on Gaia because of these things.” As Trace spoke recognition slowly spread across Twilight’s face.

“And the note said that I shouldn't touch it, how could I have been so stupid!” Twilight shouted in frustration as tears began to from. Hanging her head in sorrow, Twilight didn’t notice Trace move over to the couch until he put his hand on her shoulder. Looking up, Twilight stared at the man as he offered her a comforting smile before pulling her into a gentle hug.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, studies have found that the Seeds have the ability to cause temptation in people, you couldn’t have known. Now before we continue, I want you to promise me you won’t cry anymore, okay?” Trace asked as he released her from the hug. Twilight didn’t speak, simply nodding before wiping her tears away and looking back at the man beside her.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered as she leaned back into the man's arms. In response, Trace shifted slightly to allow both of them to remain comfortable and began slowly running a hand through her mane, calming Twilight and allowing her heart to resume its natural pattern.

“No problem. Now, are you ready to pick up where we left off?” He asked. In response Twilight simply nodded, laying her head on the mans chest.

---

(Trace’s POV)

“now, to further answer your question, you arrived in my world yesterday morning, I was in the forest gathering herbs for some potions, when you suddenly appeared with an explosion, after giving you a quick once over I decided to bring you back to treat your injuries, more specifically, your right foreleg was broken pretty badly, and you recieved several minor cuts and bruises. I was able to fix your leg and apply a healing salve to your lesser wounds.” I paused as she looked over body, her leg was wrapped in gauze with a splint, and there are several other spots on her body that have been covered with bandages. She looked up at me, obviously confused by the fact that she didn’t notice it before. “The salve has a numbing effect, you didn’t notice them because the medicine cut off feeling to those spots,” I stated quickly, to which she nodded and gestured for me to continue.

“I was able to get you here and treat you without problem, and you’ve remained asleep till about a hour ago, in total, you’ve been asleep for about thirty hours.” At that, Twilight’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“TH-THIRTY HOURS!?” she exclaimed, hurting my sensitive ears making me cringe and cover them on reflex.

“I’m going to have to request that you keep your voice down, I have strong hearing and loud noises tend to cause me pain,” I said, making the mare next to me flinch before nodding in agreement. “Now I’ve answered two of your questions, will you answer two of mine?”

She paused for a second before replying with a nod. “That sounds fair, ask away.”

“First, where are you from? And second, I’ve noted by your shape and size I’ve come to the assumption that the proper term for you kind is ‘pony’ and that you are a unicorn, correct?” I asked.

“The place I come from is called Equestria, and you’re right, I am a unicorn pony, one of the three main types that inhabit Equestria.” She went on to explain her homeland, how its run by two living goddesses that control the sun and moon. She also explained the three tribes, earth ponies that grow crops, pegasi with the power to manipulate weather, and unicorn like herself that are capable of using magic, as well as alicorns like the princesses, which make up the strengths of all three tribes. Along with ponies, she mentioned several other species that populate the world, including zebras, donkeys, minotaurs, and oddly enough, griffons which have similar abilities as pegasi. she continued with wildlife which contained not only ‘normal’ animals, but several creatures I recognized.

“Wait, you’re telling me your world has manticores, chimeras, and even dragons?” I asked. Twilight stopped and looked at me with a straight face before replying.

“Yes, do you have them here as well?” I instantly nodded at her question, causing her to blink in surprise.

“Huh, well I that just about covers it, may I ask a question now?” I gestured with my free hand for her to proceed. “What can you tell me about yourself?” she asked. I blinked in surprise before smiling.

“Simple question, nice choice. As stated, my name is Trace Reinhart, I am thirty four years old, and am the current Archmage of the Black Circle.” At my title, Twilight looked at me with a confused expression. “Basically put, it’s an order of black mages, people gifted with the ability to cast magic that focuses on causing harm and causing destruction. Now before you go making assumptions, we are not evil, we are a subgroup of the Order of Magi, a group made up primarily of mages and similar jobs. Both sides work to maintain peace and order across Gaia, the White Circle, as well as most of the lesser factions of the Order, do so by offering aid during times of crisis, such as war and poverty, or using magic to battle demons and the undead. The Black Circle works in dealing with regular monsters, evil spellcasters, and if we’re in the area, people who have committed major crimes like murder. My family have been part of the Order for generations, and because I lack skill in White magic, instead having natural talent as a black mage, I ended up working for the Black Circle. I stopped taking contracts myself about two years ago, and have since opened up shop as a potion maker and enchanter,” I finished with a sigh. Twilight seemed to be mulling over my answer, before finally looking at me with a neutral expression.

“Okay, I guess that answers my question. What would you like to ask now?”

“Actually, I don’t have any other questions, so you can continue asking me about anything that comes to mind, within reason of course,” I said.

“Okay, I’ve seen humans before, but your ears and fangs don’t seem normal, why is that?” she asked, taking me by surprise once more. Not only has she seen humans before, despite not mentioning them before, but knowing that I had unique features. Clearly she is more intelligent than I thought.

“You're right, my ears and teeth aren’t normal. The reason behind it is that my mother was an elf, more specifically, she was the bastard daughter of some high elf noble and a dark elf barmaid. As such I have gained attributes of both, my ears have a slight point that, while more noticeable in purebloods, half-elves like myself have only a small point to them. Like High Elves, I am taller than average, last time I checked I was about six foot six, but usually remain pretty thin. From the drow, I have slightly elongated fangs, as well as enhance senses, I can hear, see and smell better than most humans. I hope that answers your question.” My voice remained calm throughout my speech, which seemed to cause discomfort for her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” She muttered quietly before looking away, to which I simply raised an eyebrow.

“Why? Because you asked a question, M
iss Sparkle, I assure you have done nothing wrong, I take no shame in discussing my heritage. Please, don’t feel bad about being curiousity, if you ask something that I’m not comfortable answering I will let you know,” I said to her while putting my hand on her cheek and moving her head so that her eyes meet mine. I offer her a caring smile, which brings a smile to her own lips.

“All better?” She nodded. “Okay, I still have a pot of soup left, I don’t know about you, but another bowl sounds pretty good right about now. You want some too?” At that, her sadness disappeared and she eagerly nodded at my offer. I get up and grabbed the bowls before heading for the kitchen.

“I’ll be back in a minute, if you’d like to...” I was interrupted by by a sudden knocking on my door. I thought I put the sign up. “We’re closed, sorry.”

“It’s me, open up.” A clearly familiar female voice called, making my eyes widen and my pace increase.

“One moment,” I responded, rushing into the kitchen to place bowls down before turning the fire on the stove up to reheat the soup before heading for the door. Smiling, I threw the door open and am met with a familiar site.

A young female, less than six feet tall, her light brown hair tied back in a braid, her hazel eyes staring into mine and a large smile plastered on her face. She was wearing a hooded white robe with a red triangle pattern around the base and sleeves. My smile grew as I pulled the women into a hug.

“Hey big brother, good to see you,” She said, returning the hug.

“Likewise Arcana, When did you get back from your mission?” I responded as I pull her inside and close the door, waiting several seconds before letting her go.

Arcana Reinhart is my little sister, and the closest family member I have. I pretty much raised her after our mother passed, and have since become rather... protective of her. She finished her training to be a white mage about six months ago and has already been on several missions for the Order, but as always she returns here afterwards. It’s the place she calls home. I love my sister dearly, and would do anything to make sure she stays safe.

“About an hour ago, I just had to fill out some paperwork before..” she stopped and sniffed the air, turning her head down the hall toward the kitchen before returning her gaze to me, her smile somehow growing as she realized where the scent is coming from.

“Soup?” She asked.

“Yeah, I have a... guest over,” I replied, turning my head to the side and chuckling nervously.

“Really! Is it a girl?” she inquired, her smile turning into a smirk at my discomfort.

“Sort of, it’s kind of hard to explain.” I stopped and thought about how I’m going to explain a talking purple unicorn on my couch. If I even say that, I’ll be labeled a freaking lunatic for the rest of my life. Sighing in defeat I decided to go with the simplest choice. “It’d be easier if I just show you, come on,” I said as I lead Arcana to the den.

Arcana opened her mouth to say something, but the second her eyes fell on Twilight, her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. Likewise, Twilight stared at Arcana with a look of confusion mixed with nervousness. Silence hung in the air for about two minutes before I placed a hand on my sister’s shoulder and give her light shake to snap her out it.

“You okay?” I asked calmly, receiving a wide eyed stare in return.

“What is that?” she whispered, eyes darting back to Twilight for a second, before looking back at me.

I gave a quick glance over to Twilight before replying. “A pony,” I said with completely straight face.

“A pony?” she repeated, to which nod. “Okay then, care to tell me where it came from and what it’s doing on your couch?” Her tone carried a hint of frustration in it, most likely over my previous answer.

“She can hear you you know?” I said, putting emphasis when referring to Twilight's gender, causing both of them to blink. “As for your questions, I found her in the woods. She was injured. Now, before you continue I should note she is sentient, and it is rude to talk about her when she’s right there,” I finished by pointing my hand in Twilight’s direction before taking my sister by the arm and pulling her over to the couch.

“I believe introductions are in order. Arcana, this is Miss Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn from the land of Equestria. Miss Sparkle, this is my seventeen year old sister Arcana Reinhart, newly appointed member of Order's White Circle.” I gestured to each of them as I made the introductions, leading to yet another round of awkward silence.

“Um, hey.” Arcana finally managed to say.

“Hello,” Twilight responded immediately, causing Arcana to stare at the unicorn in shock.

“YOU CAN TALK!” My sister shouted, causing my pain from before to return.

“YES, SHE CAN!” I yelled less than a foot away from Arcana, making her cover own her ears as she turned to glare at me. However, she remembered my sensitive hearing and instead muttered an apology.

“Now that thats out of the way, Arcana, I know what you’re thinking, I will explain everything in a moment. Before I do that however, I want you to use your magic to heal Miss Sparkle's leg, after that I’ll get us some soup and we can discuss this then, okay?” Arcana nodded in response, before calmly walking over and kneeling down in front Twilight.

“I apologize for how I acted a minute ago, if you could please give me your... hoof, I’ll see what I can do to help,” Arcana said as she held her hands out. Slowly, Twilight lifted her injured limb and placed it in Arcana’s hand. Placing her other hand gently on top of her leg, Arcana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing her magic on the damage before her. “Cura,” Arcana said as she releases her breath. The effect is immediate, a wave of white energy shot forth from her hands, slowly moving around Twilight's leg before proceeding to move to her other wounds, healing them instantly. When its done, Arcana steps back, meeting the unicorns confused stare with a smile. “I wasn't able to heal your foreleg, but I did cut down the time needed to let it heal, it should be good in about two weeks. Now I believe my brother promised food and answers,” she said turning towards me with a eyebrow raised. I simply shook my head and headed for the kitchen.

I returned a minute later with tray holding three bowls of soup. We each take our meal in silence with little problem (though Arcana was surprised by Twilight's ability to use magic). After several minutes, Arcana decided to speak up.

“So how exactly did Miss Sparkle here wind up in the forest?”

I paused for a moment before grabbing the cloth behind me and replying. “She was pulled from her world by this.” I showed her the Chaos Seed, causing her to nod in understanding. “She appeared while I was on my way back for gathering herbs, when I noticed she was still breathing, I put her on my back and carried her here, treated her wounds, and waited till she woke up, she ended up staying asleep until a couple hours ago. After she woke up, I gave her something to eat and we proceeded to ask each other questions until you showed up. You know what happened next, so I don’t think there’s any need to recount it,” I said as I returned to my meal.

Arcana remained silent for a moment, before turning her attention to Miss Sparkle. “Do you have anything to add, like how you came across this?” she said while pointing at the Seed on the table.

Twilight stopped staring at the Seed and looked over at Arcana. “Not much to tell, I found it in a box that was left at my doorstep. After spending several hours examining it, I sent a letter to my mentor, Princess Celestia, before returning to my work. With nothing left to check, did the one thing the note that came with it said not to do and touched it. I was immediately blinded, and the next thing I knew, I was here," as she finished speaking, her face regained its melancholy look from before. Setting my bowl down, I quickly moved back next to her and pull her into another hug. Arcana stared in confusion as I repeated my previous actions to comfort the depressed mare. After a few minutes, I let go of Twilight, who looked up at me with a smile, which I returned, before finally resuming our meal.

We finished our meal and went about our business. Twilight and Arcana talked with one another about magic, Twilight explaining how magic works in her world, while Arcana replies by doing the same. I opted to wash the dishes before heading further down the hall to my work room. Inside, I began preparing several potions to help refill my stock with what ingredients I had. I lost track of time and didn’t stop until arcana knocked of the door. Puting my potions away, I opened the door and stare at her with a raise eyebrow.

“She seems really sweet, it’s a shame that this has happened to her,” she said with a frown. I simply nodded in agreement before she continued. “The High Priestess should be able to get her home, but unfortunately she's away on business, and won’t be back for a week.” I nodded again before pausing.

“You’re right, we will have to wait till she gets back, but I can send her a message. If I’m right, she’ll be able to have everything prepared by the time she gets back, which will ensure Miss Sparkle can return to her own world as soon as possible. In the meantime I’ll find something for her to do so she isn’t stuck laying around bored out of her mind,” I said as I glanced at clock on the wall.

8:45 pm

‘I spent five hours in there?’ ending that train of thought before it gets out of hand, I made my way to my bedroom. Once inside, I changed out of my robe and throw on a plain short sleeve shirt before walking to the crystal ball in the corner.

I activated the crystal ball and wait several minutes before it picked up a signal. As the link was formed, the image of a elderly woman with white hair wearing a white and gold cloak appeared. The women looked at me with narrowed eyes, waiting several seconds before speaking.

“Whaaat.” she said, her voice dripping with irritation.

“Hello to you to grandma, must you act this way every time I call?” I said in mock innocence, earning a snort from the old bat.

“You only call me when you want to make my day worse. I don’t have the patience for jokes today boy, so hurry up and tell me what you what so I can get some sleep.” Ah, so I called right before she was going to go to bed, that would explain the bad mood.

“Fine then, yesterday morning, a being from another world appeared in forest. The creature, a unicorn pony mare named Twilight Sparkle, was brought here by a Chaos Seed. I called you to let you know ahead of time so you would be able to prepare the ingredients needed for the ritual to send her home.” As I finished, the old woman stared at me wide-eyed.

“Did you say ‘unicorn pony mare named Twilight Sparkle’?” she asked slowly, never taking her eyes off me.

“Um, yes.”

She just stared at me for a few seconds, before promptly doubling over in laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is even funny than the time you told me you were engaged to a forest elf,” the old bitch said before continuing her laughter.

“I thought you liked laura, you always seemed to get along,” I said with mild pain remembering my late wife. Granny finally got her laughter under control before replying with an amused smile appearing on her lips.

“I never said I didn’t like sonny, but you told me almost the exact same way your father told me when he proposed to your mother. Laura was a sweet lass, you were always happy together and its a shame what happened to her,” she finished with a frown, similar to the one on my own face. I didn’t like bringing up her death, and decided to stop this now before it can continue.

“I didn’t call to talk about her grandma, it's been five years, I’d rather not open old wounds, so can please focus on the matter at hand?” I said with a bit of anger in my voice. Thankfully she nods and begins to contemplate on my report.

“You’re right, I should be able to prepare the ritual and get it set up by the time I get back, thank you for letting me know. Let me know if there are any new development, and tell Arcana I said hi,” she said, I nodded in agreement before cutting the connection and leaving my room. I passed by Arcana’s room, stopping for a moment to give granny’s message, before heading to the den.

Looking inside, I noticed Twilight looking over one of my old photo albums. I sigh before sitting down beside and glancing at the page. Two photos stick out, one of them a picture of me and Arcana from about ten years ago, playing together in the park. The other is from about the same time, but shows me with a tan skinned female with silver hair and long, pointed ears. I wearing a formal suit, while she’s in an elegant forest themed dress. We’re both holding hands and smiling at one another, a site that brings a smile to my face at the memory.

“Who is she?” Twilight asked, snapping me out my trance. I looked at her and search for the right words before replying.

“Laura, she is, or was, my wife,” I said with slight frown. Twilight looked at me with a frown of her own.

“W-what happened to her,” She asked nervously. I turned away and sighed as the memories come rushing back, threatening to bring tears to my eye.

“She died five years ago protecting some kids from a rogue dire bear, she managed to get the kids to safety, but the bear struck her while her back was turned, it opened a large gash in her side. I arrived just in time to kill the beast before getting to her side only minutes before she died of blood loss, I sat there holding her, telling her it would be fine, but she just smiled at me before her heart stopped. She died in my arms and I couldn’t do a DAMN thing to save her.” As soon as I finished, I broke down crying. I felt something wrap itself around my side. Looking down, I found Twilight giving me a weak hug. I pulled her into a hug spent the next five or so minutes crying on her shoulder. I finally ceased my crying and pulled back from Twilight, who was looking at me in concern.

“Sorry Miss Sparkle, it’s been awhile since I talked about Laura,” I said as I wiped away the last of my tears.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up,” she replied. I shook my head and begin running my hand through her mane.

“It wasn’t your fault, I could have just said ‘she died’ and left it at that, I didn’t need to go into detail. At the same time thank you Miss Sparkle, I’ve been needing to get that off my chest for some time now, but haven’t been able to find the courage to talk to anyone.” We lapsed into silence for a while, simply laying there on the couch together, before I remembered why I Came out here.

“I was able to get in contact with my grandmother, the current High Priestess of the Order, she should be able to prepare a ritual that will get you home by the time she returns from her trip in a week.” At this, twilight expression brightened.

We spent the next hour or so discussing what to do for the week leading up to the elders return. We decided to look around the town so I could show her the sites, I remembered that there was a festival in three days and by then word would have spread about her. For when she stayed indoors, I told her she was welcome to read any of my books, I swear I have never seen anyone get so excited about reading. Afterwards, we return to simply laying on the couch together. Around 11:00, Twilight and I both yawned, indicating that it was about time we got some sleep. Before I left the room however, I turned back to Twilight, trying to find the right words for what I wanted to ask.

“Miss Sparkle, while this request might seem a bit weird, I was wondering if you would like to sleep in my bed tonight. The bed has more than enough room, it’s much more comfortable, and in all honest, I most likely won’t be getting much sleep tonight otherwise, I usually wind up staying up most of the night after I think about Laura, so you're more than welcome to join me,” I said before looking away, praying to any gods that will listen that I don’t come off as creepy.

“O-okay,” Twilight said nervously, blushing slightly at my offer.

“Okay then. I would suggest getting on my back, it’ll be faster than walking on three legs.” I crouched down to let her climb on. Once she was secure I headed for my room and to the king sized bed. After helping Twilight into bed and sliding in next to her, we both muttered a ‘good night’ before drifting off to sleep.

For the first time in almost five years, I managed to sleep without any problems.

Author's Note:

I plan on getting the edits done on this and the rest of the prologue chapters after ch10 is out