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Patrick has been hiding his toys again. (And, annoyingly, his siblings' toys as well.) For Jenny, this means that once her siblings fall asleep, she gets to spend the next hour hunting around for all the places he may have stuck something. Her latest find is Anne's stuffed unicorn, which was for some reason shoved under the bathroom sink. She doesn't need to wake her sister up for it, but she can at least go put it outside her door.
Except that when she leaves the bathroom, she's not in the hallway. She's in what appears to be a large, brightly lit bar. None of these things apply to her hallway. She feels rather out of place; t-shirt, pajama pants and stuffed unicorn are not exactly magic bar attire. (She thinks.)
As far as Jenny knows, there's only one person in her immediate vicinity who associates with magic. This doesn't seem like Soph's style, but it also doesn't seem particularly threatening. From Soph's explanations, evil magic is pretty up front about being evil. "I replaced your hallway with a restaurant" does not scream evil to her, it's just weird.
She ventures inside a few steps. "Soph? Soooooph, is this you?"
bright_and_beautiful
follow_polaris
"...Hi? Why am I in a magic bar? I did not see this coming," says the tiny unicorn, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof.
lexicality
"Don't be sad tiny unicorn," urges Lexi, "it's okay, the bar says that when you go out it'll be just where you left."
bright_and_beautiful
Awwwww sad unicorn face! Jenny's heart is melting. "We don't know why we're here either?" she offers. "It's just a friendly magic bar with tasty drinks, I think!"
follow_polaris
"But I didn't see it!" says the unicorn. She peers around anxiously, then her horn glows gold and she shuts her eyes.
bright_and_beautiful
Er. Is she blind? Is there a polite way to ask? What's polite for a unicorn? (unicorn unicorn unicorn!) "But... don't you see it now...?"
follow_polaris
The unicorn opens her eyes again; her horn dims. "I mean I didn't see it in advance with my spell. And it doesn't work here at all!"
follow_polaris
"Yes. Usually. Well, I'm not that tiny, but yes. My name is Guiding Star."
There is a star on her butt.
There is a star on her butt.
bright_and_beautiful
"Is that why you have the star? That's adorable!" Jenny says enthusiastically. (Unicorn!) "Also. Hi! I'm Jenny! I'm sorry about your future...seeing...thing?"
follow_polaris
"The star isn't because of my name, it's because of my talent," says Guiding Star. "Uh, it's nice to meet you."
bright_and_beautiful
"It's very exciting! You are many wonderful bedtime stories come to life! Seeeeee?" Jenny nods at Mr. Fancy next to her.
bright_and_beautiful
"It wasn't on purpose! I was returning it to my little sister and then the door wasn't the door it should have been and now I'm here. Me and Mr. Fancy both."
bright_and_beautiful
"Are you from Earth too?" Is there an Earth with unicorns, Jenny might have to move.
follow_polaris
"Must be a different sun. That or we had different lessons about the solar system growing up."
bright_and_beautiful
Jenny finds the idea of a totally different world with unicorns on it actually less weird than the idea of multiple-but-non-identical Earths. (She's also rather tired and there is a unicorn, right there.)
"Probably both," she says cheerfully. "What else is different? Are there more unicorns where you're from?" (!!!!!!)
"Probably both," she says cheerfully. "What else is different? Are there more unicorns where you're from?" (!!!!!!)