Me: Ok next chapter! "What is this Feeling" Parody from Wicked!
Discord: So many references!
Me: Well, we both know that I can't help myself!
Discord: Good point
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter 29 Nightmares and Realization
Starshine's P.O.V
"That's it, easy now. You can do this. Be extremely careful" Princess Luna instructed.
My eyes were determined. I could do this. At that moment, my horn was glowing and I was levitating water. Blobs of water swirled around me. The entire time I did not think. The trick to doing this was you had to not think of anything… which is hard for me. There was a lot going on but all I had to do was focus on the water… pure water.
Celestia… my necklace was burning, but I didn't care. I was doing OK: who was going to stop me?
A deadly screech scared me. It filled my ears and I panicked… I dropped the water.
"What in the world was that?" I asked.
Princess Luna looked to me, her eyes concerned. "The Incubus"
My eyes widened. "The WHAT?"
"I must go, and you must wake up immediately" Princess Luna said.
"Princess, is something wrong?" I asked.
"Yes Starshine, but it doesn't concern you" Princess Luna said.
My clear eyes widened and I pleaded with her. "But I want to help! What is the incubus?"
"Starshine, you're not ready to know" Princess Luna said, as she turned away from me. Then she turned back, "But let us just say that, it was created by you"
As she said the last part it made me feel uneasy. The way she said "you" was disturbing.
Quickly, I did as I was told. My horn glowed, and I went through the swirling vortex above me…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I awoke confused.
Why did she tell me that I couldn't help her when I was involved with it? I sat up and looked around. Sapphiregem was forced to share a small inflatable mattress with me, and she was hogging the blanket. Only then did I realize how cold I was.
I also realized that I really had to go to the bathroom. I got up and slowly got out of the sleeping bag. When I was standing, I looked down at Saph.
The white unicorn's used-to-be blue curly mane was now a blue messy mane. She was drooling and clutching the blanket in her right hoof. I kneeled on the mattress, fluffed the star pillow that I had brought from my bed, and got off the small thin mattress.
I looked around the living room in the camper. On the couch slept Lemonpie. Next to Saph was Daisyheart, next to Daisy was Sunrise, and Duskstorm was next to Sunrise. Cherryapple was sleeping upside down, her head on the pillow.
I sighed. I felt so unappreciated at that very moment. I took the hair tie from around my wrist (I had put it there when I was training with Luna) and retied my mane into a tight bun.
I flew up over the sleeping ponies and hovered in front of the couch where Lemonpie was sleeping. We had arranged bathroom buddies since Daisy had said the camper's bathroom was "Creepy". My buddy was immediately Lemon, and of course Daisy's was Dusk.
I poked Lemonpie. "Lemon?" I asked.
No answer, just a groan.
I tried again. "Lemon?"
"Stop" I heard her mumble.
My eyebrow raised. "Lemon, I have to-"
"No please… stop" She said, a little louder.
From the aching look on Lemon's face I could tell what was going on.
"No… Stop! Help!" Lemon screeched.
The same ear piercing shriek from my dream was ringing in my ears, but this time I knew where it was coming from. It was coming from Lemon. She screeched with her eyes tightly shut for what seemed to be an eternity. Lemon was breathing heavily but her eyes finally flashed open.
All the signs were pointing to her having a nightmare.
"Lemon? Are you ok?" I asked.
It was like she didn't know where she was.
Finally she came back to reality… she burst into tears, hugged me, and continued on my shoulder.
I had no idea what to do in this situation.
"Lemonpie? What's going on?"
I turned my head around to see Daisyheart awake, along with the others. Their eyes filled with concern, they crowded around us.
"Lemon, why are you crying?" Duskstorm asked, the blue unicorn pushing me out of the way with her hoof.
Sunrise walked over to stand beside Daisy.
"What's going on?" She asked her.
"I don't know, I'm asking Lemon" Daisy said giving me a look.
I ignored her.
"Lemon! You ok cous?" Cherry asked with a huge puppy dog face.
Sapphire said nothing, and looked a little annoyed at being woken up. She had huge bags under her eyes, but there was still concern in them for Lemon.
Everypony started murmuring and chattering, asking Lemon what was wrong… No matter how hard everypony tried, Lemon's wails grew louder.
"Goodness! What is all the crying about?" A soft voice asked in concern.
We all turned our heads toward the voice… Fluttershy.
Every pony moved as the yellow Pegasus made her way to the couch where Lemonpie was.
"You poor thing" Fluttershy said, as she sat on the couch next to Lemonpie, who was still crying. Fluttershy stroked her mane and Lemon cried into her shoulder.
"Shhh… I know, I know" Fluttershy cooed.
Lemon wheezed as she was calming down.
"Alright girls, go back to sleep" Fluttershy said. "You'll be fine Lemon"
And with that, she trotted out of the room. Fluttershy, representing the element of kindness, had calmed Lemon down. But Lemon's eyes were still wide, and she feared going back into the darkness. I sighed, as everypony started back to their sleeping areas. I had the feeling every day I woke up being scared of going back into the dark.
Lemon looked at me with a mixture of fear and pity. I met her steady gaze in understanding how she felt, then walked over to Daisyheart, who was about to get under her sleeping bag.
"Daisy, can we talk in private?" I asked.
"Sure" Daisy said, casually getting up.
I led Daisy outside the camper by the Lake.
"What do you want?" Daisy asked.
"Look, is there something wrong?" I asked.
"What the hay are you talking about?" Daisy asked.
"Daisy, did I do something to you?"
"No"
"Well then can you please just stop"
"Stop what?"
I groaned.
"Starry, what are you talking about?" Daisy asked.
"Just stop, ok? Stop giving me disturbing looks, stop laughing at my face, stop giving me crappy remarks, stop telling me my mane looks weird, and stop punching me" I said.
"I don't punch you Stars" Daisy said.
I gave her my liar look. I pointed to a hurting black bruise on my elbow from the day I fell on the Gym floor, right next to it was a red scrape.
"No more Daisy" I said. "Please, you can be better than this"
"You know what Starshine? You don't have to be so rude!" Daisy remarked, glaring at me.
My eyes turned wild with anger. "Me being rude? You're the one who keeps doing these… these things!" I said in disbelief.
Daisy snorted. "As if! Starshine! I can't believe your blaming me!"
"Daisy, I want to be your friend. But if you keep acting like this, that's not going to happen" I said.
It was Daisy's turn to groan. "I don't know what I'm doing to you! Honest! So stop blaming me!"
"Daisy just stop, I don't want to deal with this!" I said.
Suddenly music filled the air. Not again.
What is this Feeling?
Daisyheart: What is this feeling, so sudden and new?
Starshine: I felt the moment, I laid eyes on you
Daisyheart: My pulse is rushing
Starshine: My head is reeling
Daisyheart: My face is flushing!
Both: What is this feeling? Vivid as a flame, does it have a name… yes...
LOATHING! Unadulterated loathing!
Daisyheart: For your face
Starshine: Your voice
Daisyheart: Your clothing
Both: Let's just say… I loathe it all, every little trait however small, makes my very flesh begin to crawl. With simple utter loathing, there's a strange exhilaration. In such total detestation. It's so pure so strong! Though I do ADMIT it came on fast, still I do believe that it can last. And I will be loathing loathing you my whole… life… long! WHAT IS THIS FEELING, SO SUDDEN AND NEW, I FELT THE MOMENT, I LAID EYES ON YOU. My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, OH WHAT IS THIS FEELING! Does it have a name? Yes! Ahhhh! LOATHING! There's a strange exhilaration in such total detestation. IT'S SO PURE SO STRONG... THOUGH I DO ADMIT IT CAME ON FAST, STILL I DO BELIEVE IT CAME ON FAST, STILL I DO BELIEVE THAT IT CAN LAST! And I will be loathing for forever, loathing truly deeply, LOATHING YOU…. MY WHOLE LIFE LONG…..!
Daisyheart: What did I do?
Starshine: * groans*
Daisy, satisfied that she made her point, left back into the camper with a "humhp!"
I groaned in anger.
No way was I going back to sleep, so I flew to the bathroom… On. My. Own. And did my business, then went back outside to my area under the clear umbrella. I laid there with my chin on my hooves.
Suddenly, I felt something on my shoulders… a blanket… a blue one. I didn't think about it much… I just smiled weakly and tried to go back to sleep.
I didn't notice the green glowing eyes watching me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Discord's P.O.V
I paced inside Starry's dream. Where was she? She was late. She was NEVER late. I knew that tardiness was not one of her traits. How I knew this? I had no clue. Why she wasn't here worried me. I knew that she could take care of herself… maybe Looney was still teaching her magic. But that still didn't explain why she was late.
I kept telling myself that I shouldn't worry, but what if something happened? Like… what if a timberwolf attacked, or a SPIDER, or a… a… a… I couldn't think of another one. Then a thought occurred to me... She was at a birthday party. I checked my coo coo clock watch… it was midnight.
Was she out late with her friends? Or did something bad happen? Either way, I wanted to know where she was at this hour.
I transformed into my true self and stretched. It was tiresome being a pony… not my go/to fashion choice. But a disguise was a disguise.
I put a claw on my forehead. This was the first time I had done this, and my head ached.
Ignoring it, I studied my figure. I looked alright for my first time as my true self. Suddenly, something entered my mind. Was she not giving me a chance because I looked the way I was? Nopony had questioned my looks when I had taken over Equestria, but that was different… that was fear.
My plan was get Starry to trust me enough that I could show her who I was, and she would that I wasn't as bad as she thought. I felt partly guilty for doing this, but she wouldn't listen to me in any way.
I sighed, and snapped my talons. I hoped this would work. It took a moment, but finally I snapped to Starshine's Room. I looked around… it was a charming place for the mare. It suited her. But Starry wasn't there.
I took the opportunity to look around.
I sat on her blue bed. Comfy. I noticed a darling bookshelf, filled with books. I walked up to it, and took out one that had caught my eye. I blew the dust off so I could see the title.
"Wicked"
It was a purple book with the title in green. I checked for the author, but it had none. Intrigued, I skimmed through it. When I say skimmed, I mean looking at only the pages with pictures. Suddenly I saw the last picture of the book and I froze.
It was Starshine!
I blinked and looked again…
It looked similar to Starshine. It was a green alicorn with a black flowing mane and violet eyes. But that alicorn looked so much like Starshine. The same figure, same mane, and same mystery to their eyes.
The mare in the book looked so happy and care free. So, not at all like Starshine.
The book mare's mane looked messy, but at the same time, free. It sort of reminded me of Starshine's mane, but her mane was tied tight and secure. Of course, that was my fault, but I was trying to help.
But I had kept her from who she really was.
I could see the gleam in her eyes every night we met. There are two sides to her, whether she liked to admit it or not. One side was skeptical of the curse, afraid of me, and lacked confidence. On the other side, she was brave, chaotic, and had a great sense of humor.
Also, she has a look in her eyes… a look of longing, like she's looking for something…
I didn't know what she longed for, but I did know that it was a longing. Perhaps it was breaking the curse? It was most unlikely. Sure she had a longing for that, but I had asked her one night about her curse.
"I try not to think about it" She had said. "Sometimes I do, but when I do, I tend to think about magic. Magic is the passion that keeps me going. I think about my special talent" As she had said this part, she had turned and showed me her cutiemark: the shimmering Silver Star with the matching shining lightning bolt connected to it.
"If it wasn't for my curse, I wouldn't have my cutiemark. Before the curse, I was a blank flank… always getting teased for it. The point is that I do think about it, but in a somewhat positive way".
She said this last part with a smile.
I sighed. I had no idea what was the longing in her eyes, but when I looked into her eyes she looked… sad.
I looked back to the book. The green mare was wearing a black flowing dress with a black pointy hat. She was holding a broomstick with the magic from her horn: a green aura. She looked so similar to Starshine… like they were at least related.
Now I was even more intrigued…
I read the words on the last page:
"Elphaba smiled… she had never smiled like this before. It felt good: She was going to be free. She was smiling with joy… she would never team with the wizard. She would leave and Glinda would stay. Elphaba couldn't believe that Glinda would team with that horrible person… that "Wizard of Oz". Elphaba was ready to run from her troubles and be free. Right now, the wizard's guards were trying to catch her but Elphaba was smart enough to know how to avoid them. She could defy gravity. "Look to the western sky! No matter what you do you will NEVER find me! Nobody in all of Oz, not even a stupid wizard! Is ever gonna bring me down!" she cried. And flapping her wings, she held the broom proudly in with her horn. "SEIZE HER!" A guard screamed. "SHE'S WICKED!" The guards aimed their weapons, and Elphaba cackled as she flew into the sky. As she did, she shot a kind glance to Glinda. She might never see her again… she felt tears well up in her eyes. "I hope you're happy!" Glinda called after her with a smile. "I am" Elphaba answered. The guards shot, but it was too late. The wicked witch of the west was gone"
I was jaw dropped. Even if I didn't know what was going on in this book, I was intrigued. This mare in the book was so… so… wild and chaotic. Just like Starshine. Why was I comparing her to a mare in a book? I didn't know, but they were alike. I put a claw on the page and turned it over so my palm was facing up. My claw was right next to the drawing of the green alicorn's head. Slowly, I ran my claw from the ear to jawbone of the drawing.
"I wish I could see that beautiful mane again" I thought.
How Starshine's mane looked with her bun and all was fine, but it was so tight… it looked uncomfortable. I couldn't even imagine what that must be like with her tail also in the same style of bun. I wished her mane could go back to how it used to be… free.
I thought back about how much she had changed these past months. She had…. REALLY… changed. When faced with danger, she used to either pretend to be brave… until it went away, or she plain flew away.
But now, she met danger head on… literally.
She stared me straight in the face…
ME!
Now, don't get me wrong. Many ponies have stared at me: usually out of fear, or curiosity, or….
Once again, I don't have a third example... fear or curiosity…
But there I was, trying to reason with her… while she looked right through me, coldly staring me down like no one ever had. When ponies stared at me, they were looking at my "look", but didn't dare look me in the eye.
But I'm not going to lie: Starshine did focus more on my "features" the first time we met face to face. But she had changed, and no longer showed any fear. She gave direct eye contact three times during the last meeting, when she saw me for what I truly was: the Master of Chaos.
I still had the scary image of here with those wide eyes. Every time I close my eyes before I sleep, I see her face with those wild eyes. Sure, I'd seen her eyes widen like watermelons before, but this…. This was different…
THEY. WERE. HUGE.
I had gotten angry… I said the first thing that popped into my head, and I felt so guilty for doing so but nopony had ever dared to scream at me like that. It shocked me, how bravely she responded. I never thought anypony would get the best of me, or that I would ever meet my match.
The point was, she had developed and matured since the beginning of the year.
I sighed. I wished she could see me for who I really was.
But I knew I couldn't… so I moped… and thought about her.
I decided to look for clues for whose birthday party she went to. There was a calendar beside her bed, with a fancy picture of Princess Celestia on the June page. She was eating chocolate cake. I laughed and shook my head. I always knew that Tia always had a "Cake obsession". How did somepony manage to take a photo of such "private politic matters"? I had no clue, but whoever did was my hero.
So I checked the calendar. June 26th had writing on it… It looked like Starry had scribbled on it quick, since it looked kind of sloppy: Daisy's Birthday!
I couldn't tell if it looked like she was excited about the event, or felt like it was super important. I had a bad feeling about this: She didn't seem too excited when she told me about it. I knew for a fact that Daisy was Fluttershy's daughter.
"Her daughter must be helpless and weak" I thought back to my encounter in the labyrinth with the yellow Pegasus.
I snapped my talons to the cottage.
I had forgotten to put the dusty book back in the shelf. It was on the floor, turned to the last page with the picture of the green alicorn…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Me: I feel like this chapter was rushed and a little short, I'm sorry. I just didn't want you guys to wait any longer. I was out of town, so I'm sorry about that. I don't know if you guys remember, but in an earlier chapter Starshine mentioned another book title by A.K Yearling "A Nightmare called Life". It's not a real book, I made up the title. But she mentioned it and it was going to be originally the book Discord picks up in this chapter but I changed it to "Wicked" because I felt like it fit better.
Discord: I hope there will be more soon!
Me: Me too! UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER! P.S I DON'T OWN WICKED! If I did, there would be a sequel!
Discord: Wait… are you sure there isn't one? :D
