> Paradise Lost: Bloody Valentine > by RedRandom > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter one: First Contact > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/4/456 The only few things I can really say about being unconscious is that it’s dark, like pitch black to the point you couldn’t even see your hand. But, the other thing I can say is that it feels brief most of the time, key point there is that it feels brief. I mean, you could be in a coma for what, five years? When you wake up, you’d have felt like it was five to six seconds. Why do I say “Most of the time”? Well...the black out I’m was feeling two weeks ago did not feel like it was seconds. I don’t know how I can describe it. Fuck, I don’t think I know if I could describe the sensation I felt when I arrived here. But, Tavi suggested that I write my thoughts down so...I guess I might try. Have you ever gotten sleep paralysis? When you’re conscious and can look around but your muscles aren’t awake yet, locking you in place. That’s what it was like for me...and let me tell ya, it is terrifying, more than terrifying actually. What was even worse,was the darkness. You see, most of the time in sleep paralysis you actually see your surroundings. But, since I saw nothing, I felt the ground I was sitting on, the tree my back laid against, the maggots getting at my dead flesh. I could hear their wriggling, the sounds of steps and wheels of carts rolling by, not noticing me. I smelled the fumes of smoke from distant campfires...rotting corpses of animals long since past. When I woke up, my vision was blurry, I could feel the soft rain hit my body as I winced a bit when it got in my eyes. I blinked a few times, feeling as if time itself was slowing down for me, lack of blood is most likely the cause of that. Each blink felt so slow, it felt like I could see the world a tiny bit more clearly but then lose it as blackness would engulf me for about ten or fifteen seconds before I’d see the world again, only for the process to repeat. I don’t know, maybe that’s just a thing that happens but, at least at the time, it felt like that was on purpose but I don’t know why. It was then..at that moment, I saw my surroundings for the first time. I was in a small clearing, or at least my back was facing the clearing. It was hazy, a fog was rolling in with it’s gentle touch as I could see the dying rays of light from the sun beside me on a rock that wasn’t covered in shade like I was. I tried to move but all I felt was pain as I slumped back against the tree. Through all that time, I don’t think I opened my mouth once to speak, only to moan in pain or to breathe. ...I, I remember feeling...dread? Yep, it was dread that I felt, in the fog. I can’t explain why it just, made my spine tingle. I got up after what felt like at least an hour though it was most likely five minutes, I looked around for awhile, hoping to hear some sound of footsteps or a cart going down the road or, anything for that matter. I would have accepted the sound of a bird chirping or a wolf growling...but I got nothing, just the sound of my breathing.   I looked down at at my hand for the first time since I had woken up and my eyes went from they’re frightful confusion to “what the fuck!?”(truth be told, those where the first words I said during this time) amounts of confusion at what I had witnessed. My hand looked like it was from a cartoon to be truthful with you, my skin was olive in tone with a darker tone of it at the edge, acting as some sort of outline for my arm which reminded me of cartoons. I looked down and, low and behold, the brown trench coat I was wearing also had that effect. Now that I think about it, where did I get this trench coat? As I said before, it was brown, kind of a...bland colour? Most likely the best way to describe it, yeah. I had these arm slings and holsters attached to my clothing, I wasn’t really sure of it at the time but..I can assure you now that it was for things like weapons and potions..that sort of stuff. Actually, maybe that’s why the right side of my back didn’t feel as hard on the tree as my left side? The scabbard for my favorite weapon helped most likely. Anyway. Where was I? Oh, yeah..forgive me, I remember..a lantern, I can’t exactly remember where or even how I found it. But, it seemed to have been just there, almost waiting for someone to hold it and turn it on to guide them through the dark, and let me tell you, this lantern as become like, my best friend. So, Here I am, in an unknown place with the fog rolling in and the night sky blooming over like a flower with it’s stars twinkling in the sky, with my skin and clothing being all cartoonish in style and clutching a lantern with a hand that’d put an early stage Parkinson's victim to shame. No..that, that was bad, forgive me, please, That was just distasteful. Now, I know what you may be thinking, I’m losing my fucking mind with seeing this kind of shit. Now, back then, with me looking behind my back every five seconds, I would have believed you...and, to be honest. I think I still am losing myself. But, that’s not important now. See, as I was walking, I felt I was being watched...and the scary part is that I think it was the forest itself that was watching me. No ghouls or skeletons or anything physical. I mean, yeah, trees are technically alive but that’s not what I mean, I felt as though they were watching my every move..every step, every single taken breath. It was scary, I’ll be honest..hell, I’ll be more honest by admitting that I cried like a baby. But, something happened, something that I praise all the time now that has helped me keep my sanity...I saw something. Now this...god, I remember this. The fog at the time had gotten heavier, but I was still able to see somewhat. The moon, or at least what was left of it was swallowed up by the clouds above, leaving me with only the lantern to keep me calm. Even though I remember the event almost vividly, I’m not sure where the creature popped up from. It was like..I saw this space in between some trees, then when I blinked, it was there. At the time, it was just an outline, just a shadow..but now, as I sit here in this rickety chair and think it over, every detail was burned into my mind. It was tall, around six foot nine to seven foot three in height, I’m not entirely sure which I should go with. Now, I’ve faced many things in my travels, but this thing..this thing was different. It wasn’t demonic, or at least I couldn’t sense any demonic energy from it. It was just..there, a creature. Every move I made, slow or fast drew its attention. I smelled death..and rot off it’s wet, leathery skin, I almost gagged at the picked scabs and open wounds around it’s body, almost as if it was showing off. From what I now know of it through local villagers, it was called a Blindsider. That wasn’t the worst part either...I think the worst part was it’s face. No eyes...none whatsoever, a mouth that split off at the middle of the jaw, making look like an insect’s mandibles as they could move by themselves was the only thing on it’s face. Then, I felt the ringing...the absence of sound as its mouth moved, almost like it was saying something but I couldn’t hear, only my breath. I did the most logical thing I thought of at the time by reaching for a sword on my back, which resulted in me remembering that a sword was not there. So, I stood there, stiff with fear as the creature’s hand glowed a faint white. This glow, as I later found out, was it using its magic as sounds of the forest flowed into my ears. I’d had been with only my breath for so long, no animal noises or the sound of my foot hitting the ground or even the rusty swinging of my lantern. When the sound came back, I was disoriented but still held my footing. That, I hope, was the one thing that helped save my sorry ass. The creature started to slowly walk towards me, allowing me to see more of it’s body. It’s legs were mangled and deformed like a cat or goat, still no fur or any trace of hair on it as it walked. It’s mouth was chattering, almost as if it were trying to speak to me as it continued onward while each step making a squishing sound. The mud having formed a bit ago, sorry if I had not mentioned that. I just stayed there, I don’t know why I stayed there, I just felt so scared, so lost...so hopeless for some reason that I can’t explain. When it got to me, towering over me with it’s anorexic body, I could hear its breath. It was soft, cold and distant, wheezing for an unnatural amount of time. “...You...are mine..” was the only thing that came out of its mouth, its tone being that of someone you would hold dear, a friendly voice that was jumbled up with a killer’s. “Wha-what?” I asked, barely getting the words out as the being’s three fingered hand wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air supply. I struggled, I flailed about as adrenaline finally kicked into high gear but it wasn’t enough. This thing overpowered me greatly, picking me up with ease as it brought it’s face closer to mine. Even though it didn’t have any eyes, it felt as if it was staring into my soul...that still terrifies me. Sorry, I’m being emotional again, this staring went on for what felt like forever, just me and this thing. We stared at each other for long enough that, I’m sure we’d both remember the other’s face for a long time. Then, when it seemed like I was about to black out again, a miracle happened. I could hear the sound of a kart coming by, the sounds of hooves carrying it across the land. With one last use of my strength, I called for help as loud as I could. Funny, if it was just a little quieter, I would have been dead. The thing dropped me when the kart stopped, the hooves moving around in strange patterns that I didn’t know about until recently. There was knocking and talking but I couldn’t make out any of it. I turned back to where the beast was and it was gone, practically vanished from sight. I lay my head in the mud, taking in the air with long, heavy breaths as I heard the hooves coming towards me. At the time, I thought it was the people using their horses to get to me faster...what I actually saw was far different from what I was expecting. Four beings approached my battered form, just as cartoonish looking as I did. Two of them looked like a mixture of a horse or pony and a human, with equine ears on the top of their head and small muzzles where their mouths and noses were. They dressed like humans, though, with one wearing a black tank top with a purple jumper or hoodie tied around it’s waist. I could also tell that it was female or just feminine in appearance with white fur all around it’s body. Its hair was long and spiky with two tones of colour in it, dark blue and light blue with a tail of the same two tones. Her legs were also like that of a horse or pony, bending backwards a bit. The other...pony (god is that hard for me to get used to) was also feminine in shape with the same characteristics in biology. The fur on her body was grey as well as her hair and tail. She was wearing a formal dress, Black in colour with a pink waistband. She also appeared to have a bowtie around her neck but for such a backwater place that we all seemed to be in, it still confuses me why she’ll only take it off when she sleeps. Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. The last two were not a mix of equine and human but rather human and bovine. However, they were not Minotaurs, I was asked to remind anyone who reads this of that fact that their species and Minotaurs are entirely different..I don’t know the difference myself but I’m not one to get into trouble due to racial stuff. One was taller than the others, who I wish to say as a reminder to myself were about four foot to about four foot 2 inches in height, not exactly sure on that one. However the Bulls were about five feet tall. They were both wearing cloaks to keep themselves dry from the rain but I could make out that one had armor underneath. I think it was leather armor but, the rain still in my eyes and the fact I was blacking out made that difficult.   As soon as they came, I was losing my vision. The cold embrace of darkness filling me once again as I could only hear or feel. I heard them speaking. One of the...ponies...I think saying. “What the hell is this thing?” with the other sounding like she was scolding the first in a rather posh voice. Though, it did seem natural.   One of the bulls said, in probably the gruffest voice I would ever hear in my life. “Come on, let’s get this thing in the wagon and go back to town..” with him then apologizing that the two mares would be late for something, I couldn’t make it out as I finally fell unconscious. Now, I would continue but Tavi is calling me for dinner so I’ll have to cut this first entry short, Yeah I know, it was long as hell but I could have made it longer, ta ta for now. > Chapter Two: Face to Face > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/4/456 ...Well, I guess I’m committing to this thing with starting this, so I guess I should maybe try to make them longer? I guess? Listen, from my first entry you might have some questions and I can understand that. Actually, I have no reason for this since most likely no one will read this. Which, not only excuses me for my sloppy handwriting but..I don’t know, I guess I like making myself think I’m talking to someone? Makes me feel a little less lonely in the world I guess...but I know that now, I have others to talk to, I have Scratch and Tavi. But I guess it’s just that even when I’m sitting alone in my room or when trying to write. I...try to make it so that I’m not just writing to myself, that I’m talking with someone. I’m sorry, I’m rambling aren’t I? I guess I’ll just continue where I left off then? Yeah..I’ll do just that. So, if I remember correctly, I ended up with me being found by two...ponies and bulls before I blacked out last time, so I might as well skip past all the time I felt and get to the good part, yes? When I first got back my consciousness, my vision was blurry the only thing I could see was this massive bauge blob with smaller green and orange blobs scattered around the big one. However, even though I couldn’t see much for a bit, my nostrils flared with a wonderful aroma of food in a fire, the smell was...beautiful to say the least, mouth watering even. I can’t even remember what it is and I still want some now..might have to ask Scratch about it. Okay, so anyway, my nose was bombarded by this heavenly scent, kicking in much quicker than any smelling salts could do as my vision cleared. My hearing also came back, much to my delight as I heard the soft pitter patter of rain against the sheet of leather, pulled out and used as a makeshift tent roof for the others. To my left, I could see the dancing oranges and embers of a fire, something I was relieved to see I’ll tell you that much. The rain on the leather was drowned out by the sound of my savoirs conversing, something about wondering what the hell I was or something but I was more interested in getting up. I turned my head and the sight was warm, friendly even. The four were sitting down around the fire, a hole was in the leather to let the smoke out. But, for some reason the rain didn’t come in through the hole. The two...Ponies...were sitting beside each other with the Bulls sitting across from them, one of them was stirring the food in the pot with a wooden spoon. The two bulls weren’t wearing any cloaks so I could see them fully. As I said before, they were Bull-men...but not Minotaurs. To start off with is that the first thing I noticed was that they were both incredibly muscular, their arms and chest being overly defined with how much work they did or just them exercising in general. I knew for a fact that I wouldn’t be able to take them in a brawl...and because of the fact I didn’t have a weapon like, at all, meant I wouldn’t be able to do much.   One of them was the tallest in the entire group, being about five feet four inches tall. Now this didn’t compare to the fact that I myself am six foot three inches tall but as I said, he would be able to break me if he got his hands on me. His fur was an ash gray, leading up to the top of his head which was black and had a black buzz cut in style. His face was slightly wrinkled with restlessness and his green eyes were dull and almost lifeless. But, he was still talking with his companions, laughing at jokes and telling some of his own. He was wearing work pants with overalls attached to the belt, a grimy white shirt clung to his chest as it tried to contain all of that muscle he had. The other bull was about an inch or two shorter than his larger friend however he was just as physically strong. His fur was more of a chestnut brown in colour but it did have a few grays in there, possibly from stress. His hair was a more curly, darker brown that seemed to be messy. He, as I saw earlier, was the one wearing armor of some kind as I saw some leather straps and harnesses keeping a few thin plates of steel attached to his chest and back. The edges were, from what I could tell then and what I know now, were rugged, showing use from them as the corner were bolted together.   I tried to speak but I had not used my voice in some time, causing to whatever came out of my mouth to sound way raspier than it already was, almost like a primal gargle if that makes sense. This caused all four creatures to snap their heads towards me, the Bull in the armor’s face being protective and almost enraged, though I don’t know the reason why. However, the thing that caused my eyes to widen was not the fact that that bull, who I shall address as Tyson so you are not confused, rushed me before even the slightest hint of fright in the form of a gasp left the two...ponies mouths, not the fact that Tyson lifted me up, by the neck with one hand and slammed me against the wall with ease, I mean it did wind me but still. It was the sword he had drawn to keep me from doing anything, a sword I swear I vaguely remember owning. It was a bastard sword of about forty five inches in length, it’s dark, almost crude metal somehow shone in the fire’s embers in the background. I could somehow notice the little details in the blade itself alone, from the few small cracks in the edge of the blade, the scuffs and scratches on it’s side, her side..her..beauty. Her handle was about thirteen inches, a small, round pommel of around two inches. The handle was wrapped in old, burnt leather, the creature it came from was unknown but I didn’t care, I couldn’t have cared...I don’t know why but I felt..connected to the blade. “SPEAK!” Tyson commanded in a booming voice as rough as sandpaper, causing my ears to ring. But, I didn’t look at him, my eyes were almost glued to the sword he held in his hand. I still don’t know why I didn’t answer, but I couldn’t have cared less. “Tyson!” I heard the gray..mare? (possibly, still not sure about it, sorry Tavi) Say, giving the bull a glare that made him put me down almost instantly. I fell to the ground, I felt my knees buckles as I then fell on them as well. I clutched my throat, coughing and wheezing as air came back to my lungs, this also helping me get my voice back as I gasped for several moments. “Th-thank you..” I remember saying to the mare, my voice still coming back to me, which in hindsight..even though I couldn’t have done anything about it, I should have probably tried to make myself sound less beastly or threatening. “...Wa-Water..” I then asked, you know, my throat was dry and I needed something after that choking from that bull. It was then, when I looked up, a glass of water was floating in my face, the end of it being held in some blue-ish aura that seemed to sparkle in places. At that moment, I probably should have been questioning why it was floating, I probably should have asked why the white pony had a horn sticking out of her head and I should have wondered why they would just give me this glass of water just because I asked. For some reason, I can not remember a single moment of hospitality or gesture of kindness like that for the life of me. But, I didn’t care at that moment as I took the glass, nodding in thanks as I leaned my head back and tipped the glass of water forward. At that moment, all I cared about was the cold, refreshing water hitting my tongue, the bland but somehow unique taste that it left in my mouth as I gulped down half of the beverage in one minute, the taste just..engulfing my desert of a mouth. When I came back to the reality of my situation, I breathed some air and turned to the mares. “Thank you,” I said, my voice having cleared up to it’s normal, slightly gruff and raspy voice with a brooklyn twang. “..S-sorry about the voice I..” “You don’t need to apologize, Dude,” The white mare interrupted, a smirk on her lip-glossed lips. (though, now that I think about it, at the time I knew what lip-gloss was even though I had never actually interacted with it, nor had I ever heard it before, if that confuses you then I’m sorry I can’t elaborate on it since I don’t quite know myself) “You needed help and we helped, no need to try and apologize for nothing, man,” she continued. Her voice went into my ears, it slid down my ear canal and set up shop in my brain. It was beautiful, to be honest, my nervousness and fear almost melting away as that adorable, punkish voice from the beaten angel that stood before me and gave me help with that holy water. But, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t attracted to her in the way you might be thinking from that description I gave. I know, a strange thought to think of some..mare, you just met that title of an angel..but it was something else. I wanted to protect this individual, I wanted to protect this thing they called Vinyl Scratch, I wanted to make sure that nothing bad would happen to her just from her voice alone. The other mare was no different, but it wasn’t her voice that made me feel this way, oh no..it was her eyes. Those beautiful, almost sparkling purple eyes almost bored themselves into my soul as I remembered something from them, a face to be exact. Even though I don’t remember seeing this face that the mare’s eyes reminded me of, I could have sworn I knew who it was, who she was..but, it didn’t stop me from that protective feeling over the mare that called herself Octavia Melody. After a long period of silence, Scratch spoke up. “So..what’s your name, dude?” she asked, her face coming to confusion as her voice made me smile somewhat. Now...this part I find strange, stranger than that creature that almost killed me in the forest, stranger than the fact that I looked like I was in a cartoon, nor the fact I was given water by a unicorn who reminded me of someone I don’t even remember knowing. What confused me was that I remembered myself having two names. I remembered my name, my actual name, Clayton Bigsby, a name I knew more than most. But, then I also remember the name I gave them, a name that I both remember and don’t. “Benjamin Valentine,” was the name I gave. I didn’t know then, I don’t know now and I probably will never know why I said that name when I knew, for a fact that it wasn’t my name. But, for some reason, I haven’t said my actual name to them, at all. This scares me, let me tell you. “..Strange name, Val,” Scratch responded, helping me to my feet with her magic (..you know, magic in this world confuses me in general so..no comment) “My name’s Vinyl, nice to meet ya. “Says the pot to the kettle,” I remember saying with a joking smile on my lips, looking at her before I looked at Octavia, my smile dropped when her look of confusion and worry came into my vision. Mixed with those eyes, it made me want to help her, to ask if she was okay..and so I did. “Are you okay, Miss?” She didn’t answer me at first, something that I didn’t blame her for since she was looking at my ugly ass mug. “Uh..Miss?” I asked, concern filling my voice to the point where it actually sounded a bit..normal? I guess? I don’t really know nor do I care. I remember her almost gasping a bit, blinking for a moment before her eyes met mine, almost calming me down but her worry had my concerned attention, that was for sure. She coughed an adorable little cough and then cleared her throat before she answered. “E-excuse me, sir,” she said, her voice being as posh as a the most classiest English woman you could ever meet, most likely even more so. “I spaced out for a second..my name is Octavia Melody, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Valentine..” Mr. Valentine, a name I grew to own..one that pretty much everyone I would come to know in these few chapters I have in my life. “Likewise,” I remember answering back, my smile returning to my face softly. Now, let me tell you that in this situation I had found myself in, introducing myself to the mares and the bulls, that night became more of a blur as I try to remember it and I apologize for that, I really do. I apologize that this “story” I am telling you is messy, or possibly stupid in a lot of ways. But, this is what I see and what I can remember. If my bias ever comes through, I’d be more than happy to be called out on it, but I am also the kind of man who hates when he is proven wrong, so if you do try, prepare for a scrap. Now..I need some sleep, So for now, I bid you goodnight and also I tell you that if you find yourself still reading the ramblings of a possibly insane man..I thank you greatly. > Chapter Three: A Memory Awakens (A collaboration with Maziodyne) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17/4/456 Well, have you ever had that feeling that something that was so weird happen to you..that you think could never happen again at such a magnitude? Whelp, I think I just had that feeling. I don’t even remember what the hell happened clearly but..I’ll try to write it down..I hope. I remember that I was busy thinking in the bunk that Tavi and Scratch had given me, staring at the bottom of the top bunk which had the sleeping form of Tyson inside it. I remember reminiscing over the events that had led me to being allowed to attend this journey that these four were going on. I honestly felt like a freeloader, I felt..like a leech. It was like I has popped up out of nowhere and was sucking on these folks good will like a leech sucking on an open wound. Was that wrong? I’m not sure myself...but I felt wrong, that’s for sure. I remember that, I was smiling for whatever reason, a warm dinner that Scratch had provided was still in my gullet and I remember patting my stomach lightly, having enjoyed the good meal I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about it, coming to the conclusion that even if I was a leech, I was a protective leech..a leech that would defend it’s bloodbags to the end. I knew that..I saw those two mares as different from any other being I had seen. I mean, Tyson was...decent, just as protective as me and I tell you he could do much more damage than I could ever hope to pump out. But, I don’t think I can see anything other than another leech protecting the same blood, even if that leech wasn’t draining that blood like I was. I could see in his eyes that he didn’t care for Tavi and Scratch in the way I did..I something more, something more passionate and loving, especially with Tavi..to tell you the truth, I think I saw love in his eyes, not the love that a father would give, that love being what I gave to the two mares. But, it was the type of love that someone who have for a woman that lets them know that they want to spend the rest of their life with that woman...and that was the kind of love I saw..though, I’m not sure how Tavi feels, don’t even know if she knows about it. Then, I felt something, I can’t quite explain it but it felt kind of..tingly, almost pleasant even. I opened my eyes and saw that I was surrounded by a light, purplish aura that smelled of lavender. My eyes went wide as I lifted my arm and saw that my hand was disappearing, the rest of my arms following suit. “What the fu-” I remember stating before my mouth also disappeared, I looked around frantically, falling out of the bed only to discover that my legs were gone too, but there was no sign of injury or even pain, they were just gone. It even felt like I still had them as I could feel them, I could feel the hard, wooden floor my hand was on even though I was laying on a carpet, my hand was somewhere else. I tried to call out to someone, anyone but all that came out was nothing as my entire body disappeared and I blacked out. I regained consciousness after a while of having to suffer more of that dark, terrible abyss that was known as being knocked out cold. I remember my hearing was fuzzy, my sight blurry as I could have sworn that I was being talked to by someone. “Come on, Valentine,” was the first thing I could eventually make out, the voice was that voice I had fallen for in a non romantic way(I cannot stress that out enough), it was Scratch.   “..S-Scratch?” I remember asked, looking around as frantically as I could but my strength was not up to snuff. But then, I turned to see a face that caused my eyes to widen and my nostrils to flare...lavender… “Yeah, It’s me Val,” Scratch said in a tone that was meant to calm me down as my gaze locked onto the form of a purple mare who was looking at me with confusion, intrigue even. The sight of both the horn on her head and the folded up wings on her back indicated to me that she was, as Scratch and Tavi put it, an Alicorn. “Now..you need to get a grip and calm do-” But, it was too late, for as she almost finished those words my fist had already landed onto the mare’s cheek with force. This sent the mare tumbling back, letting out a shocked gasp of surprise as she feel onto her rump, her back against the wall with a few books falling onto her in an almost comedic fashion now that I look back on it. But, at the time my blood was pumping and my face had a scowl as I reached for my belt, the dagger that Tyson had given me a few days ago still being in it’s spot.   Now, it was most likely due to the connection made from the portal and this pony smelling of lavender, but I could tell you now that at the time I really did think that this alicorn was going to harm me and my friends, something I couldn’t let happen. But, before I could get the knife out of my belt, the feeling of hands trying to stop me. “Valentine!” Vinyl shouted as she failed to hold me down onto the table, me falling off as a result. “Calm down!” “What!? Who is she?! What happened!? Where are we?!” I remember shouting at the top of my damn lungs, getting up and leaning onto the table I had fallen off of, a pain in my hip. Scratch then proceeded to slap me in the face, hard...I can still feel the sting and taste the blood even as I write this. “I said..calm..down,” she said slowly, her tone cold and almost distant. “But..Lavender..” I remember coming up with, and now I think I deserve that second slap she gave me, I can still taste the blood in my mouth from the force of it...ow. “Val, stop being stupid,” Vinyl said as she helped me to keep my balance. “That mare you just knocked out was Twilight Sparkle...Princess of Friendship.” This news caused my eyes to widen, and I think I would have punched myself in the gut if I had known this sooner. “P-Princess?” I asked again, I think my voice sounded like a scared eleven-year-old who just found out that he had messed up big time. Scratch chuckled. “..Yep, Princess,” she repeated with an almost sadistic smirk on her muzzle. “Let’s hope you’re lucky enough to not be thrown into the dungeon for a billion years and made immortal so you can stay there for all of your sentence.” I remember quaking in my boots, the same feeling of dread I had gotten from the forest so many days ago coming back to my mind as I looked at the body of the Princess of Friendship. Thankfully she was still asleep/knocked out, her closed eyes and slightly open mouth giving her a rather cute atmosphere about her, an adorable, rather petite mare. This, combined with how Vinyl’s voice had come back to it’s normal, not sadistic way, I began to calm down slowly, the paranoid and stressed expression on my tired face slowly turning into one I would feel while sitting down at a fire with my best friends and loved ones. But, that calmness and almost enlightened experience fell short when the sound of the door opening, Vinyl and I snapping our heads towards the noise. What stood there was a feminine figure, around five foot seven inches in height, though I’m not entirely sure if I could even guess the weight (not to say she was fat or anything mind you, she was actually pretty slim, I’m just not good at seeing the weight on someone). Her hair came down to her shoulders, the auburn colour of it sticking out against the crystal walls and floor she stood on. What confused me was the different coloured irises she had in her eyes, the one being her left eye was purple while her right eye was a crimson that stared into my very soul, even though her face didn’t give off such intent. She opened the door fully from its half closed state and walked inside, her face turning from concern to shock at the sight of the knocked out Alicorn. “What the hell…?” she asked, turning her gaze from Twilight to us, me in particular and I could have sworn that she muttered “Why do I feel like I known this man?” under her breath. I stayed back, not sure how to handle this situation as I had long since learned to never underestimate anything in this world. But, instead of this girl rushing to attack me like I had expected, she carefully walked up to us, looking confused but not hostile just yet. In this instance of temporary calmness, I noticed the small white horns just sticking out of her hair, indicating that this girl wasn’t human. Her attire was a long white dress that ended just below the knee, a red and blue ribbon tied around the waist with the the bow of the ribbon being visible at behind her. The actual dress itself had designs that seemed strange to me then and even now. The skirt had a stylized electricity pattern all over it in blue. I wouldn’t say that I found it particularly pretty, but I’d be lying if I said it looked bad.   “You know..” Vinyl stated as she suddenly went for the door. “I think I’ll let you two get to know each other for a bit,” she explained, thankful they couldn’t see her frightful expression as she exited the room.   I would have been angry with her like I am a bit now, but to be honest I was too busy feeling scared out of my mind as I looked at this girl. “Um…” I remember saying as I tried to regain my composure.  “..W-who are you?” She seemed to just stare at me silently, almost as im she was examining my entire form. She then looked up into my eyes before answering with. “My name is Alexandria Kijin, who are you?” I looked at her for a second before sighing, leaning onto the wooden table I had been lying on. “Is it strange that for some reason I remember myself having two separate names?” I had asked, looking tired and honestly just glad I had just met someone who was the closest thing I’d probably find to a human. Alexandria stood there, silently for several moments, I could see shock on her face as she stared. After what felt like forever in that long silence she spoke up. “I’m not sure if this is the same thing,” she started, looking up at me with confusion on her round face. “But, I know that I’m Alexandria but for some reason, I sometimes feel like my name is suppose to be John Grant. I don’t even know who that is.” This, sent what I can only recall as the feeling of lightning going off in my mind as memories came to me. The scene was unfocused at best with blurry outlines of figures all over the damn place. One of the figures came up to me and put their..hand, I guess? On my shoulder. “Come on Clay, just a few more stalls and we can go back to the hotel.” “Sure, whatever you say, John,” I remember responding, though I didn’t actually speak it, but it also felt like I was smiling when I knew I had the biggest frown on my face at the time. As soon as the memory came to me, it left, leaving me dazed and confused as the last time it had happened. I looked to her, sighing before I began. “..I know what my actual name is, I know I’m Clayton Bigsby..but for some reason I don’t give that name when I am asked..I give Benjamin Valentine,” I explained. As I said my explanation, Alexandria’s eyes widened with surprised, at the name of my actual name. “I know that name...Clayton,” she said, looking confused by all of this. “But, I swear that it’s not my memory. I’m really confused.”   “Trust me, Kid..so am I..” I said with another sigh. Looking to the ground. “..I remember a John Grant..maybe we somehow knew each other or something? Um..before you had the sex change, though,” I added, somehow managing the joke in this confusing situation.   Unfortunately, the girl’s face made it look like I had offended her, something I regret now but you know how it is, can’t change it. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always been Alexandria and never once have once have I been a guy.” she began before a soft rustling sound could be heard behind her. Then the strangeness of the situation became even worse as a small, doll-like thing arose from behind the girl, landing on her right shoulder..and it looked quite upset let me tell you. “Are you being mean to Alexandria?” it asked, accusingly before said Alexandria turned to it with a small smile. “Relax Shanghai, there’s no reason to hurt him,” she reassured before she turned back to face me, her facing showing that she had calmed down a bit, something I was very thankful for even today. “Maybe I somehow have the memories of this John Grant person?”   “..I..I’m not sure what to think..” I admitted, looking at her for a small while before looking back to the still unconscious Twilight. “Can you help me get her to a couch or bed?” I remember asking.   “Sure,” Alexandria responded to me as she then began to walk over to Twilight, me following just behind her as I looked very confused at the situation. That thing, Shanghai was it? I can’t really remember to be honest so let’s just stick with that. Anyway, it was looking at me, giving me a kind of look that was filled with curiosity, almost as if she had never seen a..me before. Though, I don’t actually know whether or not she has.   I then went to Twilight’s upper half, taking her forearms into my hands while Alexandria took her legs, hoisting her up into the air. I looked around for a place to put her. Not wanting the most likely pissed off alicorn to wake up with a sore back, I avoided the table I had awoken from as we then moved around carefully, like we were both holding an oversized baby in our arms.   Eventually, we settled(well, more like, I settled, I think Alexandria didn’t speak throughout that entire time) on the couch, gently placing Twilight’s body atop of it and letting her rest. “..What now?” I remember asking. Alexandria looked as if she had just now had an opportunity to speak up after thinking long and hard about something, like a kid would when they try their best to think of an answer and are all like, super excited when they get picked, you know? Actually, now that I think about it was that what she was like? Maybe not, I’m probably wrong. But anyway, she finally spoke up. Saying. “Well, we’ve only really talked about our mental problems, with names and memories that aren’t our own. Why not introduce the real us to each other now? You can start.” The thought honestly scared me, I had never really told anyone about myself before, or at least to an extent as I thought she would probably like to know. After sighing and giving myself a mental peptalk. I began to explain how I was born in a world in ruin, a place where demons and monsters of all kinds roamed the world. A world where it was survival of the fittest in most cases. I told her about my daughters, how I loved them so much, that I would do anything for them. I mean anything. This meant killing someone, stealing from someone less fortunate, when I say anything, I mean anything to keep them not only alive, but also happy. As I was explaining this, I could see a small change in Alexandria’s expression, though I wasn’t sure what it was at the time. But now, as I sit in this chair and write this, I can only guess it to be...Jealousy? Envy? One of the two.   Look, I really don’t like talking about myself, I really don’t and I’ve already had to go through that with telling her my life story. So, I shall skip it, not only for my own happiness and good will but for yours as well, I don’t think reading several journals to get the basis of my life would be very exciting.   Alexandria starts by explaining that she comes from a place called… well it was some long Japanese name, where Japanese mythical creatures called ‘Yokai’ are a common sight. She goes on to explain that she's actually half human, and that her mother (who has some Japanese name I can't be bothered to try and remember) is some kind of Yokai with a long name. She says that her mother was a terrible person, locking her away from the world since birth. She goes on about the hardships she had to go through because of who her mother was, but I'll spare you the long explanation just incase she finds this and so she won’t try to kill me. After this, we simply just stood there, or at least that’s how I remember it. We kept standing there with not much to say, having already told the other their life in it’s entirety. After a long while, I noticed that the sun had gone down. “It’s getting late,” I remember noting. Alexandria looked out the window as soon as I noted this, her eyes going wide with surprise. “Jeez, you’re right,” she said with small frown. “I need to get back home.” I remember seeing her turn to leave, opening the door and almost leaving. Then she turned to me. “I wish I could help you find a place to stay, but I’ve already been out too late as it is,” she then said before leaving. With not much to do, I then went back to the cold, hard table I had woken up on, after a few minutes, I remember falling into a dreamless, restless sleep. > Chapter Four: Pieces of Mind > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18/4/456                        If anyone happens to be reading this, then I just wanted them to know that this entry isn't being written by Valentine. Instead, this is being written by the girl he met in his previous entry: Alexandria. With his permission of course. This is my first time writing a journal entry, but I'm going to try and follow Valentine's advice: write as if you're talking to someone. With that said, I guess I'll get to what happened today. And oh boy, did a lot happen today. I guess I'll skip past waking up, and get to the more exciting stuff. The first thing I did after waking up was go to Princess Twilight's castle to check on Valentine and Princess Twilight herself. Princess Twilight was perfectly fine, researching in the castle library. When I asked, she told me that she had left Valentine asleep on the table in the room she had been knocked out in, so I headed there next. I carefully opened the door, and peeked inside. Valentine was still asleep on the table, so I made my way over. I decided that I would show him around Ponyville, but he'd have to be awake first. I put my hands on him and shook him - not vigorously, but not too gently either - while saying, “wake up Valentine, it's morning.” Unfortunately, I apparently surprised him since he had awoken with a start. His eyes had snapped open, wide with surprise, and he tumbled off of the table. While on the floor, he had reached over his shoulder as if to grab something, but there was nothing there. After a moment of surprise, I had realized that he thought he was in danger, so I spoke to him calmly. I said to him, “Valentine, calm down. It's just me: Alexandria. The girl from yesterday, remember?” After a few moments, Valentine seemed to calm down, but sweat was still all over his face. “...S-sorry, kid, you startled me…” he apologized, “probably wasn't much I could do about it either way…my sword seems to be gone.” I remembered that he had something on his back the day before. After giving it some thought, I had decided that maybe Princess Twilight had taken it or something. I spoke up, sharing my thoughts, “maybe Princess Twilight confiscated it?” “Why would she?” Valentine had asked, though his expression quickly turned to one of understanding as he seemed to think of the answer on his own. “Yeah…I could see why…” I responded with a grin on my face, “yeah, I don't think you'd need to carry a sword on you in a relatively peaceful town like Ponyville.” My grin changed to a friendly smile as I continued, “speaking of town, I'd be happy to show you around.” Valentine took a few minutes to think about my invitation, before his expression had softened a little. “Alright,” he said, smiling a small, tired smile, “but, can we get my sword back when we come back to this…castle? Home? Whatever?” I couldn't help but laugh at him when he couldn't decide what to call the place. After a quick moment, I pulled myself together and answered, still giggling a little, “Princess Twilight's crystal castle?” I had regained my composure as I continued, “sure. That sword seems to mean a lot to you.” I then turned and made my way to the door, where I stopped and looked back at Valentine, a smile on my face. I made a ‘follow me’ motion with my hand as I spoke again, “come on.” Valentine shuffled to his feet and made his way over to me, stumbling a little. “Of course, miss. Alexandria, lead the way,” he said. While he had made his way to me, I had taken stock of his appearance. His face seemed to indicate that he was middle aged, some wrinkles visible on it. He had bags under his eyes, so at least some of his wrinkles were from lack of sleep, though I'm still not sure if any of them are from stress. I had begun by explaining how Princess Twilight's castle was made entirely of crystal, and how it had a huge library and a few different rooms that were used to test and practice magic. Valentine listened very carefully, seeming to cling onto every word as if they were the last ones he'd hear. “...Entirely made of crystal?” he asked, as if he wanted to be sure he had heard correctly. I nodded, and he added, “I don't know how exactly this place still stands then…” I looked at him with a small grin as I responded, “it can be surprising just how tough crystal is.” Then, with a wider grin, I added, “and nobody tries to take parts of the castle because Princess Twilight would be very upset with anyone who does.” “Eh, most likely…” Valentine answered with a small chuckle. “However, I sure hope she's not pissed with me punching her lights out, ya get me?” He seemed to be inspecting the walls, taking note of how they shimmered and sparkled. I had made sure to reassure him that Princess Twilight would understand that it was probably survival instinct. I realized that I had run out of information about the castle, but we were still navigating the halls. I decided that I would give him a formal introduction to Shanghai in order to pass the time. I turned to Shanghai, who was on my right shoulder, the opposite side of Valentine, and told her that I wanted to introduce her to him. Shanghai moved around to my left shoulder, and I looked up to Valentine to speak to him. “You might remember seeing her yesterday,” I had begun, gesturing to Shanghai. Valentine seemed to be wary and/or reluctant to say anything to Shanghai, but after a moment, he had smiled softly. “It's good to meet you,” he had said in greeting, extending a hand for a handshake. Shanghai had looked at his hand, not sure what to do with it, so I whispered to her, “he wants to shake your hand.” She nodded in understanding and put her tiny hand into his large one, and I had to suppress my laughter when I saw how silly and cute it looked as Valentine tried to gently shake Shanghai's hand. “Hi,” Shanghai had said cheerfully to Valentine, a big, innocent smile on her face, “my name is Shanghai. It's nice to meet you too.” “Likewise,” Valentine agreed, ending the handshake just as gently as he had started it. I had decided that I would explain what Shanghai is to Valentine (and reading his entry from yesterday, I was right to do so since he believed Shanghai was a doll). “I've had a lot of people being mistaken about Shanghai's species,” I began. Valentine looked at me with confusion. “Oh…she isn't a doll?” he asked, concern entering into his eyes. “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you if I did.” I smiled and laughed in response, “don't worry, everyone believes Shanghai is a doll when they first see her.” I continued with a smile on my face, explaining to Valentine that Shanghai was a Fairy, and when he inevitably had no idea what a Fairy was, I explained that to him too. I explained to him that Shanghai was a special, rare type of Fairy, and I also explained what made her different from other Fairies. “But, she's so damn adorable, why would she be treated differently?” Valentine had asked. His face had seemed annoyed by the fact. “If I could, I'd rip the wings off of the other Fairies and-” “Whoa whoa, calm down Valentine,” I had said in surprise, interrupting his outburst. “Shanghai is actually really similar to the average Fairy,” I explained to him, “the physical differences are just superficial: she can still fly and has all the same properties as other Fairies. The only notable difference is that her power and life force comes from me instead of nature. Other than that one main difference, Shanghai is essentially the same as any ordinary Fairy.” “Oh…alrighty then,” Valentine had said with a nervous chuckle as we finally made it outside of Princess Twilight's castle. “Now…how about we explore the town? It seems like a nice place.” I showed Valentine around town, noting some good places to eat at, and also showing him a couple notable places such as Sweet Apple Acres. After a couple of hours, I decided I would introduce him to Alice. “Even though I'm from somewhere completely different,” I had begun, “a few of the people from Gensokyo also ended up here, albeit a few days after me. Remember Patchouli from the library earlier? She's one of them.” I remember that a smile appeared on my face before I continued, “I want you to meet the first friend I made, who also happens to be here in Ponyville.” I also remember that I didn't wait for Valentine to respond, instead I began leading the way to the Carousel Boutique. Valentine had looked at the building, his eyes widened and one brow raised. “…A…very unique design if I must say so myself,” he said, “though, what do I know? I'm no architect.” Before going inside, I remember looking at his very ragged appearance. I ultimately decided that it would probably be for the best if I avoided an encounter with Rarity. Because of that, I decided I would bring Alice outside to meet him. “How about you wait out here while I go get my friend?” I suggested to him. Valentine had simply nodded his head in agreement. “Sure thing, kid…” he said as he began to stretch his arms out, before he proceeded to put his hands on his back and pushed up until there was a crack. “I could use the fresh air over the ogling eyes of everyone…or would that be everypony?” I chuckled as I made my way to the door. “I just say everyone,” I told him. I remember that I was quick finding Alice, and I told her there was someone I wanted to introduce her to. It was only a couple minutes before I left the building with Alice. Valentine was still just outside. Since Alice had been my friend for a long time, I had turned to her when I started speaking. “Alice, this is Benjamin Valentine. Valentine, this is Alice Margatroid.” I remember that Alice bowed slightly as she spoke to Valentine formally. “Hello Mr. Valentine. It's nice to meet you.” Rarity had been teaching Alice how to be formal for speaking with customers, and I remember being impressed that Alice was applying what she learned to talking with strangers. Valentine had tipped his long brimmed hat towards Alice in a show of respect. “Good morning, Ms. Margatroid,” he greeted. I remember that his features were soft while he spoke to Alice. “A very nice way to meet.” I remember Alice's cheeks turning a bright red, since she was unused to being treated with so much respect. I managed to suppress my giggles as Alice stuttered her response in embarrassment, “o-oh, er, y-you can just, uh, call me Alice.” I remember that the smile Valentine gave Alice was sweet as he nodded in agreement. Even at the time, I had noticed that even when he did smile, it was never completely soft. But the one he gave Alice was different, open. It was completely genuine. The only possible conclusion I could come to, and still the only conclusion that I can come to is that he had fallen for Alice. Sorry, I'm getting a bit off topic. “Then I'll call you Alice,” I remember him saying with a chuckle, “…it's a nice day, isn't it?” Alice was still blushing as she responded, still flustered, “y-yeah, i-it is, i-isn’t it?” I know what I did next was rude, but I did it for Alice's sake, since she was supposed to be working still. I cleared my throat loudly before I spoke up. “It's great that you two seem to be getting along,” I had said, my tone apologetic, “but I dragged Alice out here while she was in the middle of work, and she should be getting back now so that she doesn't get into trouble.” Valentine had sighed at this, after which he had turned to Alice and gave her a sad smile. “Whelp, wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of my ugly mug,” I remember him saying, with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. “I hope to see you again soon, Alice.” With that, Alice had bowed again and reentered the Carousel Boutique. I remember very clearly that she was still blushing profusely as she did all that. After that, I had decided to bring Valentine to a small cafe I'd recommended earlier to grab some lunch. It was after we had stepped outside the cafe when things took a turn towards ‘worst case scenario’. I had quickly noticed that many of the ponies out on the streets were acting unusual, speaking nonsense and other things of the sort. “What happened?” I remember asking out loud in confusion. “Everyone is acting nuts all of a sudden.” Valentine looked around him, with an equally as confused look in his eyes as he stood there. “Ummm…I think everyone is actually losing their damn minds…” he had pointed out as we both watched a stallion bash his head against a wall for no reason. “Not ‘losing,’ silly,” a voice I didn't recognize said, coming from our right. “‘Lost!’ All of them have already completely lost their minds! Isn't it great!?” The voice was somewhat high pitched, and obnoxiously cheerful, but it sounded different from Pinkie Pie's. We both turned to look and this is who we saw: Most of the rest of the day is a bit hazy, but the reason for that will be apparent soon enough. Anyway, I believe we were somehow back in the cafe. Valentine looked annoyed by the sound of the voice, but I can't remember how much so. “Well, if it isn't little Ms. Noisepiece, yapping away when I could be eating my lunch,” he said, putting his feet up on the table we were now sitting at. He then picked up a sandwich from the table and took a bite from it. “Wow, you almost knew my name?” the girl said, surprised to some extent. “Maybe the insanity I gave you has something to do with that?” My eyes narrowed as I spoke up, “who are you?” After looking around I added, “and why are we back in the cafe?” I should probably mention now that my mental strength is fairly high, which I built up myself so that it would be difficult to break my focus, making it easier for me to predict bullet paths. Because of this, I was able to resist the effects of this person's madness inducing power to an extent. The girl seemed disappointed by this. “Huh? Why aren't you raving mad like everyone else? Oh, whatever.” The girl smiled and pointed to herself as she continued in an obnoxiously cheerful tone, “I'm Clownpiece, and I'm a Hell Fairy! You think you're back in the cafe because I've made you crazy!” Her smile grew bigger as she seemed to think of something. “Maybe I just need to pummel you a bit before you fall completely into madness.” After she had said that, she had waved her torch around with a flourish. You probably won't believe me, but I swear to you that it looked like we were on the moon. I even remember looking up and seeing the Earth in the distance. I remember Clownpiece said to me, “Honorable Friend has told me that my attacks are really strong, so people will probably have a lot of trouble avoiding them. I was told to give people multiple chances when fighting them. So, I'll give you four chances. But if I hit you four times, then I'll bathe you in the light of my torch and your mind will fall into many wonderful pieces!” Unfortunately, because of Clownpiece, Valentine wasn't being any help, babbling incoherently. That's why I had to fight Clownpiece myself. Thankfully, Shanghai seemed to be about as resilient to Clownpiece's ability as me, so she could still shoot at Clownpiece while I dodged. I'll skip most of the fight, since nothing particularly amazing happened from what I remember. I will admit that her attacks were intense. They were nothing but lasers and star-shaped bullets; I even got hit three times. At the end of the fight, Clownpiece looked exhausted and a bit beat up as all her bullets disappeared. We were still on the moon, and Valentine was still completely nuts though. “I won, Clownpiece,” I said to her, “could you fix all this now?” Clownpiece still looked worn out as she answered. “But, why would you want me to undo all my hard work? That wouldn't be any fun…” I remember that what happened next was in response to Clownpiece mentioning fun. “Nothing is any fun as it is, you meanie!” The voice that had shouted was similar to Clownpiece's voice, except it was much more familiar to me. Immediately after shouting that, Pinkie Pie came lunging at Clownpiece and shoved her really hard into something. To me, the thing looked sort of like one of Yukari’s gaps, but the inside looked different. I quickly figured out that it was the same gap Marisa had described over a week ago. After Clownpiece had fallen into the gap, the gap closed and the landscape around us melted away, returning to the street just outside of the cafe. “As I was saying, Mrs. Lamppost…” Valentine began before stopping and looking around. “...Um…what?” he had finally asked, simply. Pinkie Pie responded to him before I could figure out how exactly to explain what happened. “Some meanie had driven you crazy. I tossed them into an interdimensional portal to get rid of them.” Pinkie Pie stood there, looking proud at her explanation. I opened my mouth to ask something on my mind, but Pinkie Pie somehow predicted my question. “And, yeah. I kinda left an interdimensional portal open in your universe, and that's how your friends Marisa, Alice and Patchouli got here. Sooooooorry,” Pinkie Pie said in embarrassment before she added, “but more friends is always a good thing, so it's not all bad!” By then I knew better than to question how she knew their names. “Wait,” Valentine asked, looking at Pinkie Pie with a confused expression. “Does that mean you can bring me back to the place I was before I was here?” Pinkie Pie looked pensive as she answered, “probably. But, isn't there someone else here that I'd have to send back with you?” “Well, yeah,” Valentine had said with a nod. “Vinyl and Octavia have got a concert to attend in the Griffin Kingdom.” Shortly after that, Vinyl Scratch had showed up with some supplies she had gathered from her house. Then Octavia appeared as well. I'm still not sure how I was completely unaware that she was in Ponyville until that moment. Anyway, that more or less brings me to the present, with me writing this journal entry. Once I finish up, I'll be returning the journal to Valentine and then see him, Vinyl and Octavia off. Valentine's basically just waiting for me to finish. But that was the weirdest day in Ponyville I've experienced so far. End of Entry