Faster.

Faster.

Someone banging on the bathroom door wakes me up. Opening my eyes, I squint at the bright lights clouding my already blurry vision and vaguely wonder why my head hurts so much.

Oh yeah, fell down after hearing a pony princess in my head. Right.

I slowly sit up, feeling dizzy, and try to focus on the voice I can hear coming from the other side of the door.

“Is anyone in here? Are you alright? …I swear if it’s a couple of kids in there who snuck in to smoke or fool around, you’re in big trouble!”

Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. If I get caught in here, I’m never going to hear the end of it. I wince as the pounding against the door continues. It’s Ms. Winters too, the one teacher I actually sort of like and don’t want to piss off.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I can hear its… Twilight’s voice panicking as well. I do my best to shut her out, that’s hardly going to help now. Probably imagining it anyways… Probably.

I clumsily stumble up off the ground and grab my hat from the sink, yanking it as far down on my head as possible. Looking around, my eyes settle on the mid-sized window that opens up to the woodsy courtyard out back. Better than nothing.

With a nod of confirmation to myself, I unlatch the window and push it open, before hoisting my bag out of it and slipping out behind it. Dropping to the ground, I place my hand against the wall to steady myself for a moment, and then grab my back and double time it away from the school before anyone catches me. It’s a twenty-minute walk back to my apartment, but better that than risk one of the bus drivers ratting me out. In this town, everyone knows each other.

I note with blessed relief that the buzzing noise flitting around my head has stopped. Maybe she’s gone for good… I doubt it though.

Either way, I need an Advil and access to a computer to research signs of Schizophrenia. I already know hearing voices is one, but I somehow doubt most people hear cartoon horses talking to them.

The minute I unlock my front door, I slam it behind me. Screw trying to keep a low profile so that the neighbors don’t see, this headache is starting to kill me. Throwing down my bag onto the table, I yank open the pantry door and rifle through until my search turns up my prize. Taking a pill and swallowing it dry, I close my eyes and vaguely feel myself slump to the ground, back against the kitchen counter. I realize I’m shaking, and do my best to take deep, calming breaths.

In, out.

In, out.

I don’t know how long I sit there, but eventually the worst of the headache starts to recede. Unfortunately, that apparently seems like an invitation to my new resident head-voice.

Are you alright?

I moan and bury my head in my knees, feel myself rocking back and forth slightly. She’s still there, she’s still freaking there. I’m crazy, completely insane. They’ll lock me up in some psychiatric ward and keep me there to the end of my days. I won’t survive in a hospital. Mental patients aren’t allowed tech, are they? I won’t last without my computer. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…

Stop it! I can feel you panicking!

A hysterical chuckle escapes me before I can tamp it down. “Sorry princess, but given that I’m talking to a fictional horse inside my own head, I think I deserve to panic a little.”

I can hear her snort.

I am not fictional! Though how you know my name is incredible…

I sigh. “It’s not, it’s really not. Jesus fucking Christ, I’m really talking to a Twilight Sparkle in my head. If Mum finds out just how far round the bend I’ve gone, she’s going to kill me.”

You aren’t crazy. Please, allow me to explain. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I have come to you from Equestria because-

“I know who you are.” I mutter, cutting her off. “Which doesn’t exactly assure me I’m not losing my mind. It would be like me to dream up a pony that talks to me, though why I would pick the one that would complain about my lack of focus in school I have no idea.”

Well, I’m sorry, but I do think your attitude towards learning is appalling. As much as I believe in everypony to their own ways, you are obviously gifted and just not bothering to try! I could sense that you understood all the answers in class far faster than the rest of your peers. You just don’t care to participate!

I groan and flop properly to the ground so that my head is resting against the pleasantly soft carpet. “Great. Not only am I stuck with a pony princess, I’m stuck with a prissy one at that. Dear God I never really bothered to believe in, please send Fluttershy instead, she’s less annoying.”

Hey! We’re supposedly counterparts, so we’re stuck with each other for now. We might at least make an effort to get along!

“Alight then.” I mumble. “Hullo new figment of my imagination, I’m Andie. Welcome to Earth.”

That’s an unusual name.

I roll my eyes. “That’s what bugs you? Not the fact that you’re on Earth and not Equestria? Andie is short for Anderson. I don’t like Grace much, so I use my last name. Any questions?”

Quite a few, actually, but I imagine you have a few more pressing ones.

“Wow, a Twilight Sparkle that lets someone else ask questions before her. That’s a first. Right, my main question would be: Why are you in my head, and how can I get rid of you? Actually, strike that first part, I don’t think head-voices normally have a reason.”

I’m in your head, because apparently we are counterparts in this world and mine. You can’t get rid of me, I’m stuck here until I find the girls and track down the one we came here after.

“And that would be?”

That’s the thing actually… I don’t really know. Assumedly she’s out here somewhere, but she’s likely managed to retake her original form from this world… and we don’t really know what that is.

I snort. “Sure, ok, fine. Excuse me if I find all of that very hard to believe.”

I hear her sigh.

Why are you so insistent that I am nonexistent?

“Wouldn’t you be if you woke up with a voice in your head?”

…Fair enough. Though, honestly if I’d known I would be only occupying this world as a mental state in my counterpart, I would have prepared some sort of demonstrative proof that I am real.

I slowly pull myself to my feet and begin a slow trudge over to my room. I need a nap. “You keep saying that. What’s a counterpart?”

Equestria and your world occupy different dimensional planes of reality. However, every dimensional plane is more or less made up of the same brands of magic, so each unique essence that matches up between dimensions resides in one’s counterparts. Basically, if you were to define my essence as ‘element of magic’, for example, then your’s would be too. Apparently, jumping the gap the way we did linked us with our counterparts, as outside forces from one dimension cannot normally exist in another. So voila, I’m in your head.

I yawn. “Great story, Twilight, but that doesn’t exactly convince me you’re real. That’s hardly much different from some of the weird theories of existence I’ve thought up when I’m really, really bored. Besides, my world doesn’t have magic.”

How do you explain my natural highlights in your hair then?

I freeze with my hand on my doorknob just as I am about to enter my room. “Trick of my rather messed-up brain?”

It’s a physical marker of my presence in your mind, possibly not even the only one. The longer I’m here, the more aspects of myself will entwine with you.

“So what?” Fuck, am I actually starting to believe this? “Am I going to sprout wings or something?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Twilight?”

I… I don’t know.

I shiver slightly and force my door open, shutting it firmly behind me. “Well that’s bloody helpful.”

All of a sudden, I can feel Twilight’s own fresh panic bouncing around my mind.

Why is there a picture of Rarity on your wall?

I blink. Oh… Right. That. Shit.

Ignoring her, I slide into my bed and wrap my blankets around me. “Give me a few hours, oh prissy pony princess voice in my head, and then I’ll explain to you the reason why I know who you are, and about the wonderful television show you’re a star of.”

I fall asleep with Twilight’s panicky questions ringing in my ears.