Chapter 2 – From the Beginning…
In her entire life as Princess Celestia's student and the current embodiment of the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle had seen many things – from combating a Hydra alongside her friends to suspecting the innocent Shaman known as Zecora for being an evil witch. But never before did she have to endure a situation like this: Bringing in an unknown stranger that had fallen from the sky into her home without even thinking of what to do first.
Rainbow wasn't making the situation any better at all without the constant shouting like 'She's a SPY!' or 'Don't bring her into your house, Twi! She's bad news!'.
Twilight had no idea what to do. Perhaps she should listen to Rainbow Dash and send the stranger on her merry way with a slap on the wrist and a warning? No, that's a negative since the Element of Magic wanted to know more about who the girl really was and why she fell from the sky.
Maybe a letter to Princess Celestia about the mystery person in question and what should be done about this? Though what would Twilight say exactly 'Princess, a stranger fell from the sky and I took her into my house without even knowing who she is! What should I do?' – Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did she just seriously think that in her mind? Dumb move on her part.
A third option came into her mind and she was content with it. Twilight would question the mystery girl about who she really is, why she fell from the sky and how she found herself on Equestria. If the answers to her questions were satisfactory then the sapphire-blue haired girl would determine that the arrival was as harmless as a small fly but if she wasn't… then Princess Celestia definitely need to know about this.
Though was this the only smart approach? The arrival doesn't seem like a hostile person to- No, no… she should await until all of the questions have been answered and then pass judgement. Besides, if the Zecora 'incident' has taught her anything is that you should hear someone out before you determine if they are harmless or hostile.
With her mind made up, Twilight was about to descend up the stairs towards her room in order to question the mystery girl when Rainbow got in front of her and extended her arms. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Twilight, where in Celestia do you think you are going!?" The rainbow-haired girl asked the librarian who rolled her eyes in response to that question.
"Just going up to my room and asking the stranger some questions… what else do you think I'm gonna do, Rainbow?" Twilight asked back as Rainbow immediately began to push her back much to the sapphire-blue haired girl's surprise. "Wha- Rainbow!"
The librarian stopped moving and pushed Rainbow away. "What was that for!? You can't just push me away like that! Besides, I'm just gonna ask the girl some questions – nothing more!" Twilight explained yet Rainbow immediately got back and blocked her way.
"No, Twilight – it ain't happening! For all we know that stranger that fell from the sky could be a hostile alien that has come to suck our brains out or invade our home while probing us for information!" Rainbow pointed her reasons for not trusting the unknown girl that fell from the sky.
Twilight facepalmed at those reasons that were pretty stupid – was Rainbow being serious right now? Shaking her head, the librarian opened her mouth to speak. "You've been reading way too much Daring Do, Rainbow… look, can you please just let me go and talk with the girl? I need to determine whether or not she is hostile to Equestria and us in particular. But I can't do it with you blocking my way!" Twilight told her yet Rainbow wasn't convinced.
"But, Twilight-" Rainbow unfortunately couldn't say anything else due to Twilight being final in her decision with a cross of her arms. "No, Rainbow. My decision remains… the fact that you are acting like a jackass right now isn't helping the situation at all. If anything, it's only making it worse. I get that you have issues with trust but this is going a bit too far…" She explained to the rainbow-haired girl who felt betrayed by Twilight's words and immediately crossed her arms.
"Hmph… fine. Go ahead and 'interrogate' the alien! But don't come crying to me when she starts to probe you for information or anything like that! Twilight, I'm telling you that this is a bad idea and I'm only saying this to protect you!" Rainbow explained yet Twilight sighed heavily. 'I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake when giving her the opportunity to read Daring Do… are all people in Ponyville a conspiracy theorist or just plain crazy?' She thought in her mind before rubbing her eyes and shaking her head.
"Your 'concern' is appreciated it, Miss Dash… but I'll be fine. It's just a bunch of questions. Also, I'm pretty sure that the stranger is human just like you and I… now, Rainbow – please behave until I get back. I won't be long." Twilight assured her yet Rainbow still felt that all of this was a bad idea.
Twilight sighed yet again as she walked upstairs towards her own bedroom while Rainbow, whose arms still remained crossed, awaited in the library section of her home with a worried expression on her face. This whole situation was definitely leaving a bad taste in the rainbow-haired girl's mouth and she had no idea how exactly it would end though the librarian wasn't sticking around to find out – she had more important things to worry about.
Upon reaching her bedroom atop the treehouse, Twilight turned her attention towards the mystery girl who was sitting on a chair and looking rather… calm given the circumstances.
So many questions filled Twilight's head – who was she, where did she come from, why the fall from the sky and what brought her to Equestria in the first place? The sapphire-blue haired librarian was in high hopes that she would get her answers during this line of questioning… as long as she handled everything with discretion and finesse.
'Deep breaths in, Twilight… deep breaths out, Twilight. Alright, let's get this show in the air.' These words were spoken in her mind as Twilight took small breathes and released them soon afterwards. With a confident look on her face, she proceeded onward with the line of questioning.
"So… how do you feel?" Was her first question for the brunette-haired girl who was sitting in a chair and displaying a calm disposition which soon turned into a small shrug. "Could be better, I guess. Rainbow's protests of me being a bad influence though…" The girl began as Twilight smiled awkwardly.
Did she really hear all of that while remaining upstairs in her room? Wow, impressive trait… though was that classified as eavesdropping? Its only a crime if you get caught. Then again Rainbow was being pretty loud…
No, no time for that. Now was the time for questioning.
"Sorry about that. Rainbow has a… problem with trust issues. It can be a problem sometimes… but never mind about that. I was hoping that you could answer a couple of my questions. If you don't have a problem with that, of course." Twilight explained.
The brunette thought about it and didn't seem to have much a problem with it – but made one condition. "Just as long as it doesn't involve anything personal. I have a right to my privacy after all." She told Twilight who nodded understandingly.
Grabbing another chair from somewhere in her bedroom, she sat down in front of the brunette and pulled out a notebook with a pencil. "I'll scribble down the info I make. No problem, right?" The librarian asked as the mystery girl who nodded.
"Good… so, first – who are you? Mainly, your name." This was the first question on Twilight's mind.
"Wilhelmina Marley. My family and close friends call me 'Mina' though… I can't stand my full name at times. Makes me feel like a princess…" The mystery girl now called Mina answered with a small cringe due to 'Wilhelmina' being mentioned.
Twilight scribbled down the name in her notebook. "Pleased to meet you, Mina – I'm Twilight Sparkle: Ponyville's local librarian. The brash girl that you became acquainted to downstairs is Rainbow Dash." She introduced both herself and Rainbow since it was only fair that Mina was aware of who they were.
"Likewise. I didn't really imagine our meeting to turn out this way though." Mina commented but her words confused Twilight a bit. "What do you mean?" She asked.
Mina scratched the back of her head. "Well, it's just awkward for me… no reason." The brunette admitted which made Twilight stared at her for a second or two before continuing. "Ookay… I'm gonna leave that one alone for now. Where did you come from exactly?"
At this question, Mina became uncomfortable. "You wouldn't believe me even I told you… you'd probably believe that I'm crazy." She answered.
"No doubt… but do your worst. I'm used things being crazy." Twilight assured her as Mina sighed before answering. "I'm… from another world."
Twilight froze as her eyes widen at what she just heard. "I think my ears just stopped working… would you mind repeating what you just said?" She requested as Mina sighed yet again. "I'm from another world." This time she said it more clearly.
The librarian's ears weren't lying at all… another world! This… this… it was amazing! It was astonishing! It was… No, wait… She shouldn't scream in joy just yet or celebrate this discovery. There was still room for doubt in Mina's answers. First, she had to see if the story checks out and then celebrate… the only to solve that is to simply ask more questions.
Twilight shook her head as her eyes calmed down before she continued. "R-right… sorry about that awkward silence. Let's continue – you say that you came from another world, right? The name and what's this world like?" Her next question was.
"Well… we call it Earth. That's the name of my world – it's… a rather complicated place to be honest. There are people that are both good and bad, numerous conflicts happening all, racism, kidnapping, etc. – Complicated as it can be. My family though – we are peace lovers and we don't get involved in that sort of stuff… we tend to avoid it as best we can." Mina explained.
Although she had just met her, Twilight couldn't help but sympathize with her – only for a tad bit though. However, she was appalled by the explanation of the world known as Earth. In all her life as a citizen of Equestria, Twilight was taught that life was precious and should be cherished… yet most of the people of this 'Earth' didn't seem like peacekeepers from the looks of it. Though she still had no idea if this story stuck out or not… she would wait before passing on judgment.
For now, though…
"Sounds like living on this planet is complicated… but about cultures, art, technology… that sort of thing?" Twilight inquired about that as Mina nodded. "We have those actually – different people with cultures, art, technology, music. Like I said – there are good people that try to defend them since they are a part of our plan- Ummm, I mean world's history." Mina corrected herself much to Twilight's surprise.
Huh, weird… Twilight could swear that she was about to say 'planet' yet stopped and correct herself. Why is that? Hmm… interesting.
In any event, Twilight wrote down all the useful info – so far, Mina's story checked out but there was still more to learn. Now came the interesting part – arriving in Equestria.
"Okay, now for the most important question – how did you find yourself falling from the sky and resulting in the moment of me catching you in my arms? Also, no offense – but you are quite heavy." Twilight commented as Mina smiled sheepishly. "Umm, none taken I guess… In any case, things got a little too complicated on my world and my folks had enough… we packed our bags, found a suitable ship and we left soon afterwards to search for a new home. Along the way there was a… ummm… meteor shower and things got screwed up… like, a small meteor hit our ship and it lost control… I soon myself falling from the sky into your world… so, y-yeah. That's how I found myself in Equestria." The brunette finished explained as she scratched the back of her head.
Twilight's eyebrows arose at that explanation – those words of hers… she spoke them way too far and there were short pauses. Interestingly, Mina didn't seem to believe herself with what she just explained… The brunette was obviously lying about this and there was definitely something else that she wasn't admitting: the truth. The librarian decided to press on this further:
"Uh-huh. So, is that what really happened?" Twilight asked once again as the brunette became surprised before nodding rather quickly. "Y-yeah… that's right." She answered.
Twilight was now convinced that she was definitely lying – there is more to this than meets the eye. She needed to know the whole truth to see what she was dealing with exactly though there were two problems with that:
If pressured too much, this 'interrogation' would become something of a problem and Mina wouldn't speak about it;
If remained tactful, then Twilight wouldn't get the information that was needed and she would remain ignorant.
So, what was the only thing to do in a situation like- Wait. Hmmm, maybe there was a way for her to receive her information. First though, let's see if this idea plays out just like how she thought it in her head.
"Alright… I believe you. Though, now that I've got all my questions answered – what's your plan of action exactly?" Twilight inquired as Mina felt surprised by that before scratching her head in confusion. "Hmm… not sure. I guess I'll continue on my own way and find a place to bunk until I can plan my next move." She answered honestly.
"I see… hmm… I know this all sudden, but I can offer you some hospitality in my house – until further notice, of course." Twilight replied as Mina became surprised once more by that suggestion.
"W-wait… are you serious? Not that I'm flattered or anything like that but I don't know… wait, what's the catch?" Mina asked while eyed Twilight suspiciously.
The librarian smiled a bit. "No catch – honest truth. I just felt like I should be a good hostess. Plus, I'd be helping out someone in need – even if she is a stranger. No offense, by the way." She told Mina.
"None… taken, I guess? Well… alright. I suppose I can stay in your house for a while until I can my next course of action. But no funny business or else…" Mina warned as Twilight nodded in understanding.
In the sapphire blue-haired girl's mind, she was satisfied with how her plan worked for allowing Mina to stay in her house – it would give her plenty of time to know the brunette better… along with getting the truth that she deserved to know.
Twilight finished scribbling down the last of the info that she learned along with putting a '?' mark on how Mina arrived in Equestria at the end of the false description of her story - though she didn't show it to the brunette since she didn't want to arouse suspicion.
"Alright… looks like that's all I need to know. You'll be bunking with me in my room until you can plan your course of action. I'd be nice to have some company in the library besides Spike." Twilight told her as she pocketed the notebook and pencil inside her outfit while Mina gave her a thumbs-up with a nod.
"I look forward to enjoy being your roommate for the foreseeable future." Mina told her as Twilight smiled a bit. "Same here. Can you excuse me for a bit? I gotta go and clear things up with Rainbow Dash. She's still downstairs and thinking that you are bad luck or something… no offense." The librarian apologized but Mina didn't hold it against her and wished good luck.
Twilight began descending down the stairs leading to the library while thinking over her plan of action. 'From what I've learned, Mina doesn't seem like a villain or an untrustworthy person. Yet she's hiding something that I don't want to know… letting her stay in my library will definitely help me solve the mystery of who she really is and how she came to Equestria – but I gotta remember to be subtle in my approach. If I build a trust of bond with her, she might be more open to the issue. First though, I gotta make sure that Rainbow doesn't do anything stupid…' She thought in her mind and prayed to Celestia that Rainbow had managed to quit with her trust issues or whatever.
After dealing with Rainbow, she focus entirely on the issue involving Mina… and see exactly where this will lead to.
Author's Notes: Voila! Chapter 2 is done! Goodie for me since I wanna do other fics as well!
Whelp, we have officially introduced Mina to both Twilight and Rainbow - both at this time seem distrustful of her and with good reason. But don't worry - that little confusion will clear up soon! Basically, a friend of mine gave me some advice of getting people to know my OC more before I revealed her backstory (hence why Mina lied about the whole 'Dropping into Equestria' thing to Twilight) - I plan to clear the 'Meeting God' part soon enough! First though you'll get to know more about my OC.
Also, I do plan on making Mina tell Twilight the truth sooner or later - maybe after an assault on Ponyville by the Heartless or some other major event... haven't planned for that yet. Another thing is that her parents and sister will definitely make an appearance in the story... though not sure where exactly yet. My friend suggested I'd have them meet at certain points - maybe in the future chapters.
Don't worry about Twilight or Rainbow being distrustful towards Mina - they'll soon change their minds about her but after finding out more about her character and persona.
So, yeah... that's it for Chapter 2. Fave and follow the story if you'd like - submit comments or not (your choice) - but no flaming or harsh criticism. I'm improving my best and that's all I can do in my situation.
Until next time - see you all in Chapter 3!