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- >You shave a small chunk from the icecream and offer it to the pony across the table.
- >Your friend accepts the offering, vacuuming the frosty treat off the spoon.
- >All of it is for her; you've already had your bowl of vanilla, and you don't like daffodil-flavour anyway.
- >"What are you doing? There's no-one there."
- "Of course there's someone there."
- >Twilight Sparkle shakes her head no. Her mane waggles back and forth, a purple pendulum of denial.
- >"There really isn't anyone there, Anon. You're the only one sitting at that table."
- "You mean I'm the only one you can see."
- >"Anon, I'm serious. I'm not going to play into your little delusion. There is no-one there."
- >You raise the spoon, and your friend eats another shaving of plant-flavoured icecream.
- "How do you see, Twilight Sparkle?"
- >"What kind of a question is that? I see with my eyes."
- A sharp retort, curt and immediate: [spoiler] [/spoiler] "Wrong!"
- >"So what do you think you're seeing with, your rump? It would certainly explain your behaviour."
- "We see with our brains, Twilight Sparkle. We see with our brains."
- >She stares at you now, long and hard. You do not meet her gaze.
- >The icecream is half gone.
- "Your eyes send a jumble of pulses through the nervous system to your brain. Your brain interprets the information, and only then do you see."
- >Another spoonful, down the hatch.
- "It is the same for touch, for taste, for sound, and for all the other senses. Your brain constructs reality inside your head."
- >"Where are you trying to go with this?"
- "If my reality is inside my head, why could it not be different from the reality inside yours?"
- >The metal of the spoon is cold in your hand, and the summer sun shines down from behind a cloud. Your friend's coat is a deep maroon.
- >" I don't know why Celestia even sent me here. This is ridiculous!"
- "Is it?"
- >"Yes!"
- "Tell me then, Twilight. You have been watching me with eyes that claim to see. Have I eaten any of this icecream?"
- >She snorts.
- >"As if you could talk while eating. Of course not."
- "The bowl is empty. Where did the icecream go?"
- >Her mouth opens to reply, and does not close.
- >She sees nothing in the bowl, no melted droplets on the table, no stains on the chair opposite you.
- "This is the human magic. This is what you are to learn."
- "Let's start with something simple. Pick a card."
- >You fan the deck out onto the table, faces down.
- >Twilight picks up a card as you close your eyes.
- >"You're teaching me stage tricks."
- "Seven of clubs. Another."
- >The next card floats into the air, face to her and wrapped in a purple glow.
- "Jack of hearts. Another."
- >Twilight narrows her eyes. She grasps three cards with her magic, and attempts to shield them from your sight.
- >Your eyes are closed anyway, so it makes no difference.
- "Two of spades. Five of diamonds. Eight of clubs."
- >"How did you…"
- "I'm going to teach you to see with your brain, Twilight Sparkle. Close your eyes."
- >She does so, as you draw a card. Red, with nine hearts.
- "Construct the world inside your head. Where are we?"
- >"… Inside your house."
- "Be more specific. What room are we in?"
- >"The dining room."
- "What colour are the walls? What does the table look like? What kind of chair am I sitting on?"
- >"Pale re–" [spoiler] [/spoiler] "Don't tell me. Build the room."
- >You let her think for a while, in silence.
- "Where are you standing?"
- >"I'm across the table from you and I'm getting a headache."
- "No you're not. You're behind me."
- >She cocks her head to one side. Even with her eyes closed, you can feel her inquisitive stare.
- "You're behind me, looking over my shoulder. What card am I holding."
- >"How am I supposed to know that?"
- "You're looking over my shoulder, Twilight. You can see the card."
- >"You're too tall for me to look over your shoulder."
- "So look past my back!"
- >Her brow furrows and her eyelids clench in concentration.
- >"Six… of spades." She lets out her breath, and relaxes for a moment.
- >"Did I get it?"
- >You show her the card, and she droops in disappointment.
- "You did very well for a beginner."
- >Her face flashes into anger.
- >"Don't patronize me. I didn't even get the colour right!"
- "Look at the walls, Twilight."
- >She looks past you, to the pale purple paint.
- >"I didn't get that colour right either."
- "The walls used to be light blue, Twilight. Red added to blue makes…"
- >"… purple."
- >"No no no no no. This can't happen. Walls don't just change colour!"
- "They didn't change colour. They've always been purple."
- >"They were blue when I came in!"
- "When you came in, they had always been blue. Now, they have always been purple."
- >"That's insane! You're insane!"
- "If I'm insane, we're both insane."
- >"What do you mean we're both insane, I'm not insane!"
- "You see purple walls, when the walls have always been blue. That's insane."
- >"But the walls are purple!"
- "No, they're blue."
- >"No they–" [spoiler] [/spoiler] "Look again."
- >The walls are blue. The walls have always been blue.
- >Twilight twitches, slightly.
- >"I'm leaving."
- "Suit yourself."
- >Your maroon friend brings you a cup of tea from the kitchen.
- >You thank her, and she asks where Twilight went.
- >She had to take a bit of a break, you say. Don't worry, she'll be back tomorrow at the latest
- >Twilight's too curious to leave you alone for too long.
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