Semper Paratus

Chapters

Prologue: To bend space
Chapter 1: Not Brazil
Chapter 2: The road less travelled
Chapter 3: In the thick of time
Chapter 4: He who laughs
Chapter 5: Soldier's Tale

Prologue: To bend space

,,,^..^,,,

Daniel had always prided himself on being prepared. Whether it was in his military service or after, the motto Semper Paratus just made sense to him. Latin for "Always Prepared" or "Always Ready" was reminiscent of days spent with childhood friends where he would scour the countryside in search of adventure and mischief. Daniel was usually the one with the rope and sandwiches- that much was certain. Whether following the town drainage ditch for miles in search of "treasure" or hiking through the county woodlands to abandoned cotton gins where he grew up. He was dubbed "Calvin" at a young age and grudgingly kept the title until he left for military service after a brief stint with a express package delivery company.

Daniel never found "Hobbes" all those years back but that didn't deter his adventurous spirit of wanting to see the world. While his high school friends were content to stay in their home towns and lacked ambition, Daniel never sat still. It was that high energy demand that led him to the logistics side of UPS and it was the same "high speed, low drag" demeanor that took him from it three years later where he landed boots first in the United States Air Force.

Years later, training and hard work were paying dividends that couldn't be matched had he stayed in his sleepy hometown. The military had sent him overseas to some of the most remote corners of the globe, and he loved every minute of it!

Korea, Italy, South America, the Persian Gulf- those were just a few of the places he could openly talk about to his family back home. Other, more lucrative locations were not discussed readily but his references to certain aspects left little to be imagined.
Twenty years later and with retirement right around the corner, Daniel decided he'd had his fill of military service. With an honorable discharge, a small house in the Ozarks paid for and few, if any, bills- he breathed the air as a civilian of 41 years old and sat on his front porch watching the sun rise.

His love of the outdoors had not darkened, and he still took as many trips as he could across the US, often backpacking for days on end in search of the perfect spot. Of course with retirement from the service, his paycheck dwindled to basics and he was glad he squirreled away a little for the future. There was an added bonus of a few good friends he had made along the way and it more than made up for his lack of funding. In the logistics world, time was money where distance was concerned and Daniel was a master of it all. He knew the right individuals to call and how the system worked...across several continents.

One particular individual he made an impression on had offered him a job after his military service but Daniel had politely turned it down stating "I gave my country the best years of my life, and once I retire- that's it. I'm retired!"

The cordless phone rang out a generic tone and Daniel eyed it from over the top of his mug of coffee. Very few people had his number and for any of them to call at 6:20 in the morning was not normal.

"Hello?"

"Daniel? Good morning! It's Bruce."

Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly at his friend's voice on the other end of the line, "Bruce, good morning... why are you calling me so early? I've not even finished my cup of coffee..."

Bruce had been the one that offered Daniel the job and from time to time pestered him about turning it down. "I'm sorry about the early hour Dan, I'm just getting off an all nighter at the lab and I want you to see something."

Daniel sipped his coffee and watched a squirrel precariously trying to defeat his 'squirrel resistant' bird feeder, "Bruce, I already told you I'm not interested in a job..."

"...no, no- this isn't about a job at all," Bruce cut in with a bit of excitement in his voice, "this is about traveling, you know, all those places you visited."

Daniel smirked when the squirrel's weight triggered the clasp that closed the feeder and his little claws found no purchase on the slick metal. The little critter quickly lost balance and fell the short distance to the ground with a thud. With an affronted screech at being displaced, the squirrel leaped quickly back onto a nearby tree to try his luck a different way.

"My traveling you say-" Daniel wasn't really paying attention as he sipped his coffee again.

A new voice chimed in to take the place of Bruce, "Dan? It's Shannon; you really should listen to what Bruce is trying to say."

Daniel blinked several times and made himself focus, "Shannon? Don't tell me you're in on this too..."

"Come on Dan, we've been friends for a couple of years now and this is the serious Bruce talking. And no Shannon isn't on here to guilt you into anything- Tony needs to meet all three of us over in Thayer!"

Daniel eased his chair back against the wall and propped his feet up on the railing of the porch, "why Thayer Bruce? That's over the state lines."

Shannon exhaled on her end, "Daniel look, why can't you just trust us on this? If we want to get together for some coffee or something what's wrong with that?"

Dan gave a little huff, "because you didn't just come out and say it Shannon. I've had my fill of secrets and covert motives, if you want to get together for something just tell me!"

"Fine Dan, it’s for old times’ sake- you know we wouldn't call so early if it wasn't important, " Shannon added a bit deflated.

Daniel could mentally see her rolling her eyes at him, "you're a terrible liar Shannon..."

The line was dead in anticipation for a couple moments before Daniel's slurp of coffee broke the stalemate, "where in Thayer do you guys want to meet up?"

Again, he could nearly see them both relax before Bruce spoke up.

"Thanks Dan, alright, if you come into town from 63 south- at old US highway 19 there's a Dairy Queen on the right hand corner at county road west. Let's meet up there in 3 hours; will that be enough time for you to get out there?"

Daniel glanced at his watch, "if I take the bike I can make it in less time but yeah, that should be fine. Still not gonna say what this has to do with my travels are ya Bruce?"

"Trust me Dan, you'll want to be in on this! We'll explain everything over brunch."

Daniel groaned inwardly at this meeting. Why was this so difficult for him? Oh, maybe it was the way his and Shannon's relationship had crashed and burned before it even took off.
"I'll see you all around 9:30." Dan ended the conversation clicking off the phone and didn't wait for the others to say anything. He didn't want to see Shannon anymore- Bruce and Tony meant well enough but they also worked with her and felt obliged to include her in everything.

Daniel looked down in the dreggs of his mug at the now cold coffee. It wasn't that Shannon was a bad person, in fact, just the opposite. At one time she might have been Daniel's ideal dream of settling down. But the military had changed him all those years back. His dream of having a family and raising kids on a farm were trashed time after time- each mission he was sent out. He had grown a grudge against humanity with each pull of the trigger, every paper signed, each medal given to justify human loss that tallied against his countrymen.

Shannon had been introduced to Dan several years ago before he retired and they grew close enough to hang out and date. She was an intern at the time with the company where Bruce and Tony were scientists, PhD's to be exact. Daniel had helped that company get through some logistical 'red-tape' with some of his contacts and thus earned a spot as their friends. Daniel's past would not let him get any closer to the woman that could complete him and eventually pushed her away. The months that followed were harsh. A lot of things were said that could never be taken back, sure, Bruce and Tony were there to offer their support but how much could they really do? None of them had military experience and couldn't fathom where Dan was coming from.

Daniel went back inside to wash out his mug and change into his motorcycle gear. He walked into the garage and tapped the door opener. Cool, crisp morning air spilled into the space where rider and bike stood. His red Honda 919 speed machine stood as a stark contrast to his canary yellow Jeep wrangler Rubicon. The Honda was clean with smooth, fast curves while the Jeep's exterior was marred by countless off-road trips where trees, rocks and mud had given the paint job 'character'. Daniel's Jeep was built for slow off-road scenery where as the Honda was a pure adrenaline injected junkie bike- and it was time to stretch the legs.

He straddled the bike and clicked over the starter. The purr under him washed away the prior phone conversation and he slipped on his helmet. The Honda wanted to fly, it's logo with wings was a testament to the engineering behind the aluminum horse. Once outside, the garage closed and house locked, Daniel eased onto the short gravel road that connected his existence to the rest of the world. The blacktop stretched away to his right and left and a grin spread on his face as he pointed the red demon North-East and let out the clutch.

The needle jumped in time with his heart as the speed climbed to triple digits. A corner came on fast and Daniel down shifted smoothly into it and rolled on the throttle for traction.
It was one of the few feelings in the world that could nearly erase his memories and even those small details that clung to him from past wars and conflicts couldn't hold onto the 919's speed. Time wasn't allowed to exist when Daniel was on that bike, he would ride until the gas light came on and then ride some more after a fill up.

The Ozarks were a beautiful place to ride a motorcycle. Whether it was a cafe racer or cruiser, the winding roads were therapeutic for each and every rider.
Daniel glanced down at his watch and looked up for the next mile marker.
'Good', he thought as the bike eased out of another curve and slowed into small town traffic, 'I'm OK on time and maybe an hour away.'

Daniel sat more upright to stretch a bit at the slower speeds and reverently touched the side of the gas tank in thought, 'you'll never love me, but you'll also never betray or use me.'
The miles clicked off and soon, with the state lines behind him by many hills, the small town of Thayer came into view. He slowed further into a school zone and glanced around at the pristine countryside, it was merely another small nugget as far as towns went in the back nine of the US of A.

Thayer was considered a railroad town as most were that sprung up along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks. The late 1800's early 1900's had seen many such communities but unlike the status quo- Thayer (which had originally been named Augusta) had endured through generations. With Mammoth Springs right around the bend from the place, Daniel had never even considered a trip to Thayer- there was no need.

That is, until today.

The Honda eased into the parking lot of Dairy Queen and Daniel killed the motor in a spot by a window. The silence was deafening as anyone who has even ridden a motorcycle can attest to. Glancing at his watch, he realized he had made good time and decided on brunch without his friends. They would be there soon enough and Daniel would take this time for a little peace while he ate.

Daniel walked inside and noticed the lack of patrons for the hour. True, they had just opened but he guessed not many people would go for the greasy burgers or fries at 9 in the morning. He set his helmet and gloves down at a side booth that gave him a clear view of the parking lot and his bike. His hand reached down and adjusted the pants leg that covered the top of his boots and also hid a holster. He never traveled without some kind of defense.

"Good morning Sir, welcome to Dairy Queen- may I take your order?" The young girl at the counter bubbled slightly with new day vigor. Daniel couldn't help but wonder if she still had that energy after the lunch and dinner rushes.

"Good morning, yes I think I'll have the... iron grill classic club, fries and a lemonade chiller. For here please."

Daniel could see the young kids step into motion as the order qued onto their screens. A payment later and Daniel was off to the side watching the hustle of making food. He never tried working in the 'fast-food' scene but he did have a lot of respect for those that gave it a try- even if they didn't last long.

A tray was produced from around a corner and set up with Daniel's meal. He thanked the young man and took his place next to his helmet to eat.
The club sandwich was phenomenal! As he took bite after bite, his mind drifted back to times when he scarcely had water to drink- let alone hard food. Those times out on the land had done two things for him. One, he made sure he had the right combination of seasonings and supplies in his pack to kill, clean and cook just about any critter that could feed him and two, any food that was normal cuisine for the average American was enjoyed with an almost spiritual reverence when he came home.

Retired or not, that love of the almighty cheeseburger, onion rings or root-beer float didn't dim with his lack of service. Daniel pulled a long drag from his lemonade and glanced over the top of the cup at the clock above the cash register, 9:26.

'Huh, they should be pretty close to...'

Speak of the devil and he appears. Two SUVs and one fairly new sports car slowed to park in the spots closest to the Honda. A person each got out of the vehicles and they made their way to the entrance. Daniel speared some fries and watched his friends enter.

Bruce opened the door and let Shannon and Tony pass by, they were all close to Daniel's age but he secretly doubted anywhere near his maturity level. Bruce was the "crazy uncle" type that your folks warned you about. His smile was often infectious and he loved fireworks. Daniel liked things that went boom too and when they got together they had to make sure it was far enough away from city limits so the cops wouldn't come looking for the cause of a ruckus. Tony was the shortest of the group and even a couple inches shorter than Shannon but the guy was all business- most of the time. He got his PhD a few months before Bruce and was the senior engineer at TeleFab Inc. Although you wouldn't know it to look at the guy, Tony's jeans and t-shirt attire blew any preconceived notions right out of the water.

And then there was Shannon, Daniel was a fool for letting his past dictate his future but what could be done now? She was every bit of 5-10, 130 pounds of American country girl, and her voice was angelic- when it wasn't plowed-drunk.
Daniel had been privy to the fact she liked her strong drink and by that he had to wonder how someone so country could be both all Irish and part fish.

Daniel gave them a polite wave as they came over to the booth first.

"Looks like you beat us by a few minutes Dan, mind if we get some food too?"

Bruce was already making his way to the counter and Shannon had briefly eyed his club sandwich wondering if she should get one.

"I don't mind at all Tony, I've got time and nowhere to be so... Shannon? The club is rather good- I recommend it." Daniel lifted the sandwich she had been eying and took a bite of it.

Tony chuckled lightly at Shannon's embarrassment and she broke off her look with a huff. The trio placed their orders and was soon content to munch on their selected choices at the booth next to Daniel.

Bruce took a mouthful of his chicken sandwich, "Uhnf, caun yew beweve wit?"

Tony and Shannon both glanced over as if something was wrong.

"It's just so delicious!" Bruce finally said after a swallow and grinned. Shannon rolled her eyes and went back to her chicken salad and fries, she had ignored the club after all.

Daniel had to grin at that knowing full well what he was just thinking.

It didn't take much time for the group to finish and with only bits and pieces left to pick at, they decided to start the meeting proper.

"Daniel I suppose you want the down and dirty first and then we can chat up the finer points." Bruce finally mentioned after counting the M&M's currently surfaced in his Blizzard smoothie.

Daniel crunched on a piece of ice and nodded, "I think the bottom-line-up-front would be nice."

Bruce and Shannon both looked at Tony who cleared his throat gently for the floor, "Dan, since you turned down the job you were offered by our company some amazing breakthroughs have been made. And with these advances have come some perks within the company, paychecks, and so forth. And while we actually do the footwork there, it was you that originally made it all possible you see."

Tony paused for moment before glancing at both his coworkers again, "Daniel, we want to offer you a vacation to a location of your choice, pretty much free of charge travel-wise and all you have to do is come to our facility."

Daniel took a drink from his almost depleted lemonade to hide his amused expression, "you want to offer me a vacation? Why the hush-hush bologna on the phone, why didn't you just say so?"

"Because Dan, you'll be using company transportation and we didn't want to say anything over the phone about it." Shannon added with her voice down a little.

Daniel snagged a toothpick to fish something from his teeth, "ok, so what's the catch?"

Shannon huffed and took a pull from her diet coke, "why would you think there is a catch? There is no catch... Why can't you just accept a gift for what it is?"

Daniel chewed on the toothpick lightly and looked across the table at her deadpan, "I already told you once today you're a terrible liar and for starters the only thing that can't be said over the phone is either one, being monitored, two, illegal, or three, a surprise." He held his hands up to finish.
"I am surprised at this and I will accept on a couple conditions. Is it illegal? And what transportation is it exactly?"

Bruce shifted uneasy in his seat, "alright Daniel, fair enough. It's not exactly illegal because no laws have been written on it yet which points to the transportation end of your question." A pause-
"It's a portal Dan, plain and simple. We can open a door here in Missouri and step out in Africa if we wanted."

The three scientists relaxed a little since the proverbial cat was out of the bag but Daniel sat closer to the edge of his seat. "A portal you say? Just like that, walk onto another continent?!" He looked over his shoulder quickly making sure they were still the only ones in the restaurant, "do you realize what this could do for shipping? Industry? My God, the possibilities... th-the nightmares!"

Tony nodded at that, "yes Daniel, I think you understand the gravity of why this had to be a face to face meeting now. You can see what would happen if this kind of technology was offered to the world," he leaned in to the group, "Daniel we don't want to start a war over logistics!"

"So what does this have to do with the vacation bit?"

"Well, we wanted to offer you this chance before it gets taken away, before word of the capability gets out. The plan was to offer someone the chance to use the portal to travel somewhere they were familiar with, but it couldn't be one of our own people Dan because they would be missed. It has to be someone who could make it on their own if the portal didn't open back up, someone with your experience for living off the land and wouldn't need to contact any local agencies to get back if things went south."
Bruce slurped his Blizzard again, "you were the first name to come up and the only one everyone agreed on since you helped us all those years back. Let us offer this to you Dan..."

Daniel had to admit, it was a bombshell if the word got out. He could imagine the chaos if people and/or supplies just started appearing in different parts of the world. Hell, with the right nefarious political puppet-masters pushing buttons on a device like that, governments could be swept away overnight.
But then there was the lesser of two evils, travel- instantaneous, worry-free.... FREE. Just open a door here and BLAMMO, he could be anywhere. Anywhere?

"How safe is it?" Daniel finally had to ask.

Shannon piped in for that, "it's 99 percent accurate Dan. The one percent being the time we tried opening the portal over the pacific ocean only to have it open underwater. And well, it took months to get all the saltwater out of the lab and clean the equipment but since then we've opened doors on every continent and always away from populated areas."

"What do you say Dan? You are the most qualified to go- just say where." Tony said taking a swig from his drink.

Daniel had watched the others faces as they talked and he could tell they were excited for him. 'Alright', he thought, 'let's see where this goes...'

"Brazil, 20 degrees south between Campo Grande and Rio Paraguay. It's well off the beaten path, temperate forest and jungle terrain. And my Spanish still works well enough to talk to the locals if needs be," Daniel crossed his arms and waited for the answer to sink in.

Tony was the first to crack a smile, "I'll take that as a 'yes' then. And by the sound of it, you've been there before."

Daniel gave him a wiry smile too, "you could say that Uncle Sam sent some of his boys down that way before..."

"How soon would you like to leave?" Bruce asked grinning for ear to ear.

Daniel had to consider it a moment, "well, how long would I be gone for? A week, a month? I'll have to make sure my bills are paid up and put a hold on the mail... but I always have my bug-out bags ready so I guess, um, tomorrow?"

The grins were getting infectious now as Shannon even sported a looker, "tomorrow will be perfect and as for the time?" She looked between Bruce and Tony, "we were thinking a week to start out, it would give us the appearance of 'business as usual' and we'd open back up the portal in the same spot so you could either come back or stay a little longer. That part will be up to you to a point I suppose."

Both men nodded in agreement.

"Huh," Daniel had heard of the 'gift horse' before but never had one this close, "alright, give me the details."

The group talked for another hour and had to get refills on drinks before it was over. Daniel ended up with a map leading further North into Missouri to the out skirts of Current River State Park. The plan was so simple he had to tell himself it was real; bring a week's worth of provisions, shelter, the works- show up at their facility by 1800 the next day, open the portal to South America, step through, enjoy a vacation of roughing it approximately 5,000 miles away! That was it in a nut shell, but it couldn't be! Could it?!

All the way home Daniel went over the scenario again and again, it was true- most of it. Daniel had been down around Paraguay before and even once spoke Spanish with a modicum of proficiency, would it all come back to him if and when he needed it? He had driven quite a bit slower heading back and once he stopped in his driveway, he looked up at his cabin with a sly grin.

"Semper Paratus..."

,,,^..^,,,

The next day, Daniel awoke early and got in a good morning run and mild workout in keeping with his military training. Even after the service he saw a need for the conditioning and it paid out exponentially when it came to hiking distances. With a quick shower out of the way and breakfast eaten, he began to gather the gear he would need. His 75 liter internal frame backpack was first on the list. He always went down the contents list in order it was naturally used so nothing was missed.
Tent, tarp, 550 cord, inflatable sleeping mat, ultra light goose-down bedroll... He continued taking out the gear and arranging it on the floor for inspection. Anything torn or missing would be replaced and a repair kit would be included too.

Next was the cooking gear; MSR 12 and 28 ounce fuel bottles (full), multi-fuel stove, three man cook set, titanium utensils... Daniel looked at every item critically as there would be no parts store close by. After that was done came the seasonings and spices- some things you could get off the land while others needed to be brought. Dry pack soup mixes and 'instant' pouches were great additions when one needed a quick hot meal with sustenance. Another zipper pouch revealed a fishing kit, another was water purification. Daniel opened the first aid kit and checked the contents and dates, he'd have to swap out a few 'stale' things like Doxi for infections...

He cast a careful eye on his camp axe. An item he would never be without and in a moment of contemplation, he went into the garage and took out his old trusty machete and take-down re-curve bow. With a simple Allen wrench the bow would fold away nicely in his pack and would save on ammo for hunting....ammo! Daniel snapped his fingers as the meager one pound of iron on his ankle was all but forgotten until that very moment. He reached down and ripped off the Velcro fasteners that held his trusty revolver in place; a Smith and Wesson model 360 snub nose in .357 magnum. The Crimson Trace laser grips activated with a touch and he was satisfied with the brightness. On opening the cylinder he noticed his defense rounds would not be needed. Still out in the garage he grabbed a 50 count box of soft points he had been saving for hunting- a perfect time to use them, although sparingly.

Back in the house, he set out more equipment and went to the kitchen for Ziploc bags. How many times had he forgotten this little detail only to end up with soaked things in the rain. Daniel stopped in his bathroom and took a few hygiene items; soap, toothbrush, paste, floss, toilet paper! He laughed out loud remembering the times when his crew or himself had forgotten that critical roll only to be miserable for days out in the sticks. Well not this time! Two should be plenty for this trip...

Daniel had lined up more things from clothing to small finger-long signaling explosives. But even in the large backpack, there was only so much room. Extra shoes didn't make the cut along with his camping coffee pot- Daniel hated that detail but resigned to pack some Korean instant coffee sticks instead. Speaking of Korean, some of the instant noodles had to be left out as well as some canned sardines.
'There would be fishing in the rivers and streams', He thought to himself as he began to reassemble the gear. Daniel nearly had everything neatly packed up when a thought occurred to him.
'The LED headlight, tent light and shaver ran on AA's and AAA batteries... better bring the solar charger!'

He went over the mental list again and again before taking the pack out and setting it in the back of his Jeep. The bills were paid up online, the post office was called and told to put a hold on mail for the next month, water and electric bills were auto-pay...hmm.
Daniel walked through his house and caught a glimpse of himself on the edge of a plaque he'd been given before retirement, his short cropped brown hair and equally brown eyes looked back at him and twinkled in a smile. He was really looking forward to this!

Once satisfied that his bike was put away, the house was locked up and everything was in its place, he turned over the ignition on the wrangler and set his map out on the passenger seat. It would be easy getting back to Thayer and once there, continue heading North-East until the park turn off showed. Easy.

It took an hour and a half longer to reach Thayer and after getting lunch to go and gasing up, Current River State Park was on the horizon. He glanced at the clock in the dashboard, 5:01 PM. The map wasn't the best and the side roads weren't marked so twice he had to double back and go a little further.
5:45 now and a gate ahead, Daniel slowed the Jeep at the guard shack and stopped for the man in the window.

"I'm here to see Doctor Bruce Wallman or Doctor Anthony Cinders."

"Name please." The guard asked picking up an old school corded phone from the wall.

"Daniel Hopkins."

"Just a minute."

The phone rang up to the main building and the guard conversed with someone on the other side for a brief moment before hanging up.
"Ok Mr. Hopkins, through the gate to the main facility, you can park in any of the visitor spots."

Daniel thanked him and drove through once the gate was opened. Around the corner Daniel spied a well kept area the size of a football field but on two levels. The lower level was the parking and the upper level was the main building. But what caught his eye was a ring structure one fourth sunk into the ground on an outcropping above the parking lot. It glimmered in the sun and he could just make out cables hanging from it, people on ladders and what looked like others talking into radios.

Once the Jeep was parked, Daniel shouldered his backpack and locked the doors. He walked toward the main structure only to have it tower overhead by at least a few telephone pole lengths. There were stairs and also a convenient elevator to the side which he opted for the elevator. The platform was as large as the lower parking lot but incredibly smooth. The entire thing had been built on a rock ledge that gave anyone on it a beautiful view of the State Park that stretched away into the hills. There were massive clusters of cables and wires laying between the building and the metallic ring- some of the wires were laid in troughs sunk into the concrete while others lay haphazardly out of the way of foot traffic.

"Daniel!" A familiar voice called out and caused a couple heads to turn his direction.

He smiled and accepted an out stretched hand of the scientist in a white lab coat, "'evenin' Tony, looks like you guys are pretty busy- are we still on for this?"

Tony motioned for him to follow as he spoke, "Oh yes, we're still on for the trip. I see you are well packed! Good-good... We had a small anomaly come up in a test run this morning so all the techs are looking over a few things; I won't bore you with the techno-babble Dan."

"I don't mind Tony, if it's something you think I should know, I mean you haven't had anyone actually go through with this before I'm assuming?"

Tony led him through the facility and to the staff lounge where Bruce had papers in stacks all over the large conference table.

"Ah Dan! Good to see you! Please- set your gear down for a minute if you want and we'll get you spun up." Bruce's lab coat wasn't as clean as Tony's, in fact, it had a couple of burn marks on it that made Daniel chuckle and he pointed to them.

"To answer your question, no, we have not. Bruce was going to volunteer but being one of the senior staff- well, that got shut off quickly."
Tony noticed the burn marks too and grinned, "Bruce were you playing with the high voltage dumps again?"

Bruce mumbled something about having metal in his pockets while Tony gave Daniel a rundown of the machine. Now he did not confess to be anywhere near tech-savvy but what Tony was outlining was nothing short of Star Trek material. Apparently through their multiple trial and errors, a stable database had been erected to house 'way-points' they could choose from. Getting other coordinates to open was merely a matter of taking one distance minus or plus another and seeing how close they were. It was presumably much more complicated than that but again- Daniel was thinking layman terms.

They walked up to the observation windows that commanded the entire area. Theses were huge ten foot windows tilted outward to give an unrestricted view of the archway. To the rear of the command section were another set of equally huge windows that looked in on the warehouse-like interior where so much hardware was jammed in Daniel could only guess at the electric bill.

"...we had to move the portal gate outside after the Pacific Ocean incident..." Tony was going on to say, but Daniel was watching the movement out on the pad.

The technicians and scientists were unplugging and moving back rolling diagnostic machines in every direction and a red light started flashing on the outside of the building. A radio squawked to life in the command section and Daniel was motioned to a seat.

"You'll want to see this Daniel!" Tony mentioned on the side while talking through the comm set.

Daniel watched as the platform was evacuated and final checks were called in. More men and women in white lab coats filed into the command section, only a few giving him any look. One of those was Shannon. The sun was just setting at the tree line when the word 'Go' was voiced. Several of the workers grabbed yellow lens goggles while other didn't seem to mind. Computers whizzed in the background and a count was started from somewhere in the back of the room.

"Energizing capacity coils... 15, 14, 13..."

Daniel was leaning on the short desk by the window as a soft glow began to envelope the metal ring outside.

"... 12, 11, 10- coordinate sequencing started..."

Electricity pulsed across the smooth mirror finish of the ring and swung to the right and left. A bolt of pure blue lightning arced off the concrete pad and eyes turned from the monitors to ever growing light show outside.

"... 9, 8, 7, 6..."

A physical vibration ran through the building as if a large water pipe had been opened beneath them. At that moment, a flash of white cast shadows on the command section from the windows to the interior. The ring outside now pulsed with a clockwise motion and with every pulse; the duration was longer, brighter and more focused at its center.

"...5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

At the count of one, several things happened that made Daniel now question the sanity of this 'trip'. A pressure wave slammed into the building but for all he could tell it came from the inside too. A few of the scientists were trying to hold down their dinners and one had to use a handy trash can.

The sunset of the day was waning but full on light poured out from the now open portal door. Daniel's eyes had never left it, instead taking in every detail that had happened. The pressure wave, the implosion of light in the center of the ring and what looked like an iris of a camera opening in the center to as large as the ring's interior surface. From the observation windows everyone could see grass and trees just beyond the portal's archway- right where the end of the platform would have been and dropped straight down by a hundred feet!

Breathes were taken by those that didn't know they were holding it, hands were shaken and others quickly moved out of the room to the platform below.

"Just like that..." Daniel mumbled to himself, awestruck.

"Well, Dan," Bruce slapped him on the shoulder, "that was just the test to get the right way-point, we'll close that door and open one for you next- are you ready?"

Daniel exhaled slowly and stood up, "as ready as I'll ever be I suppose."

Bruce, Shannon and Tony had a quick conversation for the re-set team and afterwards led Daniel back to retrieve his heavy pack. Those workers that had gone out onto the platform were recalled as the portal was closed but the power was kept on. Daniel and the three stood just inside the double doors and awaited the PA system to address the next run- they didn't wait long.

"Coordinates entered for live run, standby." The speaker above them chirped and went silent as the glow around the ring pulsed and brightened again.

"Portal opening in 3, 2, 1..."

The flash and pressure wave slammed all the personnel again and Daniel compared it to standing next to a tank firing its main gun- except the blast lasted much longer than last time.

For a moment the Portal lay open but to those looking on, it appeared as though nothing had happened. On the inside of the ring, the light was the same as the sunset in Missouri, except for one small detail- the angle of it was wrong. Bruce pushed open the double doors and escorted the group out onto the pad.
His walkie-talkie sprung to life once he was within view of the command section, "portal gateway is stable Dr. Wallman, and we’ve got green lights across the board."

"Good job command, we're approaching now and will get the observer to view the doorway from the other side."

Daniel and the group stopped just feet from the towering ring that glowed an eerie shade of blue and purple. It almost reminded him of a plasma globe- except this one was flat.

"Daniel, this is your part now, but we need you to do something for us once you are on the other side." Tony motioned for him to walk closer to the portal.
"We need to know what the doorway looks like from the other side and when we close it- what that will look like too."

He shrugged and nodded looking from each of his friends that were making this possible, "well, I guess I'll see you guys in a week, huh?"

They all nodded together.

Daniel adjusted his pack and stepped within a few inches of the two surfaces. One, the concrete pad just below the ring and the other, a finely cut line of grass and dirt just scant inches beyond. He set his jaw and slid a foot right up the grass and dirt and tapped it. When it didn't give or disappear, he put more weight on it. Seemed solid. But that was the thing, his mind was telling him he was at the edge of the platform and where the grass and dirt started- there should only be thin air.

Daniel's eyes didn't lie, the closer he got, he could see to the sides and up at the thick trees overhead. There was no sensation as he planted another step onto the soil.

"Huh!" He almost laughed to himself. Daniel had almost thought there would be more to it. Some kind of weird tunnel effect or maybe him blacking out. Nope, just like walking from the inside of your house through the door to the backyard.
He stepped completely through and turned to see Tony, Bruce and Shannon just a stone's throw away back on the concrete.

"That was too easy Tony!" He called back and set his pack on the ground.

"You don't feel any different there do you?" Bruce asked writing some notes on a clipboard.

"No, feel fine. Temperature seems a little cool but maybe there was a weather front that came through here."

"What does the portal look like from that side?" Bruce asked with anticipation.

Daniel walked to the side and tried to see any lines of demarcation, "well, it's kinda hard to tell in this light but I can't see any 'frame' from this side- like you can on that side. It's just a perfect hole in space!"

Bruce and Tony were both furiously taking notes and Shannon came a little closer to offer a thought, "Daniel, can you find a stick or something there? I want you to try something for me."

It took only a second for him to find a discarded branch as long as his arm and he held it up for her to see.

"Ok, find the boundary of the portal on your side and try to press the branch into it- there should be a heavy repulsion property on that side."

Daniel nodded and drew closer to the edge of the seamless door, but he noticed something immediately. He body was being pushed back gently as if he was walking into a strong wind. He couldn't get the branch within a couple of feet let alone a couple of inches.
Shannon nodded thoughtfully and relayed that detail back to her colleagues.

"Alright!" Bruce stated with enthusiasm, "Daniel, be sure to remember what the door looks like as it closes on your side and mark its location."
His smile was clear even in the failing light, "You have a good time now, and we'll see you in a week!"

"Thanks again fellas, this is going to be great!"

With that, Daniel took a few steps back and dug his foot into the soft earth to make a line. He could hear Tony talk to someone on the radio and they waved to each other.
Daniel watched as the portal's edges became hazy and wavered like a fog machine had turned on. The edges began to curl and shift toward the center until only a couple feet remained opened. And then fast like a clap of thunder, the hole was closed and all that was left was a line in the dirt. Or at least that's what Daniel first thought.

There was just enough light to the see the grass by and the stars overhead began to show. He swung his pack around and dug into the side for his headlight. Finding it and clicking it on, he could now see what the portal had done to the ground... and the trees.
Where ever the outside of the portal had touched, the ground was pushed back and compacted to rock. Daniel pointed the light on a spot and kicked at it with his boot. He might as well have been trying to move a building with Jell-O. He looked up from the perfect ditch to the trees above. Branches and trunks had not been enough to stop the portal from forming. Everything within 30 feet was smashed flat. Daniel would have to remember that, when the portal opened, nothing was safe within that distance.

Digging into a side pouch again, he took out a small roll of florescent orange construction marking take and wrapped the trees closest to the portal and also made a section to look like an arrow to denote the 'front' of the door.
He surveyed his work and for the first time noticed the background sounds of the approaching night.
'Approaching...' Daniel thought to himself, 'it's already night!'
He glanced at his watch and activated the electroluminescence, 1850. He had always thought military time on the 24 hour clock made more since then the AM and PM clock, but it was a rather moot point now.

"Guess I better find a spot to settle for the night before it gets too late." Daniel mused aloud and re-shouldered his pack. The round globe compass attached on a forward strap came into view and he frowned at the plastic ball. The disk inside would shift from North to South and then West... hover for a moment and change back to North.

"Huh, must have screwed up the magnet walking through the portal."

He shrugged and got his bearing in relation to the trees and rutted ground. If he remembered right, the sun had set to the right of the portal as he came through, so facing the trees he should be pointed North. Easy fix.
Daniel looked at his watch and calculated a pace with his stopwatch function, once he was satisfied; he set out East at an easy pace.

He was used to this kind of hiking and but this time he wasn't under fire or part of any covert mission. Daniel slid his machete from the sheath and swung a few times at some opposing bushes. An odd thing came to mind and he stopped after another swing. The night sounds were different than what he remembered. He could hear a few frogs and toads and crickets nearby but something was different... a tickle just out of reach.

Daniel glanced at his watch and noted that he had been walking and chopping now for the better part of an hour. He took a drink from his camel-bak and let his head light fall on the surrounding area. Four miles and not one sign of a hut or dwelling, no smell of smoke or light of fire. He knew he was in Brazil but he didn't think the gateway opened 'that' far off from the Rio Paraguay.
The brush thinned enough ahead to allow him to set his pack down and consider his options. He was really hoping to find water before sleeping and have some dinner but that would have to wait until morning when he could clearly see where he was.

Daniel fanned out an area and began to make camp for the night. He marked a couple more trees with North and East for a heading in the morning. After the chore of tenting setting was complete and had his pack stowed, he cut more of the brush back and made provisions for a fire circle should he need one.

The night was cool but comfortably so; Daniel decided against a fire and clicked on his tent light. Once inside, he made quick work of laying out his bed and undressing to a comfy level. The three man tent had ample space for him alone and could lay out everything on one side without even touching the bedroll.

He set his head lamp to the side and put his revolver up by his pillow, the last thing he needed was for some Jaguar to come along and be snackish...
With a content sign, he turned out the light and let the darkness wash over his senses. In fleeting thoughts he wondered how close he was to the locals and what adventure tomorrow might bring.

Chapter 1: Not Brazil

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An impatience orange pegasus filly paced just inside the wooden walled tree house that sat on the far edge of Sweet Apple Acres. She had gotten an early start and really hoped her friends hadn’t slept in. She went outside to the railing for the hundredth time looking for any sign that the other crusaders would show. So far, this was proving to be a slow morning.

Scootaloo had already told both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom yesterday to meet up extra early today. They had already tried so many fun things to earn their cutie marks that they were turning to drastic measures! Reading more books...
Sweetie Belle had whined the entire time and Apple Bloom didn’t seem to follow how digging up old junk could help them get their cutie marks any faster, but after Twilight caught wind of their literary searching and had given them a synopsis of “Daring Do”- they were hooked.

Scootaloo had borrowed a small pick from Mr. Greenhooves and got jungle expedition hats for each of them from Rarity the day prior. Sweetie Belle was supposed to bring the map and brushes while Apple Bloom was to make sandwiches for everypony and bring a couple shovels from the farm.

Voices from outside made Scootaloo turn her head toward the door and in a flash was outside at the rail. A short distance away were her two comrades for cutie marks- Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

From the distance it looked like they both had packs on and Scootaloo could just make out the wood handles of shovels poking out of Apple Bloom's. Scootaloo hurried inside and shrugged into her own pack with the pick tucked into a side. She flipped an expedition hat onto her head and adjusted it with a hoof. She brought the other two hats down to the ground just in time to meet her friends.

"Hey Scoots! Nice hat!" Sweetie Belle recognized the work and hadn't even seen them at Rarity's before.

"There's one for the each of us," Scootaloo was saying, "and not a moment too soon! What kept you girls?"

Apple Bloom fixed her hat and made a head nodding motion toward white unicorn filly who, on a closer look, appeared very tired.

"I'm sorry Scoots but Rarity was up late working on some dresses and actually asked me to help... well, more stand there or give her things she needed but I didn't get to bed until late so I'm still sleepy."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, "well there's no time for naps now Sweetie! We've got a ways to go and a cutie mark to discover! Did you both get the supplies?"

Apple Bloom nodded, "I gots the two shevals ya asked for and the sammiches but I ain't too certain how long it'll be before muh big bruther comes a lookin' for these."

Sweetie dug into her pack and produced a rolled map which took her and Apple Bloom to hold open. "I hope we can do this before Twilight misses it, I felt bad tearing it out of that book I borrowed but the whole book would have been too heavy to carry!"

The fillies looked at the map for a moment and Scootaloo gave a reassuring smile, "it's perfect! We've never had a real map when we headed into the Everfree Forest before, this should be a piece of cake!"

Sweetie began to put the map away as Apple Bloom pointed out the obvious, "but whut does cake have ta do with arco-ology?"

Scoots facehoofed, "it's just a something I heard Pinkie Pie say, and since we've already tried candy-making it doesn't have anything to do with 'archeology'. And Scootaloo stressed the last word to her.

"Oh right, archeology..."

"Well, just standing here talking about it isn't going to get us any closer to the ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters!" Sweetie Belle observed while motioning for the others to start moving.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders, or CMC for short, started onto a wide path that lead away into the Everfree Forest. Little by little the path shrank and soon they had to walk single file to keep away from the forest closing in on them. But when the path disappeared all together, this time they had a map!

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Elsewhere...

Daniel had rose early with the sun and used a precious amount of water and an instant coffee stick to greet the morning. After heating the coffee over his MSR stove, he stood just outside his tent with a frown on his face. The coffee was less than perfect but that wasn't really the issue. It was the forest! Brazil didn't have any of the vegetation that he had hacked down to put up camp the night prior. And he could have sworn he heard a lion's roar when he awoke... a lion?! In Brazil?!

Things continued to 'not-add-up' when he thought back on the night. He had gotten up in the middle of the night to relieve himself by a tree and not even grabbed his head lamp- the moon and stars were THAT bright! And now that the morning had dawned and the sun was up, 'bright' seemed to define most of the woods. All the leaves, grass, bugs... had an unusually pastel hue to them. It was like he was in a TV set with the color saturation turned way up! He made a mental note to ask about it when he got back to the facility- maybe the portal had messed with his eyes.

Daniel sipped his coffee and noted the time, now 0731. He finished his coffee with a protein bar and broke camp.
Thirty minutes later and he was ready to move. He drew his machete, lined himself up with the markers he put up and started his trek again. Water was high on the priority list right now...

A distant wolf howl gave him pause and he moved his holster from his ankle to his left shoulder strap, 'wolves?! In Brazil?'

Not getting eaten was a little higher on the list than getting water.

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The CMC had been moving along for nearly 3 hours before Apple Bloom asked to pull out the map for a fifth time.

"Ah'm tellin' ya Zecora's place wasn't this far!"

The plan had changed back and forth a dozen times while they walked but all had agreed that at least 'seeing' the zebra's hut would convince them that they were heading the right way. But so far only a wild boar running across their path and some distant howls of timber wolves had even hinted that they were indeed IN the Everfree Forest.

"I'm pretty sure we'll see Rambling Rock Ridge before the ruins at this rate."

Scootaloo was looking over the map and pointed the way they were going, "we're still heading the right direction and Rambling Rock... hey! Did you rhyme like that on purpose Sweetie Belle? 'Cause that was pretty cool!"
They all shared a giggle and put the map away, at any rate they would reach the gorge and be able to tell exactly where they were. They had a map after all.

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Daniel's swing of the blade had become a constant sound next to the random birds that eyed him before retreating a distance. He would take a sip of water and continue and find a small game trail that lead off in his general direction. More than once, he had to stop and listen to the woods around him. From experience he knew that when the forest got quiet something was going down.

Daniel didn't have to wait long before the sound of an animal fight caught his ear. He drew his pistol and stood at the ready by a thick tree listening to the distant calls. It was the wolves, that much was certain. But what else? The more he stood by the more it just sounded like a dog fight... and one that was getting closer!

He holstered his gun and looked up at the towering tree; the limbs were low enough that he could pull himself up without issue. Daniel laid his pack into a fork and stood on a next higher limb for a better view. Maybe a hundred yards away now, the bushes were rocking madly back and forth as the fight rocketed from one place to another. Fifty yards now and the snarls and barks were loud enough to drown out all other thoughts.

Movement from one bush would spark another bout of snarls until another form would rush it and another fight would begin. But watching and listening wasn't the only thing that assaulted his senses as the fighting got closer. Within a stone's throw now and Daniel could smell something fetid, like horrible rotten meat- maybe the wolves were fighting over some food?
He could see the shapes now in the shadow of his tree and with a bit of realization; Daniel noticed none had spotted him.

One of the wolves stepped out of the brush in a perfect profile and Daniel's mouth dropped open at the sight.
'It couldn't be possible... THAT isn't possible...'

The wolf was completely made of sticks, twigs, branches... bits and pieces of wood made up its legs and tail. The wolf's head and body looked to be mostly tree bark and other wide pieces of timber. Each foot or paw had claws, those he could plainly see. But what really caught his attention were the eyes. Not white with iris's like a normal animal but solid yellow and glowing as if of their own right.

Daniel watched it take a step and look back at the bushes, its ears twitched and snarl formed on its wooden face just as another wolf of equal build flung itself out. The two wolves battled right below Daniel for a moment until three more emerged from the thicket to join in the fray.
He was silent during the entire event, never moving a muscle except his eyes. It appeared this one wolf was not welcome or perhaps was part of another pack? He could only guess as the offender snapped a leg off one of the attackers and dove into the bushes heading away.

The injured wolf was down but for merely a moment as the others took off without him. Daniel then witnessed something he would never forget. A light green mist surrounded the parts and pieces that had been snapped off and they began to re-attach themselves in place! It reminded him of the aurora borealis in a sense but nothing he directly saw could explain the magic-like healing he was seeing. Within just a couple minutes the leg was fully restored and the wolf flexed the leg and claw with renewed vigor. It let out an eerie howl and charged into the thicket after its pack.

Daniel waited several long minutes to ensure they were indeed moving in the opposite direction before he crouched down and sat on the limb that held him up. That didn't make a bit of sense, what he just saw shouldn't have been possible. He numbly retrieved his pack and got down out of the tree, his mind in full gear to what had just transpired. His steps took him to a spot where he had just watched the fight. Deep cuts lay in the earth where wooden claws had scrambled for purchase, twigs and branches were torn from the surrounding bushes where the wolves had busted through.

Daniel shook his head with a chuckle; maybe the portal had opened to some sort of weird reality where wolves were made of wood? His feet began to move without really thinking and he trudged down the scant path the wolves had just blazed for him.
"I guess that gives new meaning to the name 'Timber Wolf' doesn't it?" He half joked aloud and took a swing at an offending bush.
That was another nugget he would have to remember for Tony and rest on his return. He paused and glanced back over his shoulder in the direction the Timber Wolves had gone. As long as he didn't run head long into those creatures he should be fine. They looked brittle enough to whack through with his machete or axe but the whole re-building thing he saw made him wish he would have packed a flame thrower instead of his 357.

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The trio of fillies had been moving at a steady pace and had not seen any sign of the Timber Wolves, heard them, but not seen. Distant howls made them quicken their pace and a couple of times sent them into dead sprints. They huffed and puffed until they had calmed down enough to look at the map again and they couldn't believe they had gone THIS long without seeing something! Sweetie Belle was about to protest when the tree line thinned and they could all just make out a far off mountain.

"We made it girls!" Scootaloo brightened and trotted quickly to the forest edge.

Apple Bloom was a close second with Sweetie dragging behind, she was so tired.

"Well, bah the looks of it, ah'd say we came out a bit too far North." Apple Bloom finally said poking a hoof at the map.

"That looks like Rambling Rock Ridge where my sister gets her gems from, but why are we way up this way?" Sweetie Belle observed and looked at the map with Apple Bloom.

"I agree with Apple Bloom," Scootaloo went on to say, "at least we have our bearing now and can easily find the ruins if we head South! Shouldn't be too far at all."

The CMC had always gotten in over their heads on any expedition they set out on and this would prove no different. What felt like another hour saw the three fillies at the edge of the gorge where a rope bridge connected a short distance to the ruins. With shaky first steps, they all managed to cross it without incident and made way directly for the largest structure- the great hall.

The large old oak doors took considerable strength from all three fillies to even budge open enough to wiggle through but once inside they knew this was it. Massive columns that had once held up a majestic ceiling painted with frescoes now was rubble and most of the bits exposed to the weather were long gone. Part of the wall had collapsed in a heap toward the back to create a huge berm that would be quite unsteady to try and climb- and of course this is where they would start first. A good portion of the tower was still standing defiantly against time but for now it would serve as a cool spot to rest and eat a bite before they got started.

Scootaloo had finished her sandwich quickly and was already arranging the tools and brushes. They had read in one of Twilight's books that once you dig up an artifact you were supposed to carefully brush all the dirt off of it so a museum could put it on display- too easy! As the girls ended their meals and looked for a suitable place to start digging, something else was doing some digging but this kind of searching wouldn't be for a cutie mark.

Outside the ruins, on the other side of the gorge, a lone timber wolf stood on the edge of the tree line and idly inspected a set of hoof prints in the shaded earth. This wolf was joined by another and another, the group sniffed the ground tentatively and a low growl was passed between them. They had been working hard most of the day to run off an intruding timber wolf and now they were hungry. And by the smell of the tracks, only young fillies had come this way... perfect.

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Daniel had popped out of the tree line some distance away and once again was staggered by what he saw. A long drop off the edge by at least 200 feet and no where to climb down or circle around.
How was there a gorge in this area of Brazil?! He set his pack down and peered over the edge. There was running water down there but no way to get to it. Was that the Rio Paraguay? It wasn't at the bottom of a chasm last time he saw it and he doubted that this could have happened over seven years.

He took off his olive drab colored boonie hat and ran a hand through his short hair. None of this made a lick of sense to him and he took off his m-framed sunglasses to wipe them. In an instant, out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of light like a reflection from a mirror. He instinctively dropped to the ground by his pack and put back on his sunglasses and hat. What could that have been?

Daniel cursed under his breath for exposing himself in the open like he did and managed to low crawl with his pack in tow back to the tree line. He used the cover of the massive trees to round a bend that had previous been hid from view. His next curse wasn't loud but he knew at that very moment he wasn't anywhere near Brazil.
Before him, just on the other side of the gorge, lay aging castle ruins and off to the left- high up on a standing tower- a glint of glass shined in different directions.

Where was he? The thought of a completely foreign land was both exhilarating and slightly horrifying. He couldn't think of any countries he had been through where he had seen castle ruins in the middle of the woods. He stepped out and walked the bend keeping an eye on the gray structures just over the gorge. Sweden had quite a few medieval castles scattered all over the countryside as well as Ireland- wasn't there some stuff like that around the Czech Republic? Daniel shook his head and caught sight of the rope bridge that spanned the gap.

As he approached he noticed how worn it was, not from any traffic but time. The main suspension lines were frayed in some spots and completely unraveled in others. The anchor pylons were stone formations embedded into the cliffs edge on both sides. Daniel slapped a hand against them and smirked at their solidness. The boards were closer spaced for foot traffic then they should have been but maybe whoever used this bridge wheeled carts across it too. It seemed a bit narrow for that but at the moment he was taking most oddities with a grain of salt.

Daniel set his pack down and edged out a couple of steps onto the bridge before he was satisfied it would hold all his weight. On retrieving his pack, he noticed something else in the soft earth where he had set his pack. Hoof prints...
There were a few prints and not very deep indicating that these were either small pack ponies or being led by someone? He scratched his head and tried to figure the number of them... three, maybe four? There were also other tracks alongside them, ones he recognized from earlier. The timber wolves.

Daniel quickly reasoned against using his firearm for possibility of retaliation from the locals. He didn't want to show up asking for help only to get shot if he was wielding a gun openly. He replaced the holster on his ankle and opened his pack for an item he had not used in a while, well, since the last bow hunting season anyway. The re-curve was quick and light and saved on his limited supply of .357. Only seven arrows would fit on the side lashings of his pack and he drew two and screwed in their single blade broad-heads. If the wolves were going to be a problem maybe he could get off a shot before things got out of control.

Daniel knew these wolves were bad news, that much was certain about this crazy land. And if they were following those horses, whoever they belonged to would need some help.

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What had started as a fun treasure hunt was anything but fun after only a short time on the other side of the collapsed wall. The ground was thoroughly compacted from years of settling and none of the crusaders had the body weight to properly use the shovels. The pick, on the other 'hoof', was neck breaking work for each of the fillies in turn. Scootaloo was the first to give it a go and nearly got a foot of earth moved before she passed it off. Apple Bloom fared a little better as she was used to working hard on the farm, between hers and Scoots' efforts a whaping 3 feet of soil had been pushed aside. While this was going on, Sweetie Belle had been meticulously sifting through the dirt and using a brush she had 'acquired' from Rarity. It was actually a make-up brush and the bristles were much too fine for the work she was trying to do.

"Whew! If we end up gettin' our cutie marks from this, it's gotta be the hardest work we've ever had ta do!" Apple Bloom stated taking a breather from swinging the pick. A consolation from the work was that the shadow of the tower fell over them and kept the sun from its direct heat. Regardless, they were getting wore out and it was Sweetie's turn on the pick while Scoots and Apple Bloom gave the brushes a try.

Sweetie had taken a couple of practice swings before giving the pick a hard strike into the earth. The point dug in and she had to use her whole body as leverage against the handle.

The next hit jarred her mouth, "Owf! Hof ahf woo abble tuh swhing whis?!"

Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave her an odd look and voiced in unison, "whaaat?"

Sweetie spit the handle out of her mouth, "I said, how are you able to swing this? It has to be the hardest thing ever!"

Scoots rolled her eyes and went back brushing a very uninteresting looking rock and Apple Bloom just tossed another hoof-sized chunk of debris to the side. Sweetie picked back up the pick and tried again.
Scootaloo had changed her sitting position slightly and in that moment was very glad and terrified she did. There were sparse trees and bushes behind the tower and she froze with wide eyes.

Two yellow dots of unnatural light were looking straight at her. They blinked and another pair illuminated close by. Apple Bloom had noticed Scootaloo stop and stare behind her and was about to say something when a stench hit her nose.

"Whut in all'ah Equestria..." but the question hung in her throat and the smell was forgotten as she saw the two pairs of yellow eyes now joined by a third.
They were both visibly shaking as their hooves refused to move, their voices equally lost as a timber wolf materialized from the brush not 30 feet away. Sweetie Belle had been trying her hardest with the pick and upon seeing her friends out of the corner of her eye rooted to their spots, she dropped the pick while turning, "What is going...AAaaahhhhh!"

The scream was loud enough to rouse both petrified fillies from their spots and they rocketed into the air and onto the berm of stones and rubble. The shriek had caused the wolves to pause but soon all three stepped out and casually made their way to the site where the girls were trying desperately to scramble away. But panic, smooth weathered stones and hooves don't mix well and the wolves clued in on it quickly... as did another observer.

Daniel had heard talking and was about to shout out a greeting when he saw 'what' had done the talking.

"Ponies..." His mouth moved over the word a couple times and it didn't get better with use. 'Young ponies' clicked in his mind a second later after listening to the conversation. He shook his head and was about decided on not getting involved here, that was until two of the three froze and eyed a spot 15 yards from his perch. When the white one screamed and Daniel saw the wolves walk out into the clearing, he sighed.

"So much for not getting involved..." He muttered nocking an arrow and drawing the bow in a practiced motion. There were too many questions that would be left unanswered had he simply walked away. And Daniel was not one to walk away from a fight. In fact, Daniel could kill a man in a fair fight, or if he thought another man was going to start a fair fight. He let out a breath slowly and took aim on the last wolf to exit the bushes and let his arrow loose.

The wolf had just rounded a tree when the arrow struck it broad side and pushed the creature toward the trunk of the tree from the blow. It let out a yelp of surprise and merely looked around for its attacker. Daniel had already strung his second arrow and took aim when it spotted him. The timber wolf's howl was cut short by another missile striking it in the neck. Both arrows had passed through and effectively pinned it to the tree. The other two wolves turned from their prey to their stuck pack mate in confusion. Daniel unclasped his machete and axe and stood in the shadows.

The two timber wolves saw this and growled loudly which made the girls climb faster but more foolishly. Sweetie Belle's stone jumping ability was not as good as the others and a slip near the top sent her over backward by two body lengths. Her friends had reached the top just in time to see her fall backwards, bounce and wedge a rear hoof in between two large wall sections with a sickening snap. Sweetie Belle's world exploded in pain as she hung to one side by a broken leg and she screamed again.

One of the wolves turned back to the now disabled Sweetie while the second moved in-between them and Daniel. But he had no intentions of letting something happen now. With the axe in his left and machete in his right, he stepped out onto the battlefield to meet his unworldly opponent. The timber wolf growled and snapped as Daniel poked at it with the axe head. Thinking the extension was part of the intruder, the wolf clamped down hard on it with murderous intent. Daniel merely lunged forward with the machete and drove it through the wood and bark of its shoulder. The timber wolf's eyes widened at the strike and it stumbled to the ground. Daniel used his heel for leverage and curb-stomped the blade the rest of the way through with a loud 'CRACK!'

The timber wolf stuck to the tree bucked and thrashed against it and the offending arrows but to no avail. The carbon fiber shafts held fast.
Daniel kicked the remaining pieces of the downed wolf and its head splintered by the effort. He dislodged his axe and spied the third wolf still approaching the wounded filly. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were still on top of the pile and had been riveted to their spots, completely unable to move at the appearance of the tall, two-legged monster that was dealing death to the timber wolves. They wanted to help Sweetie Belle, they just had to! But two great fears were battling just below and even the cries of their friend couldn't move them.

Daniel was secretly grateful for the constant cries that were pouring out of the little white pony. Sure, he noted with a wince, that her predicament wasn't idle but he had to kill the wolves first. Daniel quickened his pace now that the wolf was mere feet from the trapped filly and with a leap, his axe found the back of timber wolf with a loud THUD! The axe was stuck in the middle of the wolf's back and it wholly flung itself at Daniel in a surprise twist. He had just enough time to bring the machete up to meet jagged wooden teeth. The flat of the blade his the wolf's jaw with a hollow chop as both opponents backed up to gauge the other.

Daniel switched hands on his machete and bent down in a crouch. The timber wolf, thrown off balance by the axe lodged in its back stumbled to the side and mustered a wicked snarl before charging head on.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom watched the scene unfold before them not really understanding what was happening. The wolf's lounge was mighty but the pale monster had something in his right paw before the wolf had left the ground. With a small extension of what looked like his fore leg, the monster held out a small black object. Just before the wolf collided, Chaos!

An explosion of sound and light shocked the area and caused the wolf's body to bust from the inside out. Fragments showed the monster and he rolled to one side in a heap. The timber wolf stuck to the tree watched in dumb fascination as his pack mate's pieces and parts were scattered to the wind. Sweetie Belle, her whimpering still on the edge of hearing, had seen it through tear soaked eyes.

Daniel dusted himself off, replaced the gun and picked up his axe from in front of him. His eyes locked on those yellow orbs of the last wolf and he almost felt sorry for it not being able to fight back... almost.
He hefted the axe back in a mighty swing and caught the last offender below the ear and above the jaw severing the head in two hemispheres. The axe sunk into the tree with a "thunk" and the moment the blow was delivered, the timber wolf ceased to be.

The ringing in his ears quieted and the constant sobs of the little white horse reminded him of why he got involved. Daniel hadn't looked up high enough to see the other two watching him but instead had his eyes fixed on the injured one. He had decided to help it.
'It? Hmm, those screams and sobs sounded quite female- perhaps that was a safe bet.'

Sweetie Belle could see the monster clear enough through her tears to know it was looking at her, but what could she do? In a feat of strength she tried to pull herself up and out of the crack that held her mangled leg but her fore hoofs found no purchase on the smooth stone. Dropping her body weight back on the injured limb only made her cry harder. But for all her effort she had lost sight of the two legged monster, her sobs stuck in her throat as it loomed within reach of her and she knew this was the end. She would die broken and without her cutie mark and her friends... surely they would see this monster devour her.

But just as the end was upon her with eyes screwed tightly shut, a voice spoke out and through the pain. Deep and caring, something was touching her, lifting her body. The claws! The monster's claws... didn't hurt her?

"Shh, shh, I've got you little one. I'm not going to hurt you..." Daniel was saying in his most caring tone he could muster.

The white pony's purple and pink mane fell to the side as he lifted her twisted leg from between the two boulders and he saw the single short horn on its head.

"A unicorn?" Daniel's voice was calm but unbelieving.

He took her over to the tree shade near his pack and set her gently on the grass. Daniel took a knee next her and spoke softly, "Listen to me now, if you promise not to move I'll try to fix up your leg alright?"
His mind blocked the fact that he was talking and asking a question to a little white unicorn but he understood the answer through the sobs.

"I- I pr- *sob* promise."

A simple answer and Daniel nodded. On standing he went to his pack and unhooked his first aid kit and went about looking for some suitable splinting materials. He snapped his fingers and Sweetie Belle jumped slightly at the noise. Daniel walked out to where his fights had taken place and picked through the debris of the fallen timber wolves. He grabbed a couple of very straight and sturdy pieces of timber and picked up his machete with them.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had climbed down to the side of the berm and were now watching the pale monster with concern. How would they get to Sweetie now? It looked like he tried to talk to her over in the shade but they couldn't hear what was said. Maybe if they threw some rocks at it and got him to chase them, maybe Sweetie could get away! But they both looked over the wrecked pieces that were once the timber wolves- if that monster could do that, what terrible things could he do to a pony? A cry escaped Apple Bloom's mouth as she saw it pick up the wood pieces and the wicked long blade, was it going to eat Sweetie?!

Scootaloo looked on in desperation for some idea to come to her; some thought that would save them, only tears would come. Apple Bloom moved hesitantly at first once the monster's back to them, then stepping out in the open with tears streaming down her face, she couldn't just give up on Sweetie like that, not after all they had been through. Scootaloo saw it too and joined her out in the open, they had to do something.

Daniel had what he needed and knelt down beside the white unicorn pony and drew the machete against the wood to shave off any burrs or rough spots. The pony's sobs had quieted considerably but pain was still etched in its face. Daniel noticed her eyes watching his every move as he dug into the olive drab nylon first aid bag with a red cross on the front of it and he produced a roll of elastic wrapping and some other thick gauze. Sweetie noticed that and knew what it was. Perhaps, just maybe- her life wasn't over.

A small sound from behind him broke his concentration and Daniel turned to be surprised again. A butter yellow pony with a magenta colored mane and tail and a red bow behind its head and a carrot orange pony with a light purple mane and tail were standing halfway to him from the ruins, each with tears in their eyes and running down their faces. Daniel was about to speak when the little yellow one beat him to it.

"P-please... d-don't *sob* h-hurt S-s-sweetie Belle..."

Scootaloo was trying her best to put on a hard front but her eyes betrayed her. Seeing Sweetie in such pain and recalling what she had just witnessed was too much to make her voice form words. Instead, she stood boldly by Apple Bloom, shoulder to shoulder as she was able to find her voice.

Daniel looked back at the white unicorn with a softened expression, if these were kids... just- foals, he knew it was taking some guts for those two to come out of hiding and confront him.

"Sweetie Belle is it?" Daniel's voice was calm and gently toward her and she lifted her head to him. Large eyes filled with expression, intelligence... pain. Daniel wasn't beyond all compassion.

"Your friends are concerned," he paused to pick out some water-proof tape, "you should call them over to comfort you."

Sweetie's mouth quivered slightly, she really needed her friends close. The monster hadn't done anything aggressive toward her and even seemed to care and wanted to help her, but having it this close was scary.

"S-Scootaloo?" she weakly called out, "Apple B-Bloom?"

Daniel moved to the side so they could see what was going on. The two now stopped just out of reach and watched wide eyed as his hand moved.

"Sweetie Belle?"

She looked away from her friends to him again. Both the new comers watched every detail as he spoke and moved.

"I want to help you but I need to set your leg, it’s going to hurt... a lot."

There was a hesitation there but her friends had moved in closer to her head and back trying to calm her with nuzzles and light touches.
Daniel was about to start when he spied a small piece of wood about as round as his thumb and twice as long- he picked it up and brushed it off, she would probably need a mouth guard for what he was about to do.

"Sweetie, one more thing.." Daniel held up the hard wood piece and explained further, "you will need this."

He mimed holding it in his mouth and gently reached down to her head for her to take it. Sweetie paused and looked at her friends hoping they would offer some insight or direction but both of them were still shaking and neither said a word besides a worried look.
Sweetie accepted the thick stick and used a hoof to position it in her teeth, she looked back at the hulking figure, a sob escaping around the stick.

"I know you are scared," Daniel started in a non-threatening tone, "but you all need to be strong for each other right now."
He looked at each of them in the eyes and gently placed a hand on Sweetie's mane and gave it a smooth stroke.

"Be calm and I'll have this done quickly..."

Sweetie felt his claw touch her neck and smooth down her mane in a most calming manor. Again, his touch was gentle and didn't hurt her. She appreciated that when she was in so much pain.
A moment later and both his claws were on her leg and she inhaled sharply at the touch.

"Don't tense up Sweetie... this will only take a moment."

Daniel's eye could see where the leg was broke but he silently hoped it was only one break and nothing internal was damaged. With his hands on her leg he gently followed the bone and pressed ever so slightly where the clean white skin had already started to form a nasty purple bruise. She was trembling so he would have to be quick...
'Looks like a simple fracture and had not broken the skin, good' he thought while moving his hand around the backside ready for a push.

"On three, one, two..." Daniel gave the bone a shove and he felt the click of it move back into place. At the same time Sweetie had screwed her eyes closed and screamed around the wood bit. Her breath came in gasps and she cried in spite of herself.

"Three..." Daniel breathed a sigh of relief knowing he could immobilize the leg to keep it from moving until better help could be had. He placed the thick gauze pieces above and below the break and the joint and taped them in place. Next, he set the two wood splints on the inside and out and taped them temporarily. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had stopped crying and were watching with horrid fascination at the procedure.

Daniel began to wrap the entire splint and finished it with more tape. The cream colored ace wrap looked dirty against the unicorn's white coat but that was neither here nor there. He lightly cradled her hoof in his hand and reached up to take the wood from her mouth noting the deep bite marks in it.
Sweetie Belle's breathing had slowed a little and the pain had dulled from death to just barely tolerable.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm done wrapping your leg but I need you to try to move your foot."

They all looked at him in confusion until it dawned on Daniel, "I mean you hoof, can you move it? Does it feel numb?"

She looked back at her hoof still in his hand and tried to move it, it twitched at first and then she bravely tried again when the pain didn't flare up.

"OK, that's good enough for now." Daniel looked over the trio with some respect. They had just survived something very traumatic and they were managing to keep it together. However young these little ones were, he would sure like to meet whoever raised them.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom watched the pale figure stand and tower over them in thought and turn away to where it had defeated the timber wolves. They gingerly pulled Sweetie Belle into a hug and whispered among themselves on what to do.

Daniel walked out to the tree where the first creature had been pinned and retrieved his arrows. They were OK from the fight but the shafts were scraped and roughed up. Should still fly straight enough...
The axe took a bit of coaxing to remove but gave with a bit of elbow grease. Once he had collected his gear, Daniel returned to his pack and put the items away. He looked over at the three fillies huddled together and thought of something to break the ice. It would be a gamble but the water didn't figure to last longer than a couple of days at any rate.

He pulled out his stainless half mug and carried it and the pack over to where Sweetie lay in the grass. Heads turned to watch him as he carefully took a seat an arms length away and pulled the drinking line from the camel bak. Daniel couldn't help but smile as the sound of water tinkling into the mug drew the ears of all three. He hadn't known they came without water but the guess was no less accurate. Scootaloo licked her lips lightly and Apple Bloom's eyes moved from the pack to the water and the small mug.

Daniel held out the cup to them and when no one moved, he took a drink himself. This seemed to convince Apple Bloom who hesitantly stepped from around Sweetie to within a couple of hoofs of the monster. She summoned all her courage as she came right up to the mug and looked down in it, just water. If the creature had wanted to hurt her, it had ample opportunity to. She sat back on her haunches and reached out to take the mug in her hooves. The little silver mug felt strange to her and she smelled the water, then took a small sip. Her eyes widened at the taste! It was so clean, crisp and almost sweet. Apple Bloom tossed back the mug with gusto and held it back out with a little more confidence.

Daniel had watched the whole thing carefully and note how the little bright-eyed pony carefully took the mug and after a sample, seemed to fully approve.

"Do you think your friends would like some too?" Daniel asked with a light smile.

Apple Bloom flinched at the sound of his voice but smiled at that and looked over her shoulder at Scootaloo," it's water Scoots, and it shur is good!"

Daniel could barely believe his ears. This little one spoke with a southern accent that reminded him of home. He refilled the mug and offered it to the approaching orange filly. She took a seat beside the yellow one and in like manner took the mug for a drink.
When she tilted the mug back, Daniel noticed something he hadn't seen before- this one had wings! Little wings, but maybe that was because of how small she was.

He took the mug back from her out stretched hooves and began to fill it again. They were getting more comfortable with him this close so maybe they would talk to him a little.
"You know," Daniel started in a conversation like tone, "there aren't any pegesus or unicorns back where I live, this must be a very special place."

Scoots and Apple Bloom exchanged a look and even Sweetie had perked up at hearing that.

"No pegesi or unicorns? Where're ya from?" The little yellow filly inquired.

"I'm from the United States, but I don't think that has much meaning here." Daniel mused and looked down at the mug, "would one of you like to give this one to Sweetie Belle? She probably needs a drink too."

Apple Bloom took the mug full of water and balanced it on one hoof while she went over and helped Sweetie to a sitting position so she could drink it. Although still in pain, she looked a little more relieved and thankful for the water.

"Thank you Mister," she began in a small voice, unsure as to the 'monster's' gender. When it didn't correct her, they all took note of that.

"You're quite welcome little one, " Daniel took the mug back from Apple Bloom and took another long drink himself, the water was almost out.

"Can I uh, ask you a question now that all the excitement is over?" Scootaloo looked up at the creature with some trepidation.

Daniel raised a brow over his sunglasses but his boonie hat hid the expression, "only if I get to ask you one too."

"That sounds fair enough," Scootaloo said glancing at Sweetie, "I guess the first thing I should ask is, 'what' are you?"

He took his sunglasses down to reveal his eyes and also removed his hat. The three pony's eyes looked big enough to fall out. He chuckled at that.
"Well, simple enough, I'm a human. A male human of 41 years old." Daniel grinned as the answered didn't really help them but gave him an opening to ask one of his own.

"Now I'll ask you one. I know Sweetie Belle's name because you called her that when I got her out of the rubble. But I don't know the names of you two."

Scootaloo brightened at that, "I'm Scootaloo but my friends call me Scoots for short! And this here's Apple Bloom, her sister Apple Jack has an orchard on the other side of Ponyville!"

Daniel blinked at that, there was a town called Ponyville?! Ugh...

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Daniel said, appearing as nonchalant as he could, "my name is Daniel, or Dan for short."

Even Sweetie Belle perked up despite herself at hearing he had a name, by golly what a concept! Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked like they were going to rush in and start pounding him with questions at any moment; the amount of restraint they were showing was torture.

"Daniel! Ah like that name!" Apple Bloom beamed with new confidence. "But if yur from that place, the United States er whatever, how did yall end up here?"

Daniel placed his glasses in his hat and set it down on the glass beside him, "well, I'm not sure how much I can tell you Apple Bloom, I mean- 'this'," Daniel waved his hand at the area, "wasn't where I was supposed to go."

"What do you mean? Are you lost?" Scootaloo caught on quick.

"You're pretty sharp kiddo, yeah, you could say I'm lost here. At least for a week."

"W-what happens a-after a week?" Sweetie Belle found her voice and was determined to be part of the conversation.

Daniel leaned back on his pack and idly plucked some grass, "I have to go back I suppose. This was going to be a vacation for me." He gave them a shrewd smile, "I didn't really come here looking to fight those wolves...or even know that they could exist."

"Timber wolves are terrible!" Apple Bloom interjected and on thinking about it, deflated noticeably. "Ah guess we really should be thankin' ya for saving us there. If yew hadn't show'd up when ya did..." She trailed off as the tears started to return and her little chest heaved a sob.

"I really thought Sweetie was a goner, you saved all our lives!" Scootaloo managed to hold back her own emotion on it, but just barely.

Daniel saw Sweetie was on the verge of another waterfall decided to change tack, "Now, now girls cut out the water-works. We can't fix the problem here if you're gonna start balling your eyes out."

The fillies looked as if he had threatened to take away their favorite stuff teddy bear- 'nice going Dan, you knuckle head, they are just kids for heaven's sake!'

"You're welcome," Daniel said finally with a deep sigh, "I'm glad I was able to help you. And if this forest is as mean as this," he jerked a thumb back at the scattered sticks again, "perhaps I should walk you home. That is, if you want the company."

Daniel hadn't immediately thought about it but seriously doubted that Sweetie could walk very far, let alone make a run for it if anymore timber wolves decided to show.

Scoots and Apple Bloom agreed and continued to watch Daniel in captive curiosity. The way he moved, his eyes, his short cut 'mane'. The questions began again as the company got more comfortable. Things like, why are they called 'hands' and not 'claws', did Daniel have any 'foals' of his own (it took him a minute to put two and two together and figure out that was their word for kids). And he learned quite a bit too. The girls were known as the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' or CMC for short and were constantly trying to earn their cutie marks. Daniel found the explanation lacking on just how a colorful tattoo just 'appears' on a pony's flank. His confusion prompted Scootaloo to point to the spot on Apple Bloom's top hind leg where the mark would just appear- when she found her special talent of course. Daniel decided to ask about that another time.

The CMC had tried many things prior to their trek across the Everfree Forest, a name Daniel made a mental note of, and to the ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters, where they currently sat. The land that stretched from mountain to shore was Equestria. Daniel found that, and most of the other names amusing since they all seemed to be horse puns, Scootaloo, who was currently talking didn't seemed phased in the slightest.

"And then there's Canterlot where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna rule from..." Apple Bloom was taking over this bit and told of how these two 'alicorns', that's a unicorn with pegesus wings, raised and lowered the Sun and Moon everyday.
Daniel sat up at hearing that. Until that point, he had suspected some measure of supernatural elements here- especially after what he saw with the timber wolves. But for two alicorn 'sisters' to be so powerful as to affect the Sun and the Moon?

That would explain a few things especially with the intensity of the Moon and stars his first night. Also, as the girls explained, only unicorns and alicorns could use magic- alicorns being the most powerful of course. For every question Daniel asked he got at least five answered while the questions the girls asked were more basic- who made your clothes, why do you wear so much, why was that water so good and what's in the pack? Daniel wasn't about to let the two able-bodied crusaders into his back pack but they remained optimistic as the day wore on.

And speaking of day, Daniel glanced at his watch for the time and noticed that he had missed lunch and it was now in the afternoon. Of course, they wanted to see the watch and giggled when it beeped at them. Daniel dug into his pack for another food bar and stood to stretch a little. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom didn't shy away from his six foot figure this time but rather watched as he reached down to pluck up his shades and place them back on his face. The sun wasn't as hot as it could be and clouds were building for what looked like an afternoon storm.

"What do you say I help you gather up your things you brought so we can get Sweetie Belle to some proper care..."

That had been a wise card to use in motivating the two fillies to keep things in perspective. They found their dig site easily enough and started to gather what little they had brought with them. The brushes, shovels, pick... Daniel eyed these pieces carefully as he helped pack them into Scootaloo and Apple Bloom's packs. The shovels were polished and quite sturdy meaning they had smith shops and forges, the pick and shovels were all hardened steel meaning they had knowledge of metallurgy and chemistry. The brushes, which Scootaloo picked up with her teeth to put away, had a certain delicate air to them- almost like they were meant for makeup? Daniel could only guess at that point.

Daniel found and dusted off three safari style hats that he stared at for a moment and looked back at the two fillies strapping on their packs. He was surprised at the quality of the hats and found it odd that such fine work would have been just handed out to 'children'. Sweetie's pack was picked up from the ground and Daniel had a sudden flashback of his fight. He had been lucky, attacking the three wolves like he did- the little pack in his hand flared something in his mind and he fought back an inkling of PTSD.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were ready and saw Daniel staring at Sweetie's pack in his hand, his mouth moved slightly but no words came out.

"Daniel? Are you OK?" Scoots asked taking a couple steps toward him.

Daniel blinked his eyes and looked up and around at the area, "yeah, I'm fine...", he gave a light laugh, "guess I got darn lucky with those timber wolves ya know. Looking back on it so soon..."
He met both of their eyes with a weak smile and pushed the thoughts away, "let's put this place behind us, what do you say?"

Scootaloo nodded and Apple Bloom trotted to Sweetie Belle who was now in and out of consciousness with the lack of adrenaline.

"Sweetie? A-are ya OK, what..." Her question was lost to Sweetie's groan and near exhausted state.

Apple Bloom turned to look at Daniel who was approaching with eyes on Sweetie, "she will be a-alright, won't she?"

Daniel bent down and put a hand on her forehead and a hand on her side. He knew the signs of shock all too well- cool clammy skin or in Sweetie's case a sweaty coat, rapid shallow heart beat, weak breathing...
He nodded at Apple Bloom, "she isn't good Apple Bloom, she's exhausted and in shock." Daniel thought a moment about something they really needed, "we'll need to get to a place she can get help.."

She made a motion to the pack Daniel had in his hand and she dug into it producing a map. Daniel was pleasantly surprised by its detail and craftsmanship- and it was apparently out of a book by the jagged left side. Scootaloo had joined them and pointed a hoof toward Zecora's hut on the map, supposedly this was the three-quarter point where Sweetie Belle could get some kind of attention.

"Zecora's a zebra that lives in a hut there, she makes all these potions and stuff so she's gotta have something we can use." Scootaloo was saying while Daniel studied the map more closely.

If the ruins they were in was to scale on the map, which did appear that way, this 'Zecora' should be truly three-quarters of the way back through the forest. By the looks of it and as best he could figure, Daniel realized he must have stepped through the portal near the southern edge of Everfree. It was actually a fairly large forest with a river bisecting it at odd intervals.
'Huh,' he thought to himself, 'how did I manage to miss the river?'

Satisfied with the direction and taking Sweetie Belle to see Zecora looked to be the best option for now.

"Apple Bloom, can you carry Sweetie's pack for her?"

She took it without hesitation and watched as Daniel replaced his weird floppy hat and began to shrug into his own large backpack. To the girls the pack was huge and they wondered how he didn't fall over from the shear size of it. But Daniel had much practice with similar weight and the next feat would be no different.

Scootaloo looked on at Sweetie before realization dawned on her, "ya-you're going to carry her?"

Daniel took a knee beside Sweetie's back and began to gently scoop up the battered filly, "unless you have a better idea Scoots," and he said with a grunt at standing back up, "I don't think either of you could carry Sweetie all the way and keep her hurt leg from getting banged up anymore."

Scootaloo had to grudgingly agree and Apple Bloom started to lead the way from the ruins toward the rope bridge path. Daniel's pack 'had' been heavy before, but it was a different kind of weight. The kind you don't mind carrying when your life depended on it. Now, with a little pony in his arms and depending on him to get her to safety- Daniel was glad that he kept up his work out routine.

None of the trio were particularly small, he guessed it was an age thing like with humans, but each of them had only come up to his thigh which was only a mere three feet if that. Weight-wise... he had to guess Sweetie was in the neighborhood of 50 to 60 pounds. Not unlike some large dogs from back home. The combined weight wasn't unruly to carry but Daniel was sure he'd need a break before they arrived at their destination.

On rounding a blind corner to the bridge, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stopped dead in their tracks, and even took a step back which caused Daniel to stop short nearly bumping into them.
What they thought was going to be an easy way out was blocked by yet another timber wolf. Daniel frowned and step his jaw, "these guys just don't give up do they?"

The two fillies looked up at him as he took a step past them, "what are you doing?!" Scootaloo's voice nearly cracked while trying to stay quiet.

Daniel's voice was so calm that it gave Scootaloo a rush of confidence, "the rest of his pack are gone, and if it tries anything on the bridge I'll kick it into the gorge."

With him now leading the way, the two were brief steps behind. The wolf stood defiantly right on the edge of the cliff on the forest side and Daniel walked right up between the pylons on the ruins side. He had a notion that this one was the 'backup' should these three make it away from the group and break for the bridge. They hadn't counted on Daniel getting into the mix and they paid dearly for it.

He looked down at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and made a motion for them to take Sweetie Belle which they did with caring hooves. Daniel set his pack down and rolled his neck slightly going over things in his mind. No blades, don't want to risk cutting any of the ropes, don't waste the ammo... don't loose the axe off the bridge. Yep, it was time to refresh his hand to hand combat skills.

Daniel tossed his hat to the pack and took a single step out on the bridge.

The wolf took a firm step onto the bridge and Daniel narrowed his eyes- he took two more.

The timber wolf growled and stepped again and again, it's eyes daring this creature to taunt him further.

"Your packmates are dead!" Daniel jeered at his opponent, not even sure it could understand. It didn't matter anyway, he just needed to see two things for this to work out. One, that the timber wolf was committed and two, he could get it to attack first.
"You just keep coming and I'll send you to meet them."

The snarl that followed as Daniel took another step made Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shrink back as they held Sweetie close. How could Daniel face a timber wolf without any weapons at all?!

The wolf advanced again and began to crouch and Daniel moved another foot forward and brought his arms up defensively.
"You've only got one shot at me bark-butt, you better make it count!"

The words incensed the wolf and it made a move, quick and low with mouth gaping and claws out. Daniel twisted to protect his groin while throwing his knee up in a Muay Thai strike. The side of the wolf's jaw caught his light-weight cargo pants and ripped a gash in them and his leg but that was the extent of it. The blow from Daniel's knee had hit just behind the ear and shocked the creature enough for a second strike to follow. His boot heel came down with the weight of the wolf and splintered one of its legs. Perhaps the same one that broke earlier?

Daniel's momentum was temporarily slowed as the wolf caught a couple of vertical ropes and struggled in vain to get a leg back up onto the bridge walkway boards. Daniel kicked out with his good leg and the wolf began to fall, which in turn left him with no balance. His left foot slipped to the side and he found air to be the next thing rushing to meet him.

"Daniel!"

The two screams made him look down as the timber wolf tumbled into the jagged rocks and water below. Oddly enough, Daniel didn't feel like he was falling anymore. He adjusted his sunglasses from where they were about to fall off and looked skyward at the bridge. Where his foot had slipped off, it had gone between the lashings that held the foot boards in place and held him there even upside down.

He hooked his other leg over the board and sat up to grab the rope railing. He spied the little faces of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom peering over his pack and he gave them a small wave.

"Dan you're alright!" Scoots jumped over the pack with a huge smile, "you had us worried for a second there, we thought you went off the bridge with that timber wolf!"

Daniel eased himself back up onto the bridge proper and unhooked his boot, "almost took a long walk off a short pier but he lost in the end..."

Scootaloo's smile faltered at seeing Daniel inspect his leg where the wolf had gotten lucky with its teeth.

"You're hurt? Are you going to be alright?"

Daniel patted the filly on the head in passing, "I've had bigger scratches on my eyeball."

Apple Bloomed looked horrified at that remark, "is that why ya wear those sunglasses?"

He dug into his first aid kit and took out some gauze and antiseptic wipes, who would have thought he would have used the kit this much on a vacation?

"Huh?" Daniel ripped the hole just a bit wider to inspect the cuts- not too deep but would need a wrap. "No, I wear these because it's bright outside... you thought I meant..." Daniel smirked, "that's just a saying Apple Bloom."

She thought on that a moment and had to turn her head as Daniel mopped up the blood and dirt from his wound. Scootaloo came over to watch but didn't fare much better after Daniel started applying the antiseptic. He breathed in a sharp intake of air through his teeth as he applied pressure with a clean gauze and began to wrap his leg with tape.
"Ouch, " he murmured while keep a small smile up for the filly's sake.

"Now then, barring anymore run-ins with crazy creatures out here, I'd say we need to move."

Daniel said shaking the girls from their squeamish musing and already gotten into his backpack. They moved to the side as he once again carefully lifted the unconscious filly up. He cradled Sweetie's head against his shoulder let her leg dangle from over his arm supporting her.

"Lead the way crusaders..." Daniel gave them hope in spite of himself.

Apple Bloom smiled and took them first, across the bridge and then to the edge of the Everfree forest. They had noticed a rough trail that lead away from the bridge and in the general direction they wanted to go. The day had proved quite interesting for each of them so far. And whenever thoughts drifted to Sweetie, the two fillies stole glances of her resting against the giant that kept time with them. A human that they had never seen, let alone heard of until today. They silently hoped his vacation wouldn't be a total loss.

Chapter 2: The road less travelled

,,,^..^,,,

"Ah tell you whut, Granny Smith is too old ta give a stern talkin' ta that youngin' so ah guess ah'm have'ta do it for her!"
A rather upset orange mare with a blonde mane known as Apple Jack paced inside the Ponyville library.

Her usually cheerful demeanor had started to fall earlier in the day when her big brother, Big McIntosh, had mentioned two small shovels missing. What pony in their right mind would steal two shovels? One she could understand, hay she would have even lent them out but two? And then it didn't get any better when Apple Jack ran into a very frustrated Rarity who couldn't for the life of her find two very special make up brushes.

Apple Jack began to get suspicious that the CMC might have something to do with the missing items since her sister 'had' mentioned the day prior that they were going off crusading. Of course, everypony just waved them on like usual. It wasn't until after lunch when the suspicions boiled over (and Apple Jack's temper) at Twilight's home, the Ponyville library. When she had knocked on Twilight's door, Spike let her in only to retreat back to his book sorting as she didn't look to be in a good mood.

"Look AJ, the girls are just trying to find their special talent, when they get back we'll explain that how they went about it this time was wrong and not to do it again- problem solved!" Twilight's attempt to pacify her friend wasn't going so well. She sat back out of the way as Spike worked nearby.

"Twi- it's not tha first time this here has happen'd, it's not tha second time this here has happened- when ah was a filly an' Granny Smith said something more than twiced, ah knew tha flank paddle was'ah comin' fer me! These fillies ain't got no discipline!"

Apple Jack turned again and threw off her hat to stomp on it for good measure.

"AJ you've always been so supportive of Apple Bloom and all the girls for that matter- you just need to blow off some steam so we can all think straight when the time comes."

Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by Spike who was looking at a particularly old book with a concerned expression.
"What is it Spike? Can't you see that Apple Jack needs my attention right now?"

"Um, well, I need to show you this before I put it away Twilight..." The leather-bond book was nearly as big as he was.

"Well, what about it? That looks like the book Sweetie Belle was looking through when I told the girls about Daring Do."

Spike looked uncomfortable being so close to her when he needed to deliver bad news, "well, there'sapagerippedoutofthisbookandIdidn'tdoit..." He rambled off so fast that neither pony could understand him while holding up the book as shield.

"What? Spike, if there's a problem just tell me," Twilight said with a bit of a chuckle at the dragon's antics.

Spike glanced from Twilight to Apple Jack and back, "OK, there's a page ripped out of this book and..."

"WHAT!?"

"It-it wasn't like this yesterday Twilight I promise! I re-sorted the lower history sections just like you asked and they were all just fine!"

Twilight's horn glowed purple and she levitated the book from Spike to in front of her so she could flip through it, "oh no, no, no no, NO! Somepony ripped the map out of this limited edition, first run, Castle of the Royal Pony Sister's history book!"
She was nearly hyperventilating when Apple Jack paced back to her, her own anger temporarily forgotten.

"Now sugar-cube, ah'm sure there's a good explanation fer this, ah mean maps in books jus' don't wonder off like shevels do..."

Realization hit them both at the same time and both had panic in their eyes.

Apple Jack muttered something unflattering under her breath which prompted Twilight into action.

"We've got to go after them! Spike! We need to make a checklist for a search and rescue!" Twilight ordered while the little dragon just rolled his eyes and trotted over to a desk.

"You're lucky I do all the writing to Princess Celestia Twilight 'cause I know I kept a checklist for just such an occasion!"
Spike began to dig through a sea of scrolls and papers that flooded from an open drawer. Twilight didn't seem fazed that such a massive amount of stationary should not have been physically possible to fit there in the first place.

"Found it!" Spike gave a grin and waved a page that was as tall as him. Twilight snatched it with her magic and started reading.

"Ok, uh huh... that's makes sense- good, good. This will work Spike! Thank you!"

The little green-eyed purple dragon gave her a graceful bow, "a pleasure to be of service!"

Twilight put Apple Jacks' hat back on her head and gave her a push toward the door while levitating the scroll behind them, "com'on AJ, we've got some Cutie Mark Crusaders to find!"

,,,^..^,,,

It had only been an hour before the group of mismatched travelers had to stop. The approaching storm was howling around them and Daniel's arms were getting sore from holding Sweetie Belle. The wind threatened to blow off his boonie hat and the girls were getting concerned from the lightning. They spotted a relatively protected spot where the ground rose slightly and a rock out-cropping the size of a small bus had jutted out of the ground.

Daniel hurried them over to the leeward side of the rock for protection while he quickly began to setup his tent. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom knew that no pegasus ponies controlled the weather over the Everfree Forest and it was a time when they wished it wasn't the case. They huddled next to Sweetie while Daniel made quick work with practiced motions setting up the three man shelter. Sweetie was still delirious as he moved her inside and let the others follow in.

Daniel glanced back outside and gauged the storm's arrival time with a close lightning bolt that made two of the fillies inside jump.
He grabbed a couple of rolled up items from his pack, "alright, you girls just sit tight for a minute while I finish off the tent. We might be here for a whi-" Daniel's sentence was cut off by another bright flash and thunderous boom.
'Ok, that was a little close.'

He ducked out quickly and placed the double treated rain-fly on the tent as well as setup the tarp just above it. But the shape of it was a 'V' to catch the rain. If they couldn't get to a water source, he would make one and the water spout at the end of the tarp could be funneled into his filter and then the camel bak.

Daniel tied off a couple of guy-lines as the rain started to fall. He surveyed his work quickly and noted the rain moving through the tree tops. Not a moment too soon. Lightning flash again and the crack was instantaneous where it had hit a larger tree not 50 feet away.

On entering the tent, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom visibly relaxed on seeing he was OK.

"We thought that last one might have got you!" Scoots was saying over the sudden down pour.

Daniel gave them a lopsided grin, "if you can hear the thunder after a close strike- it means you are still alive."

Apple Bloom thought about that a moment, "doesn't make it any less scary though."

Daniel had unzipped his pack down the side to get to his sleeping pad and bed roll; if they had to wait out the storm they might as well be comfortable. He answered Apple Bloom's comment as he laid out the bedding on the side and tried to make Sweetie more comfortable.
"The thing is Apple Bloom; you have to learn that when something is dangerous and scary which part you can do something about. Just like lightning, it 'is' dangerous but to me not scary because I understand it and know it's not going to come after me."

He moved them over to the bed and placed his pack on the opposite side. When satisfied they were comfortable, he began to take out his water filter kit and hooked up the hoses to his camel bak. The girls watched the procession as he continued.

"There is a lot of power behind lightning and a lot of beauty too- when you see something differently than everyone else, it's no longer scary."

Daniel's tent had 550 cord runners hooked through loops around the low ceiling for hanging items like a light or wet socks, nothing too heavy but it came in real handy at times. He hung the filter unit off to the side and unzipped the tent door just enough to place the pickup hose out onto the hanging tarp and secured it by passing the end in a plastic grommet. He gave the filter a couple of squeezes to get the water flowing and gravity took over the rest.

"Ah guess that makes sense, ah mean, we've dun some purdy dangerous things lookin' fer our cutie marks but it was all fun." Apple Bloom could kinda see what Daniel was talking about but lightning still scared her.

Daniel nodded at that and fished out his desert tan micro-fiber towel to dry off his arm where the rain had soaked his sleeve. Sheets of rain fell against the tent but the interior was dry and they were all glad for that. Daniel produced the LED lamp that he hung in the center and turned it on with a touch. This sparked all kinds of questions from both fillies as to how that was even possible.

What little he knew of the science behind it he relayed to them in as simple a terms as he could. They kept referring back to some device that could store magical energy and be used for mechanical purposes like the flying machine that let Tank, Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise, fly around. Daniel had to laugh at the irony of that after Scootaloo explained who Rainbow Dash was.

Another flash of lightning and Sweetie stirred and mumbled through pain-filled exhaustion. Scoots and Apple Bloom were nearby and trying to sooth her with gentle words and nuzzles. Well, Apple Bloom was. One thing Daniel picked up on throughout this ordeal was that Scootaloo had more of a tom-boy attitude than Apple Bloom, if that was even a possibility here. He sat cross legged by the vestibule and idly watched the water pour through the filter and in turn fill up his water pouch. Daniel dug out his mug again and slipped the hose to the mug to fill it with the fresh life-sustaining H2O.

He drained it in a long pull and refilled it for the fillies who each in turn drank the full mug down without much thought. Sweetie had woke up long enough to drink but was soon resting fitfully again in mirror with the weather. The stone formation had been a Godsend at the perfect time as Daniel could imagine a storm like this spawning a tornado on flatter ground.

The girls had taken the moment to rest and Daniel, having had a meager breakfast and no lunch, decided on an MRE. The US government had really improved them over the older C-rations from prior wars, the MRE or 'Meal-Ready-to-Eat' was grudgingly food but did offer the needed fuel for a body to work. Daniel had packed a couple of his favorites and beef-stew was the first his fingers touched. He separated out the tan pouches and fixed the water-activated heater with the stew pouch inside it. He had to briefly open the tent flap for a little water for the heater but he got more than he wanted when the tarp above decided to flap in a gust of wind and dump all its water onto his arm.

Daniel cussed at the offending water logged sleeve of his shirt and reached for the towel only to have Scootaloo hold it up to him, already thinking he needed it. He blinked and accepted the towel instantly feeling internal turmoil at having said such a thing in front of them- maybe because they weren't human? No, he would need some time alone to figure that one out but for now decided on his reserve of quiet strength.

"Appreciate that Scootaloo, a little wet outside."

She smirked and pointed a hoof at the brown and tan packages, "what's all that about?"

"This," he said holding up the containing bag, "is what is called an M-R-E, or meal ready to eat. I always pack a few of them for a quick meal."

"There's a whole meal in there? It doesn't look like very much."

Daniel saw that the heater was reacting nicely and he shoved it into the paper casing to keep it from melting the tent flooring. "Well, it depends on the kind of food you eat, doesn't it?"

Scoots thought about that a moment and shrugged, "I suppose so; I guess I never really thought of it that way." And after a brief hesitation in which she caught Apple Bloom's eye, "what DO you eat?"

He thought quickly on a way to address the topic without scaring them, if they were any kin to the horses back on earth they would be strict herbivores. A revelation that a meat-eater had saved their lives would be a little shocking at least.
"This will take a few minutes to heat up so I'll give you an answer with a little back story Scoots," and Apple Bloom was listening too.

"I've been in bad places before where I had only bugs and wild plants to eat, when I could find them. Mostly I like fresh fruits and vegetables, breads and pastas with certain sauces, cakes and fruit pies are high up on my list too. But let me tell you that my body is much different than yours and not just in good looks." Apple Bloom hid a snicker and Scoots just rolled her eyes.
"If I told you the main piece of my diet would that change your opinion of me?" Daniel asked not meeting their eyes as he opened a tan plastic pouch that contained MRE trail mix.

Scoots gave a small frown in thought but Apple Bloom beat her to the notion, "ah guess as long as yew don't say ya eat p-ponies... ya don't do ya?"

Daniel had an inkling of his former self raise up and he was about to have some fun at their expense but shook his head and abated their fears, "no, I've never eaten a pony and don't plan to."
Both audibly sighed of relief and he chuckled at that, "but..." and Daniel held up the trade mark brown plastic spoon that came in every MRE bag, "...I do eat meat."

At that, Apple Bloom's face was the definition of unbelief mixed with horror; Scootaloo looked a little green at the idea too.

"But why?!"

"It's all in how it’s cooked I suppose and the fact that it is vital for me to have some at least every few days. Which brings up a good point thanks to you two. Had we not met, I might have been tempted to just eat some critter out their without knowing if it could think or speak." Daniel kneaded the hot pouch and flipped it over for a couple more minutes. "I'll have to be careful here in Equestria not to offend anyone-er, anypony... in your case."

Apple Bloom slowly looked thoughtful at that, "well, ah know Fluttershy feeds tha bears fishes that come bah her house but ah'm purdy sure only Griffons and MAYBE a few pegusi eat fish too."

Scootaloo gave a sour face at that and Daniel had to chuckle, "well, if you want something safe to munch on too, you can have these." He held out the trail mix bag and gave it a shake indicating what might be inside.

Their ears perked at the sound and Scoots, being closest and letting curiosity get the better of her, gingerly reached a hoof out to take it. Daniel was awed at the sight to see that 'take' was a relative term. With her hoof held out perfectly, she balanced the bag without spilling a single raisin. Using her hooves in a manner that seemed to defy equine physiology, Scoots opened and peered into the bag. She dumped a bit into the flat of her hoof and blinked at the morsels.

"What is all this? It smells...sweet."

Daniel looked over what was in front of her, "there's sun dried cranberries, raisins, yogurt drops...hmm, those are peanuts and sun flower kernels..."

Apple Bloom gave a look over Scoots shoulder and nudged her, "well, go'on- try it so ah I can have sum too!"

Scootaloo gave another sniff before a quick lip lick and tossed the meager amount back into her mouth. She fished it around for only a moment before starting to chew. Her eyes got a little wider at the taste and the fact that she was indeed eating alien food! While making a 'yummy' sound she passed the bag to Apple Bloom who took a bit more in hoof and was soon in the same state of bliss as Scoots.

"Wow, thish hain't bad hat all!" She said spraying a few crumbs with the words. Catching her faux pas, she covered her mouth with a hoof, "Ooops, sorry Scoots..."

Scootaloo gave a huff and brushed the half eaten pieces of her side, "yuck Apple Bloom, keep the food in your mouth!"

Apple Bloom giggled at that and passed the bag back.

Daniel, on seeing the two fillies now had something to occupy them for a moment, checked his camel bak which was nearly full. He turned to Sweetie who was resting with closed eyes. He gave a little point and the two switched places with him before settling at the edge of the bed roll. Sweetie seemed to be resting and Daniel was no doctor nor did he have much experience with horses. Her breathing 'had' gotten a bit better and her heart rate, while still a little fast, seemed strong. The fact that he didn't even know what 'normal' was for them appeared a moment in passing.

The wind had died a little outside and now the steady thrum of rain blanketed the area in a perpetual shower.

He checked Sweetie's hoof again and it felt warm -good- that meant he didn't have the splint too tight to cut off the blood flow. The girls traded placed back with Sweetie as the smell of warm beef stew made itself known to the tent's occupants. Daniel carefully opened the stew pouch without spilling it and added a bit of salt and water to the mix. It always needed a pinch of salt and extra water.

Daniel took in a breath of the stew before shoveling some into his mouth without pause. Just like he remembered it all those years living off the stuff. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom continued to munch on the trail mix without a word while he ate his meal.

,,,^..^,,,

Five friends had gathered outside the Ponyville library in the shade while Twilight continued to fret over details. The pegasus ponies in charge of the weather had promised a nice day and it was all of that. Fluttershy had been sent earlier to fetch a certain rainbow maned mare only to return and fluster Twilight further that they couldn't leave on schedule. Pinkie had just finished a batch of quote "fantastilicious cupcakes" for their scary journey to the castle ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters.

Pinkie, however, had gotten bored and decided to noisily sample one of the cupcakes much to the chagrin of the white unicorn with a purple mane standing next to her.

"Honestly Pinkie! Must you be so unlady-like when you eat? And I thought you said those were for our trip?"

Pinkie had been chewing with her mouth open and on hearing the rebuke, gave Rarity a sugary smile and stuck out her tongue to show a perfectly whole cupcake as if it had just come out of the oven.

"Ah supposs' ah caun savf hit fwor wader," Pinkie's blue eyes cross to look at the cupcake and back at Rarity who cringed.

"On second thought, just good ahead with that one Pinkie dear. No sense in having it spoil the others in your pack." Rarity forced a chuckle while giving her a look.

Apple Jack grinned at her antics and noticed a familiar rainbow tinted streak heading their way. "Ah reckon we have everypony now Twi, here comes Rainbow Dash."

The sky blue pegasus aimed right for the group on the ground and didn't slow down as usual, she instead gained speed and right when it looked like they all would collide-
The sound of rubber tires skidding to a halt on pavement filled the air as Rainbow went from blazing fast to dead stop and hover in a matter of a couple feet. A snort escaped her nose in way that sounded like a semi-truck's brake system releasing. Apple Jack had to adjust her Stetson as the wind that followed the stopped pegasus threatened to blow it off.

She grinned at her friends wide eyes, "what? I've been practicing my 'air' brakes maneuver, pretty cool huh?" Rainbow didn't let them recover for any remarks, "yeah I know, you don't HAVE to say I'm awesome..."

"Fine RD, we ain't gonna say it," Apple Jack said nonchalantly with a bit of mischief in her eyes, "it's just too bad that humility hain't part of that trainin' session."

Rainbow's voice stuck in her throat with a small strangled sound, but recovered quickly, "I'm the element of loyalty AJ! I didn't see ANY fine print that said I had to be humble too."

As both Rainbow and Apple Jack continued their jabs, Twilight could only groan at their clowning around that was wasting precious time.

,,,^..^,,,

Once the down pour on the Everfree Forest had reduced to merely an annoying drizzle and the crew had reviewed the map once more, they decided it was nearly time to move. Much to the relief of her friends, Sweetie awoke from lucid dreams long enough to cry about them and take a couple thankful mugs of water. Her leg twitch made her body go steal rigged from pain but it only lasted a moment.

Daniel had cautioned her about moving it at all and while he cleaned up the remnants of his meal, Scoots made herself useful by rolling up his sleeping bag and doing a fair job of it. He was impressed that hooves could be so versatile as to even tie the elastic straps with a little help from Apple Bloom. Once Daniel had the filter kit and camel bak stowed, the rest of the odds and ends were quickly absorbed into the backpack.

The two fillies moved outside after Daniel and Sweetie to spy the sopping forest around them. Even with the relatively protected ground around the tent, mud and water puddles littered the area. And not wanting to lay Sweetie in the mud, the girls stood shoulder to shoulder to let him lay her on their backs while he took down the shelter.

Once the tent was relatively free of mud, Daniel retrieved Sweetie Belle and they began to walk through the mist that was still falling. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tried as they might to avoid the puddles but it was only moments before they splashed each other with dirty water. Daniel stayed far enough back to steer clear of the two playing but the trees overhead would occasionally dump water his way after a shake from the wind.

Nearly thirty minutes later, the girls felt they had enough of the mud puddles and Daniel smirked to himself at 'hind-sight' always being 20/20. Both fillies had mud patches on their sides and their legs were soiled up to their chests giving them almost a camouflaged look. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom made a face knowing they would need a bath.

Daniel seized the opportunity to get them talking again and felt the topic was appropriate.
"So this Zecora you were talking about," Daniel said stepping widely over a puddle, "how well do you know her?"

Both the girls looked at each other in mild surprise and back at Daniel, how could they have forgotten to fill him in on Zecora?! Scoots gave Apple Bloom a grin and nodded for her to start, she was the one after all that got her introduced in Ponyville.

"Well, ah suppose we've known her for 'bout three and ah hafe years now. When Zecora first came ta Ponyville everypony was afraid of 'er." And that's how Apple Bloom's first story of the zebra started.

From what she was recounting as they walked, Zecora was first thought to be an evil enchantress and Pinkie Pie even made up a song about it. Daniel had to smile at the filly's intentions when she snuck away to follow her into the Everfree Forest after all the ponies had a run in with a particular blue flower named 'poison joke'.

"Ha! And I thought poison Ivy was bad..." Daniel exclaimed after a pause.

"Poison Ivy? Ah've never heard of that before." She looked around at the surrounding flora.

Daniel grinned shrewdly, "you might not have that particular Ivy here Apple Bloom, sorry. Now uh, you were saying?"

"Well, after all tha mix ups got fixed, all tha girls had ta do in tha end was take'a bubble bath!"

The stories continued with Scootaloo and helped pass the time. Zecora was quite crafty when it came to helping Twilight defeat a certain jealous unicorn named Trixie and even helped show Apple Bloom a little patience when it came to 'earning' her cutie mark. With a little playful banter, Scoots told how Apple Bloom had tried to force her cutie mark with a flower called Heart's Desire. Apple Bloom clammed up during the story and Daniel could see she was a bit embarrassed by it being talked about.

"I suppose all these adventures aren't a complete loss as long as you continue to learn from them. A quote back where I'm from says 'those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it'." Daniel smiled at the two as they nodded in unison.

Daniel could just barely see his watch around the outline of Sweetie and while the clouds above still hid most of the sun, it felt like late afternoon to early evening. They all walked in silence for a while with only the occasional roll of thunder in the far distance to indicate the storm had moved on. Scootaloo was the first to perk up at the area that she recognized and Apple Bloom was soon bouncing beside her and pointing.

"Look Dan, here's some of tha poison joke ah told ya 'bout!"

They gave the plants a wide birth and Daniel mentioned that they really were quite beautiful. But it was also his experience that most colorful things back home were poisonous or deadly. The techni-colored ponies being the exception here.

,,,^..^,,,

Twilight had been leading the way along the forest path for the better part of the hour while the other mares fell in behind with quiet determination, well, all except for Pinkie. The light pink pony with a darker pink poofy mane and tail bounced toward the rear of the group with seemingly limitless energy. She would stop every so often and look at a bug, stick, rock, or bush with fascination only to exclaim "I feel like we've been here before!"

Rarity and Apple Jack gave up trying to convince her that they actually 'had' been here before; many times in fact. Pinkie would tilt her head and look deep in thought before bright blue eyes would dawn and she would remark on yet another trip they had taken to see Zecora or find the CMC or ...

Rainbow Dash had been brooding the entire time since she couldn't fly up above the tree line and scout ahead. The weather wasn't the best for flying so she grudgingly flew just above the group with fore-hooves crossed over her chest to show her irritation. And Pinkie Pie wasn't helping.

Dash exhaled loudly as Pinkie said the same phrase again.

"For the tenth time Pinkie, you feel like you've been here before because you 'have' been here before!"

Pinkie looked up at an exasperated Dash, "well, duh frowny-wowny. Sometimes it helps to remember where I've been if it's important to where I'm going and if where I'm going isn't where I've been before it will be super duper important so I'll know what to expect!"

Dash groaned and AJ glanced up at her friend, "ah reckon it can't be all bad RD, ah mean, at least we ain't lost with Pinkie's opta-opto...optomiss-"

"Optimism?!" Rainbow automatically offered the tongue tied cowpony.

"Yeah, 'that' fancy word! Ah overheard Rarity usin' it tha other day an' thought ah'd give it a go." Apple Jack stated matter-of-fact, proud to almost say the whole word her first time.

Rarity hadn't interrupted and merely rolled her eyes at their antics.

Twilight hadn't been entirely paying attention to all their talk but was noticing something around them. Some of the bushes and brush at head height had been cut back on purpose. When she paused, the others collided in a heap since they had only been paying attention to Pinkie Pie over the last few minutes.

"I wonder what could have caused this?" Twilight eyed a nearby bush with sudden interest.

Rainbow gave up, "not you too Twilight! It's. A. Bush!"

Twilight wasn't impressed and merely explained, "no, no, not the bush itself but what happened to it. I think Pinkie might have the right idea after all."

Almost all the voices strained in unison, "you do?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and pointed a hoof at the cut-away flora, "Yes in fact. Pinkie wasn't just looking for things along the trail but 'changes' in those things that deviated from normal."

"There's a method in my madness!" Pinkie gave a wide grin and ate a cupcake as her prize.

"Apple Jack? Take a look at this and tell us what you see." Twilight moved to the side so AJ could look.

She took a look where Twilight had pointed and didn't honestly know what she was supposed to be looking for. But slowly it sunk in and Apple Jack made a thoughtful sound.

"Huh, why ah reckon somepony came through here with ah set ah prunin' shears or maybe ah machete." She looked a little closer at the squared off pieces and how they lay. AJ knew a thing or two about farming and knew all about trimming hedges and trees...
"Ah mighty sharp tool bah tha looks of it too but," she looked from one side of the path to the other, "nopony in their right mind would blaze ah trail 'this' wide out here in tha forest!"

Twilight nodded in agreement, "nopony indeed AJ," and she took a breath before continuing, "and I didn't want to startle you girls but I don't believe we're following a pony's trail. Every so often I've been seeing these rather strange prints in the ground but the recent rain has nearly washed them all away."

"What do you mean Twilight? Like a bear or other such creature?" Fluttershy's voice was barely above a whisper as she now looked around on the ground for the prints too.

"I'm not sure Fluttershy, I'll need more information to draw any conclusions but if I had to guess..."

Rainbow Dash's yell cut off Twilight from her musings and all the ponies looked in her direction.

"Hey you guys! Over here! There's some orange ribbon tied around a couple of trees!"

They all followed Rainbow's voice to a small clearing no bigger than the group. It was also cut back like their path but this was a much larger oval. A patch of the ground had been cleared for what the girls could only guess was a tent of some sort and there was a fire ring but nothing burnt to show there was ever a fire. Rarity had taken note of the ribbons and placed a hoof on one to pull the material closer.

"I say Twilight; this isn't any type of material I'd ever use." Rarity looked thoughtful for a moment and shook her head, "why this ribbon isn't even fabric! It's stretchy and simply clashes with everything here! Look at how tacky it is, it sticks out like a sore hoof."

Twilight considered the trees positions and the height of the ribbons. She was quite sure now that nopony she knew of would tie them so high up. And why two?

"Apple Jack, let's see our map. I need to know our exact position. Rainbow Dash? Can you take peek above the trees and get a heading for North? Oh, I sure hope I'm wrong..."

"Well, whut in tarnation has got you so nervous all'ah tha sudden Twi?" AJ and Fluttershy held open a large map of the Everfree Forest and the outlying areas.

Pinkie was inspecting another rock when Rainbow came back down through the trees and pointed a hoof in the direction of North. Twilight positioned herself with the map and looked up at the ribbons. Her ears drooped at the one fact she hoped wasn't true.

"Those ribbons are markers for East and South and this is, or was, some-'thing's' campsite!" She paused and bit at her lip when the girls gathered a little closer, "and if the direction remains constant, then whatever made this site is headed for the ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters!"

There were a few gasps and questions thrown Twilight's way. But two things they ended up agreeing on quickly; they were losing sunlight and they needed to get to the ruins fast. Rainbow Dash literally threw caution to the wind and braved the air above the trees while the rest took off at a gallop down the freshly cut path that lead to the ruins. They hoped they wouldn't be too late.

,,,^..^,,,

Hope. So much of it was based on seeing this one anomaly among the forest trees that all three travelers breathed a sigh of relief when it came into view. The little that Daniel knew about Zecora and where she lived was summed up by the stories Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had told him to pass the time as they walked. The rest, well, he was now piecing it together. Her hut was actually built into a stocky Centenarian tree, or what might have passed loosely as such. The robust above ground roots gave that part away but to Daniel it looked too...purposefully planned.

On spying the slight clearing around the base and approaching the front proper, Daniel had to pause to take it in. Multiple small colorful bottles hung from thick branches and he eyed the ceremonial masks placed in the ground to the left of the hut and the one above the door. The first impression of just the hut itself screamed 'witch doctor' but early on Apple Bloom assured him it wasn't the case.

Daniel's reflection was noticed when the girls got almost to the door but saw he wasn't with them, "what 'er ya waitin' for Dan? This is Zecora's place, we're safe now!"

Apple Bloom's comment roused him and he adjusted his hold on Sweetie Belle, her head slumped gently into the side of his neck. He considered his options quickly, never being one without a plan or at very least an exit. Up to that point Daniel had only conversed with and known the fillies- how would an adult react to him? Especially one that wasn't the norm...

"Go ahead and see if Zecora is home girls, I'd rather stay back a ways and let you break the news easy."

They both mentioned again that he had nothing to worry about and if anypony, their own words, would understand an outsider it was Zecora.
Scootaloo knocked a hoof against the door while calling out urgently for her to open up. Daniel was mildly surprised when the Zebra opened the door and stood looking at the fillies with a smile.

"On my doorstep two soiled Ponyville friends I see, but what of Sweetie Belle, why not three?"

Both fillies started to talk at once but looked at each other quickly and then over their shoulders in Daniel's direction. Zecora's gaze shifted slightly from the two crusaders to behind them, was she supposed to look for somepony? From the shadow of the tree grove an outline moved just enough to register. If it had been still, Zecora might have missed it.
Mud colored canvas wrapped around two trunks stood straight and even on the ground. Further up she noted the white outline of the third Cutie Mark Crusader she had just inquired about. Something sent a chill up her spine when her eyes determined that she was being held in place by some-'thing'. More canvas and cloth of earth tone continued upward and ended in a most peculiar perch of foliage that could have passed for a well trimmed bush.

To Zecora, Daniel must have been a sight. To simply materialize from the woods, her mouth hung slightly open until Apple Bloom's words drew her back.

"Zecora, we just had ta bring Sweetie here first. If it weren't fer Daniel ah think she might have died!" Apple Bloom was on the verge of tears again when Scootaloo added her piece.

"Please Zecora, Dan's a nice human and he's carried her all the way from the ruins. Can you help us?"

On hearing the girl's plea, Daniel took a couple of steps forward of the dripping water from the trees. The revelation that the zebra Zecora spoke in couplet rhyme threw him at first but his confusion was nowhere near what she was feeling. He could see the indecision on the zebra's face clear enough through his sunglasses, but she broke the look from him and back down to the fillies.

"I am honored you would bring her here first but of what aid may I give so her ailment is reversed? And how did you two come by this human man that carries poor Sweetie with strong but gentle hand?"

"She's in a lot of pain Zecora, s-she b-broke her leg trying to run from t-the timber wolves! Daniel beat them all and saved us!" Scoots was trying her best but at the mention of those terrible wolves, she began to tremble.

Zecora looked back at the towering human now another few steps closer than he was before. She could see the wrap on Sweetie Belle's leg and could see the anguish in her friend’s eyes. But what unnerved her more was she couldn't see 'Daniel's' eyes because of the shades. Was he watching her? Studying her words and movement? Zecora steeled those thoughts and turned again to the fillies.

"Go inside and I'll see what I can brew with healing plants and a few words too!" Her words were light to the girls and with a nod, they moved past her without much haste. She was now left with the hulking figure and she swallowed nervously.
"If you truly mean them no harm and wish to help Sweetie Belle in your arm, bring her now inside my home and escape the dampness of this dome." She cast a hoof upward indicating the still dripping water from the overhead trees.

Now it was Daniel's turn to feel nervous. Did she just invite him into her home? Just like that? He watched her turn and step back inside and Daniel looked around as the trees, shaking in the wind, dropped more water on him and Sweetie. Although he wasn't sure the rain was all done for the day he didn't want to risk it by staying outside either. He stepped toward the open door and gave a sigh before passing through.

Daniel had to bend over slightly since the door was a bit small for him in any case. But holding Sweetie made it more difficult and he merely scraped his backpack on the door frame instead of his head. Zecora had waited just inside and once he was clear of the door, she shut it with a hoof. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were seated nearby at a small table fidgeting and looking miserable as Zecora looked over Daniel and Sweetie with some thought.

Finally she motioned toward her bed, "Please place her there upon my bed while I make some medicine she can rest her head."

Daniel's eyes went from Zecora to Sweetie and giving a small nod moved over to softly lay her on the leopard skin blanket that covered the small bed. Was that 'real' leopard or just some sort of print? Daniel wasn't sure and pushed the notion from his mind. Sweetie stirred and pain creased her face as a small sound came from her. Daniel's battle-hardened heart ached for the unicorn and in that moment couldn't, for the life of him, understand why.

Daniel slid off his pack and laid it against the wall by the bed and carefully took a knee next to Sweetie, "Sweetie? Dear, you're safe now," his hands went to gently stroke her mane and she stirred at his touch.

"Da-Daniel? Are...are we at... Zecora's?"

The small tired voice caused Daniel's world to blur. He didn't care that he was in this crazy upside down world at the moment, he wasn't worried that he was in a hut built into a tree in the middle of the 'hundred acre woods'- all he wanted in that small instant was for Sweetie to be comforted. A sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he continued to stroke her purple and pink mane.

"Yes, Sweetie, we're at Zecora's and she's going to help you. Just rest...just rest."

Behind him, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were watching and listening to the exchange. Zecora had also paused in her preparations to consider the human's tone with the broken filly.
Daniel reached up to remove his floppy hat and sunglasses now that most of the light in the home was by candle. He could see the three from the corner of his eyes watching them and he heaved a sigh.

Zecora did not expect such a sight when Daniel turned to face her and the fillies seated at the table. The girls were used to his appearance but the zebra on the other hoof. She quickly stringed a group of words in her native tongue and Daniel smirked, guessing there might have been a curse word or two in there. To Zecora, his fur-less face, none existent muzzle, small nose and flat ears were quite a shock. But what really got her skin to crawl were his eyes.

To her, she could tell a lot about an individual from their eyes and Daniel's was no exception. Although small and seemingly not as expressive at the time, Zecora could still see the pain in them. Not from physical pain but a cold calculating hunger, something truly unworldly.

The moment was brief but had a profound effect on the zebra and she went back to her small bowl with a purplish liquid inside. Daniel was allured watching her make the concoction without having hands. Zecora would pluck a vile of this or a small bottle of that and dash a small amount into the bowl only using her mouth to move many of the items around. From a brown burlap bag she produced a minty-green plant which she balanced on one hoof long enough to crush it between both fore-hooves while recalling another, kinder line in a different language.

While she finished her brew, Daniel took a minute to drink in the sights inside her home. Many more of the colorful African masks hung on the walls while even more ornate bottles adorned the area by thin cords. An entire wall was packed with bottles, containers, sacks, and small glass jars of which he could only guess at the contents. Daniel had the mental image of a class 'B' horror flick come to mind where such things would have been labeled 'Toad toe nails', 'Elephant ear wax', or 'lizard's lips'. The giant iron pot in the center of the room framed the area nicely if this had been the home of the great 'Madam Mim'.

Daniel had been looking over the well worn caldron when Zecora gently cleared her throat much closer to him. He looked startled at first for not hearing her approach but corrected himself and stood up straight. Zecora had the small bowl carefully balance on the underside of a hoof and motioned for him to take it.

"To heal her broken leg here is quite remote but for the pain I offer this antidote. You have the hands to hold her steady, if you wish to help, the potion's ready."

Daniel looked down at the mixture that vaguely resembled purple neon paint and gingerly took it in his hand. Zecora moved over to the bed and beckoned him over with the bowl. On seeing the exchange, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom also followed Daniel to the bedside.
He sat down on the edge and the frame creaked under his weight. He switched hands with the bowl and sat so he could cradle Sweetie Belle against his side.

"Sweetie? I need you to wake up for me OK?"

She roused slightly and pushed her cheek into his side with a whimper.

"Come on now Sweetie, I need you awake enough to take some medicine that Zecora made for you." Daniel, as carefully as he could, was trying to prop her up enough to get the bowl to her mouth.
Zecora had moved her pillow to Sweetie's side so keeping her upright was easier for him.

A strangled sighed escaped her, "i-it just...hurts sooo baaaddd..." and her words turned to cries again as Daniel held her close.

"Shh, I know Sweetie, I know... I have the medicine right here when you are ready dear." Daniel's light hug made her wince slightly and her eye fluttered open to spy the bowl in his hand scant inches from her face.
She gave a stuttered sigh and saw Zecora nod toward the wooden bowl.

"O-ok, I'll t-try some."

Daniel never had children before and never thought he of all people could be so tender when it mattered most. He held Sweetie against his side and brought the liquid to her lips while tilting it for her to drink a bit. When she didn't make a face, he encouraged her to drink the whole thing if she could. After a breath and some lip smacks, Sweetie drank the rest down with relish. Daniel nearly chuckled at the sight of a 'child' actually liking to take their medicine.

"Mm, thash gouud..." Sweetie's words slurred together as a content smile crept onto her short muzzle. The brew worked quickly to not only quell the pain but also relax her to the point of falling completely asleep. Zecora offered a hoof to take the bowl away and Daniel caught sight of her transfer it to her mouth as she stepped away. 'Such an odd way to have to do things without hands.'

"Now that dear Sweetie is lying in rest perhaps I can properly attend to my guests." And with that, Zecora brought out a couple of thick towels for Scoots and Apple Bloom to dry off on and even, after a small hesitation, offered one to Daniel too.

He took the towel from her mouth with a lopsided grin, "thank you Zecora, it seems you are a great friend to these little ones." As Daniel dried off a bit Zecora sat by the table and regarded him with a tilt of her head.

"These three little fillies I'm come to know quite well although very few visit me here where I dwell. I guess my home is far from the beaten way where ponies try not too far to stray but when they do they will usually find a cup of tea and friendship kind."

Daniel smiled in mirth at the zebra's constant rhyming and the nonchalant way she used it. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had been uncharacteristically quiet during the time where Sweetie Belle was more or less sedated. Once they had finished toweling off and Zecora had brought over some water in wooden cups for the girls, she asked for the full story.

After a moment of indecision where neither of them felt they should go first, Scoots finally remitted and began the story at their club house. Daniel had heard a good amount of the tale but he listened intently none the less as the two fillies took turns recounting the events to Zecora who, in his opinion, was taking it all quite well. She would ever so often interject with a thought or glance at Daniel when the story shifted to include him. There was something in her mannerisms that made him curious though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Zecora had gotten up to fetch the girls a second round of water while they finished the story and offered Daniel some too but he politely declined. He didn't know the source of said water and doubted they would have much in the way of health standards. There was no way of telling what micro-organisms called the local water holes home.

Once the story ended with present company, the question was posed on what to do about Sweetie now that she was resting. Daniel spoke up for this and made it a point that she get to a doctor as soon as possible. Zecora shrugged and merely spoke of the hospital in Ponyville and that 'he' would have no trouble taking Sweetie there. But that was the rub- per se- Daniel reasoned that just walking into an unknown place with a hurt filly might have the wrong result. Especially after hearing how the townsponies treated Zecora those first few times.

It was Zecora's turn to grin thoughtfully at the idea and finally admitted it would probably be a bad idea. So, shortly after and with Daniel's help, Sweetie Belle was carefully placed on Zecora's back and she would take the CMC's into town while he stayed back at her hut. Of course right before they left, the zebra had spied Daniel taking out his tent and was preparing to setup behind her home and she stopped him. With only token resistance to being invited to stay the night indoors, Daniel agreed to it and watched the group disappear down a trail that led away from the heart of Everfree.

The low hanging sun gave away the hour and Daniel smirked at the turn of events and what brought him to this point in his 'vacation'. He went back inside the hut and cleaned his boots before he could track mud everywhere in the home. With his tent now set beside his pack and his boots off at the door, Daniel took a seat back on the bed and sat in silence while he awaited Zecora's return. He spied the Dream Catcher on the backside of the door and considered it for a moment before his thoughts became nearly loud enough to hear- Daniel had some thinking to do.

,,,^..^,,,

Across the Everfree Forest, six well known ponies had been scouring the ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters in search of clues for the CMC. They were getting frustrated by the lack of broken, burnt, smashed, or otherwise destroyed hints that the three fillies had even been there. That is until Apple Jack found what was left of the timber wolves.

Needless to say, there was some concerned discussion to follow once some much smaller hoof-prints were found among the strewn sticks and wood bits.

"There is something wrong with this scene," Twilight finally noted after tuning out the arguing mares over the next course of action, "why didn't the timber wolves get back up?"

The question hung in the air and it drew the attention of AJ and subsequently Rainbow Dash who knew what happened with them from a run-in before.

"Wut 'er ya sayin' Twi? That somehow these timber wolves 'er straight up dead?" Apple Jack moved around the pieces eyeing them as if they might jump up and grab her.

Twilight had moved over by another pile at a tree and was examining a rather nasty gash on said tree, "I'm only suggesting that something very odd happened here girls and from the hoof-prints we found might have very well involved the Cutie Mark Crusaders... and some'thing' else!"

Now everypony was looking at Twilight.

"W-what do you mean Twilight? Are you saying whatever it was that made that trail we followed was here with the fillies?" Rainbow had swooped over to Twilight's position and was trying to see whatever it was Twilight was looking at.

"If I didn't know any better, and AJ would probably be able to tell us again, but I'd say this fresh mark on this tree was caused by an axe." She pointed a hoof at the indication on the trunk and Apple Jack gave a nod over her shoulder to confirm it.

"An' judgin' bah the depth of tha cut," AJ rubbed a hoof under her chin in thought, "this had ta be ah mighty swing. Hay, I don't even think ah could git an axe that far in ah tree in one go."

"Twilight, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but don't you think we might be just a teensy bit over our heads here? I mean, not that the elements of harmony couldn't handle a few ghastly timber wolves but this," Rarity pointed at all the timber wolf pieces thrown all over the area, "I should think we at least need the actual elements with us so we could use them if needs be."

"Com'on Rarity! We've got the biggest 'guns' in Equestria right here!" Rainbow did some shadow boxing while hovering in mid-air.

Twilight looked thoughtful for moment before agreeing, "No, Rarity IS correct. If our mystery guest truly is following the fillies, we should at least have the elements ready for defensive measures."

Rainbow huffed and had to grudgingly agree too, "fine Twi, so are you just going to zap yourself back to Ponyville for them, 'cause like, Princess Celestia is probably going to setting the sun before too much longer."

"Not a bad idea RD and its 'teleport', not 'zap'."

Rainbow rolled her eyes at being corrected even when it was a good idea, "whatever!"

"Alright girls, hang tight here for just a few minutes while I retrieve the elements. This shouldn't take too long."

Twilight's horn glowed faintly before flashing and removing her from their midst.

,,,^..^,,,

Zecora gave a sigh as she exited the Ponyville hospital and stood to the side of the door once out on the street. Ever since the elements of harmony helped her integrate into Ponyville she had much better receptions when coming to town for visits. But there were still those that gave her clipped answers, short replies and forced smiles. She wasn't a pony and it was glaringly obvious in the daylight. Zecora smiled warmly at the late hour and knew that once Luna brought out the moon and cast Equestria in gently darkness that she would become another shadow moving along the streets and byways. At that point, the ponies would only regard her as another passerby- and something less intimidating.

Just moments earlier, Nurse Redheart was rather glad to see Zecora when she arrived with Sweetie still asleep on her back and two very tired looking fillies close behind. The nurse had quickly taking charge of the young white unicorn and had a doctor in to see to her leg shortly after. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom ended up crashing out on the sofa in Sweetie's room while the nurse spoke with Zecora on the side.

Zecora had inquired of the whereabouts of any of the elements of harmony and Nurse Redheart made some inquests on her behalf but nopony seemed to recall seeing the mares since early this morning. They both thought it odd that a hurt filly would show up without at least one of the girls in the thick of it too. Zecora told the nurse on the way out that she would stop by the library and leave a note for Twilight to come by the hospital.

The Ponyville clock tower chimed out 7 pm and in equal clockwork fashion, the sun quickly dipped below the horizon in the distance only to be replaced oppositely by a bright and luminous moon. Zecora's eyes gazed upward as she walked and noted how Princess Luna literally painted the navy blue night sky with thousands upon thousands of stars and heavenly bodies. Like a master artisan, Luna's work never failed to impress the zebra each time she saw it and only had to wonder if Daniel's kind enjoyed the night sky as she did- or did they even 'have' a night sky...

Zecora nodded thoughtfully at a pony couple on the street and they returned a pleasantry her way. She continued along until she was within sight of the library and noticed the light from windows indicating somepony was there, or at the very least Spike was.
A brilliant flash of purple radiated out of every window of the huge tree a moment later and Zecora drew an eyebrow up at that. No doubt her pony friend Twilight Sparkle had something to do with it.

She stopped at the door and gave it a couple knocks before anything happened. Zecora could hear Twilight shouting to Spike who groaned loudly at her and eventually ended up opening the door just a crack.

His single peeping eyeball grew wide and he opened the door further, "Zecora?! W-what are you doing here so late?"

She spied Twilight rushing back and forth among the book shelves and pointed a hoof her direction, "I have news to give to Twilight that is most dire and was hoping to deliver it before you both, for the night, retire."

Spike looked over his shoulder at the frantic unicorn, "she's not making much sense right now..." He scratched his head with a claw and frowned, "uh, something about needing the elements for a defensive strategy, and a monster after the cutie mark crusaders and..."

Zecora's smile and a raised hoof stopped him from continuing, "I know now why she is filled with such fright and perhaps after my report Twilight will sleep better this night."

Spike opened the door for her to come in, "it would be a first if 'that' is the case! I can count on both claws how many times she's slept a whole night since we came to live in Ponyville."

Zecora and Spike watched with concern as Twilight rushed here and there, having already taken out the elements and them following her around in a light purple aura- she was currently flipping through a book with haste.

"Spike! I NEED the Tobin's Guide to Mystical Monsters and Obscure Pony Lore before I can head back!" She tossed another book aside before levitating another off the shelf and running past both him and Zecora without noticing either of them.

"Twilight, will you calm down a minute? Somepo-"

"This is no time to be calm Spike, the girls could be in great danger and I have to get back to them with the elements of harmony!" Twilight again rushed by them without actually seeing who was standing there.

Spike crossed his arms in front of his chest and huffed smoke through his nose, "if you would take a moment and LISTEN to what I'm saying there's-"

"Spike! You aren't listening, 'this' is an emergency and nopony in Ponyville will convince me otherwise!" And with that she turned around to see why Spike had been rooted in the same spot, "...and 'listening' is what I do..."

On seeing Zecora waiting next to Spike she had a lapse in thought and her hold on the elements flickered out. They fell straight for the floor but she caught them in the last second and moved them to her side, "...best."

Twilight gave them a nervous little laugh and blush while Spike drew a scowl at being ignored, "I was trying to tell you Twilight that Zecora is here to give you some important news!"

Zecora took a step forward before Twilight could interject, "if the cutie mark crusaders you wish to see, a part of the day they have been safe with me. And in the Ponyville hospital they now find rest because today's adventure was quite the test!"

Twilight's mouth hung open slightly at 'that' news and even Spike turned to look up at the zebra as she continued.

"The monster you fear is not such at all but rather a traveler who had a close call with timber wolves whose thoughts were on only to feast on young fillies that journeyed too far to the East."

Twilight shook herself and set the elements down on the round table in the center of the room, "well I... I suppose this changes everything."
She looked from the elements and books back to Zecora and Spike, "but why are the girls in the hospital? And how do you know this 'traveler' didn't have something to do with the girls having to be at the hospital in the first place?!"

Zecora's expression softened, "the story they told me could not be a lie for the traveler I have seen quite close up is why. He awaits my return to my home where he abides so he's out of the weather which the forest provides. Perhaps tomorrow following a much needed break you might come for a visit after you wake?"

Twilight had truly been stressing over the missing fillies and she was sure that the rest of the girls were starting to wonder where she was too. She gave them both a wane smile, "I guess I 'was' over reacting just a little-"

Spike threw his little arms up at that, "a little!? I've lost count how many times you and the others outright ignore me or brush me off when there is something more pressing."

Twilight hung her head some at the remark, "oh Spike, I know that's something I need to work on- can you forgive me?"

Spike rolled his eyes at Twilight giving him the 'pouty look', "ugh, fine. But mark my words Twilight, one day you might not be able to ask so easily."
He seemed to relent and started to pick up the books she had haphazardly tossed about. Twilight was about to ask what he meant by that last remark but decided to let it drop for now. Zecora had watched the conversation unfold and turned her attention to Twilight as she approached.

"So Twilight, now that you know the truth what are your intentions concerning the youth?"

"Well, I should probably get back to the others and I could just teleport everypony over to the hospital so we can check up on the fillies. And I don't believe I've made any lists for tomorrow yet so I can put a visit with you and the 'traveler' as first thing. When would you like to meet up?"

Zecora scratched her chin with a hoof and moment and shook her head slightly, "I will be up with the first morning's light but as for my guest I cannot say forthright."

Twilight nodded and drifted over a quill and parchment to scribble a note on it, "so at breakfast it is! And I'll leave myself a note so I won't forget."

Zecora bid Twilight and Spike a pleasant night and left the two to clean up the library. She made her way out of Ponyville and down a dark but familiar path that led her home. Home to an unknown that patiently awaited her return.

After Zecora stepped out and Twilight had again apologized to Spike she teleported back to the ruins to retrieve her friends. Twilight had a time quelling their many questions when it came down to moving them all back at once. She had to quite forcefully ask them to be quiet while she concentrated on the spell.

In a brilliant flash of light that momentarily startled the wild animals around them, the six mares were on their way back to Ponyville and the hospital.

,,,^..^,,,

Daniel's contemplations since Zecora had taken the fillies back to Ponyville were at the same time daunting and challenging. He had noted the time when the zebra left and hoped to figure the time-distance to the town by her return. In the meantime, Daniel had inspected the leopard print blanket on the bed and found it to indeed be fake. While honestly a scary close match, the edges where the two fabrics were stitched together gave away the design.

"Why would a talking zebra have something like this to sleep under in the first place..."

The question was rhetorical and Daniel didn't expect an answer since he was the only person there at the time. But other things had been nagging at him since he found out he was no longer on the 'Earth' he knew. In fact, how that was even possible lead to even more questions that just gave him a headache.

Daniel stepped closer to one of the round windows and considered his reflection in the thin pane. He reached out a finger and touched it. Yes, it did seem solid but very thin. Daniel's hand went to his face and he touched the beginnings of his beard in thought. After a moment, he dug out his electric shaver and began to cut off the offending stubble. The technology was out of place there in Zecora's hut, the constant 'brrrrr' of the battery powered shaver stole Daniel's peace and he could only focus on completing the small task. Of course, his reflection could only help him so much until he had to take out his signaling mirror to finish his face.

With that small detail out of the way, he began to weigh in his options. Zecora had appeared friendly enough if not a little leery of him at first. Maybe she just wanted to get the young ones away while help could arrive? What kind of 'help' would come after him? Daniel's thinking on worst case scenarios seemed to deflate his spirits. He had honestly believed that this Zecora wanted what was best for those little girls- fillies...whatever.

Daniel went back to his pack and reached in the side for a smooth familiar box and once his hand found it, drew it out. The white box with red lettering was worn from repeated use but still held together. He sat down on the floor and pulled out his revolver and thumbed open the cylinder. One shot had been taken in defense in this crazy place and Daniel drew out the spent .357 casing. He eyed it for cracks or damage before opening the white box and finding an empty hole to place the brass in. Another soft-pointed cartridge was taken out and replaced into the pistol for five full loads again.

Daniel regarded the box beside him and a finger absently traced the remaining brass. He highly doubted if Mr. 'Winchester' had alternate worlds in mind when first developing rifle and handgun ammunition. A sudden change in light outside brought him quickly to his feet and what he saw through the window made him remember little Apple Bloom's words, "...an' Princess Celestia moves tha sun an' her sister does tha moon!"

With his pistol in hand, he stepped outside just in time to see the sun hurry below the horizon through the trees in the distance while in the opposite side of the sky the moon, bright and full, rose several inches into the air in a matter of seconds. He was trying to fit all that into some frame of reference that he could parallel, something comparable but the only sane thought that repeated to him was 'movie magic'.

With the forest now shrouded in sudden nightfall, Daniel was less inclined to stay outdoors- now that he had the option. As he re-entered Zecora's home he noticed only a couple candles lit from earlier and decided a couple more might not hurt. He didn't see anything like matches lying around so with a shrug he used his butane lighter.

"That's a little better." He thought aloud and took a moment to actually see what was in front of him. A bed tucked into the corner, shelves with different odds and ends, fruit hanging in a basket, the small knickknacks that seemed to litter the area... it was a home.

Daniel looked down at the .357 magnum in his hand and deliberated on it and its reason for existing in the first place. The black oily complexion and simple mechanics that enclosed such a weapon that weren't meant to be real here. He holstered the pistol and replaced his box of ammo but not before an idea occurred to him. He hadn't had any dinner and he doubted Zecora would have much in the way of food he dared try, but what about tea?

He took out his MSR camp stove and set it up on the small round table and also retrieved a double Ziploc'd bag that contained a few precious spices and 12 pouches of Lipton's tea bags. Daniel took out a couple of the bags and set them aside and looked at his setup.

"...maybe she has a small pot or tea kettle..."

Daniel's footfalls were silent due to his socks and he had thought about taking them off as well but decided walking around barefoot in someone's home might not be proper here. He paused in that thought and laughed out loud at the absurdity of it. The three little fillies he helped didn't wear 'shoes' as it were and neither did Zecora now that he thought about it, unless those were 'horseshoes'. He heaved another chuckle at the mental image of Zecora taking off her 'shoes' at the door and hanging them up on the wall.

Daniel spied what looked to be a small kettle and picked it up carefully. Now seeing that it was, in fact, empty- he pulled off the lid, looked inside, and gave it a sniff. While it might have just been big enough for 3 or 4 American-sized mugs of coffee, it was definitely for tea. It had a fresh tea leaf fragrance and subtle undertones of... mint? He paused at that and had to wonder if she might have added a little 'something extra' to her tea. The inside was stained a honey-oak color and Daniel ran a finger around it.

It felt like metal and discounting the stains, was surprisingly clean. He shrugged and brought it over to the table where he filled it two thirds of the way full of water, placed in the tea bags, set the strings to the side and closed the lid. The knob on the lid was a hard wood and well worn from... Daniel brought the kettle closer to a candle and he shook his head at a notion and withdrew a small round of wood from his cargo pocket that he had saved from earlier. Indentations of teeth marks on the lid knob were nearly identical and the oddly placed 'handle' of the kettle itself was more than enough to convince him that these 'ponies' indeed used their mouths for many things.

"When in Rome I suppose..."

Daniel primed his stove and clicked the piezo ignitor while adjusting the fuel mix. With a small 'Fwoosh', the stove sparked to life and he smiled at the dancing blue flames around the burner. That little stove had been through hell and high water, twice. It had never let him down and never failed to boil water or cook a meal. And one of the things he really liked about the stove was its multi-fuel design. The orifice nozzle could be swapped out for not only cleaning, but with another nozzle that let the user burn just about anything that was both liquid and flammable.

He set the kettle on the top and looked at his watch, "Oh, let's see here- 10 minutes 'ought to be just ri..."

Daniel was roused from his thoughts at a sound from outside the hut, the steady 'hiss' of the stove made it hard to hear at first but it got louder the closer it came. He could almost swear it was a song- but in another language.

,,,^..^,,,

Zecora had made much better time on the way back since she wasn't carrying an injured filly. That and the fact that even for her, the Everfree Forest was no place to be in alone and after dark. She often sang or hummed a tune while walking the path home and this time was no different. Her native tongue took over for her and instead of a rhyme; it was a beautiful song in verse. OK, so it still had some rhymes in it but Zecora knew that nopony in or around Ponyville would know that.

The song she recalled was eerie in tone and word, speaking of time in youth when spirits of great birds would carry the children to a secret mountain while asleep and there, teach them the mysteries of the world. It was a song that held great meaning to Zecora because it was one that had shown her that she would leave her ancestors and family to travel- as if in search of that secret mountain.

With her mind alight in the moment of song, she failed to realize just how close she had gotten to her hut and in turning a corner saw the light through the windows and a shadow looking out at her. Daniel's outline moved away from the glass and Zecora found that her voice had left her and in the place, silence that flooded her with the memory of what was inside her home.

She pushed away dark thoughts once at her own door and rested a hoof against the worn wood. She took a breath and pushed it open expecting to find...
Well, what she saw wasn't at all what she was expecting. Daniel had lit a few more candles offering ample light, was sitting cross legged at her table and was regarding her tea kettle on top of some sort of device that held a blue fire. It wasn't the scene of disaster she had just conjured up- Daniel hadn't thrown anything around, there were no messes (that she could see) and things were generally quiet. Save for that constant 'hissing' sound that made Zecora's ears perk up.

A smile found its way to her muzzle and she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Daniel looked so different now that he was more eye level with her. She quickly checked her hooves at the door to ensure she wasn't tracking anything in and saw an oddity next to the wall- two in fact. Daniel's hard outer coverings he wore on his hind legs were sitting there cleaned and tidy. The strings that laced them up were tucked inside and by the looks of them had seen a lot of use.

Zecora looked back over at Daniel who had a curious grin on his flat face and he motioned with one 'hand' for her to join him. She let out a nervous breath she didn't know she had been holding and stepped over to the table and sat back on her haunches opposite him. She watched his eyes looking back at her for a moment before she looked down at the device sitting on her table.

To her it was a mix-match of shiny and worn metals, tubes with thin braids of metal that formed a weave. At the end of the tube was a dull red container as big around as her hoof but longer and had two very small knobs protruding from it. 'Much too small for a pony to operate', she noted to herself. Daniel politely cleared his throat and nodded toward the kettle.

"I hope you don't mind that I used your kettle to brew some tea. I should have asked first..."

She looked over the kettle but saw nothing amiss except for the thin strings hanging out of the top. Steam was starting to form around the spout and she smiled, "such a thing would not make me upset, while I was away I'm glad you did not idly fret."

Daniel had to grin at that, "I'm glad you've been so helpful through this whole ordeal and I guess now that everything is calmed down a bit, I should introduce myself seeing how you invited me into your home after all." He took a breath in disbelief that he was making an introduction to a talking zebra...

"I'm Daniel Hopkins, you can call me Dan for short if you want and I'm presently on vacation in uh, Equestria..." He automatically held out his hand to her in an expectant gesture.

She looked at the outstretched appendage and decided to take a small gamble at the meaning, "I am Zecora to my friends and those that know me best, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance and I hope your vacation is now less stressed."

Zecora extended a hoof and watched in rapt fascination as Daniel's hand shook it in greeting. The instant they touched, Zecora was acutely aware of something about this strange being. His hand was warm and the grip, gentle but it was the contact itself that sparked an odd sense in her. At his release, the feeling abated like the waves of an ocean drawing back into the sea.

Daniel had felt it too but simply chalked it up to his fatigue for the day. To him, it felt like a rush of static passing his side. As if he had just scooted across a plush carpet and was about to touch a door knob only to have the sensation disappear in an instant.
He flexed his fingers subconsciously at his side, "thanks Zecora, and yes, hopefully the rest of my vacation will be a bit more relaxing."

With the ice broken, they began to idly chat while waiting for the tea to steep. Zecora had to laugh at the fact he liked tea and knew how to properly brew it. Daniel took the jest in stride and mentioned that he never left home without a few bags of it. It's antioxidant properties and natural caffeine notwithstanding, it came in quite handy when all that was available was water.

As Daniel turned off the little stove, Zecora inquired of that item next as she got up for a couple of cups. He explained how it worked and why they were such a great piece of equipment to carry when traveling away from the conveniences of cities and home. Zecora was familiar with pressurized lamps and could understand the concepts well enough.

When Zecora offered to pour the tea, it was Daniel's turn to watch spellbound as she nimbly gripped the kettle handle by her mouth and dispensed the hot liquid with ease. His shrewd grin hid a remark and instead offered her some sugar from his pack. While Zecora declined and stated she liked tea without sweeteners she had to comment thoughtfully on the individual pouches of white sugar Daniel took out and dumped into his cup.

"It makes carrying it a lot easier when you only need a couple packets and not a whole bag."

Zecora sipped her tea and looked down at her cup in hoof with great interest, "the things you carry, though small, are amazing, and this tea you made is definitely worth praising!"

He chuckled light-heartedly, "all I did was heat the water Zecora, and the company 'Lipton' actually did all the work."

Daniel showed her the tea bags and she asked if she could keep the spent pouches. Of course to that request Daniel gave her a couple of the unused bags from his backpack as well.
They both continued to chat and drink the tea until it was nearly gone and Daniel have given a mighty yawn. Which to Zecora's dismay and Daniel's mirth made her yawn widely too; such idiosyncrasies transcended worlds it seemed.

"This has been quite the enjoyable night and in our first meeting I believe we've done alright. But what do you say we call an end to such pleasantries that made us both a friend."

Daniel gave a stretch and looked at his watch, "yeah, calling it a night sounds good." He tossed back the dregs of his tea started to take down his stove, "would you mind if I put up my tent outside your place for the night?"

Zecora's laugh and a wave of her hoof stopped any rationalizing he was about to use, "Oh Celestia herself would be rather sour if I turned a guest outside at this hour! No such manors I would dare display so within my home I'd ask you to stay."

Daniel was taken aback by what she just said. And not just slightly- this...zebra trusted him 'that' much to offer her roof on the first day. He didn't see any deceit when he looked into her large turquoise eyes, Daniel had to force his gaze away and he tapped on the fuel can attached to his stove. He realized with striking comprehension that he could get lost in those depths if he wasn't careful.

"I'm a little, uh... speechless Zecora," he ran a hand through his hair as awkwardness stole away his collected thoughts, "I mean, I am prepared to sleep outside so you can have your privacy..."

Zecora only shrugged at his attempted deflection, "many nights I have had without a single guest so the least I can do is to offer you rest. Take it or leave it, it's all just the same- so the choice becomes yours and in it no blame."

Daniel nodded and gave her a lopsided grin, "I suppose I'll stay... as long as you don't snore."

They shared another laugh as Daniel helped her clean up and Zecora finally made her way to her bed. But instead of getting into it, she shocked him yet again by taking out a spare blanket and pillow for him from under it. Daniel thanked her unnecessarily and fixed his pallet on the floor next to the table. Augmented by his own bedroll and feather down sleeping bag, the floor became a less inhospitable place.

Zecora didn't have much to do in the way of bedtime routines so Daniel grabbed his toothbrush bag, headlamp, slipped into his boots and stepped outside from the confused look she gave him. He clicked on the light and finished his nightly hygiene task without pause. The forest around the large tree was serene and not entirely alien feeling as he tucked his kit into his cargo pants pocket. After a brief scan of the area with and without his light, and seeing no glowing yellow eyes, he found a conveniently placed tree that was far enough away for a little privacy.

Once he was done and convinced he wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night having to pee, Daniel retreated back inside the hut where Zecora had blown out all the candles but one. He slipped off his boots once more and put his brushing kit away in his backpack quietly. Zecora had already climbed into bed and was neatly under the covers with just her neck and head showing. Such an odd sight that made him reflect on reality.

Zecora was a living, breathing creature of intellect and knowledge. She had a personality that Daniel enjoyed to be around and she had shown him a trait that he would not readily give his own kind- trust.
Daniel gave a stretch and yawned, she looked like a large stuffed animal under the covers and her 'Mohawk' mane splayed out on the pillow gave the scene a surreal feel.

He peeled off his shirt and laid it across his backpack within easy reach. He decided to leave his cargo pants on out of respect and modesty but it instantly occurred to him that neither Zecora nor the fillies had been wearing any sort of covering. He blew out the last candle and let his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness. Daniel didn't want those thoughts to be on his mind as he settled on the floor so he chose to focus on the sounds and smells around him.

He was pleasantly surprised to find there wasn't any odor he could definitively say was 'horse-like'. Zecora's home reminded Daniel of a craft store back in the states where his mother would take him as a little boy. Oh, he still liked to visit those stores but never really bought anything besides a few drawing pens or pencils. Daniel tried to pick out those things he could remember- spices, dried wood, tea light tarts, potpourri... a relaxing smile came to his face as he closed his eyes.

He stretched again and put his hand behind his head as he laid on his back, a few frogs croaked somewhere out in the woods and the wind blew from time to time. Zecora's steady breathing signaled she was long gone to the dream world. Dreams... huh, Daniel would have never thought his trip would have ended up like this. And in the next moment before drifting off himself, he smirked at the one thing he forgot to pack... his camera.

Chapter 3: In the thick of time

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Celestia's sun had begun to bring its warming rays across the world of Equestria as Luna's night was being tucked carefully away. Tendrils of light crept at a steady rate through the surrounding mountains, trees and hills until everything was bathed in new daylight. As Princess Celestia brought the sun to the morning's set course, the light fell across the windows of the Ponyville hospital.

The slightly pink-hued windows reflected a little of the light but even then some passed by and illuminated a path on the floor in a particular room. A couch along a wall harbored two fillies on it still passed out from the prior day's excursion. Scootaloo was halfway hanging off the edge by a wing and leg, her mouth wide open but not snoring. Apple Bloom was content to just curl up on the opposite side with the thin blanket still over her sleeping form. Scoots had kicked off much of the blanket and her hind leg twitched in small jolts.

Across the room from the couch was a pony-sized hospital bed where a particular white unicorn filly lay propped up on pillows. Sweetie Belle lay on her back with the sheets of the bed tucked carefully around her in a cocoon of warmth that occupied not quite half the mattress. She stifled a small yawn and turned drearily toward an offending source of light.

It had been quite dark in the room until that point since she had been asleep but even as she wiggled a forehoof out from under the sheets to rub her eyes she could tell morning was breaking. Sweetie cracked one eye open to spy the sliver of light filtering in through the curtains and noticed her friends still snoozing on the couch. A quaint little smile found its way to her muzzle and she yawned again.

Even with her dreams fading, she was glad for the wakeful reality around her. Thoughts of the prior day's ordeal had been transformed during her rest to the stuff of nightmares and fantasy. She willed both her eyes to open and focus, and she looked down at the bed she was laying in. The outline of her body assured her she still had four legs even if one of them still didn't feel right.

Sweetie regretted it immediately when she tried to move her hurt leg and even though it wasn't as painful as she remembered, it still smarted and sent throbbing discomfort up to her flank.
She ran her tongue around in her mouth and noted that she was parched. Looking to the sides briefly, Sweetie spotted a rolly table with a clear glass cup and pitcher just within reach.

She set her jaw against the discomfort to come and slowly pushed herself toward the edge of the bed and closer to liquid relief. Sweetie was surprised to find such a small act had winded her and she took several deep breathes before attempting to move the pitcher. Oh how she hoped there was water in there!

With a careful movement, she grasped the container with two hooves and found it to indeed be full. Slowly, not wanting to spill anything, she tried to line up the spout with the glass only to miss it the first couple tries. She eyed the glass with contempt and was resolute on getting this done, pain or not.

Sweetie gritted her teeth as she leaned out a bit and put pressure on her leg in doing so, but the result was getting a fair amount of water into the glass. After the pink floaters in front of her eyes cleared, she hefted the glass toward her and greedily drank all the cup offered. It was a start- but she was still so thirsty. She leaned back onto the pillows and took a deep breath just in time for the door of the room to click open.

A pure white earth pony with a pink mane and tail stepped in from the hallway and looked in on the scene. Her pink mane was pulled back in a bun and a white nurse's hat with a red cross on it sat perched on her head between her ears. Nurse Redheart's blue eyes surveyed the area until they came to rest on her charge, who appeared to be awake, Sweetie Belle.

The nurse gave Sweetie a warm smile and spoke quietly as she approached, "I'm glad to see you're awake Sweetie, and willing to drink something too."

Sweetie looked down at the cup and Nurse Redheart brought over the pitcher to refill it for her.

After setting down the pitcher and glancing at the two still out on the couch, the nurse noticed the white unicorn had drained the glass again.
"Do you feel like you could eat something dear? You have to get your strength back after all."

Sweetie gave a small nod and the nurse smiled, "good, I'll be right back with some breakfast."

As Nurse Redheart went to the door to leave, her hoof hovered at the light switch a moment in thought. She looked over at the fillies on the couch still asleep and noted they probably could use a few more minutes. The lights stayed off and the nurse left Sweetie alone with her thoughts.

Sweetie Belle waited until she was sure the nurse had gone and only then did she pull the covers back to reveal her leg. She expected to see the worst but sighed with relief when her leg wasn't even bandaged anymore. What still made her eyes go wide, even in the dimness of the morning, was the deep purple -nearly black- bruise that extended from her knee almost to her rear hoof. Her memory played over an image of her hanging nearly upside down and her leg kinked to the side from the broken bone.

She reached down a forehoof and touched her leg in mild interest. The leg was straight and didn't hurt anywhere near what it did the day prior, she could even move that hoof a little without too much discomfort. 'That' bit of knowledge made her feel a lot better. Sweetie still managed a frown as she could remember only bits and pieces of yesterday. The crusading, the terrible timber wolves, Daniel carrying her to Zecora's...Daniel, where was he?

She looked around the room quickly and found it empty of anypony save Scoots and Apple Bloom. How did she get to the hospital? Did Daniel bring her here? Was he somewhere close by waiting for her to wake up? Sweetie's reflections were interrupted by the door swinging open again and two ponies standing in the hallway. Nurse Redheart's outline was easy to spot and the other...

A hoof snaked in the door and clicked on the light.

"Rarity!" Sweetie nearly squeaked as her big sister made a dash for the bed and gathered her gently into a warm embrace.

"Oh Sweetie Belle! You had us all so worried! I just... I wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to you!" The older unicorn mare's eyes teared up as Sweetie hugged her neck tight.
Nurse Redheart had joined the bedside with a tray balanced expertly on her back which she maneuvered onto the rolly table and smiled at the two.

"Miss Rarity, I've got to continue my rounds this morning with breakfast for everypony, stay as long as you like but make sure Sweetie eats something." She inclined her head toward the tray and Rarity nodded.

The nurse had left them and they separated from the hug that nearly made them both cry. Rarity gave Sweetie a tight smile and tried to regain her composure after such a bought of emotion. She moved around the bed and pushed the cart and tray over Sweetie's lap so it would be in easy reach. Rarity then seated herself on the edge of the bed as Sweetie looked over the food items and chose some toast with jam on it for starters.

"Ahem- Sweetie Belle..." Rarity gave her deliciously styled mane a toss with her hoof, "while I'm quite elated that you are safe and somewhat sound and since mother and father are still away, I'll have you know that I intend to settle on an appropriate amount of discipline for you- after you've made a full recovery of course."

Sweetie should have seen 'that' one coming and cringed at what might lay ahead. Behind Rarity the rest of the crusaders had woke to the talking and lights on only to catch the rest of the conversation.

"I am disappointed dear that you would just take my things without so much asking." She paused for dramatic effect, "if you had, I could have given you some old fabric bushes that would have worked much better than my expensive, imported, 'haute couture' make-up ones..."

Rarity was fighting to keep a straight face at the memory of finding the ruined make-up items in Sweetie's pack.

Sweetie gave a little sigh around her last bites of toast, "I am sorry I took your brushes without asking sis, and I know it was wrong but..."

Rarity raised her hoof and pointed for her to keep eating so she didn't dig herself into a deeper hole, "since you 'knew' it was wrong Sweetie- that makes the trespass all the worse! I happen to know that mother and father didn't raise you this way and I surely don't condone it!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had gotten up and agreed something silently between them, Apple Bloom was the first to speak up, "Rarity, please don't be too hard on Sweetie, ah mean, we were jus' as much ta blame."

"Yeah, our crusading got her hurt and that was never what we wanted to happen!"

Rarity pursed her mouth and waved them over to sit at the bed too, "it is neither a matter of 'blame', Apple Bloom, nor an issue of what you 'wanted' to happen Scootaloo. All three of you have been at this long enough to know there is at least SOME danger in your adventures."

Scoots and Apple Bloom had migrated to the bed and climbed up on the opposite edge. They were mindful of Sweetie's exposed leg lying outside the covers and Rarity now saw it too and grimaced.

"Regardless of what you hoped to accomplish on such an outing, 'this' was the result-" and she pointed a hoof at Sweetie's leg. "How Zecora ever got her here in one piece after that dreadful ordeal is simply beyond me! In fact, I should probably make her something nice to wear in appreciation but she's so partial to that ghastly hooded cloak..."

"But wut 'bout Daniel? He's the one who...oops." Apple Bloom's instant defense drew the eyes of Scoots and Sweetie immediately in a 'don't-say-another-word' look. But it was too late, the proverbial cat was out of the bag and Rarity gave little Apple Bloom a raised brow.

"Who is this...Danielle you're speaking of? I don't know anypony by 'that' name."

Rarity's mispronunciation of Daniel's name was on purpose in hopes to get one of them to talk about the ordeal again. The previous night had been frustrating to say the least. Sweetie Belle was taken into the hospital and stabilized by the doctor before anypony could say two words to her. The other two had crashed out so hard from the stress that the mares decided to leave them sleep until morning.

"His name is Daniel, not Danielle!" Scootaloo huffed in a guarded way that would have made Rainbow Dash proud.

"Scootaloo! Watch your tone young filly; I have half a mind to suspend your crusading for a month if I cannot get some straight answers here!"

All three crusaders gave a groan, "Uuuhhnnnn..."

About that time, a smiling pink mass bounced into the room followed closely by Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Apple Bloom and AJ gave each other heartfelt hugs and Rainbow Dash tussled Scoots mane with a hoof. Fluttershy came close to the bed also and observed Sweetie's leg with a grave expression.

"Tarnation youngin'! If ya ever go out an' scare everypony like that ag'in... ah'll...ah'll," Apple Jacks' voice caught in her throat as she scooped Apple Bloom into another vice-like hug.

Rainbow Dash was controlling her emotion a bit better than the tan cowpony but the disappointment in her voice alone was enough to make a certain filly tear up.
"Not cool Scoots! Not. Cool." RD looked right in Scootaloo's eyes as her displeasure spilled over into her tone, "what were you thinking?! No. You weren't thinking were you?" Rainbow crossed her hooves on her chest, "I expect more outta ya Scoots, especially if you want to hang with Equestria's best flyer ever!"

Pinkie had stopped bouncing besides Fluttershy as she regarded Sweetie's leg too with a critical eye, "Ooooow, 'that' looks like it hurt a lot Sweetie! Was it an 'ouch' kinda hurt that you might feel better about in a day or two or was it an 'omagosh' I'm hurt where you need cake to forget about it later OR was it the 'AHHH' kind that nopony would ever want to relive in a hundred-million-billion-trillion-ZILLION years?!"

Everypony jumped at Pinkie's short scream mixed into her question and Apple Jack commented before she could ask anything else.
"Tha filly's in tha hospital Pinkie! Of course it was tha worst possible kind!"

Pinkie looked around the hospital room as if seeing it for the first time, "oh yeah, good point!"

Rarity rolled her eyes, "now then, I think it's quite time we heard the WHOLE story girls. And since Sweetie here is tasked by the nurse to finish her breakfast," and Rarity gave her a look that could freeze nitrogen until Sweetie remembered to keep eating, "how about you start us all off on the right hoof Scootaloo?"

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt Scootaloo, not that she's talking yet but...shouldn't we wait for Twilight to show? That is, if you want to...I'm sure she'd like to hear this too." Fluttershy's words gave pause to the mares until Pinkie remembered something and reminded everypony.

"I thought Twilight said she was supposed to go meet up with Zecora this morning for breakfast and talking about how the fillies got back to Ponyville in the first place and then there was something about a traveler and some mumbling about having to go out into the Everfree Forest in the beginning and I saw a small rock move before we all teleported back but then I started to think 'rocks can't move on their own silly billy' and come to find out it was a large beetle that 'looked' like a rock and muffer-umfer-muph-mphf!"

"Thank you Pinkie dear and thank you Rainbow Dash..." Rarity gave the scene a slight expression of disdain; Rainbow had pushed a forehoof into Pinkie's mouth to cease her jabbering.

"No prob Rare." Rainbow withdrew her hoof in a loud 'POP' from Pinkie's muzzle and wiped it rudely on the side of the bed.

Rarity cleared her throat before anymore disruptions could happen, "so Twilight has an appointment to keep, you were saying Scootaloo?"

The little orange filly gave a sigh and knew that stalling wouldn't help their cause any, "so we started from the club house yesterday morning once we had everything we needed to go crusading..."

,,,^..^,,,

At the library, Twilight Sparkle was busy making last minute changes to her plans she had only changed minutes ago. Her saddle packs were stuffed with pads of paper, quills and ink bottles; she had gotten Spike up to help her with preparations but he didn't make it very far. The little dragon was currently back asleep and leaning on the desk where Twilight had asked him to retrieve a checklist for opening the library while she was out. Not that Spike 'needed' a checklist, he had opened it before.

"Spike, and I need you to...Spike!" Twilight moved the desk chair and bumped it into his side with her magic causing him to lose balance and shoot awake.

"Huh! What happened? Dragons? Where?!"

"Spike there are no dragons here except one that just sleeps all the time- you!"

Spike gave a jaw breaking yawn and snagged the list from the desk, "aw come off it Twilight, how can you go to bed so late all the time and expect me to not sleep in!"

Twilight shrugged into her pack, "I expect my 'number one assistant' to bring his ‘A’ game when I put him in charge of the library while I'm out." Her smile took on a more mischievous nature, "or should I leave Owlowiscious in charge?"

THAT made Spike bolt completely awake and run to her side, "Twilight! Are you sure you packed everything you need? We can go over the checklist for 'traveling to Zecora's' again if you want! And while I'm at it I can amend the last lists to reflect the new ones! Just please, oh please don't put Owlowiscious in charge!"

Twilight gave him a grin and rubbed a hoof on top of his head, "oh Spike, your reactions are so cute sometimes. Fine, I won't leave him in charge, this time..."

Spike gave a fist pump, "yes!"

Twilight raised a brow at that and Spike took on a more humble approach, "I mean, uh, yeah that's cool with me. We'll just get everything in order to open the library while you're away, no sweat!"

Twilight gave him a nod and headed for the door, "and Spike? I'm not sure how long I'll be so I'm counting on you to keep this place ship-shape."

"You can count on me Captain!" And Spike stood at attention and gave a crisp salute.

Once she was on her way and the door was closed, Spike tapped his claws together in the stillness that overcame the interior of their home. Spike knew Owlowiscious was still asleep and that by the clock on the wall, he still had another hour and a half before the library was due to open anyway.

Spike gave a stretch that would have made a nimble house cat wince in pain and scratched his side as he made his way back upstairs to his bed.

"Another hour won't hurt... and then "-a yawn-" I'll still have another 30 minutes to open... the..."

He fell face first into his bed and was back asleep before he even settled all the way in.

,,,^..^,,,

Daniel's first sensation as he pulled away from his dreams was that of peace. That in itself for a retired military man should have set off alarms in his head but his thoughts were elsewhere this morning. An odd dream he had during the night was just beginning to fade and he quickly went over it again to try and capture some of the images.

He was on the side of great hill covered in the softest, greenest grass he had ever seen. In the distance Daniel could make out mountains that rose so majestically high that their peaks were hidden by puffy white clouds. On the side of one such mountain was a shining light that gave both life and light to his whole dreamscape. Daniel had leaned back on the grass to take in the sight only to bump into a body sitting beside him in the grass as well. He smiled as Sweetie Belle also looked off into the distance at the light source and then up at him with a grin that warmed his heart.

Daniel couldn't see anything else around them because it all hazed out of existence, but the feeling of peace was there on that hill beside that little white unicorn. The normal nightmares didn't take Daniel from that surreal place this time, those visions from the past that lent their horrors over and over. He had dealt with 'those' demons and now when they did visit him, he no longer awoke reaching for his knife or rifle or machete or...

Those sour thoughts ruined the images of his dream and Daniel mentally sighed. He cracked an eye open to the side to spy his watch and was glad it wasn't 'O-dark-thirty' at the moment but knew it couldn't be late either- he didn't have to pee yet.

He gave a blind stretch and his feet poked out from under the blanket to touch something cool and round. But it wasn't solid enough to stay in one place when Daniel's leg extended and it skidded on the wood floor. At first he thought it was a piece of furniture but what happened after he made contact the second time was so outlandish...

Zecora, moments earlier, had decided that sleep wasn't going to retake her this morning. Normally she would drift through the thoughts of what she had to do today but her 'visitor' had made things jumbled in her otherwise simple life. Zecora had gotten up and surmised that Daniel was still resting on the floor so she took out her trusty bamboo rod to do some upside down meditations prior to breakfast.

What she thought was a safe distance from her sleeping guest was still within foot range and when Daniel's foot brushed the rod the first time; Zecora cracked an eye to see what was happening. She could just see him stirring and noticed the appendage extend again and her eyes went wide as the rod was pushed back a few inches by the movement. This in turn threw off her balance and the floor was the logical place she would end up.

"Whoa, ah no!"

Daniel, however, proved to be unlucky in his assumption that the floor was a safe place to sleep. His eyes shot open at Zecora voicing a warning before bodily crashing down on top of him and his make shift bed.

Now, there are few instances in life where having a warm body snuggle up to you doesn't get some kind of reaction. Having one fall on you from the height of six feet is something you're sure to never forget. Zecora and Daniel both had the wind knocked out of each other and could barely move let alone untangle themselves from the fall. Once Daniel's vision had cleared from getting knocked in the forehead by another forehead, he quickly registered the awkward predicament.

Zecora had clocked Daniel pretty good but she was out cold on his chest with her head on his shoulder. There was enough light coming through the windows now that he could see her face so close to his that her breath tickled his neck. He was still under the blanket and Zecora's legs effectively trapped him unless he wanted to curtly throw her off. Arbitrarily having your host lay on top of you from an accident first thing in the morning is never a good thing.

Daniel carefully wiggled his arms out from the blanket and scooted sideways from under the zebra. Zecora stirred and raised a forehoof to her head while muttering something in her native language. Daniel was also rubbing a spot that would no doubt turn red if not worse later on. Zecora opened her eyes and paused with her hoof still to her head; she looked down at the blanket and realized her situation with embarrassment.

Redness crept into her cheeks as her eyes focused on Daniel scant inches away. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it and started again with a modest grin, "of my morning routine I can see it was not wise so for the rude awakening I must now apologize."

Daniel gave her a polite chuckle and propped his head up on an elbow, "I'm surprised that my stretching would cause you to fall on me so I'm sure I need to apologize too."
He was surprised she hadn't moved away from him yet because they were still close enough that Daniel could feel Zecora's heartbeat near his side. He hoped she wasn't injured from her fall.

"What uh, what were you doing anyway?"

She blinked a few times to clear her vision and Daniel knew in that moment that she had indeed taken a harder hit than him. But strangely, that did not deter her rhyming speech.

"There are times when sleep is simply not the best so instead I meditate and in turn get my rest. Up on a bamboo rod I balance when I think but this time truly proved to be the weaker link."

Daniel spied the said rod a few feet away from his left foot and nodded, "well, since the floor isn't the best place for either of us right now, what do you say we make sure that neither of us is hurt? I think we knocked our heads pretty hard..."

Zecora agreed and got to her hooves to light a few candles to augment the sunlight. 'Surprised' was putting it lightly when she noticed Daniel getting up without his shirt on and made a comment about him not having much fur. He gave a friendly laugh and explained that his kind didn't have a built-in 'coat' like she and the ponies did. Instead, had to wear clothing nearly all the time to reduce exposure.

Daniel had retrieved his shirt but noticed the condition of it and knew it needed a wash. Zecora waved a hoof and simply mentioned he could worry with it later and she didn't mind him without a shirt for the time being. Perhaps it was the way she said it in rhyme or maybe it was the fact they were both looking over each other’s faces but Daniel could have swore the temperature in the room went up a few degrees.

By Zecora's observation, Daniel found that he had a rather red blotch right above his right eye the size of a chicken egg. Zecora's coat made it more difficult to see her bruise but Daniel surmised it to be right between her eyes.

"Well, now that we know we won't be bleeding all over the place, is there some running water nearby that I wash out my clothes?" He was suddenly in need of some fresh air.

She nodded and winced but her smiled stayed, "if you go outside and behind my home you will find a stream that is not far to roam. There you will find a place to clean your shirt until it has a better sheen."

Daniel grabbed a Ziploc bag with a bar of soap in it and slipped on his boots. He failed to grab his sunglasses but only shrugged as he followed Zecora's directions out the door and to the creek.
Sure enough, less than five minutes of walking took him straight to the stream's edge and he surveyed the area with a grin. The path leading him to the water was well used and the creek wasn't a small one per se. It was nearly 15 feet wide and looked fairly deep toward the opposite bank. There were several gallon sized pots near the edge closest to his boots and a tin dipper hung at pony height from a close by tree.

The water wasn't very fast and was crystal clear; so much in fact that he could see the reflections of several fish hanging out lazily by a large flat rock toward the center. 'Food and water' flashed through Daniel's mind but his hand registered his dirty shirt and soap instead of a fishing pole. With a sigh he knelt down on the smooth creek stones and carefully scrubbed the soap bar into some rather daunting looking mud stains. Good thing this particular shirt was earth-toned anyway...

A short distance away from Zecora's hut, Twilight was making good time along a forest path. She had been thinking as she trotted along about this 'traveler' that Zecora had spoken of and had to wonder just what kind of creature it could be.
It had to be something nopony had ever seen before, she was sure of that. Zecora hadn't said exactly 'what' the creature was and that in itself was a testament to the exotic nature of the meeting. Twilight knew Zecora had traveled a long way to end up in Ponyville and no doubt had seen many wonderful and terrifying things along the way. If Zecora could only say the 'monster' was a 'traveler' what implications could that have?

Twilight could only speculate on most items but was only a matter of moments before her destination would be in view anyway. Answers were just ahead.

Daniel had finished washing out his shirt and was wringing it out as best he could. It would take a couple hours in some good sunlight to dry it the rest of the way but he didn't mind. The day was proving to be nice so far and those pesky storms from yesterday had all blow by. He dropped the soap bar back into the plastic bag and washed the remaining suds off his hands. The water had been cold but clean and he couldn't help trying just a sample in his cupped hands.

He swished around a mouthful before spitting it out and the next taste he thought about. 'Clean' was the first thought, it reminded him of a training trip to Canada and tasting the spring water from the Saskatchewan range. There were no odors, fishy taste or plant matter grittiness and he was half tempted to drink down a couple handfuls but decided to wait on that. If half a mouthful didn't hurt him by tomorrow at least this creek was clean enough to drink from.

Daniel followed the worn path back to the hut without pause; a smile crept onto his face after a deep breath from the forest air.
"Almost like home..." He half chuckled as he rounded the tree and was about to open the door when movement in his peripherals caused him to stop in his tracks. Whatever had been there stopped too and he heard a sudden startled gasp. Out of reflex, Daniel's shirt and bag transferred to his left hand so he could draw his weapon if the need arose. On turning however, he was shocked to see a purple pony with a dark mane and tail with a two-tone stripe running through both.

Daniel gave a huff at this last thought 'almost' when he noted it was a unicorn with eyes as purple as its coat. What looked out of place to him was the unicorn's horn that peeked out from its mane was glowing with an eerie luminescence.

Twilight had chose that exact moment to pop out of the woods right when Daniel was about to go into Zecora's home. All the 'what if's' were suddenly derailed by a real monster about to break into Zecora's! She had never seen anything like it and by the animal 'skin' hanging loosely from his claws, Twilight knew she had just moments before it either continued to Zecora and her guest or came after her!

The stun spell wasn't particularly powerful but she had been working on it should a Manticore or two happen by. Without another thought she let the spell fly knowing it would only take a second to bring it to the ground.

Daniel had never seen a unicorn use its magic before so he didn't even know what hit him, but he knew what the sensation looked like- purple lightning.

On contact, the spell did something that Twilight had never seen before, let alone ever heard of. The monster threw up an arm in defense when the spell hit but instead of stunning it, the spell ruptured into small light purple lightning bolts that showered off its body and coursed the edges all the way to the ground. But it was much more spectacular.

The little bolts leapfrogged each other as they trailed down the arms, head, torso, legs- it was like the bipedal being was a tall lightning rod and was directing and changing the magic as it sped toward the ground. The lightning flashes were not without sound either and they thundered out angrily at being redirected elsewhere. The crescendo peaked when the bolts hit the ground in several loud 'CRACKS!' Only the width of a claw-tip away from where the creature stood were scorch marks on the soft earth to testify of the event once the sound died away.

To say that Daniel was stunned regardless was an understatement. The after affects of the light show left his body tingling as if he had just finished a marathon. The purple unicorn pony looked to be shocked as well with its mouth hanging open and eyes big as dinner plates. Thankfully on both parties accounts, Zecora had heard the commotion and poked her head out the door to see Daniel and Twilight staring at each other.

"What in Equestria was that sound? Oh Twilight, I see my guest you've found! Do come inside for the food is almost done and we can all share our thoughts once the visit has begun."

Zecora had gone back inside and left the door open expecting them to follow suit but Daniel looked from the hut to the new unicorn 'Twilight' with a certain amount of apprehension. He flexed the fingers of his right hand and noticed no ill after effects of whatever had just happened. The purple pony was still slack jawed from the exchange and visibly flinched when Daniel spoke.

He gave a tight grin with narrowed eyes, "you going to come inside or stand out here all morning?"

Twilight's ears perked up at the sound of 'his' voice, it sounded so masculine that she was certain of that trait. She watched Zecora's guest turn from her and duck his head slightly to go inside.
Twilight's hooves started to move on their own toward the open door; she couldn't believe what she just witnessed! What creature in all of Equestria could shrug off a spell like that? Not even full grown dragons were completely immune from magic- it just took a LOT more to affect them.

Once she was inside and had shut the door, realization hit her like Pinkie Pie from the blue. She had just attacked Zecora's guest without so much as a hello! Twilight groaned inwardly at how this visit was starting and her heart sank even further to see the tall bipedal being helping to set Zecora's modest table with breakfast items. She took a breath to calm her nerves and lifted her saddle bags off with her magic.

"Good morning Zecora, thank you for inviting me over for breakfast. I brought over a few apples with me if you want to use them."
Twilight was attempting a restart to her horrible encounter outside.

"Why thank you Twilight that is very sweet and now we'll have some good fruit to eat!" Zecora was in the middle of scrambling some eggs with green peppers and onions so she employed Daniel for some help, "Daniel if you would be ever so kind please slice those apple for this bowl of mine."

"Sure thing Zecora, I'll handle that."

Daniel cleared a small area next to Zecora's cooking and drew out a conveniently placed chef's knife from the counter top. Again, the well worn wooden handle spoke volumes as to how these ponies got things done. He looked over at the zebra who was currently stirring the eggs by a long wooden spoon clutched in her teeth and Daniel smirked. He looked down at the cutting board in front of him and noticed a lack of apples to cut. On turning toward their visitor, Daniel saw Twilight was rooted to her spot next to the table with four large red apple suspended by that same light purple aurora he had seen earlier. She was eying him with ill concealed fear as he looked her over while holding the two hoof long knife loosely from his left hand.

Daniel exhaled at the stalemate, "perhaps we should introduce ourselves before anything else happens."

Twilight gave a shallow cough into a hoof, "yes, well, I should apologize for that outside. I just... you startled me. A lot."

"So I take it that's not how unicorns normally say hello then."

Twilight could feel the redness building in her cheeks and Daniel raised a brow at how that was even physically possible. To him it appeared as if the fur on her face was actually changing color.

"N-no, no it's not." Twilight deflated, "I'm sorry about attacking you like that. I didn't even consider the fact that you were the 'traveler' that Zecora had told me about last night. Can you forgive me?"

Zecora had heard all of that and was disappointed to say the least, "Twilight it seems you are stuck in the same old tune, have you forgot that lesson on friendship so soon? What did I say about taking a second look and not judging the cover of the book?"

While Daniel didn't really get the implications behind what was said, it had a profound effect on Twilight who seemed to wilt even further with her ears drooping.

"I- I know Zecora and the fact that we had that lesson right here makes it even worse," Twilight looked up nearly on the verge of tears, "Daniel...I-"

He set the knife down on the counter and waved a hand for her to stop, "I meant what I said about introducing ourselves before something else happened and crying before breakfast is 'something else'."
His words were curt and to the point but there was no harshness behind them, Twilight could see in his face that there were no bad feelings harbored.

Daniel looked at his right hand again and wiggled his fingers, "there's no harm done regardless of what was intended, so unless there is some other protocol that I'm missing here-" Daniel extended his hand to her, "-my name is Daniel Hopkins, retired and on vacation, my friends call me Dan."

Twilight couldn't believe absolution could come so simply from him but she also noted the slight ultimatum in the beginning about 'what was intended'.
She gave a sniff and tried to compose herself, "I-I'm Twilight, *sob* Twilight Sparkle, the librarian of Ponyville and s-student of Princess Celestia."

She finished that last part as if she was embarrassed to say it but Daniel could only guess at the meaning there- perhaps her mistake would cause humiliation to that association? He decided not to push the issue and rather accepted her hoof in a friendly shake.

The contact of Daniel's hand to Twilight's hoof was friendly in nature but the equivalent static shock they both received made them jump. The apples Twilight held next to her lost their floating ability and sank to the floor at the same time her horn lost its glowing effect. To her, Twilight didn't feel any different besides the slight shock but they both saw the four apples loose power and sink to lie on the floor.

Twilight looked from the produce to Daniel and his hand still touching her hoof and tried to move the falling items. Nothing, not even a flicker of magic. When they broke contact however, she was able to lift them right back up without any effort at all.

"How did you do that?" Twilight's face was the pinnacle of surprise and wonder as she looked from the apples to Daniel and back again.

Daniel shrugged, again not really understanding what she meant, "I guess static electricity has more effect here than back home."

She was about to argue that it couldn't have been static anything! If that was the case, Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to move clouds around; Rarity of all ponies wouldn't be able to work with fabric like she did...

Daniel smiled warmly and glanced from her to the still floating produce, "well now that we've cleaned the air, what do you say I get these apples cut up so we can get breakfast going?"

Twilight accompanied him over to the counter where Zecora was finishing up dividing out the meal. Daniel took back up the knife and made quick work of slicing the apples into fourths and plucking out the seeded cores. Twilight was soon mesmerized by his hands and how fast his claws could work. And all it took was a coupe questions granted answers and she recovered to her normal nerdy self. Of course, Daniel took the opportunity to correct her thinking- he had 'hands', not 'claws'.

Breakfast itself was pleasant and cordial with Daniel complimenting Zecora several times on how delicious she made the eggs and just how Twilight had come by such succulent apples! He was partial to golden delicious apples back home but here, oh wow, each of the giant reds were the size of a softball and each bite was crisp, sweet and absolutely euphoric!

Twilight explained that a certain earth pony named Apple Jack owned a farm where all the apples came from and her family was well known for all the treats, dishes, jams and juices that could be made out of that fruit.

Daniel's chuckle lightened the atmosphere further by commenting on the irony of a pony named 'Apple Jack' owning an apple orchard and her entire family actually had the title of "The Apple family". While the females merely passed glances at that, he also had put two and two together and made the connection to Apple Bloom as well. Twilight took the opportunity to ask about that meeting as Daniel shoveled the last bit of eggs from his plate to his mouth.

So while sitting cross legged around Zecora's table with the two looking on, Daniel gave an abbreviated version of the CMC adventure and what brought him to Equestria. Twilight had taken out some paper and a quill to write notes on and it didn't take long for her to fill up nearly ten pages of Q and A.

Only after the dishes were done and breakfast was hours behind them did Zecora make a motion for Twilight to continue her academic studies back at the library. It wasn't overt by any stretch of the imagination but Daniel could tell Zecora did indeed have other things she needed to do and Twilight's constant barrage wasn't giving her a moment to sneak away.

Twilight apologized profusely but unnecessarily at getting distracted by the discussion. Daniel had already packed away his bed and returned Zecora's blanket when the two locals decided to end the visit. Daniel had voiced some concern for actually visiting the town but Twilight wouldn't have it and merely waved it off saying he was more than welcome to crash at her place at the end of the day.

Daniel was putting on his boots when Twilight noticed his shirt hanging from his pack. She was still inwardly embarrassed about the way they met but maybe she could help their progress a bit. Daniel took a look at his still damp shirt and Twilight asked if she could help with it. He shrugged and held it out for her but they came to yet another revelation quickly. Twilight couldn't affect his shirt while he was touching it! The instant her levitation spell tried to grab the cloth, it would ground out in a shower of sparks- although these sparks were harmless and reminded Daniel of a firework sparkler.

Daniel set the mud-tone shirt on the table and only then was she able to pick it up by her magic. Twilight mumbled the impossibilities of it all while trotting outside and glaring at the material in her telekinetic grip. Daniel thanked Zecora for her hospitality and promised to visit again only next time without the headaches. They both shared a coy laugh and he shouldered his pack to follow Twilight out of the hut.

Once in the clearing, Daniel could see her magic holding up the fabric at eye level while wave after wave of ethereal wind took the remaining water with it. She gave it a gentle flip and brought it up for him to see.

Daniel set his backpack on the ground and gingerly reached out to touch his glowing shirt. On contact with his finger the spell shorted out and Daniel's quick hand grabbed the shirt before it could fall to the ground. Twilight was miffed by his ability to cancel out magic like that and Daniel could only shrug. He didn't know how or why it happened either but he was secretly glad for it. He would have to consider the ramifications of it later.

Twilight smiled as Daniel approved of his now dry shirt and slipped it on over his chest. It fit him like a second skin and he took up his pack again and placed his boonie hat and sunglasses. Twilight looked over his appearance with some anxiety as they started walking away from Zecora's hut.

"You know, that whole outfit does make you look rather intimidating."

Daniel shifted his gaze toward her but left his expression neutral, his sunglasses hiding his eyes and the camo boonie hat concealing his brow.

Twilight nervously chuckled, "ya know, I bet Rarity would just love to see you, she makes clothes and would find your attire quite a challenge."

Daniel sighed under his breath, "I don't wear suits or ties, I like clothes that I can get dirty and beat on without getting ruined, and it has to make me invisible in the woods."

Twilight didn't follow but then again Daniel hadn't told her his background. He was sure it would come up eventually; this unicorn was too inquisitive for her own good.

"Why would you 'want' to be invisible so nopony could see you? Is that normal back on your world? I mean, we used something like that once but it was during the dragon migration so we wouldn't be seen." She pointed a hoof to his hat and seemed confused that he would want to wear it all the time.

Daniel wasn't sure he was ready to get into anything too deep with Twilight, so far her naive thinking was a liability and liabilities hurt preparedness. And did she say...'dragon migration'?

,,,^..^,,,

Sweetie Belle had long since finished eating and the fillies had finished their retelling of yesterday. Only a couple questions really got answered and the silence was unsettling. Rarity and Apple Jack had withdrawn from the fillies to talk out in the hall while Pinkie played shadow puppets near the half drawn curtains. How she got so many animal shadows out of her forehooves Fluttershy would never know, but she watched none the less.

Rainbow Dash had taken a more brash approach and had all but demanded they go to Zecora's and meet this human face to face. Her antics were only half received by the other mares and less so by the fillies.

Rarity and AJ made room for the doctor to pass by them and in to check on Sweetie. The tan unicorn with a brown mane and tail wasn't as colorful as most ponies went, but his expertise was evident by his cutie mark. While most in Ponyville wouldn't know it unless they had to visit the hospital, but the monitor screen with a heart rate blip on it was a dead give away to not only his talent but also his profession.

"Good morning Miss Sweetie Belle, how are you feeling after breakfast?" The doc adjusted his glasses with a hoof while levitating her chart in front of him.

"I do feel a lot better now thank you, I didn't realize I was so hungry."

The doctor pony moved a pen from his white smock to write something on her chart before stepping to her bedside. "You were quite lucky that Zecora brought you in when she did Sweetie."
He took out an x-ray and held it up to the light for a quick look.

"What'da ya mean doc? What would've happen'd ta Sweetie?" Apple Jack and Rarity had moved inside to hear what he was saying.

The doctor's blue eyes seemed to be unfocused at something and he slipped the x-ray film back under some papers on his clipboard.
"Well, Miss Apple Jack if you really want to know," he gaze went from Sweetie's bruised leg to the two closest mares, "if she had been a few more hours later, she might have lost her leg."

Several things happened at once and the doctor wasn't sure who needed help first. Rarity threw her hoof up to her forehead and promptly fainted, Fluttershy chose that moment to dive under a table only to find it too small and send it careening into Apple Jack who tripped over Rarity on the floor and fell into Pinkie who was frozen in place with the shadow of a bunny on the wall with a frowny face on it.

Rainbow was hovering in mid air and crossed her hooves on her chest in irritation. "Oh come on! It didn't happen so why are all you pansies acting like that?! She still has her leg for crying out loud!"

The doctor peered over the mares on the floor and gently cleared his throat, "while your astute observation is correct Miss Dash it does not diminish just how close this filly came to becoming a permanent Nightmare Night pirate."
He got blank stares from the adults and mortified expressions from the fillies, "you know, peg leg, eye patch...ah, never mind."

The unicorn doctor levitated up his stethoscope from around his neck and leaned in to listen to Sweetie's breathing and heart beat. Once satisfied, he flipped open his chart once more and make some final notes, "now then, Miss Rarity-"

She was recovering from her drama scene and had come back over to the bed at the mention of her name.

"-Sweetie will be released from our care at the end of the day and should be trotting normally in no time. In fact, she should be able to get out of bed now and get around well enough but we're going to keep an eye on her just in case. We were able to magically heal everything last night but today her body needs to catch up to the healing process itself so watch for swelling, use ice, and no horseplay!" And he looked at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom for the last part.

The doctor made his way out of the room as the rest of the mares were dusting themselves off from being on the floor, not that there was any dirt on the floor anyway.

Sweetie exchanged looks with the other crusaders and at her deep purple foreboding leg. She gave a stuttered sigh and slowly sat up and swung her hind legs off the side of the bed. She lightly touched the bed rail for support as her good leg stretched easily to the ground; the healed leg came next and with it...

"Uuhnn,” Sweetie screwed her eyes closed at the painful pressure but again wasn't near what she remembered.

The others had moved closer to the bed to assist if needed but she showed courage to do it on her own. She quickly went down on all fours to even out the over loaded feeling and found she could indeed get around with only a slight limp. Hugs were exchanged all around while Sweetie got forehead kisses and mane tussles from most. Comments and plans were tossed around between the group while she continued her ginger walk around the room; Pinkie was nearly yelling about a 'You got Well Real Quick' party but was at odds to the title.

Sweetie's face was set in determination and Rarity had to smile at her little sister for coming through such a horrible experience relatively unscathed.

"...and just wait 'til Dan sees that you are all healed up Sweetie!" Scoots was saying and almost bouncing on the edge of the bed. Sweetie gave her a genuine smile and noticed her big sister from the corner of her eye. Rarity had heard the remark and her own smile faltered slightly.

,,,^..^,,,

The two unlikely trekkers talked nearly non-stop the entire time they were moving out of the Everfree Forest, well, one of them did. Twilight was so bubbly with questions and a thirst for knowledge that she bounced in a way that would have made Pinkie Pie proud. Daniel grumbled under his breath about her maturity level being on par with a 5th grader despite the fact that she said she ran the town's library. That item alone was enough for Daniel to draw some rather biased conclusions on the intelligence echelon for Ponyville.

Daniel could see the trees starting to thin and was soon standing in the shadowed edge of the forest. In the rich sunlight beyond a simple stone bridge lay across a stream as wide as the one by Zecora's. Gently rolling hills ebbed away to the North while quaint houses dotted the distance that lead into Ponyville proper.

Twilight was remarking how beautiful of a day the weather team had put together when she noticed Daniel was no longer walking beside her. He had stopped at the small bridge and was looking from the forest to the town in the short distance.

"Dan, is something the matter? We're more than halfway to the library and Ponyville is right there." She pointed the way with a hoof but Daniel thumbed the straps on his backpack in vacillation.

He bit at the inside of his cheek in thought, "Twilight, its very kind to invite me to stay with you and see your town but this isn't what I had in mind." Daniel cast a hand in the direction of Ponyville but didn't voice the dark thought that having so much contact with the 'locals' might strain his sanity.

Twilight couldn't read his body language or see much of his face to draw conclusions from his expressions and his tone of voice was calm and cool, "what do you mean? Ponyville is one of the nicest places in all of Equestria next to Canterlot. I will admit some of the towns-ponies have their quirks but they are all friendly to strangers. And plus you'll be with me so I'll just act as your tour guide until we reach our destination!"

Daniel let his hand drop and used the other to rub his chin, "Twilight I..." he took a breath and let out a long sigh, ”I know I just met you this morning but I've got to ask a promise of you- that is, if you want me to come with you. You've got to promise me that if I say I need some time alone you'll honor that request without question. You're the only person...well, pony in your case, that I know outside of Zecora so... there it is, take it or leave it."

Twilight was having difficulty following the logic of such a request and normally she would have made a standard rebuttal to extrapolate more information but that was part of the appeal itself! Could she hold herself to that level and NOT seek an answer to inquiry?

Her mental gears grated in agony against such a situation and she looked from Ponyville to Dan, "I suppose that wouldn't be too terribly difficult but you must know that there are some ponies there who will want to meet you. Especially after what you did for Sweetie Belle."

He shifted his weight slightly at the little filly's name, "do you know if she's alright?"

Now it was her turn to use some logic to get them moving again, "I was only at the hospital briefly last night and only long enough to hear that she was stable. The girls supposedly went back this morning to check up on her while I came to see you and Zecora." Twilight dangled the carrot...

"We could always go check in on her as part of the tour or once we get you settled at the library, your choice of course."

Daniel kicked a small rock off the path and looked back her with that same neutral expression, "fine, although I'd be much happier just camping out in that forest back there."

Twilight rolled her eyes and took a step off, "why in all of Equestria would you do that when you'll have a roof over your head in Ponyville? Come now, oh! We're so close I can almost smell the bakery at Sugar Cube Corner!"

He fell in step beside the purple unicorn, "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades..."

She looked up at the odd saying, "what's THAT supposed to mean?"

Daniel gave her a lopsided smile, "hopefully it means nothing here Twilight, but we'll see."

Twilight gave him a confused look and would have asked further if his words about wanting to be alone didn't ring back to her. There was something 'off' about this human, if she could even think 'that' after the scant few hours she had known him. He seemed to be well rounded in most subjects and didn't shy away from topics she brought up, however woefully inadequate they were. Daniel had a certain air of reservation about him that she couldn't quite put her hoof on but in a way reminded her of Fluttershy's personality.

That in itself would need researching and checklists would have to be made to divide the data properly. Twilight was so engrossed in those thoughts that the outskirts of Ponyville was upon them sooner than she realized. Daniel flexed his fists on his pack straps as the dirt road turned to a smooth cobble stone byway and within seconds was truly in another world.

If Daniel had to choose between guerrilla warfare engagements in Central America over walking openly down the busy streets of Ponyville, he would have accepted a UH-47 or HH-60 MEDRET in a hot second.

Everywhere seemed to move with pastel bodies of ponies; from pegasus meandering down the corridors of streets several feet off the ground to earth ponies and unicorns walking and trotting along below. Daniel could see himself going blind from the riot of brightly colored miniature horses had he not been wearing the m-frame wrap around shades. But that was a small comfort considering the sunglasses were having a difficult time reflecting the stares he was now receiving.

Twilight was oblivious to the human's discomfort as she began rambling off places along the way from the costume shop and bowling alley to the hardware store and Quills and Sofas shop. Daniel had been stoic in her musings thus far and on turning a corning walked by the Cafe' as his guide continued her rants.

"...and this is the Ponyville Cafe', they have some of the best snacks and sandwiches this side of Doughnut Joe's shop in Canterlot."

As the two walked past and away from the Cafe' and toward Twilight's home, the wake of stunned ponies behind them began to grow. Looks of surprise, wonder, fear, even disgust loomed along the street and while Daniel didn't rightly think they had an evil bone in their bodies, so many large probing eyes made his skin crawl.

Daniel didn't think he had ever been that nervous even when briefing a military General on a mission. Thankfully nopony had approached them throughout their walk and the next sight that Twilight pointed out was Sugar Cube Corner. The place looked like a hack from Hansel and Gretel's story about a witch living in a ginger bread house and as Twilight went on about the types of treats 'The Cakes' could turn out, he took a moment to really look at the place.

Whoever had designed such a building had either been a certified genius or an authentic wacko. From the ground up, the house was a hodgepodge of architecture and culinary dreaming. The dark pink front door was graced on either side by candy cane-like columns and the walls looked like the texture of cream cheese icing. The roof was a masterpiece of shingles that looked like chocolate cookies over lapping and white vanilla frosting all along the edges where the gutters normally would be. Above the roof and to the left was a purple brick chimney with more 'icing' drizzled around for good measure and a weather vane off to the edge of a pony holding what looked like a real giant peppermint candy cane.

Daniel found himself gazing up at the pink frosted cupcake tower in the center of the roof with three purple candles placed on top. Were those candles actually burning? Daniel was roused from his thoughts by Twilight directing a question at him and he looked down at her.

"...and we could get something to take back to the library with us, I'm sure Spike would like something sweet for his troubles this morning."

Daniel shrugged and agreed that whatever she got would be fine. Although as Twilight stepped inside he should have thought to ask if they make the confectioneries with hay.

A few moments later and several suspicious eyes watching Daniel, Twilight came back outside with a shoe-box sized collection of goodies which she levitated to him to carry. He was grateful to be moving again and even more thankful that the bulk of the inhabitants appeared to be in the market area which they had seen but not gone directly through.

"So what do you think of the town so far Dan?"

Daniel's face was straight ahead but his eyes were ever watching the sides as ponies peaked from windows, closed doors and kept their foals close when they went by.

"I don't know what I was expecting to see Twilight, but it sure wasn't THAT. You grew up here and I'm sure it’s all quite normal for you. But this," Daniel waved a hand at a couple of the thatched roof homes, "this is like stepping through time."

She blinked at his words but didn't really catch the meaning, "Actually I grew up in Canterlot in the capitol and I've only been living here for three and a half years."
They turned another corner that would take them further from the crowds, "and what does 'stepping through time' have to do with Ponyville?"

Daniel pointed out the more modern designs of some of the places like the bowling alley but had a hard time believing that most of the citizens still had straw roofs to keep the elements out. It was some kind of weird cornucopia of ideals that never really meshed. He could have swore he saw a shop called 'Mr. Breezy's Fan Shop' which would elude to the fact that electricity was available but technology wasn't balanced enough to merit the use of or invention of pens? Twilight had been using a feather quill and ink pot for crying out loud!

Twilight had considered some of those things before but only chalked it up to the idiosyncrasies of the small town life. She never thought of the technology that 'was' available as unbalanced and it was accessible to everypony that wanted or could afford it. Most seemed fine without such contrivances.

"Definitely an interesting topic that we'll have to expound further on later but for now, we're home!" Twilight made a mental note to chase that proverbial rabbit later on but the library was in view and Daniel looked relieved.
"Welcome to Golden Oaks Library... and it looks like I've got a couple of customers out front. Let me go see what's going on real quick."

She trotted ahead and gave a greeting to the light purple pegasus with a pink bow in her mane and the pink earth pony with a mint green mane and tail. Both greeted Twilight but didn't look too happy.

"Hi Daisy, Flitter, what seems to be the trouble?"

They both took out their books from their saddle packs and Daisy answered for both of them, "Twilight I came by earlier to return my book I borrowed on Horticulture but the library was closed. I thought maybe I made a mistake with the time so I left and saw Flitter heading this way too who had just seen the time on the clock tower. It was time for the library to be open but it was still locked up tight when we came back!"

Daisy gave a huff at being inconvenienced so and Flitter picked up the rest, "we went to the Cafe' to get a drink thinking you might had stepped out for some business and forgot to leave a note or something. So when we were done, we agreed to try this final time to return our books today. But since you're here now, and I hope there was no trouble, let us give you our books so we can be on our way."

Daniel had slowed a little to take in the enormity of what Twilight dubbed a library and had a small flash back of the Swiss Family Robinson movie from 1960. The Golden Oak Library had indeed been aptly named seeing how it was literally inside a giant oak. From the peculiar framed windows to the many balconies, the place brought a smile to his face in spite of the conversation at the door where he was heading.

Twilight apologized profusely but the two mares wanted nothing more than to return their items and be about their day. That was until Daniel caught up to the group and nearly saw Daisy keel over in shock. Flitter was a little better at the reception when Twilight explained he was just traveling and vacationing in the area. Both the mares had looks of unbelief when she mentioned that he would be staying at the library for the time being.

Daniel gave them a cordial 'have a nice day' as they left and he noticed Twilight quite literally steaming from the encounter. He moved his sunglasses lower on his nose to look at her without the polarized lens thinking it was a trick of light, but no, he could see real steam coming out of her ears.

"Guess there 'was' some trouble here with having the library open while you were gone?"

Twilight gave a toss of her mane and knocked a hoof on the front door only to find it still locked. Daniel saw a twitch in her left eye as she doubled her magic to hold the books up and unlock the door.

"I left the library in Spike's very capable claws and he's either in trouble... or he's going to be!" The calmness of her voice betrayed her expression as they entered the library proper without any lights on. The windows let more than enough light in to see by but Twilight's glowing horn made up the difference.

A soft snoring emanated from somewhere inside and she smiled back toward Daniel as he ducked to enter behind her, "would you excuse me for just a moment?"

"SPIKE!!"

Daniel almost dropped the box of sweets at the volume that Twilight screamed out into the room. He was sure that this pony 'Spike' was in for a rude awakening in the face of Twilight's wrath. Something hard hit the ground somewhere upstairs and a moment later the lights came on. 'Did Twilight have electricity?'

Frantic feet scrapping on the wood floor announced that Spike had gotten up and was moving quick enough to peel the finish. The sight that greeted them both running down the stairs was a hysterical purple scaled creature with green spines that could have only been- not a pony but a dragon, or what passed for a small one. Despite being small in stature, Daniel could see the dragon could move pretty fast when motivated and Twilight blowing her stack was fairly motivating.

"You slept this ENTIRE time Spike?! You were up with me hours ago and I gave you a simple task, one you have handled very well before!"

She probably slammed the two books down on the center circular table harder then she meant to but regardless the dragon got the idea, she was plenty pissed.

"Aw, I'm sorry Twilight honest! I only wanted to get a little more sleep and just lost track of the time." He shifted his gaze nervously to the books and back to the purple unicorn, "a-are those returns? Cause I-I can put them away f-for you."

Daniel couldn't see Twilight's expression but it must have been stark because the little guy could no longer look her in the eyes, "Spike, Daisy and Flitter had been waiting all morning to return their books and who knows how many more ponies came by while you were snoozing. And I was going to reward all your 'hard work' and 'diligence' with some cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner but I think those will have to wait for now..."

Spike frowned and found something interesting with his feet while Twilight's ire passed like a dark cloud.

Twilight relented, "Spike did you even eat breakfast?"

He looked up at her and shook his head.

She sighed and gave him a frown, "go make yourself some brunch while I get our guest settled upstairs."

Spike had failed to notice the human in light of Twilight's anger and abruptly lost his ability to speak. Twilight walked past him and called for Daniel to follow her. Spike's eyes had grown impossibly wide and his pupil’s shrunk small as peas, he was trying to make some sort of strangled noise but could only stare as Daniel towered by and after Twilight. Daniel's head turned to watch the little dragon as he walked on and he nearly smirked at the level of fright Spike was showing.

Twilight told Daniel he could leave his pack at the top of the stairs while she lead him downstairs to the basement where it was his turn to be shocked. Mounds of advanced machinery lined the area and huge containers lined the wall that glowed with...plasma? How could 'that' sort of technology exist here of all places?! Ducts and tin pipes extended up and through walls that went to who-knows-where.

Daniel took off his shades to view the scene as light-bulbs, or what looked like them, burned brightly with a slight lime hue overhead. Twilight was quickly gathering all the necessary parts of her spare bed and levitated out a thick foam mattress, extra bed sheets, and a couple of pillows. The frame lay against the wall out of the way and she was about to move it upstairs when Daniel stopped her.

When he asked about it she didn't seem fazed at having his bed upstairs by hers. Daniel politely asked that she let him stay in the basement where he could at least have some modicum of privacy but she insisted that her basement was no place to have a guest sleep overnight.

Twilight levitated the bedding up the stairs while he grudgingly totted the frame behind her with relative ease. Somehow the fact that he had slept in the same room with Zecora hadn't felt 'wrong' at the time since she didn't really have a bedroom as it were. Twilight, on the other hoof, did have such a designated room on the second floor and the nonchalant manner she mentioned the bed being in such close proximity to hers was enough to concern even the most battle hardened veteran.

She made quick work of setting up the bed to include all the fresh sheets, pillow and blanket to boot. Daniel brought up his backpack and set it on the foot of the bed and sat down beside it. Again Daniel voiced his displeasure to impose but Twilight just laughed and asked if he was uncomfortable with the accommodations.

"When you've been alive as long as me you get used to certain things Twilight, independence and privacy being the main ones."

She thought this was as good a time as any to get a few more questions out of the way so she snaked a piece of paper and an inked quill to her side and sat on her own bed across the way from him.

"Well I hope this question doesn't sound too forward of me but, how old are you? You are the first male human anypony has seen in Equestria after all. Although I'd have to consult a few history books to be certain..." Twilight tapped her chin in thought and Daniel took a swig of water from his pack.

"I'll be 42 this year come Halloween and hopefully that will make me another year younger." His quip was lost on the purple unicorn across from him.

Twilight scribbled some notes, "forty two years old, wow, you are more than twice my age! Is that considered old or young by human standards?"

Daniel mentally cringed at their age difference and that made the situation feel even more gauche, "well uh, I'm considered middle-aged as far as humans go. I'd say most of us that exercise regular and stay fit are in their prime between 25 and 50 or so. I fall into the 'exercise' group I suppose so I try to keep in good shape."

She was writing nearly everything he said and making notes along the way. Daniel had a mental notion that Twilight could be a court room stenographer with skills like that and when she plucked out another piece of paper to write some more, Daniel asked if he could see what she wrote.

Twilight moved the still wet page to him and warned him not to touch the ink. What Daniel saw blew his ideas on language right out of the water.

"Twilight what kind of script is this?" Daniel narrowed his eyes and tried to make heads or tails of the chicken-scratch rune style writing.

"What? Oh! Sorry, my shorthoof skills are sloppy sometimes but it's still Equestrian proper. Anypony can read it," her demeanor changed at an idea, "this isn't like your written script?"

Daniel shook his head, "this is something I've never been able to read, if I had to guess- maybe Phoenician style, not unlike early Greek but, huh. This is spoken too I imagine..."

Twilight looked on at him like he sprouted a second head, "of course its spoken Daniel, we're speaking it right now. Equestrian is the same whether spoken or written but technically there 'are' some variances in upper and lower class teachings but like I said, anypony can read it!"

He wasn't sure what to make of that, "I'm pretty sure I'm speaking English and it's the most popular spoken and written language on my world. Here, hand me that page and quill, I'll show you."

She obliged but continued on the defense, "I'm speaking Equestrian, YOU are speaking Equestrian! How does your language translate to my language without some sort of spell? That doesn't make sense!"
Twilight leaned over as far as she could to see what he was trying to write and still maintain her lecture, "Language is acquiring and using complex systems of communication in the form of body gesture, verbal speech, tone, hoofwriting- even using slang counts!"

Daniel could agree with most of that but he turned the page around to face her, "here is my language 'English' in writing, it's a simple phrase that the GI's adopted during World War II and oh, almost forgot-" he turned the page around and made a doodle of a man's head with a cartoon nose peeking over a wall and added little hands on the ledge, "-there, finished."

Twilight accepted the paper back and peered at the text as if seeing a new specimen for the first time. In a way that was true.
"Ok, I'll admit I've never seen anything written like this, what does it say?"

Daniel gave a small grin, "Kilroy was here."

She looked from him to the page and back again, "seriously? What does that even mean? And this character, how is it significant to the saying?"

Daniel scratched his chin and explained that it was a joke back in the day and used as graffiti in most cases. The mischievous face and doodle had become somewhat of a national sensation at one point and even before that, other countries had their variations of Kilroy. Early notations of 'Kilroy' was that he inspected ships prior to being sea-worthy, he would put the phrase on parts of a ship that no one could have possibly had access to when it was finished. Thus adding to the mystery of how 'Kilroy' got in between walls, bulkheads, and other impassable areas.

Twilight used the same paper to make notes on while Daniel talked and eventually Spike, after putting away the books on weather patterns and horticulture, ventured upstairs to see just what the two of them were talking about. Spike's head poked up into view from the top of the stairs as he watched Daniel with fascination. Once Twilight was done with yet another page of notes, she noticed the purple dragon spying on them.

"Spike don't be so bashful, Daniel's not going to bite. At least I haven't seen him do that this morning." She tilted her head at Daniel and thought on it.

He could have sworn Twilight knew how to pull off the 'puppy head tilt' look and chuckled at that. "No Twilight I don't bite,” and he was facing Spike when he stated that but turned his eyes to Twilight, "...much anyway."

Twilight's eyes got a bit wide and Spike stopped mid-step, "Ooooo-K, eh hehehe, he's joking Spike," and Twilight narrowed her eyes at Daniel.

He relented, "I 'am' joking Spike. Come on over so I can meet 'cha."

Spike gradually came over to where the human was sitting upright on the edge of the bed and looked up at him. Sitting down, Daniel was still a good head taller but he found some courage with Twilight so close by. Nothing was going to happen that he would regret... he hoped.

Daniel stuck out his right hand for a shake and introduced himself like he had to Twilight. Spike looked at the outstretched hand and down at his own claws.

"Wow Twilight! He has claws almost like mine, how cool is that!"

Daniel rolled his eyes and accepted Spike's scaly digits into his own but Twilight's eyes were fixed on the exchange. Just like before, on contact, a little 'spark' made both Daniel and Spike jump at the feeling and Twilight almost had a fit.

"Wait-wait-wait! Don't let go yet!"

Spike and Dan looked at her curiously while she explained and asked Spike to try to breathe a little fire while touching his hand. He shrugged and turned to the open air away from the two while his right claw was still firmly grasped in Daniel's fingers. Spike took in a lungful of air and exhaled in his normal way to send a letter to the princess. Only this time, grey and black smoke issued out in the place of flames.

Spike's mouth hung open a moment as the dark mist lingered near the ceiling, "eh-heh heh, well that was embarrassing. Let me try that again."

Same thing as before and more black smoke this time that made Spike cough, "w-what happened?! Why can't I breathe f-fire?"

Twilight scribbled madly on a sheet and nodded for Daniel to let him go, "sorry Spike, it's not you, it's Daniel. I believe he has a very strong, if not impossible, anti-magic ability. You couldn't produce flames while he was touching you, try it now."

Spike looked at his claw and back up at Daniel who shrugged at the suggestion. The little dragon turned away again only to find his green flames back to normal.

"Whoa! THAT was awesome Spike!"

Daniel had never seen dragon flames before, probably because they didn't exist back on earth, and was awed by the light green emerald colored fire he could produce.

For Spike, it was nice to finally just be able to talk to another 'guy', hanging out with the girls had its advantages like being closer to Rarity but something clicked between he and Daniel. Even though he wasn't a dragon or even a pony, Spike could sense a level of maturity there that he was drawn to and maybe, just maybe- they might get to hang out.

,,,^..^,,,

Outside the Ponyville Hospital, five figures bantered back and forth about lunch and visiting their missing comrade.

"Ah say Twilight should be back bah now, yall know that mare can't leave Spike alone in that library too long, she starts a 'twitchin' without them books!"

Rainbow Dash was about to agree just so they could all start moving one way or another until Rarity saw what was coming and gave her a look to clam up.

"Hey! Books aren't 'that' bad AJ, I mean, Twi did get me of all ponies to start reading so, yeah... that really doesn't help the argument does it."
Rainbow's attempt to derail Rarity's notions backfired on her and she ended up rubbing the back of her mane awkwardly with a hoof.

"Anyway, since we know that Sweetie is recovering nicely and at least one of us will have to come back to fetch her later on this evening, I say we get some delicious hors d'oeuvre trays from Whitehooves Galley that just moved to Ponyville!" Rarity gave a 'sqwee' of delight that such an up-scale restaurant would consider opening in their humble town.

Apple Jack rolled her eyes and waved everypony to get moving, "Rarity that waterin' hole is too pricey fer jus' tha few vittles that they give ya and we'll be needin' something quick anyhow."

Pinkie Pie waved a hoof as she bounced from side to side in the group trying to get their attention, "Oo- Oo, I have an idea!"

Rainbow exhaled noisily, "yes Pinkie- what IS it?!"

Pinkie took a deep breath and most of them groaned inwardly at the assault on their ears to follow.

"The Ponyville Cafe' is quick and has something for everypony, so why not just get a few doggie-bags to go and I have some edible glitter I can put on Rarity's order so she can still feel up-scale too!"

Fluttershy was the only one that didn't have a shocked expression on her muzzle at Pinkie actually making sense, and her soft voice sounded loud in the wake of silence.

"I think that's a great idea Pinkie and very thoughtful of you to consider Rarity like that, b-but, oh my. I think somepony else might be joining us."

At that moment, none other than Discord himself turned a corner from down the street -looked both ways- and seeing the group, waved and started toward them. Since his reformation and friendship through Fluttershy, he had taken to hanging out with the group whenever the chance came up, much to the chagrin of Rainbow, Rarity and Apple Jack who still wished to keep their association limited. They weren't outright rude to him however, just reserved.

Discord greeted them all cordially and actually appeared to be short on breath. He apologized and went on to say he had been looking for Fluttershy most of the morning. That drew some looks from the other ponies as they walked and Discord rolled his eyes in such a way that his eyes rolled out of their sockets and bounced onto the ground where he caught one and a laughing Pinkie Pie caught the other.

Pinkie was always ready to laugh and despite what they had all gone through had forgiven Discord completely and thought his antics were more riotous now than ever.

He began to gush about how the ponies all over Ponyville were talking about Twilight walking through town earlier with a monster in tow. He was nearly ecstatic that Twilight Sparkle the quote "most serious of the frowny faces" would almost create chaos doing such a thing. Discord almost shed a tear...

"It's almost like she's after my own heart!" And Discord 'drew' a heart shape in front them which turned into a red-velvety real 'Valentine' style heart that started to drift away like a balloon.

Pinkie giggled and tried to catch the heart-shaped balloon but it moved on its own power and just barely evaded her hooves. A couple of the mares behind exchanged pained expressions when Fluttershy invited Discord to join them for lunch and to also accompany them to the library.

"I'm sure that Twilight has everything well in hoof but, you know, just in case she needs help- that is, if you don't mind..."
Fluttershy glanced up at her tall friend walking beside her.

"My dear if you need me to be your knight in shining armor, " Discord snapped a finger and he was covered from head to tail in chain mail and plate armor, "I will rush the tallest castle walls, defeat a mighty foe and with it uphold your honor for ever more!"

Sounds of applause filled the air from out of nowhere as Discord took several bows and earned him even more exasperated looks from those walking with him. Discord produced two brightly colored foam 'swimming noodles' from thin air and tossed one to the ever hyper Pinkie who caught it in her mouth and made a piratey 'AAAaarrrgh'. She suddenly took out a pirate's eye patch and kerchief to place on her head to match the part.

"Ah ha! A mighty pirate that needs vanquishing! Fear not my fair mares, I will protect yoooooouuuu!" And Discord gave chase, well- more or less danced around the street while he and Pinkie mock fought with their foam batons.

"Mah hero..."

Apple Jack's sarcasm was not lost on the others who snickered as they continued down the thoroughfare.

Chapter 4: He who laughs

,,,^..^,,,

After a quick run down of the library and most of its uncanny quirks, the trio made their way back to the ground floor where Spike disappeared into the kitchen and Daniel and Twilight retreated to the wall to wall books. Daniel was impressed by the unicorn's thirst for knowledge but felt she lacked a certain amount of common sense to use said knowledge every time. It was merely a theory and since he had only known her a few hours, he would continue to see if anything substantial would come up.

Daniel had been rather engrossed in a particular book from the many shelves when a sudden banging on the front door took him away from some considerations. The book had been mainly illustrations of pony physiology and how it reacted with magic. He might have thought such a study to be crazy or pushing the limits of fantasy back home, but here?

Twilight had a neat stack of notes on either what they had discussed or more questions to ask at a later time, she didn't even look up from the writings with the noise at the door.

"Spi-ike, can you get the door please?" Twilight sing-sung his name while engrossed in her reading.

Spike had just finished eating a rather bland half sandwich and was cleaning up the kitchen area with a broom. He still had on his heart print apron when he trotted out into the room with a sigh. Daniel watched him as he made his way to the door and almost felt sorry for the little guy after what happened with him sleeping in and all.

A hoof banged several times again and Spike quickened his steps, "I'm coming already, hold your horses!"

Daniel quirked an eyebrow at that and looked over at Twilight who seemed not to notice it.

As Spike went for the door it wholly flung open to a rainbow colored blur that flew inside. Other ponies were filing in through the door without a second look at the purple arm and leg hanging precariously along the edges of the door where it slammed into the wall.

Daniel was aghast at the lack of concern and before his book could hit the floor he was two strides closer to the front door. The sudden movement, loud arrival of ponies and ensuing air of mayhem was enough to startle Twilight from her reading to survey the scene.

The first thing that registered was Dan's swift movement toward the door. Twilight had not seen him move faster than a trot before but now? Rainbow Dash had made it inside and was so shocked at the human's appearance her wings ceased to flap and she landed on the floor with a thud and skidded into the bookshelf. Rarity had been second and gave a hearty scream at seeing an 'unknown' barrel toward them at the door. Apple Jack, who was just at the welcome mat, jumped back with such force she plowed into Fluttershy who gave a yelp in surprise.

Pinkie and Discord were far enough away from the commotion to not be effected but seeing AJ jump from the doorway and collide with the butter yellow pegasus gave them pause in their fun and they stole a glance from each other in a most serious way.

Daniel had gotten to the door and was gently pulling it away from the wall to reveal Spike smashed into the oak and a rather exact outline of his body imprinted when the door swung away. On seeing the condition of the little dragon, Daniel took a knee and put his hand on his back. He was surprised to find Spike was still alive.

Spike stirred and used his free claw to literally peel himself out of his own impression only to find not a pony there to help him, but the human. Daniel stayed on eye level with Spike while he regained his bearings and rubbed a spot on his head.

"Ugh, thanks Dan, I should have seen that coming..."

Daniel put a hand on his scaly shoulder and gave him a pat, "welcome Spike and I've gotta say you're a tough dragon to just shake that off. I mean, you dented the wall."

Both Spike and Daniel ignored the hoof noise behind them as they looked on at his outline in wood.

Spike chuckled a little, "guess the joke fits that says 'that'll leave a mark', huh?"

Daniel grinned and stood knowing he was OK. What was going on behind him however...

Twilight had moved to Rainbow and Rarity's side to calm them down. Rainbow Dash had recovered enough to start a fight and was being held in place by Twilight's hoof on her tail. Rarity was hyperventilating and Twilight held a paper bag in place for her to breathe. Apple Jack and Fluttershy were both blocking the doorway and looking inside with Pinkie and Discord right behind them trying to see what had happened.

"Hey! Com'on Apple Jack move out of the way so we can see!" Pinkie bounced a couple times but forgot about the doggie bags she was carrying and had to move quick to recovery them, "Oops!"

Discord inverted himself so he was looking in above their heads, "it sounds like chaos in there! Twilight, are you causing problems and didn't invite me? What 'would' Celestia think?!"

Twilight heard Discord and that wasn't what she needed at the moment, "I'm not causing anything I'm... Rainbow will you cut that out!"

Rainbow Dash had gotten out from under Twilight's hoof and was hovering in the air once more only now was shadow boxing in Daniel's direction and mouthing off. Only Twilight's quick thinking to pin RD's tail to the wall with magic kept the high strung mare in check.

"No pony scares my friends like that! Not a pony, or griffon, or... or, whatever you are!"

Daniel didn't know what to make of the cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane and tail initially but one thing stood out to him, she was the 'shoot first, ask questions later' type.

"What's wrong with everypony? Dan was just trying to help me!" Spike stood by the human ready to come to his defense or whatever defense was needed three feet from the ground.

Questions kept getting thrown at Twilight until she finally snapped, and loudly, "will everypony PLEASE CALM DOWN!!"

The outburst caused all eyes to focus on the rather peeved purple unicorn who dared another soul to make a noise or move.

"Good! Now, everypony who is currently outside- get inside so I don't have to shout!"

The three ponies and one spirit of chaos shuffled inside without so much a peep; Rarity had recovered and hastily moved the paper bag away from her face- such an unladylike thing to do.

"Rarity are YOU OK?"

She looked sheepishly at Twilight, "mhmm."

"Rainbow? Are you listening to me?" Twilight let go of her tail and stood in front of the mare, "I saw the whole thing, it was just a big misunderstanding! No pony was trying to scare anypony!"

Rainbow crossed her hooves on her chest and brooded over the false pretense, "fine, whatever! But if that freak comes charging at me like that I'll buck it in the face!"

Twilight gasped thinking Daniel might react to something like that and she glanced nervously over her shoulder. Daniel's smug expression toward the remark spoke volumes for the amount of restraint he had.

"Rainbow that was not a nice thing to say what-so-ever! Now, you apologize to Daniel right this instant. He's the one that saved Sweetie Belle's life from the timber wolves!"

Several of the ponies gasped that this creature before them 'Daniel', as Twilight called 'him', was the harbinger that brought the fillies to Zecora's! Daniel could see the puzzle pieces falling into place in their eyes and several of them held differing levels of embarrassment at the situation he had just witnessed. All except one and Daniel was currently trying to make heads or tails of the mismatched individual.

Discord stood out as a stark contrast to the pastel ponies in more ways than one. Daniel could loosely define it as the head of a horse, although not like these ponies, and a body that looked draken with oddities plugged into it. Right arm of a lion, left arm- some sort of prey bird, the right leg looked vaguely reptilian in a dinosaur-like way and the other, maybe a goat leg? He noticed two short wings on its back as well and again the disparity continued in a bat's wing and pegasus wing.

Discord took notice of this appraisal and took the initiative to introduce himself in a traditional fashion. Since he had been carrying some of the 'to-go' bags too, he set them on the center round table as he passed it on the way to Daniel's side of the room. The rest of the group continued their silence at Discord's forwardness.

Daniel raised a brow at having to look up an extra two feet at the smiling horse face looming close to him. He briefly had a flashback to one of his favorite comic strips about a little boy and his pet tiger...Daniel had to wonder if he had finally found 'Hobbes'.

"Please forgive my pony friends for larking about in such a manor, it truly is an honor to meet a being such as yourself! My name's Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony but I'm currently an hiatus from all that and giving the magic of friendship a try instead! So welcome to Ponyville and all the friendliness it has to offer..."

Discord cringed visibly at that last part but Daniel didn't fully understand the connotation there. He instead was looking at the lion's paw that was extended his way in greeting and decided for it. Had Twilight seen what was about to happen she could have voiced something sooner but as Discord was standing, his paw was hidden from her view and by the time she saw Daniel's hand move to grasp it, it was too late.

"No don't...!"

The shout was cut short by a blaring white light that engulfed the entire library interior along with its inhabitants. There was no heat from the light and that was a good thing. They all would have been vaporized had things turned out differently. Twilight knew the reaction they were seeing was a result of Daniel's anti-magic ability but what was utterly chilling was the vast depth of 'cancelled magic' emanating from the two.

The light gained mass and speed and soon became harmless sparks, but those sparks grew in size and anything they smashed into was instantly altered to something chaotic. Several balloons, stuffed animals and party favors appeared randomly around the room. Books sprouted wings and furniture levitated from the floor. The ricochets of magic even hit the mesmerized mares which added to the on the spot bedlam. Rarity's white coat was splashed tie-dyed with hideous shades of mauve and Fluttershy's mane became punk rocker spiked and glowed green.

It all happened so fast that neither Daniel nor Discord could stop it. In fact, while the hand shake lasted a split second, everything that happened was in the blink of an eye.

Outside the library, a few ponies passing by couldn't help but gawk at the brief light show that blasted silently out of every nook, cranny and window of the old oak. They shook their heads and mumbled about Twilight experimenting again as they went on about their business.

Inside was chaos and Discord was trying to come to terms with just how all that had happened without him being in control of it. And something else had happened in that moment he touched the human's hand; Discord knew and was all too familiar with how chaos was 'supposed' to work and feel. What he gleaned from Daniel's vantage point was anarchy and turmoil on a whole new level. He would have thought about it longer if not for the screams and yells from the group as the after effects continued unrestrained.

"Pardon me a moment..."

Discord turned and gave a snap of his eagle's claw and the books returned to normal and to their spots. Another snap and the furniture was replaced, again and mounds of balloons disappeared- much to the disappointment of Pinkie who had set down her saddle bags to jump through the rubbery fun.

He couldn't help placing a digit under his chin in mock thought with a sly grin as he beheld Rarity in near panic over her coat, "you know Rarity, that shade 'does' compliment your eyes," and Discord batted his own teasingly.

The look she gave him was worse than Fluttershy's 'stare' and he changed her back without delay. Fluttershy was the last and she gave Discord a hug once her mane was back to its flowing pink hue.

"Well, THAT was exciting! How about I just introduce everypony else so we don't repeat that episode." Twilight took the floor before anypony else could object.

She took her time with introductions and even gave Daniel a brief run down of what they all did around Ponyville. Of course, Twilight had to explain what the light show was all about and that earned Daniel some worried looks. Once that was all out of the way, Pinkie enthusiastically reminded them about the food and made sure to give Rarity her 'special' order. Daniel was touched when the pink pony with impossible amounts of energy bounded over to him and held out a bag on her hoof.

"Hi Dan! I know Twilight just introduced us but I always like to get to know a new pony when they come to town but in your case it's super-duper special because you're NOT a pony and I just wanted to say that I always get a little extra when I bake or party or give gifts or have celebrations so it's really a good thing this time because I'd hate for you to feel left out when we all got something scrum-diddly-umptious to munch on for lunch and you didn't get to pick anything so I hope you like it!"

The only thought beyond smiling and accepting the bag was Daniel thinking- 'did I just get the double talk from a pony?' He found his mouth watering at the smell from those opened bags around the room. His own bag had a small paper cup crammed with 'fries', a sandwich wrapped in thin wax-paper, and a fist-sized pastry that looked sugar glazed. Since the main room was large enough to fit everyone comfortably, they all took seats on the floor for lunch.

Daniel choose to sit on the steps of the stairs that wound up to the second story which was removed from the group. He noticed that they all, Discord included, sat fairly close and engaged in idle chatter as sandwiches were taken out and delved into. While his appearance of being withdrawn drew the attention of Fluttershy and Spike, Daniel's reason was simple. For starters, these were all new ponies that he was only just introduced to, and next, observation.

He had a keen sense whenever he met someone new to watch them interact with others before diving in with personal issues. Daniel was certain he wouldn't be discussing his underwear size with any of them anytime soon, but watching them let him form opinions and ideas on how their group dynamics worked.

For instance, as he unwrapped his sandwich, Daniel noticed plainly that none of the ponies had the same color scheme. This denoted a lack of or non-existent discriminatory taboo among the equines. He saw no such open favoritism between coat colors that paralleled what humankind had gone though racially. He absently took a bite from his sandwich and mused the scene further.

All of their speaking and dialects differed greatly and logic could sway premonitions of education, age, maturity, experience, humor... yes, even humor.

Daniel had to smirk when the 'absurdly pink' pony Pinkie Pie started snorting as she laughed at the cyan pegasus Rainbow Dash who had gotten mayonnaise on her nose and was trying to lick it off.

"Hang on... I got... this!"

With eyes crossed on her muzzle, Rainbow made the most amusing faces trying to get her tongue out and high enough to remove the offending condiment. This caused an uproar when Rainbow refused to just give up and wipe it off, Pinkie, Apple Jack, Spike and Twilight rolled with laughter while Rarity politely covered her mouth with a hoof and tried to keep a modicum of modesty. Discord thought it was downright hilarious and balanced on his tail while the rest of him was up in the air chuckling so hard he had to hold onto his stomach.

Fluttershy had not fully partook in the wholesome jollity and she smiled at the scene for a moment before casting a look toward Daniel- who was frowning down at the sandwich in his hands. She tilted her head in his direction and noticed he was picking something out of his meal.

Daniel's thoughts had been spoiled when he actually considered what he had just bitten into. Normally he would have excepted food without hesitating but the dandelions among the tomatoes and pickles made his second meal of the day worth looking into. The bread looked like a near copy of whole wheat and the mayo even tasted like the stuff back home. Tomatoes and pickles, both the same, but the addition of the yellow dandelion flowers and plant leaves were an unexpected bonus.

Not that humans couldn't eat it, in fact, Daniel had made salads before out of an abundance of dandelions and they were truthfully a healthy natural food. It just... was a little surprising to see in a sandwich. But considering who it came from...

Daniel looked at the group who had calmed down with the assistance of Twilight's quick napkin and little magic but his eyes stopped on two sea-green ones that blinked in shock at being discovered. Fluttershy and Daniel held each others gaze for a moment before she averted her eyes to her own meal and nibbled meekly at some of the hay fries. She was first worried that something awful had gotten into his food but when Daniel picked out one of the yellow flowers to stare at it, she couldn't help but watch spell-bound as his fingers nimbly maneuvered the blossom for a better inspection. It was in that moment that Daniel had looked up and their eyes met.

Fluttershy could have swore there was a storm behind those brown depths and the tempest was both terrifying and strangely comforting.

"Odd group, this...", Daniel mumbled under his breath as he watched Discord playing with his food much to the annoyance of Rarity and Twilight. But Discord took 'playing with your food' to a whole new level. He had made little miniature ponies out of his hay fries and animated them to trot around which Pinkie "Ooo'd" and "Aaah'd" over.

"Discord, could you not be civil for just one teensy meal for a change?" Rarity was less impressed by his clowning around than the others were.

"Oh Rarity, for such a beautiful pony you can be quite a stick in mud, it's a wonder you can appreciate any humor at all!" Discord settled down low on the floor and propped his head up on a fist to pout.

"Hmpf! I have ample amounts of humor thank-you-very-much. Just not on the level that compromises regality!" And she wagged a hoof at his edible creations that had gotten too close to her spotless white coat.

Discord gave her a deadpan look and plucked up one of the unlucky fry-ponies and popped it into his mouth with a 'CRUNCH'.

"Ew! Discord!" Twilight gasped as he munched loudly on the once moving food.

"Ah reckon tha's tha most creepy thing ah've ever seen yall do Discord..." Apple Jack said with a shudder as the rest of the mini fry-ponies fled from being crispy snacks.

Pinkie laughed and dove for one of the tasty moving treats that trotted by her, "I think it's great! And just imagine if they could move quicker! Oo-Oo! THEN it would be 'fast-food'! It would be fan-dabbie-tabilious!"

"Pinkie, that's not even a word, and don't encourage him!" Twilight chided while watching one escape to Daniel's side of the room.

Daniel had yet to try his own 'fries' when something bumped into his boot and looking down, saw a lone fry-pony trying to hide behind his heel. Pinkie and Discord had regained control on their side of the room and now the only one left was by Daniel's boot which he quirked a brow at.

He didn't think much about the eyes watching his moves as he reached down intending on picking up the animated food for a closer look; what actually happened when he touched it made Discord's mouth hang open.

At Daniel's touch, a soft light flashed soundlessly and without sensation at his fingers, the food ceased to move. In fact, Daniel had grabbed a single fry before the rest collapsed in a heap on the floor. He picked up the fry and looked at it and back down at the wasted fare.

"If that don't beat all ah've ever seen!" Apple Jack's voice broke the shocked silence.

"Dude! How did you DO that? Not even Twi here can affect Discord's magic like that!" Rainbow nearly threw her sandwich at Twilight when she waved a hoof her direction in exasperation.

Pinkie reached up with a hoof and closed Discord's mouth with a giggle while Daniel took a bite of the fry in his fingers; needed ketchup and had a strange after-taste. He didn't have any more of an explanation then Twilight did for his cancelling ability, it certainly wasn't something intentional. After Discord's impromptu food jaunt, Daniel was resolute to finish his sandwich and try to make heads or tails of the fries. Indeed, Discord had coaxed them into trotting around but that's where the differences ended. He broke one of the fries apart in his fingers and could place the potato in them but something else stood out behind the heavy deep fried starch... hay?

Daniel took notice of the mares conversation as Rarity mentioned Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy noticed Daniel's sudden interest and poked Rarity discreetly with a hoof.

It was something in the way that the alabaster unicorn glanced at him, Daniel was certain there was some spite there. Her eyes were as beautiful as the others and just as expressive. There was no hiding thoughts with these creatures, if the old adage was true 'the eyes are the windows to the soul', then these ponies had binoculars permanently fixed on their faces.

Pinkie had found the sweets that Twilight had purchased and after passing them out, and eating her own weight in treats, looked a little more energetic, if that was even possible, and was actually bouncing in place to listen in on Discord and Rarity's 'argument' on etiquette.

Daniel was starting to think Discord and Rarity had some 'history' the way they bickered back and forth. The draconequus seemed to egg on the white unicorn who was more than willing to continue the feud whether or not she knew he was goading her.

"...you're cheeky with your crude jokes AND you are simply ruining poor Pinkie Pie!"

Discord gave her a dramatic flare, "Moi?! How tactless of you dear mare to insinuate that 'I' should ever stoop SO low! You gush radiance yet weep dullness."

Rarity sputtered at such an outrage, "why...I... you...MY work is anything but dull! Why even Fancy Pants, the great connoisseur of fashion in all of Equestria, pays homage to my works of art!"

He gave her a smirk, "oh come now Rarity, how CAN you trust the judgement of a pony named 'Fancy Pants' when he himself wears no pants!"

That did it. Daniel was sure if Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash hadn't come in between the two of them there would have been blood. Probably fake blood on Discord's part and much drama on Rarity's but Daniel had to smirk at their 'chemistry'.

Once the commotion had died down, Daniel gave Twilight a small wave and she inclined her head to him. Leaning over so he wouldn't be too loud, "Twilight, do have a bathroom I could use?"

Daniel could see the gears turning a full revolution behind her eyes before she caught on, "Ooooh, yes, of course! How silly of me not to consider showing you 'that' part of the house!" She seemed thoughtful for a moment then uncertain, "I suppose I took it for granted that it didn't need explaining."

He gave her a demure look, "well, hopefully not too much explaining, I mean, I don't know how your kind treats it but humans tend to shy away from talking about bodily functions in the open."
Daniel glanced up from her briefly to note where everyone was in relation to where 'this' conversation was going on.

Ever the academic, Twilight responded with a professor-like tone, "to be honest, ponies don't have such hang ups even through it's generally not a topic discussed in public settings. Crude or 'potty humor' jokes are usually reserved for close friends and family depending on historical traditions of parental upbringing."

Daniel got the jest of what she said but she still didn't answer his initial question, "maternal and parental speculations aside Twilight, could you point me in the right direction?"

She turned from him and pointed a hoof to a nearly door under the stairs, "should be adequate for you, I think." She looked Daniel up and down thinking about his height, "Spike doesn't have any problem but then again he 'is' quite shorter than you."

Daniel gave her a chuckle, "well, if it's too crazy maybe I'll just go find a bush somewhere."

Twilight looked aghast at the thought, "that's not sanitary at all and something I'd half expect Apple Jack to say!"

Apple Jack looked over at Twilight and Daniel and decided to trot over to the two. Twilight realized she had raised her voice at the perfect moment and immediately clammed up.

"Now whut in tarnation is goin' on over here? Twi? Ah heard mah name, now spill tha beans!"

Twilight started turning red so Daniel interjected before she could further embarrass herself, "we were just talking about toilets Apple Jack..."

Twilight facehoofed and Apple Jack smirked with a look toward the unicorn, "ya don't say?" Daniel picked up on the cowpony's tone and knew right away that Twilight didn't fall into the 'non-hang ups' group.

"Yeah, I was about to try out the bathroom here and Twilight was just commenting on how ponies don't have such reservations to talk about those things like my kind does."

Twilight still had a leg over her face and she peeked over her hoof at the two of them grinning back. The redness in her cheeks brightened.

"And by the way Apple Jack, would it be called...the little filly's room here?"

She chuckled and saw how the ribbing was effecting her friend, "yup, well in yer case Dan'el it would be tha little colt's room. An' Twi's right of course, MOST ponies don't have any hang ups with that sorta stuff but when tha shoe is on tha other hoof, Twilight here will turn tha most beautiful shade of apple red ah ever saw!"

True to AJ's words, Twilight could sure dish it out but couldn't take it. She was turning almost bright red from embarrassment as Daniel shook his head and gave a wink to Apple Jack. He could appreciate her willingness to engage in the banter and it reminded him of some of the military types he retired with, strong sense of duty but still down-to-earth. He took a few steps around the stairs and opened a door that was a little short for him.

On the inside, there was enough room for a pony to nearly stretch out on the floor without touching any wall or appliance. But the spacious interior gave way to one important piece of modern technology- the toilet. Daniel had traveled around the world several times for both military service and vacations; each culture having it's own differences and similarities when it came to personal hygiene. He had almost expected something these ponies could stand on four legs to use but his parallel thinking to equines from back home took a back seat to what he saw on the floor.

The simple fixture looked strikingly like a Japanese style squat commode and where the flush lever should have been, there was a square plate inches above the floor for 'hoof' use. Daniel was about to 'assume the position' when something very important caught his attention- he didn't see toilet paper hanging anywhere.

He looked in the cabinets on the wall and below the sink but the all important 'TP' was nowhere to be found. Daniel was about ready to go get his own stash when something else clicked into place for him. A rather odd looking water fountain right next to the toilet made him pause and consider what he was seeing. It was a wall-mounted bidet that looked about the right size for a pony tush.

Daniel laughed out right at trying to use something like that and decided on fetching his stash of TP instead. Outside, Twilight was still looking rather dour and Apple Jack was now joined by Rainbow dash who both seemed to be having fun at the unicorn's expense. All three turned to look at Daniel as he exited the bathroom, headed upstairs and a moment later come back down. He gave the three mares a wiry grin as he tossed up the white roll and caught it before ducking back into the latrine room.

Rainbow's eye brow climbed high enough to disappear into her prismatic colored mane that fell across her face. Apple Jack and Twilight shared a look of confusion before Rainbow Dash, ever the master of tack, voiced her thoughts aloud.

"Alright Twi, this 'hoo-man' of yours is officially creepin' me out! I mean, the flat face, beady eyes and no fur coat I can look past. But what the hay was THAT all about?! That looked like a giant marshmallow with a hole in it! Why would anypony take something like that in there?!"

"Ah reckon ah have ta agree wit' Dashie on this one. Not even Pinkie Pie takes food with'er ta tha toilet."

Twilight looked from her friends to the bathroom door and back again, "Dan doesn't seem like the kind of pon- er, person to do something so strange without an explanation. I'm sure there's a perfectly logically reason for his actions... but I'm not sure he'd be willing to share it openly."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and sat back on her haunches, "oh come on Twilight! He can't be that shy! I mean, that's Flutter's territory."

Fluttershy, who was now standing a bit closer heard her name and motioned for Discord to follow over, "um, what about me Dashie? Oh, I mean if you want to tell me that is... I don't really mind."
Fluttershy let Discord step up and she took a step coyly behind him.

Rainbow just wagged a forehoof in her direction, "see what I mean!"

Fluttershy 'Eeped' and Discord put a gentle paw on her head, "I see that the party is over here now, like 'my' shenanigans weren't good enough, so what's gotten everypony's tail in a twist?"

Pinkie heard the word party and just...'appeared' beside Discord with an expectant expression on her face, "Party? Party! Where, where? Oo-oo, I LOVE parties!"

"We KNOW Pinkie, there's no 'party' here and no pony's tail is twisted Discord. There are just a few things we're trying to hash out without intruding on somepony's privacy." Twilight lightly admonished their energy.

"Awww..." Pinkie groaned and Discord looked thoughtful.

"Are you sure about that Twilight? I'm not a 'knot' specialist but each of you looks knotty!" He stifled a laugh as each of the mares looked behind them to see their tails in various degrees of 'knottiness'.

Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash had been standing close enough that their tails were actually weaved together like a basket. Rarity's silken tail had been transformed into intricate couture tresses and Pinkie's poofy tail had been braided with candy pieces woven into it. Twilight's tail had a 'paracord square weave' to it and was so tight only a fourth of it hung from her backside. Fluttershy's tail had been spared anything too crazy and had merely been bow-tied twice to look like a butterfly.

Discord hadn't moved but somehow all that had happened in the breath of a couple seconds. Pinkie loved hers and started to chase her tail for the treats and Rarity almost 'liked' hers.

"While not a fashion that is 'in' for tails this season, I can't be too upset with your Discord." Rarity eyed the details of her new look and took mental notes while undoing it with her magic.

"Well ah sure can! Haystacks on fire, Discord, yall untangle this here mess this instant!"

Rainbow and AJ tried their best to untie themselves but the more they tugged the tighter the weave became- almost like a Chinese finger trap. Twilight's face contorted a few ways as she tried to puzzle out the square weave of her tail with her magic so she was of no help to the cowpony and pegasus.

Daniel had heard some of the commotion through the door and nearly fell over from laughing. He finished his business and washed his hands in a shorter-than-average waist high sink. The soap dispenser was rather robust to handle abuse from hooves but he found the sudsy gel sufficient enough with a fresh rain scent. Daniel chuckled at the thought of different hand soaps back home that were gag-gift 'man scented'. Axle grease, bacon and tires came to mind.

When he opened the door, what met Daniel was comical pandemonium.

Fluttershy and Discord were meticulously picking candy out of Pinkie's tail and off the floor, Twilight had managed to get her tail even more tangled and now Spike was using his claws to help the mess, and poor RD and AJ...

"Stop moving around so much!" Rainbow shouted to Apple Jack as her hoof fumbled with the twisted locks.

"RD, ouch! Ya keep pullin' mah- oow!"

Rainbow was trying to twist her body around enough to get a good hoof hold on the now snarled clutter only to pinch or pull a strand of either her's or AJ's tail. Apple Jack jerked again from an uncomfortable tug and Rainbow's balance went over as her flank was pulled out from under her.

Daniel set his TP on the bottom step of the stairs and shook his head at the scene. Every pony in the room seemed to have a handle on their 'situation' except that cowpony and the high-strung cyan one. Apple Jack seemed nice enough and he wanted to help her out that but the other?

Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash both looked up when Daniel stepped over to them, "if you uh- ladies need a hand I'm sure I could get you out of that tangle."

AJ smiled kindly and was about to accept when Rainbow jumped up on all fours and planted AJ's face into the floor.

"YOU aren't touching ME with those freaky fingers! Don't even come close to my-"

Apple Jack had recovered from the spill and had enough of Rainbow's pride, she scooted back just enough to sweep out with one hind leg and kick both of RD's back legs out from under her. Rainbow Dash landed hard on her flanks and was cut off from talking.

"Rainbow Dash yall are goin' ta hush up right now! You threaten'd tha fella when he was tryin' ta help Spike earlier an' now he's a offerin' ta fix our mess an' yall are goin' ta keep mouthin' like that?!

Rainbow Dash didn't look at Daniel during the exchange but rather took on a brooding posture and crossed her forehooves over her chest in indignation.

Apple Jack looked away from the pegasus and put a hoof over her own muzzle in a way to 'pinch' the bridge of her nose. She shook her head and looked up at the human.

"Dan'el if yall would be so kind to help us out here, ah know WE would be grateful."

Rainbow gave a disgruntle snort but didn't turn her head.

Daniel nodded and took a knee beside the tan mare who looked at little less certain by his sudden proximity.

"I'll help you both out as long as I don't get 'bucked' for my efforts. I've never been kicked by a horse or... pony in your case, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Apple Jack's eyes searched his face and while she knew she could keep 'Bucky McGillicuddy' and 'Kicks McGee' under control, she stole a sideways glance at RD who still refused to look their direction.

"Ah know mah friends Dan'el, you've got mah word that neither of us will harm ya." AJ was looking at Rainbow who made a face just long enough to let her know she at least heard what was said.

Daniel gave her a quaint grin and nodded, "give me a minute or two and I'll see what I can do.

He slipped around to the rear of both mares and sat down Indian style with their tails in his lap. Daniel's .357 was exposed when his pants no longer covered the holster and he gave a smirk at that while his fingers gingerly dug into the web of long hair.

Apple Jack had been watching him and cocked a brow at his expression, "what uh, what's funny back thar?"

His finger's kept moving and separating the blonde and prismatic locks, "just some irony Miss Apple Jack that's all. Legs can be weapons where I'm from and just thinking about sorting out this mess so close to your, ahem, 'weapons' is just... well, I've never been too comfortable being in the line of fire as it were and I'm sure either of you could cave in my chest with one shot."

Rainbow was getting curious as to just how close 'close' was and she turned her head just enough to spy him scant hooves away from their flanks. THAT was enough to make her very uncomfortable and she could feel the panic building.

"Aw sugar cube, ah've never bucked anypony fer helpin' an' ah know Rainbow Dash here is ah very 'loyal' pony at heart an' would do nothin' ta change 'er friend's minds 'bout that."

Apple Jack stressed the loyal part and Daniel could see it was almost as if she was reminding Rainbow of something which the mare had her eyes screwed shut to but she still nodded her head.

"An' yall can drop that Miss's stuff Dan'el, ah ain't fancy so it's Apple Jack or AJ if'n yall are in ah hurry."

Daniel grinned and flicked another handful of 'tail' out of the way, this was worse than a fishing pole reel!

Rainbow's wings twitched and she fought back the urge to flap them to get away. She felt it was worse than the time she was pinned in Ghastly Gorge!

Twilight and Spike were just finishing up when Pinkie and Fluttershy came over to see if they could help. Discord's goofy grin began to falter at the 'stink eye' everypony was giving him, and well, Fluttershy looked more disappointed than angry. Rainbow had started to get that panicked look in her eyes and Fluttershy moved in to calm her down with a hoof around her neck in a hug.

"Dashie, just take it easy, Daniel's almost finished."

"Yall ain't kiddin' there Fluttershy, Dan's usin' them hands like ah champ and he ain't even pulled one hair yet!"

Apple Jack was smiling warmly over her shoulder as he picked the last knot from the two tails, "There ya go AJ, Rainbow Dash, all done and AJ, I had to take this out of your tail to fix it..."
He picked up the plain red scrunchie that he had to removed when he started in the beginning and held it out to her.

Rainbow took the opportunity to move away from the awkward position but Fluttershy remained at her side until she was certain the fellow pegasus was OK.

Daniel wasn't really expecting AJ to ask him to put the scrunchie back in place for her but since he was already there, he took a breath and raked his fingers through her long blonde tail and diverted his thoughts elsewhere.

"So Discord, I don't suppose saying you had a hand in this would be unfair would it?"

He scratched his chin in an aloof way, "I could play the unappreciated peasant who merely tries to enrich his friends lives with joy...but it seems my frivolity is at best 'uncouth'."

"And that's saying it mildly!" Rarity half agreed while making sure her own reflection was once again spotless in Twilight's mirror on the wall.

Daniel had to stoically ignore the dreamy look AJ was giving him and he finished the cowpony's tail and stood back up.

"Well Discord, it sounds like you need a good outlet to use your talents on."

Daniel noticed the color drain from Twilight's face as if he was suggesting Discord cause unbridled chaos again. He hurried an explanation, "what I mean is...Apple Jack, she's honesty embodied or however 'that' works but she still has a regular job at her farm, right?"

Apple Jack looked thoughtful but still nodded.

"And Rarity's generosity is known across Equestria all the while holding a job in designer fashion, something I have no doubt she's good at."

"'Great at' dear Daniel, but please, do continue."

Daniel gave the white unicorn the briefest of looks before nodding back to Discord, "what he 'needs' is a job, but not just any job," Daniel's pause for effect brought them in closer, "not only will Discord get paid for his efforts and get to exercise his magic but he will OWN the chaos!"

As all that was sinking in, Twilight asked the obvious question for the group, "while that all sounds fine Dan, how in the wide-wide world of Equestria would Discord 'own' the chaos as you put it? Who would give him such a job?"

Daniel gave her a sly grin, "do you have a large piece of paper Twilight? Like maybe two sheets wide and three long?"

She looked up in thought, "I have a couple I was holding onto for maps, would one of those work?"

Daniel nodded and she went down into the basement to find one of the large sheets while the girls traded unsure looks. Discord was looking at Daniel with a most peculiar expression as if trying to gauge what he was thinking. Twilight returned a moment later with a poster sized sheet and Daniel motioned for her to set it down on the middle round table.

"Ok, Spike? Would you happen to have a quill handy?"

Spike produced one out of nowhere and held it up for Daniel to take; all the occupants gathered close to see what was going to happen on the parchment.

"Now then...who has ever been on a roller coaster?"

,,,^..^,,,

Daniel, Twilight and Rarity walked along the outer edge of Ponyville heading to the hospital via the long way at the human's request. He had donned his hat and shades as they moved at a leisurely pace in the pleasant afternoon sun. Apple Jack and Pinkie had to return to their respective jobs and were unable to tag along.

The job discussion for Discord had gone better than he thought it would. So well, in fact, that Discord stayed behind with Fluttershy and Spike to write a letter to the princess concerning the idea and even being so forward as to ask for a royal grant. At the time, it seemed ambitious but Discord waved it off saying the princesses and him went 'way back' and they wouldn't mind.

If there was one thing Daniel did well, it was send a pitch to get something done. He sketched roughly as he talked and everyone present at the time was glued to the paper as he drew out lines and circles that became a roller coaster, Ferris Wheel, entertainment block, food court and finally, a huge fun house. Pinkie had gotten so excited at the prospect that she nearly threw a party on the spot. It took Twilight and Rainbow both to convince her to wait for the 'Opening Day' which they were sure would need a huge party.

Pinkie's mouth dropped and she starred blankly into space at the idea. She was at a lose for words the rest of the time (but everypony still kept an eye on her). The idea of a full blown amusement park wasn't completely lost on the group as talk of Los Pegasus came up and the fact that there were huge indoor circus acts in that city. But an amusement park so far out in the countryside? Granted, Ponyville had a mainline railroad and was a popular relaxing vacation spot- but to think that Discord could build and run the park himself? And what was more outlandish was the way Daniel suggested he do it.

"With as little magic as possible. Hire crews, network with ponies that knew how to build- architects, engineers, painters, sculptors..." Daniel's impromptu vision was contagious but they all agreed at the end that not a word should go out until it had the blessing of Celestia and Luna.

Daniel had lagged behind the mares by a few links and allowed them space to chat while he took in the sights of the countryside. If he didn't have a lot on his mind before hand, he would soon enough.

The Ponyville hospital came into view and Daniel paused at the front door to collect his thoughts as he followed the two inside. The lobby had a few ponies here and there, one sported a rather nasty bruise which was being treated by a plump nurse pony with an ice bag. He could see other nurses carrying clipboards and asking questions of patients as they waited to be seen. One thing that was different about this group was that they had other priorities then a stray human walking around. Nopony that was busy seemed to give him a second look.

Twilight cleared her throat to get Daniel's attention and they continued through a couple of corridors to a room with a single napping occupant.

Nurse Redheart came around the corner as the three of them paused at the door with Daniel bending down to look in the small glass window. Her eyes went wide and Twilight quickly saddled up next to the hyperventilating mare to calm her and nodded with her head for Daniel and Rarity to go in.

Thankfully Twilight's encouragement for the nurse to 'take it easy, just breathe' wasn't so loud to wake the sleeping filly.

Daniel gave a quick look around the room and glanced from Rarity to the bed with a small smile, "did you already see her today?"

She nodded but didn't approach the bed, "most of us were here rather early and the doctor told us Sweetie would be released at the end of the day."

Rarity's breath caught in her throat as Daniel stepped over to the bedside and took a knee next to it. While the unicorn adult hadn't been openly hostile to the human, she was nervous having him so close to her baby sister. But why was she so doubtful of him? Daniel 'did' save her life in the Everfree after all.

Rarity took a couple steps closer to watch the man as he delicately reached out a hand and used his fingers to sweep Sweetie's mane from in front of her eyes. She gave a quiet smile and her eyes fluttered partially open. "Mm?"

"Rarity? Is that you?" Sweetie Belle gave a yawn-squeak and stretched from laying in bed for so long.

"Yes Sweetie, I'm here and I... somepony else is here to see you."

Daniel removed his glasses and hat as the little tike turned his direction. When her sleepy eyes focused on him, they went wide in recognition.

"Dan? Daniel you're here!"

Sweetie was instantly awake and threw her forehooves around his neck, Daniel had to steady himself on the edge of the bed at the sudden forceful hug.

Rarity gasped when Daniel brought his free arm around Sweetie and his hand rested on her mane. Her emotions were in flux at the sight of some'thing' so awful looking being so close to her sister. In fact, she had half a mind to jerk his 'icky' looking hand away from her. It was taking some serious restraint to not do something hasty. But she forced herself to look past the conflict in her mind and see what melted her heart.

Sweetie had started crying after just being so happy to see him again. All the anguish she went through bubbled up into tears and now with Daniel's shoulder so close, she sobbed and clung to him. Daniel himself couldn't at the moment understand the torrent of emotion the embrace brought with it and he too got choked up.

"I'm so glad you're alright Sweetie," Daniel said pulling back from her hug to look her in the eyes, "will you...I mean, how does your leg feel?"

Sweetie gave him a sobbing grin and she moved back in the bed and revealed her leg under the sheets. Already the deep purple-black mark that it had been earlier was now a light purple and the swelling wasn't near as bad as the doctor had thought it would be. Daniel was miffed at the sight, he 'knew' her leg was broke when he toted her out and now, it looked more like a sports bruise.

Rarity found her voice once she caught sight of Twilight and the nurse standing in the doorway and she gave Daniel the run down of what the doctor had said early in the morning and how Sweetie would be released later on. Daniel ruffled Sweetie's mane and she giggled, he was greatly relieved that the little filly was going to be just fine.

After he explained that he would be spending the night with Twilight, Rarity mentioned she would be back later on to pick up Sweetie to go home. Their visiting time was over and the three exited the hospital much to the relief of the staff. Daniel could feel the intensity of the eyes on him as they left and he found respite in the cool air of the late afternoon.

Rarity had been at odds about something during the visit and had to use the opportunity to set something right, even if Twilight was still walking with them.

Daniel was roused from his quiet walking with the mares as Rarity politely cleared her throat and addressed him.

"Daniel, I have something to share with you that I must make amends to. And it will do you no good to dispute my claim until I am completely finished with what I have to say."

Daniel and Twilight both had turned their heads toward her as they continued their scenic jaunt. Rarity mentally cursed Daniel's shades for blocking his eyes and not being able to read his face properly.

"I need to tell you that... I... well, I misjudged you." She took a breath as if just getting that sentence out had winded her.

"I let your looks give me a predetermined disposition and now I see your concern for my sister was not only genuine but well placed. I can't imagine my life without Sweetie Belle being a part of it and you made sure youthful ignorance didn't cost her her life."

Daniel could tell the unicorn was struggling internally but said nothing. Twilight, on the other hoof, had a small smile on her muzzle as Rarity battled an inner demon- and was apparently winning.

"Therefore I want to apologize Daniel...and...and I want to do something nice for you."

He was a bit surprised by the revelation and even more stunned that she would ask for forgiveness and offer something to clear the air. They continued to walk along while Daniel mulled over this for bit, Rarity and Twilight shared a look that thought he might refuse the offer. When he did speak again Rarity wished he 'had' just said no.

"I accept your apology Rarity even though I probably would have shrugged off your spite as something little immature but..." Daniel looked over at the unicorn as they came across the backside of Rarity's boutique and stopped, "...I want to pick what this 'something nice' will be."

Both unicorn's eyes got wide at the implications running through their minds. Surely he didn't mean...

Daniel held up a hand to stall their thoughts, "And 'who' you will do something nice for. You see Rarity, I happen to know something about misjudging someone- and so does Twilight."

Daniel cast his gaze her way and she nervously laughed at a shy volume, "So if you truly wish to right this wrong, the person who will receive your gift is...Discord."

Both mares were stunned to silence but Rarity recovered first with a twitching eye, "WHAT?! Why him? Of all the beings in Equestria Daniel, honestly, he deserves it the least!"

Daniel removed his shades and stared into her eyes until she shifted on her hooves uncomfortably, "that- is why he 'needs' your gift more than I do. You two have some kind of history and I could see it plain as the horn on your head while we were at the library eating lunch. I watched you Rarity, I watched you sneer at his joking, avoiding eye contact, clipped remarks..."

Rarity was feeling smaller and smaller the longer Daniel talked, if he, as a complete outsider, could see that she still held something against the Draconequus- did her friends see it too and just not say anything? Rarity began to hang her head at the way she had been acting.

"...and I don't know the whole story yet girls," Daniel was bringing Twilight into this now too, "but I really hope there isn't some ugly under-belly to this beautiful utopian world. It's always been my nature to be suspicious of things too good to be true and I really thought that I could leave that mentality behind me when I found out just what kind of 'vacation' this was turning into. Was I wrong?"

"Rarity?"

Daniel's voice wasn't harsh through all the words but they stung no less. Neither of the mares could met his eyes but to the alabaster unicorn the illumination was painful.

She nodded meekly at first and spoke so softly she felt tears welling up, "yes...you are right after all. I- I haven't given him a chance since Fluttershy helped him."
Rarity choked back a sob, "I was just so angry that he WAS reformed and I, he... I couldn't..."

She began to babble as the tears came out and Daniel put on his shades. Twilight, being the obvious shoulder to cry on, went to Rarity's side and let her latch on in a fierce hug. When she had started to compose herself, Daniel gave her marks for courage.

He spoke gently and in a father-like tone, "Rarity, mercy is 'not' giving someone what they deserve- grace is giving someone what they 'don't' deserve. And you are one of the most graceful ponies I've seen yet and I'm willing to bet A LOT of others look up to you. And I believe that you'll do the right thing."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes on a delicate handkerchief that she produced from...somewhere, "y- you could have given me any other difficult or impossible task in the world to do, but you gave the one that I 'needed'."

She sighed and looked up at Daniel, "I'll do it, not just because you asked me, but because it will be the right thing to do."

Daniel watched as the two said their good-byes and Rarity opened the backdoor to her home. She looked over her shoulder at them again before disappearing inside. He turned from the door and started walking away without a second thought while Twilight stayed rooted to her spot a moment longer watching the human go. What was it about him she found so horrifying and fascinating at the same time? She couldn't quite put her hoof on it and got up quickly to catch up with and trot along at his side.

He saw her looking up at him but clearly unsure where to start a new conversation.

Daniel gave a sigh, "penny for your thoughts Twilight?"

She didn't know what to make of that, "huh? What's a penny and why would anypony pay for thoughts?"

He looked up at the late afternoon light and back down at the purple unicorn, "Twilight you don't... no, I don't suppose you could have known. A penny is the smallest amount of currency from my country and the saying 'a penny for your thoughts' means tell me what's on your mind, even if it's cheap."

Twilight bit her lip in thought and finally came out with some general notions. For all of her nerdy, naive ways, she 'could' be insightful from time to time. Daniel just chalked that up to being young and inexperienced. She admitted that Daniel confused her with references from his world as well as the uncanny wisdom he portrayed. He smirked at that, Daniel had be accused of many things in the past but never having 'uncanny wisdom'.

Daniel said it was her perspective that was wrong but it was the one thing she couldn't do anything about at the moment. Most people only thought of perspective from where they stood, it was the best analogy to use at the time anyway. Twilight was well versed with dimensions so Daniel didn't have to build his argument from scratch.

"Imagine lying at the base of a beautiful large tree Twilight and you are looking up at it. The thick trunk of the tree is closest to you as it is wide and well defined to your eyes. As you look up, the tree 'appears' to narrow and the details fade with distance. You can see the leaves, branches, limbs, the canopy is spread wide overhead and it lends you its shade. You can't make out the details of each leaf from your position but you have seen a fallen leaf and your 'mind's eye' puts that detail in place for you because you've learned to observe."

Daniel found a tree leaf along side the path they were taking and he let her take it for a closer look.

"I don't have to look at that leaf to tell you it has veins for transporting nutrients to the tree itself or that it has lamina, the part that makes up the 'blade'. You might know about how photosynthesis works and the combination of water and carbon dioxide in the presence of sunlight to make oxygen and sugar. But my perspective on this subject is based on study and years of learning in the field."

Twilight wished she had something to write all this down on, her mind working overtime to paint a bigger picture than what she was used to. She looked from the leaf in her telekinetic grip to Daniel with expectancy shining in her eyes.

"Just observing something in three dimensions can give you great knowledge Twilight, but when you look at something, anything in 'four' dimensions, adding time- that is where you gain the perspective of wisdom. Take the tree example again and how we looked at it from the ground by the trunk only. Let's stand back on a hill so we can see the whole tree now. Add time to it and watch it grow from a seed, considering every angle, every detail of its life... use the knowledge of those before you if you have to, to study something fully you don't understand."

He gave the unicorn a knowing smile as she was rapt in his words, "I heard that there are two princesses that rule this country and that they are quite old..."

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, "Twilight said automatically.

Daniel nodded as the library came back into view, "they must have incredible wisdom for living so long and enduring, they would have the kind of perspective that I just talked about Twilight."

Her brow scrunched together in a frown and she considered a few things, "but you seem to have that same mentality and you aren't anywhere near their age!"

"We grew up on different worlds Twilight, think about that and how monumentally different that could be."

,,,^..^,,,

A couple hours later, a Draconequus, a human, and a unicorn sat around the library's small round table with all sorts of papers littering the direct area. Spike was busy doing some menial tasks that Twilight continued to levee whenever the young dragon came by looking bored. Daniel had made a mental note to talk to Spike later about that but currently had to focus on a rather large drawing in front of him.

"So what do you think Discord?"

Daniel didn't think the creature could sit still long enough to draw up the plans but once again he was surprised by the shear determination in his eyes.

"Are you sure I can't put in a pudding launcher somewhere here?" Discord pointed the feathered end of his quill around the area where the Ferris Wheel was sketched. Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose and Twilight's quill stopped in mid-scratch.

"IF you want to add it, it can only fire in a direction away from the machinery of the rides, I told you the same warning about having the chocolate waterfall on the roller coaster. Not to mention how unhygienic that would be."

Discord gave a frustrated look, "they're ponies for Celestia's sake! I've seen them eat grass off the ground they just walked over!"

"And I've seen you drink the 'glass' and leave the juice behind, what's your point?"

"My point being- you worry too much about the little things Dan. As a human from a world of chaos, I'd think you would appreciate a little more spontaneous creation."

Discord snapped his fingers and the large sketch that they had been working on morphed into a engineer's nightmare. The roller coaster twisted in ways not physically possible and at one point had the cars barreling toward each other- one above the tracks and one below. Daniel stood back with his hands on his sides watching the animation play out in front of him and somehow sound was even coming from... somewhere.

Little drawn ponies screamed as the roller coaster sped along the tracks and just missed other rides by scant hairs of their manes. The Ferris wheel was no longer round and at one point all the seats slid over to one side in a large kibosh of twisted steel that seemed more alive and content to chose its own shape. Currently it was a trapezoid. A couple ponies who were trying to buy bags of popcorn suddenly shrieked as the popcorn machine started chasing them in front of the food court all the while blasting the passerby's with buttery goodness.

Parents of foals who had been smiling while totting giant plushie animals were suddenly running in terror as the plushies came alive and chased them with ketchup and mustard bottles. One mare got splashed with a glob of ketchup that made the scene look absolutely ghastly and she screamed out, "The Horror, The Horror!"

"Discord! You can't have an amusement park like that!" Twilight screeched from his side and was appalled he would even suggest such a thing.

He was about to refute when Daniel beat him to it, "no, no Twilight... I think he has something here."

"He does?!"

"I do?!"

Daniel had been making a few notes on what he saw and was impressed by the grand imagination of it, if nothing else.

"You're quite the clever one Discord and I don't think Twilight gives you enough credit." Daniel finished a note while Discord blew Twilight a raspberry.

"And Twilight, this will concern you too in a couple of ways. Now, Discord, I want to show you why this won't work as you currently have it," Daniel touched the paper and the small flash changed it back to the original sketch and stopped the animations, "you see? Let's say you put all the time and effort into building such a place only to have someone like me unknowingly erase it all at the touch of a finger?"

"The idea is to have as little magic as possible involved with the working design. The second thing is that through your chaos welding you may have the most incredible imagination of any living creature in Equestria... next to Pinkie of course." Daniel grinned and Discord smirked at that.

Daniel pulled a page from Twilight's stack that he had labeled "Engineering" above what she said was the exact same word in Equestrian. They all found out, only a few pages into notes, that Discord could read both written languages which perplexed Twilight to no end. Discord, or course, simply waved it off since he was the spirit of chaos after all.

"Twilight, could you excuse us a moment?" Daniel set his notes down on the table and she looked at the two before nodding and heading outside. Once she had shut the door behind her, Daniel held up the quill he had been using to the taller being.

"This is your chance at greatness Discord that magic could never bring you. You want to prove some ponies wrong about you? I can show you how to do it. There are still ponies that don't trust you and say they'll never trust you? You can be looked up to!"

Discord's uneven eyes had been staring at Daniel while he gave his speech, something in it gave him a tingle that he had never felt before. Even when Fluttershy was determined to be his friend and he almost ruined it. Discord's demeanor changed and his crossed arms dropped to his side while he worked his mouth to find the right word. It was something he never had, something driven from him while he was stone and couldn't even imagine how it might feel.

"...hope?" Discord's lion paw reached out and gingerly took the quill from Daniel's fingers.

The corner of Daniel's mouth twitched up in a lopsided smile, "something no one should even leave home without Discord, not even you."

He exhaled a stuttered breath and looked down at the drawing and at Daniel's notes, this human was more surprising than any pony he'd even met. How could he offer such a simple solution to a age old problem from him?

"Alright Danny boy, " he said with an air of finality in a Scottish accent, "let's see what kind of damage we can do!"

,,,^..^,,,

Princess Celestia had just read the four page letter for the third time and finally decided to set it down on the desk in her room beside the balcony doors. She gave her head a slight toss to remove some of her ethereal mane from in front of her eyes and walked calmly to the open balcony's expanse. Her gaze fell out over the kingdom in the direction of Ponyville.

Twilight had sent her letters before and on countless subjects and lessons. But this single delivery filled her with such mystery that before the princess of the day could reply, she had to pause to collect her thoughts. Discord himself had written the letter this time and the contents therein where a surprise- literally. When Celestia opened the incoming scroll confetti and streamers burst magically out of the page.

Discord's letter started with such a pompous salutation that she could imagine him saying it and rolled her eyes at the fanfare- that was the entire first page.
The second page, however, began to catalog an off-world visitor named Daniel that had given him a brilliant idea as an outlet for his magical mayhem, an amusement park. Strange, Twilight had yet to write about this being but something else struck Celestia as off kilter. The spirit of chaos seemed almost giddy in his correspondence and practically begged of her an allowance to start work immediately.

Celestia 'did' think that part was promising. The fact that Discord was asking for permission and blessing on such an endeavor was worth noting as further progress to reform the once trickster of disharmony. His last pages went through a brief on the park itself and mentioned several sketches that the 'human' had done in conjunction with his and Twilight's input. None of the drawings were included but it did say they were all available on request.

The Princess took note of the sun and closed her eyes in the soft evening glow, if Celestia knew her student she would be somewhere close to the human. The white alicorn's horn began to glow softly as she reached out in the unseen realm of flowing magic and quickly found Twilight's aura among the myriad of other living creatures. The purple fire danced and swayed as her student talked with another being of immense radiation that rivaled Celestia's own- Discord. His luminous magic shifted erratically from polka-dot, plaid, and tie-dyed. Celestia shook her head in the subconscious sense and noticed an eerie shadow sitting very close to both Discord and Twilight.

She focused her sight to look closer without revealing her presence to any of the group and her breath caught as the outlined came into sharp relief. The very essence of magic that infused the world seemed to detour around and away from the shadow. The thick darkness within the shade was so dense that whatever it touched was dulled in the dream scape to monochrome.

Celestia felt chilled when the human's outline shifted and came dangerously close to 'touching' her sight, she felt her power dim and drew back to herself in a sudden intake of air.

Her eyes snapped open and she stared out at the expanse for a moment before taking a nervous breath. She picked up a scroll to return and began to write her reply. Luna would need to hear about this development as soon as possible but the two sisters would met shortly to trade duties anyway.

,,,^..^,,,

Twilight slapped Discord's claw away for the second time as he tried to 'nibble' on the quill in thought. The first time hadn't been that odd until he started chewing on the feather and finally ate it completely.

The brainstorming session had gone quite well and all three parties had integral parts to play. Twilight was ever the logical voice and was quick to point out things or designs that were way too 'over-the-top'. She wrote her notes in Equestrian script and of course Daniel couldn't read them. Daniel, on the other hand, took his notes in English and kept their plans moving forward even when an idea sounded too ridiculous.

Discord was being the most reserved Twilight had ever seen and he could read both the Equestrian and English. His notes were a conglomeration of symbols, English, pictures and Equestrian that neither Twilight nor Daniel tried to figure out. But the foundation was being laid. Each ride in the amusement park had it's own page now with sketches and notes. The large poster of the entire park had been refined a couple times and had some rather daunting equations along the side for references of gravity- Twilight insisted.

A rather loud belch sounded out from upstairs and Daniel looked up from his drawing of a 'pony-friendly' water slide.

"Was that- Spike?"

Twilight nodded and looked over at Discord who was practically vibrating with anticipation. She shook her head, "he must have received a letter back from the Princess about your plans."

Daniel drew back at that answer and turned to see the dragon bounding down the stairs with a rolled up scroll. Why would a loud burp herald the arrival of a letter?

Discord snapped his fingers and appeared in a flash of light at the base of the stairs to intercept the scroll from Spike's claws, "why thank you dear Spike, you are most thoughtful to bring this down for me!"

"Hey! How do you know that wasn't for Twilight?!" Spike said trying to jump up and take the bound paper back.

Discord popped the seal and started to read aloud after dramatically clearing his throat, "My dearest student Twilight Sparkle..."

She stopped writing and looked up as Discord crossed his armed, "honestly Twilight, I can't receive ONE piece of correspondence without your name plastered all over it?"

Spike took the opportunity to jump and snatch the letter back in a huff, "then that means the letter is for her, don't read other pony's mail!"

Discord balled his fists and straightened his arms, "why of all tha... can't have my own... splib-poulaba-wrecha..." He sputtered and fumed for a moment until Twilight was done reading the page.

"Oh my, perhaps Discord should have read this."

He facepalmed but stopped his tantrum, "well, I don't WANT to read it now after you spoiled it with your acidic judgements."

Twilight looked affronted, "what?! I haven't even said anything yet!"

Discord's eyes literally oozed from between his fingers to 'eye' her, "but you were thinking it!"

Twilight rolled her own eyes, "actually there was no judgement at all Discord and if you would calm down I can tell both of you," she looked toward Daniel, "this includes you too."

"The letter says that Princess Celestia is impressed by your combined ingenuity and eagerness to continue reaching toward more excellent goals. She says that she wants to see everything you have... tomorrow-" Twilight looked up from the letter at them and back down, "...due to the nature of the request I will grant you an audience immediately on arrival to Canterlot so we can set this plan in motion with the least possible delay. I also wish that you bring your human companion along so that Princess Luna and I may speak with him on his knowledge of such affairs. The fact that you accepted his aid during this phase of development shows great courage on your part to overcome past mistakes. Until tomorrow, Princess Celestia."

The letter had more than disarmed the draconequus and now he was staring at the paper in Twilight's magic grip. Daniel exhaled and put down his quill on the table, this was definitely not on his 'to-do' list while on vacation.

Twilight asked Spike to go around to the others and see if they would like to travel with them. At the prospect of going to see Rarity he was out the door with a quickness.

"A meeting with the princess? Oh bother, what ever shall I wear?!" Discord threw the back of his paw to his forehead while snapping his claw. A sky blue sports coat with white cuffs and gold buttons appeared on his torso and a similarly colored top hat perched itself on his head. He acted surprised as if he didn't expect it to happen and joyously skipped over to Twilight's mirror to inspect his ensemble. Discord scoffed at his attire several times while snapping his fingers, changing the colors, textures, adding a tie, taking away the hat...

Twilight gave a smirk thinking of how alike Discord was to Rarity in a fashion sense. Discord gave a 'whoop' as he found his chosen threads. A plaid business suit coat with a red vest and black neck tie. The plaid was a very light gold with light pink cross-thatching that was almost the same color scheme of- Fluttershy?

Twilight shook her head and was about to engage with Daniel but found him moving toward the stairs and picking up that same strange 'marshmallow' with a hole in it from before. He didn't look back as he climbed the steps and shoved the TP back in the bag before looking over at the doors leading to one of the balconies. She watched him move out of sight and looked over her shoulder at Discord who was still gushing over himself in the mirror. Twilight shook her head and made her own way up the stairs and to the balcony.

Daniel had to admit that the view was nice from that second story perch. He could see the town's edge thin away and the hills giving way to the mountains in the distance beyond. His hands rested on the red railing and he took a moment to consider what he was really doing here. Helping that one fellow Discord felt right, especially the way all the other ponies treated him. Daniel was there once himself and he knew how that felt at the end of the day when all you have is your thoughts. There was that one girl though that didn't seem reserved toward the trickster, Fluttershy was it?

While she was overly shy and didn't really speak past a 'hello' to Daniel, something caused the human to remember her eyes and way she looked at him. He couldn't quite put it into words but there was something off center about all the 'adults' so far. Well, Zecora excluded...

Twilight's hoof steps to the balcony made Daniel glance over his shoulder at the unicorn and preempt her question.

"I don't think me going to see your princess is a good idea Twilight."

She came up short and tilted her head, "well I, wait- what? Why not?"

"You don't seem to grasp my concept of a vacation and the idea was to 'not' go to any big cities or towns and it surely didn't include meeting alien royalty. I mean, no disrespect to your leader but, had I not ran into those little fillies out there in the woods I would not have come looking for the locals had I known they weren't human."

Daniel was trying to keep his expression neutral but he had been in situations where he was the visitor before and things didn't turn out so well. And that had been with his own kind! Now he was in middle of a small town of non-humans, and the fact that some could fly and use magic- 'real' magic, was enough to cause him some anxiety. But he felt this 'cancelling' ability Twilight had spoke of leveled the playing field just enough...

"But why would anypony want to be alone like that? Granted, you aren't a pony, but doesn't your kind value friendship as much as mine?

Twilight moved a little closer to the rail so she could see him as he turned to look out at the countryside.

"Maybe it's easier here to make friends Twilight, and it maybe true if you are local- but I'm not. I have a few close friends at home but not a lot. In fact, I can count them all on one hand. But those are the ones I'd trust with anything, my life even. There are others that consider me a friend and I do them, in a way I suppose. But I don't try to get all buddy-buddy with them, they respect my space and I don't get into theirs."

She gave him a frown and reared up on the railing to cross her forehooves and lean on them. Like that, she was almost as tall as Daniel.

"That sounds awfully lonely Dan and nearly how I was before moving to Ponyville. I guess Spike was the only one I ever really hung around with but that was because I hatched him. And my life has been so much better now that I have friends, they remind me there is just so much more to life!"

Daniel looked over at the mare now eye to eye with him, her points were all fine but his road to friends wasn't as pastel and rainbow strewn as her's. Twilight considered him a moment longer and his stoic silence.

"And while I didn't take offense to you saying that about meeting ponykind, Princess Celestia is the most wise and kind leader Equestria has had the pleasure to know. If she would like an audience with you it's not something to just shrug off, she would be genuinely interested in you as a... a 'person', an individual. I'm certain she and Princess Luna would love to hear about your life, what you value, where you are going- it's not everyday Equestria has a human drop in and say 'hi'."

Daniel smirked and gave her an even look, "we don't huh?"

Twilight gave a huff, "not that I'm aware of, unless..."

Discord took that moment to phase into existence right behind them both and was a bit put off by the fact that everyone had left him downstairs quote "all by his lonesome". Twilight merely waved him off stating that he was having too much fun playing dress up so they came up for some evening air. Well, she was half right, Daniel had come up first and she followed him. Discord then proposed dinner since it was getting late and lunch had been light, even for him.

Daniel still needed some time to himself and even when Discord offered to help Twilight make something she didn't really smile. She had made a promise and was now being expected to abide by it even when she knew leaving him wasn't the best thing to do. The draconequus and unicorn excused themselves and Daniel stayed put while watching the setting sun. Just like at the zebra's hut, the sun now hurried out of the way of the fast approaching nightfall and within moments, the entire land was shrouded in moonlit night.

It didn't take long for his senses to rouse him from distant thoughts as the smells from the kitchen below came up to meet him. Daniel's curiosity got the better of him as to what Twilight and Discord could have possibly whipped up in 30 minutes that smelled so good. He made his way down the stairs and at the bottom looked in on a truly mesmerizing scene.

Twilight was tending to three duties at once without even moving from her spot. Her purple magic stirred a pot at the stove, chopped vegetables on the side and put bread into the oven while Discord was busy making a concoction of his own at the table. With all the baking and cooking items laying across the kitchen table Daniel couldn't begin to guess what he was making but whatever Twilight was doing smelled just like pasta sauce.

She noticed him standing in the doorway and motioned for him to come in. Daniel watched as Twilight moved chopped garlic and minced parsley into the bubbling pot all the while stirring it and never missing a beat.

"We didn't get to talk much about your diet but Discord and I came up with a middle ground meal that should work for everypony- one of the few dishes I can make without burning it, Alfredo sauce and noodles! Although it does make it tricky to use very little magic in the preparations so everything has to be made by hoof and claw."

Discord didn't have the same optimistic attitude Twilight had and grumbled as his noodle batter was threatening mutiny, "I'll say it's tricky! I would have had this done in a 'SNAP' if Twilight hadn't reminded me that your lanky fingers would have erased all the fun in an instant," he sighed and continued to fight the thickening dough, "but I suppose I was just as much a handful when I started hanging out with these ponies..."

Discord left the bowl and mixing spoon suspended in air and they moved on their own long enough for him to flash to Twilight's side, give her a noogie, and flash back. He resumed his duties as if nothing had happened.

Twilight used a hoof to straighten her mane back out, "ugh, no Discord, 'you' were far worse. Turning bunnies in monsters, Sweet Apple Acres into an ice skating rink- but thank Celestia you found friendship with Fluttershy worth more than the chaos."

Again, Discord's task continued on their own power when he threw up his hands in surrender, "guilty as charged! Although getting to know you ponies on a personal level has made the 'friendlier' pranks so much more rewarding! Dan you'd never guess that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie could be such great accomplices in crime."

Twilight shook her head, "the only crime here is how long you are taking with the noodles Discord, the sauce is nearly done!"

Discord snapped his claw and a purple Hawaii style beach shirt appeared on on the unicorn, "oh keep your shirt on Twilight," he fretted with the dough and smacked it a couple times with a rolling pin for good measure, "nothing has blown up, burnt down or turned into chocolate milk yet so I feel I'm doing a fair job here."

Daniel couldn't help but smile and laugh as the two continued their banter back and forth, "ya know Discord, I could see Pinkie getting into mischief but Rainbow Dash? She seemed way too wound up when I met her today and not at all like the prank-type."

Twilight finished adding some spices and mushrooms to the sauce, "she just needs to warm up to you is all Dan and when she does I hope you have a good sense of humor, you'll need it."

They continued to chat until Spike returned from his 'quest' almost an hour later and a bit less enthusiastic than when he left. Pinkie and Apple Jack had to decline because of work and Fluttershy didn't want to leave her animals on such short notice. On the way back, he ran into Rarity with Sweetie Belle who was walking almost normally. Rarity admitted she would have loved to go but had lost the day prior when they were out searching for the fillies and needed to catch up on some work.

Apparently Rarity had talked with AJ after leaving the library and came up with some appropriate discipline for the CMC- they were all grounded to Ponyville for the time being. While Sweetie looked well enough, the wind was taken from her sails from this revelation. Spike didn't understand the significance of that at the time but after recounting it to Twilight, it made more sense. The CMC did a lot of things just outside the town and for now, at least, the three had to stay put.

Discord had long finished his noodles and much to the chagrin of Twilight, wouldn't let anyone try them until they were done. Daniel had momentarily caused a stir when Twilight inquired of what he thought of pasta. Of course he loved Italian dishes and nearly gave her a heart attack when he mentioned meat. Discord slapped his knee and held onto the stove for dear life while he laughed at Twilight's pale expression.

After the commotion had died down and Discord relinquished the noodles, all four of the occupants sat down to enjoy the meal. Twilight's sauce was thick and rich and looked absolutely wonderful, Daniel was nearly drooling before the others got their plates loaded. The bread was golden brown and topped with garlic salt and the steamed vegetables looked like a picture from a culinary digest magazine. Discord's noodles were the wild card however...

No one at the table knew how he did it without magic but the draconequus had pulled off a rather interesting feat. Twilight's eyes widened at the favor of alfalfa and hay while Spike savored each bite listed with invisible rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Discord's own had hints of chocolate milk and blueberry pie while Daniel, listening to what the others compared their plates to, took a careful bite and expected the worst.

Discord rubbed his chin in thought while Daniel chewed without any major discoveries of his own. To him it tasted just like it should- Alfredo and pasta. The rest of the dinner passed without incident and Daniel was shoo'd away from helping them clean up. Discord agreed to meet them at the train station at first light to catch a ride and spirited away after collecting a to-go container of pasta and sauce for Fluttershy.

As the evening wore to a close, Twilight showed Daniel the upper balcony where one of her telescopes was perched and they both took a moment to gaze up at the stars. He had to admit that it was brighter and more expansive than the sky back home, but after a thought figured it was probably due to so many city lights. Twilight grinned and said that he would get to meet the Princess of the night, Luna, on his trip tomorrow and he could give her the compliment on her sky here.

He gave her a sigh and decided it was enough for the night, Daniel still wasn't convinced he should just forgo the meeting tomorrow and head back into the woods. Twilight and Spike got ready for bed while he dug absently into his backpack, having already located his toothbrush. He had never 'ran away' from something like this during his duty in the service, why did he feel so inclined to duck out now? Daniel passed her on the stairs heading to the bathroom and he saw her eyes watch him as he went. Did she want to say something to him? He wasn't sure and didn't look back.

Twilight was frustrated to say the least. Why would an individual actively turn down thoughtful concern? It was if Daniel's personality would grow dark whenever somepony tried to be friendly toward him. It didn't make sense with his story of saving Sweetie Belle. No one could save a filly and cast personal safety to the side one minute and turn to metaphorical stone the next!

She flopped back onto her bed and exhaled noisily at the annoyance of it all. Spike had curled up and drifted off to sleep by the time Daniel came back upstairs, he found the light switch by the kitchen and cast the lower library into darkness. He moved his pack to the floor and striped off his shirt and socks while sitting on the bed. Twilight had crawled under the single cover and was watching the human through one cracked eye.

Daniel gave a stretch and ran a hand over the pillow and thin blanket on his bed. The unicorn's home wasn't exactly cold but it was comfortable for the time of year. He reached out and clicked off the light bathing the bedroom in silvery moonlight. His holster was still on his ankle as he climbed into bed so he slipped it off quietly and moved it under his pillow. Spike's steady breathing meant he was long gone but Daniel didn't hear Twilight at all.

Finally, he relented, "thanks for the wonderful meal Twilight, and letting me stay over..."

Her eyes snapped open and looked toward the motionless form under his own sheets a bed length away; a smile crept onto her face, "you're welcome Daniel, I'm glad you liked it."

Some of her irritation melted away as sleep invaded her conscious and she drifted off, "good night Dan..."

"Good night...Twilight..."

,,,^..^,,,

Daniel's dreams had been deep and close to the void, no images or thoughts, just emptiness that stole complete slumber. Throughout the night he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. That old 'edge-of-the-knife' sensation that he needed to be ready to react at a moment's notice came to a head when something hitting the floor jarred him from the bare world beheld in his mind's eye.

His move was quick and reflexive in nature as his hand found his gun and a digit cocked the hammer back before his eyes could open.

"What was that noise?"

"Shh Spike, don't wake him up yet. And why are you up anyway? I said you could sleep a little longer... the sun isn't even up yet."

Daniel's body was coiled like a spring and his ears strained to hear the voices move away from him. The younger voice said a name... it should mean something. His eyes cracked open without moving his head and he could see pale purple light reflecting off the wall and books to the side. Why wasn't anyone shooting? Did he miss the alarms?

Slowly it came back that he was indeed in a bed in a library that was ran by one unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. Daniel forced himself to sit up and release the weapon. He took a breath and rubbed his face, he hadn't woken like that in a few months but still knew he was close to fighting his dark foe again.

Daniel uncocked the pistol and replaced it back on his ankle. As he stood and dressed, he silently hoped the day wouldn't be as intimidating as waking up to his real nightmare all those years ago.

Chapter 5: Soldier's Tale

,,,^..^,,,

Twilight and Spike had made a few sandwiches and snacks for the train ride and Spike had grudgingly been tasked to open the library 'with' owlowiscious this time. Daniel had collected all his gear and strapped on his backpack much to the perplexity of Twilight who told him they 'would' be coming back. He shrugged and told her that he was always ready... for anything.

The two left the library and made their way to the train station as Celestia's sun made an appearance on the far horizon. There were a few other ponies up as early and Daniel took a seat on a bench furthest from them to wait. Discord was not far behind as he totted a small carpet bag that looked oddly like a prop from a certain Disney movie about a magical nanny. Daniel hadn't seen any of the stacks of papers they had been working on so he assumed either he or Twilight had everything stashed away.

Twilight came around the corner a few minutes later with a few tickets and sat on the bench next to Daniel while Discord yawned blearily and mumbled about being up so early. All three heads turned as heavy hoof steps approached on the platform.

"Apple Jack? What are you doing here?" Twilight looked around Daniel at the cowpony balancing a basket on her back.

"Mornin' yall, ah know ah can't make tha trip but ah figured ah'd bring a few prime apples bah fer snackin' on." She swung the basket effortlessly off her back and set it in front of Daniel.

"And ah wanted ta make sure Dan'el knew how much ah appreciated his help yesterday so there's a few fritters in there too."

Daniel picked up the basket and opened the side to be greeted by a still steamy-hot pastry. He would have loved a good cup of coffee to go with it but that would have to wait. He was about to lift one out when his fingers touched a folded piece of paper on the side. His pause at the note caused Apple Jack to interject before any awkward questions could be asked.

"Uh yeah, so that there's fer ya Dan'el an' ah rekcon ah need to be goin'," her face started to turn red as she stammered on and back peddled, "...apples on tha farm ain't gonna buck themselves! Heh, yall have a nice trip!"

The group was rather surprised by AJ's peculiar behavior and Daniel suspected the note which he moved to his cargo pocket without either of his travel buddies seeing it.

"Well that sure was uncharacteristic of AJ. She almost looked nervous about something; you guys have any ideas about what it would be?"

Discord gave a shrug and Daniel withdrew one of the fritters, "maybe she was embarrassed about yesterday and what happened to her tail," he said in an aloof manner while taking a small bite of the snack.

"There are VERY few things that will embarrass Apple Jack Dan," she put a hoof to her chin, "well, maybe a frilly dress, but that was one time during a sleep over..."

Daniel took another bite of the pastry and gave a blissful sigh that drew the attention of Discord. He gave him a smirk, "you know Discord, when this amusement park idea really gets off the ground, you'll have to hire some of the Apple Family to do these snacks like carnival fare. Hell, this is so good I'm sure it's illegal somewhere..."

Twilight was about to interject when the train's whistle in the distance signaled a soon arrival. Daniel could see several other ponies on the ramp giving their good byes to family and friends with hugs and pats on the back. He looked at the half eaten fritter in his fingers and considered the 'why' behind AJ's gift. He was sure no one considered him a friend here but her expression seemed clear.

When Daniel saw the train approaching that they would be taking to Canterlot, he had a brief notion to mentally check out for the day. The train would have made any locomotive engineer from back home blush with shame at all the 'frilly-froo-froo-ness' of it. The engine and cars were all a riot of colors with many heart shapes designing the windows, trim and running lights. A couple of the cars in the middle even looked like loaves of bread with icing on top!

Daniel groaned inwardly but was glad none of his military buddies would know about this; he was sure he'd have to give up his 'man-card' if that was the case.

"This stop, Ponyville! All off for Ponyville!" An earth stallion wearing glasses, sporting a wrap-around beard, and ticketing hat called out from somewhere near the front of the cars as they slowed to a stop at the platform.

Steam poured out of the locomotive and smoke billowed from the stack. Several ponies wearing postal worker shirts hefted bags of mail onto their backs and put them in one of the front cars while others began to file into the ones for passengers.

As the three made their way to the second car, Twilight stopped short of the conductor and surveyed the scene. All the ponies that were heading into that passenger car sudden thought better of it and began to move to the third. Many that hadn't gotten close yet murmured to family and friends about the 'meaning of this'.

Discord was equally miffed but kept his composure quite better than the purple unicorn, "what IS the matter with all you ponies? You didn't even act this way when I was causing chaos!"

Daniel had to smirk at the irony of it all; Discord, spirit of chaos, Twilight, student of Princess Celestia, and a tall creature that could pass for a nightmare all traveling together without 'trying' to cause chaos.

Twilight stomped a hoof in frustration when only the conductor seemed to give them a second look and started their way. Daniel could see his eyes drift from Twilight to Discord and after a moment of thought, moved to look him over.

"If I didn't know that Discord here was actually a good guy now, according to the Princess, I'd say you were keeping some mighty odd company Miss Sparkle."

Twilight hoofed over the tickets and gave a pony couple a frown who were staring in their direction, "I really thought these ponies had gotten over Discord's bouts with trying to turn Ponyville into the chaos capitol of Equestria."

Discord showed great restraint to not roll his eyes so hard that they fell out of his head.

"Oh, I believe it's this other creature you have with Discord Miss Sparkle, can't tell if it's dangerous or not but it sure has the lot of these passengers spooked," he calmly punched Twilight's three tickets and gave them back.

"Actually he's quite..."

Twilight didn't get to finish as Discord huffed over her, "you've GOT to be kidding me! Over this guy? Really? He's not even doing anything but standing here. Well then, I can see I'll have to let everypony remember just how much fun a storm of chaos can bring!"

Discord materialized a shirt to wear just so he could push up his sleeves in a fighting manor. Daniel quirked a brow at this and was sure to see some action, that is, until Twilight stepped in with her hoof on his chest and some calming words. Surprisingly no chocolate rain came down like he was threatening- although Daniel would have liked to see that. The conductor rubbed his chin and pointed a hoof at the second to last car, number five and suggested they take it to themselves.

After just a brief explanation that it was reserved for the overflow in case there were too many passengers, he correctly assumed there wouldn't be that many today. Daniel kept a straight face during the exchange with Twilight and he surmised that there wasn't any ulterior motives involved and that it was a generous offer. The three travelers made their way through the parting crowd of ponies to the car and slid open the door.

The inside of the passenger car was easier on the masculine senses, but just barely. 'Cushy' would be a good word to describe it. The seats were feather ticked and had enough space lengthwise for one of the ponies to lay out and sleep. The ornate style lighting that adorned the walls each had a brightly colored gem inset within the globe. With the sun rising the lights in the car dimmed as the natural light took over. The walls were high with pastel flowers between the arched windows and the ceiling was 'pond-scum' green... or at least that was the only color similar to what Daniel could think of at the time.

Discord stashed his bag in an overhead area designed for pegasus use while Twilight was content keeping her saddle bags closer and under the seat where earth ponies would be more comfortable getting to their luggage. Daniel opted for the latter and shoved his pack under a seat as well. He sat down and instantly felt the difference in statue between ponies and humans. The seats were much lower to the ground and he ran a hand over its silky smooth surface as the other two got comfortable as well.

A odd thought crossed his mind as his hand contacted the sitting area. Discord had taken out an apple to eat and was seated next to the window like Daniel, only they were across from each other. Twilight had levitated a couple sheets of paper from her bags and was reading over something that intrigued her. Dan took more note of 'how' they were both sitting on the bench.

Discord was reclined slightly with his legs casually crossed and Twilight was on her haunches with a quill now adding marks to the page. Daniel's rogue thought was absurd but did beg the question, 'how were these seats so clean when bare equine bottoms sat on them all day?'
Having actually sounded it out in his head, Daniel removed his hand quickly and made a sour face. He immediately felt sorry for the cleaning crew in charge of making sure pony 'skid marks' didn't become permanent eye sores.

Discord had been watching the human in thought and began to eat his apple more slowly while his own gears turned. He smirked when Daniel made eye contact and he looked at the fruit in his claws for the next bite.
"Having second thoughts about sitting so long for this trip Dan?"

"Just thinking about some differences between the trains here and back home Discord."

That drew the unicorn's interest, "what do you mean by that Daniel? A train is a train regardless of the world it's on, right?"

Daniel looked out the window as the conductor shouted for everypony to come aboard, "the trains are similar Twilight but the rules are different. Like back home there are signs that read 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' meaning that you had to have proper attire to enter or be helped. I'd never seen a sign that required pants or shorts because it was kinda automatic to assume no one would walk around without it. Here, it doesn't seem to affect anything."

She looked a bit confused and Discord hid a grin, "but what does that have to do with trains?"

Daniel gave a sigh since she obviously had a hard time reading 'between the lines', "Twilight, those signs weren't petty in their meaning, it has to do with sanitation and hygiene- I mean, how these seats are so clean when so many pony rears traverse them everyday is a testament to the janitors' prowess."

Discord nearly spit out the apple he was chewing when he started laughing and Twilight's mouth hung open at such a notion.

"Why that's just...how could you even..." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and whipped her tail in annoyance.

Just as Discord appeared to gain control of himself, he correctly mouthed the phrase that Daniel had thought; "pony... skid marks!" His chuckles turned to outright laughter and he doubled over slapping his knee. Twilight was not impressed and her red cheeks only furthered his hysterics.

The train lurched slightly and began to move as the trio attempted to compose themselves. Twilight was ready to move on from THAT conversation and tapped her quill on the paper she had out to the side.

"If we are quite finished being foalish, I have a couple of things to ask you about Dan- some items here that I made notes of but never really had a chance to clarify."

Discord was clearly not interested in anything she was about to go into so he picked up a day old newspaper and sat back with a huff; Twilight could take the fun out of anything.
Daniel, on the other hand, merely nodded and got himself comfortable before the unicorn's verbal assault.

"First of all, and probably the most important, do you feel that your anti-magic ability is active or passive? And please be as thorough as you feel you need to be. This is scientific research and a one of a kind occurrence after all!"

Daniel thought back a moment on the first time he realized something was 'off' and started relaying some of that to her which in turn spurred other questions. He saw the way this was heading so he decided to put in his say as well.

"Look Twilight, I don't mind answering your questions but you tend to chase rabbits a lot so after you ask one I'm gonna ask one to break this up a bit. How does that sound?"

She tapped the quill on the page for a moment and nodded enthusiastically at being able to contribute as well.

"Alright then, when I first met you you said you were Celestia's student- what exactly does that entail?"

Twilight looked to be in thought a moment before answering and Daniel was a little surprised by her honesty. She relayed how, as a little filly, she had to hatch a dragon's egg to get into magic school and nearly failed had it not been for Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom. It spurred her to tap into magic she had never felt before and was able to hatch the egg, turn her parents into house plants, and become Celestia's own pupil in the same day. The plant part she was still embarrassed about but the Princess had done her utmost to give Twilight the best mentor-ship possible.

The friendship lessons were added in later when Celestia all but gave her an order to make some friends. Daniel couldn't help but smirk at some of her introvertedness as a studious book worm, at one time he had been so withdrawn.

The next concourse that was chosen didn't overly surprise the human but it was topic enough for Discord to lower his newspaper and give his full attention to what was being said.

"You don't miss much do you Twilight?" Daniel said picking absently at his finger nails.

The sarcasm was lost in the midst of note shuffling and writing, "you mentioned it when we were going over writing in your English and our Equestrian. It isn't very often that such a topic is discussed, let alone with one of another race."

Daniel rubbed his chin and went to his bag for a drink of water, "...where to begin..."

Being in the military for any length of time, all servicemen are drilled with history and important figures that shaped what the service was 'today', meaning up to the point the individual entered the service. Daniel had studied differing wars from time to time as part of academic achievement but had never given it much thought beyond what was required. So he gave her the abridged version.

"World War 2 happened because a country invaded another in the name of regaining lost territory and because the invading ruler was a jerk to a certain race of people at the time. There were two fronts to this war on opposite ends of the world, the other fighting had already been going on for two years. Now, my country wasn't directly involved yet and we wouldn't officially enter the war until a couple years later but we still helped supply the allies until then."

Daniel went on to catalog how his country was soon fighting on both fronts, from the air, land and sea. The intensity of the fighting lasted six long years and resulted in the destruction of two major cities and the deaths of nearly 70 million people. Civilians, military- none were exempt during the horrors of that great war and as Daniel finished his story, he saw that Twilight had stopped writing to stare and Discord held his gaze with something not quite awe.

"Does that also mean there was a world w-war one as well?"

He nodded and Discord raised an eye brow higher than should have been physically possible.

Twilight took a measure breath and looked at her notes that had all been writing themselves up to the point she lost concentration, "so it would be fair to say that humans are war-like and have always been fighting?"

"There are those among my kind that stray from all forms of fighting and contentions but even those refusing to fight end up getting hurt somehow. As the saying goes 'if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.'"

Discord decided to interject something on his own and rightly determined what Dan might have asked next, "there havern't been any wars here for over a thousand years- since Luna was banished to the moon as Nightmare Moon. Few care to recall or even can for that matter the war and carnage that ensued from that battle."

"There was never any record of such a war taking place when Celestia had to imprison her Discord," Twilight gave him a frown, "there was a brief battle between the two sisters but no lives were lost."

Discord gave her a deadpan look, "how do you think the castle 'ruins' of the Royal Pony Sisters got there in the first place? Honestly Twilight, part of writing history is covering up the truth. And besides a few clawfuls of dragons, the current rulers of Equestria and myself- no one has had the time nor the access to ensure history conveniently omitted a few details."

Twilight seemed to loose a bit of color from her face as she considered the implications of what the draconequus had just said but Daniel beat her to asking anything before conclusions could be made.

"How many died?"

Discord folded the newspaper and gave him a calculating frown, "my absolute love of chaos not withstanding Dan, that was one the rare instances where I merely watched from the side lines as the two blasted away their differences. The names were lost to time as well as the count I'm afraid. "
He gave a sideways glance at Twilight who was now looking down at her paper, barely floating and her eyes unfocused in thought.

"I doubt you could find even one speck of the crushed ponies among the ruins now," Discord snapped a digit and the newspaper morphed into a small paper machete pony with a wide, hopeful grin, "but of course, like your story Danny, there is always innocent collateral damage when two formidable forces collide."

And to punctuate the end, he smashed the paper pony between his claws with such force that confetti shot out to the sides.

The paper crumbs hitting her roused Twilight from wandering thoughts and she shook her head, "you're lying Discord... I have studied all parts of Equestrian history and never a death was mentioned!"

As Daniel listened, he couldn't help but imagine the kind of destructive force Discord's idea was having in the unicorn's head.

"For all I know you doctored history along the way for some twisted purpose before you were reformed!"

The spirit of chaos was strangely calm as he snapped his fingers again and the newspaper returned to his hand, whole and readable once again.
"How dreadfully inadequate of you Twilight, the obvious question you 'should' be asking is if what I said 'was' true then why wouldn't I go to any length to uncover the truth and create more chaos- instead of covering it up."

Twilight was about to fire back with something else but the idea gave her pause. Discord was several millennium old and would have first-hoof knowledge on any event that happened during a time period. The problem was even 'if' she was able to find anything in the Canterlot library she would have to carefully cross reference every instance in the light that history itself could have been tampered with.

Daniel, on the other hand, was interested by what Discord had been leading into. For such a notorious trickster, he had a lot of facets that others rarely saw. There was even a depth of wisdom to him that Daniel felt he simply refused to use. Like knowing the truth and not acknowledging it.
Discord flipped a page and absently reached out and tapped Twilight's list with claw tip to get her attention back on track. Daniel saw the hint and she blinked a few times to clear her head and looked down at the items she had been making notes to.

"I... I think it was your turn Dan to ask something."

Daniel was quick to change the subject and brought up Zecora and her living in the Everfree Forest. Twilight recovered from the previous conversation quickly and was soon chipper and eagerly scratching down notes again. Things from 'do ponies brush their teeth' to 'technology between the two worlds' were topics both sides could contribute to and even Discord, once he was done and had eaten the newspaper, decoded to join in again to add his commentary here and there.

Magic seemed to be the general answer to most everything Daniel could see as problematic in Equestria- as if that just explained it all. Twilight was most confounded about humans being shy to talk about certain things, Daniel ended up saying that most were simply 'reserved'.

Throughout their chatting, and as the hours dragged on, Daniel took notice of the expanse of fields that they passed. Those that faded from sight ranged far and wide in the form of corn, hay, oats, a few orange groves and lemon trees, vegetable plantations with many earth ponies out in the fields tending tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, potatoes... His sight failed him at the breadth of it all and could only guess at how they continuously brought in bumper crops like what he was seeing.

"Magic..." He breathed nearly to himself as Twilight rolled up one last scroll and brought out another.

"The last one!" She beamed triumphantly as she quickly rolled it out and scanned down to her missing answers. Redness flashed into her cheeks and this didn't go unnoticed by either of the guys who cast curious glances back and forth before Discord started needling her.

"Oo-Oo! Is it a k-i-s-s-i-n-g question?" And Discord batted his eyes and puckered up for a smooch which Twilight grossly pushed away from.

"Ew! Not on your life Discord!"

He thumbed his chin in thought before- "Does it have to do with dating outside of your species? Twilight, you saucy mare you!"

She exhaled loudly and swatted away his tail from 'finger walking' up her leg.

"Stay on your side of the bench!"

He held up his hands up in surrender at her look that was fit to freeze methane. Daniel almost laughed at the two but saw the mare change to a state of embarrassment rather quickly as she tried to formulate the inquiry.

She finally took a breath and made the plunge, "would it be too personal to ask why you took a large marshmallow into the bathroom with you the other day?"

With the question finally out, she sighed with relief but it was now Daniel's turn to choke on the question.

"I just...what?"

Discord saw the flustered look pass briefly on the human and brought his 'guns' to bare on him, "a large marshmallow? In the bathroom? Kinky..."

Daniel had put up with worse banter while he was active duty in the military and surely could keep a straight face now, but not before he gave them both the look- 'really...'

"First off Twilight, I don't know why THAT would interest you what-so-ever but you can scratch out every entry of 'marshmallow' from your notes and write in 'toilet paper' or what we sophisticates like to call TP."

Discord was smirking something fierce and wanted to throw out some sort of joke but Daniel continued before he could voice a word.

"The proper way to write it into your notes would be something like... like- finely processed soft paper used for the hygienic removal of excess fetid expelled matter."

Twilight nodded with a clinical professionalism as she wrote what he had said, Discord looked thoroughly confused so Daniel relented, "it's to wipe poop off your ass, Discord."

Twilight looked as if a truck had hit her quill and it screeched to a halt as he erupted into laughter.

"Ahhh-hahaha! You use *gasp* handfuls of paper to *chuckle* wipe yourself!" Discord shook with laughter as Twilight turned red again from his chiding.

Daniel crossed his arms and merely took in the display, "...and that is funny how?"

The draconequus tried to wipe his eyes and answer but burst out again, "it's TOO hilarious Dan! These ponies try so hard to elevate themselves to a more perfect sophistication but fail when it comes to taming the most basic of body functions!"

Daniel was instantly glad they were not sitting with any other ponies because of the volume of Discord's cackles.

He thought better of adding fuel to the fire as Twilight hurried away her notes and looked on at the laughing spirit with no small amount of spite.

"I dunno Discord, from what I've seen of pony culture I'd say they are doing just fine- if not better than my own people in some respects."

His chuckles subsided as he tried to figure if Daniel was making a joke or not, "heh, wha- what are you..."

Daniel continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "I mean, considering ponies only have a hoof to manipulate things with, and others some magic. Yeah, I'd say their culture has done fairly well."

Twilight gave Daniel a coy smile and Discord's chortling had ceased, "B-but the poop jokes are FUNNY and you would give them such credit?!"

"On my world, horses and ponies are just dumb creatures Discord, they don't build cities, send their young to school or use magic. So I will give credit where it is due and if you are as knowledgeable of history as you say, you know how far they have come too."
Daniel let his lecture sink in and he reclined toward the window to watch the scenery pass by.

Twilight's mouth hung open slightly in awe that the human would take up for her- for all of ponykind for that matter- to put the brakes on Discord from going 'too far'. Discord was speechless for a long moment while he looked from Daniel to Twilight and back again in an attempt to bring something back up- neither were going to have it.

Relenting, Discord leaned back in his seat and gave them a 'hmph', "fine- there is only so much humor I can attempt to instill in one day... I must have reached my quota early is all."

Daniel could see the outline of both their faces in the reflection of the window and gave it a half smile. He had neglected, however, to notice the steady incline of the train and without warning the outside view was blacked out by a tunnel. The interior lights, fueled by magic and sensing the change in brightness, adjusted seamlessly to keep the car at ambient lighting for the passengers.

"There are only a couple of tunnels to traverse before Canterlot Dan, we'll be there shortly!" Twilight offered and also looked out the window as the first tunnel ended and a magnificent view of the not-so-distant castle filled the scene.

Daniel's first thought was 'impossible'. Something so grand and large shouldn't be able to just hang onto the side of a mountain like that. Spires and watch towers rose hundreds of feet into the thin mountain air and below, terraced walls and elevated gardens could be seen scarcely peeking at the edges. He really wished he had brought his camera now and glanced at his watch, nearly noon.

"Well, for the distance, I'd say we made good time."

Twilight and Discord began to gather their things as the train started to coast as it drew closer, "this is the express to Canterlot Daniel. It runs twice a week from Los Pegasus, sometimes makes an overnight stop in Ponyville and continues to Canterlot the next day. There are other trains that stop in other towns and cities but this one is the quickest for those that don't fly."

"...or simply teleport there."

Daniel paused in pulling out his pack at what Discord had just said, "you could teleport there?"

Twilight was about to answer but Discord merely spoke over her, "for some ponies it's not THAT far to teleport, but others find the strain of distance magic like that to be too stressful and hence, take the train."

Twilight huffed, "you of all ponies should know the dangers of doing such magic without knowing exactly where to arrive. You could end up in a wall or rock or worse, materialize inside another living thing!"

Daniel grimaced at the idea and strapped on his pack, "ye-ouch... sounds like a special measure of caution is needed for such a feat."

Twilight nodded but again was cut off by Discord, "throw caution to the wind Danny! When it comes to adventure, the faint of heart need not apply!"
He pushed his way from between the two with his carpet bag tossed over his shoulder as the train made a slowing motion for the upcoming station.

"Perhaps when we have a minute or two you can tell me the history Discord has with you ponies- you two act more like siblings than acquaintances."

Twilight dropped to the floor and levitated her saddle bags onto her back in indignation, "as harsh as this will sound, I think I'd disown my parents if Discord was even remotely related to me."

Daniel smirked and held onto the bench as the train came to a stop, "that much love huh?"

"You have no idea..."

Outside, on the platform, the day was in full swing with many ponies hurrying to unload cargo and mail that needed to come off the train and many more waiting to greet those eagerly filing out of the cars after sitting so long. Discord emerged from the door of the last car and stood off to the side as Twilight and Daniel stepped out soon after.

At first, the beautiful day was everything the trio could hope for. A soft breeze from the mountain, fresh scented air from the mighty falls some distance away, even the sun seemed to agree with warm temperatures that the day couldn't be any better.

Daniel actually smiled as he let out a breath and Twilight, not to miss the opportunity, joined in with him.

"Such a wonderful place isn't it?"

His nod was just perceivable from under the boonie hat and shades, "as nice as it is Twilight, I don't think everyone shares the same sentiment."

She didn't look up as she noticed the stares and not so hushed talking of the ponies nearby.

A tan stallion scooted his wife and foal along as the little colt tried to question his parents, "is that the monster you were talking about Daddy?"

The riot of colored equines moved away with their friends and family in tow but not before those with hungry eyes had their fill.

"I say, is that Discord? Where ARE the guards when you need them!"

"What do you suppose that creature is with him? Surely Discord doesn't keep pets!"

Daniel slowly turned his head to spy the spirit of chaos standing to his left and noticed a half ladled look about him that spelled mischief. The more comments were passed on the sly or without thinking, Daniel could almost see his mismatched colleagues' blood pressure rising on the spot.

"Maybe we should have waited until everypony was gone before getting off," Twilight mused with a frown as they stayed behind the crowd that moved away from the train.

The group started to move toward the exit and Daniel noticed the clock on the station wall as they passed. He looked at his own watch and saw that the two were only a couple minutes off from one another, odd. He had seen the sun speed up as it set and the moon hasten to its position in the night sky but this didn't appear to hinder time or much else. A glint of metal from the second floor balcony caught Daniel's careful eye when the others would have missed it by not looking up. Guards, or at least ponies in armor so shiny that it looked more ornate than functional.

Daniel nudged his trotting purple companion and nodded up toward the three looking down.

"Oh, the Canterlot guard can give us an escort. I'll go see what they can do."

The last thing Daniel wanted was an escort but Twilight was fast on her hooves and was away before he could protest.
"Have I ever mentioned how I hate crowds?"

Discord watched Twilight disappear around a corner and turned to look at the human, "I only prefer crowds when they are running in terror or screaming from no small amount of chaos. But alas, I must show that I am a much more improved draconequus thanks to friends."

Just then, a rather snooty pony happened by and said the entirely wrong thing to another which was within ear-shot.

"I thought I saw Twilight Sparkle tending to these low lifes. Do you suppose THAT one is dangerous?"

Discord's yellow eyes flashed plainly, even with the noonday sun full on and Daniel watched as the spirit of chaos set his sights on the cream colored stallion with entirely too much pomp for his own good. Discord grinned slyly and his single fang hung out as his grin took on a more savage nature.

Daniel thought the comment might have pushed him over the edge and when Discord snapped his fingers...

If the human hadn't been looking at the snooty pony when it happened, he would have missed it. Soundless and without sensation, the stallion's cream colored coat turned the most hideous mix of polka dots he had ever seen. Lime green circles, muddy brown, lilac purple... but the stallion had his nose so high in the air, he neither saw nor felt a thing. Even the close partner of the stallion was oblivious to the switch and Daniel lowered his shades for an unfiltered look as they trotted around a corner.

"I fully approve..." Daniel gave Discord a lopsided grin but strangely enough was putting on an innocent face to somepony approaching.

"Approve of what?" Twilight inquired with a smile as two of the guards came alone with her.

Daniel, having been used to moving on the fly- "I was saying I approve of Discord's taste in fashion; he is quite the teacher."

Twilight looked as though Daniel had offered to shave her mane and tail clean off, "well THAT sure is a surprise to hear. If Discord is teaching anything other than unbridled mischief punctuated by ear splitting screams..." and she paused to listen as if expecting one at that very moment.

Discord materialized a golden halo just above his head and gave her an innocent look.

She gave him a frown and cinched her saddle bags tight, "ugh, very well- these two fine stallions will be escorting us to the castle so we shouldn't have any trouble getting there."

Daniel thumbed his shoulder straps and glanced at the ponies taking note of them, "well then, lead on 'cause we aren't getting any closer jaw-jacking here."

The group moved away from the train station and on-lookers whispering behind. But they simply went from the 'frying pan into the fire'. Out on the main thoroughfare, Daniel gawked at the shear number of ponies going about their day much like those in Ponyville had done, but on a much grander scale! If he had to guess at the population of that country town, he might have said a thousand- give or take a few. Here, there had to be twice that number just out for a walk, and they weren't even near the castle yet.

All the buildings looked to be hewn from cream colored marble stone that gave the entire city a very ancient feel. The appearance of the structures is where the old look stopped however. On passing many of the shops, Daniel noted the very modern interiors with electric, or what looked like electric, lighting, cash registers and even a few dated electronics.

As they turned a corner to put them in line with the castle, the street was much wider and filled with market style shops and cafes but again, had a more upscale feel to it. Many of the ponies enjoying the day with a drink or snack paused in their relaxing to openly gape and voice their concern over what was walking down their street.

"Isn't that Twilight Sparkle? What is that creature with her?"

"Do you suppose it's dangerous?"

Daniel could see Twilight's ears swivel back in irritation at the comments but she withheld any verbal comments. Discord, on the other hand, had plucked his gold halo from above his head and was biting off pieces to chew.

"Not getting enough gold in your uh... diet Discord?" Daniel gave him a smirk but cringed when he took another bite with a metallic screech.

His chewing made the sound of crushing aluminum cans and he finally swallowed the lump, "unlike these ponies who can only appreciate plant matter for the herbivores they are, I on the other hoof can enjoy all manner of fare. Even those that appear less than savory."

Discord offered the "C" shape ring to him but Daniel politely declined, "I think I'll pass on that much metal in my eating habits, although liver does have quite a bit of iron in it."

He quickly recounted to himself what he had been eating over the past few days and realized he could probably do with some protein.

Discord had straightened out the rest of the ring into a rod and was now sucking on it like a pixie stick.

"I don't suppose you know of any places here that serve meat do you?"

Daniel had meant for the question to go unnoticed by everyone else but apparently equine ears were more sensitive than he thought.

Discord ignored Twilight's shocked look, "there ARE a few that serve some delectable dishes but are griffon run. Some pegasus ponies will go there to get fish from time to time- I would just go there for the Halibut." And he started snickering even before Daniel got the joke.

Twilight groaned and shook her head, "the castle chefs can prepare most anything Daniel since they always have a few dignitaries passing through."
She shuddered at the thought, "meat... is often served to the griffon ambassadors but few ponies can stand the smell of burnt flesh."

Daniel could sympathize with the idea but had to wonder what kind of animals they cooked when most around Equestria seemed sentient.

The group passed over several small water bridges and approached the gates which were already open. Daniel could see many of the guards on the walls looking down at the strange sight passing below them. Even with the main gate doors towering overhead they were miniscule by comparison to the castle itself.

'Walt Disney, eat your heart out..' Daniel mused to himself at the tall spires that cast shadows along pristine grass lawns and manicured garden paths. As the group neared the wide steps leading into the castle proper, the two escorting guards stopped to pass their information along. While he couldn't hear the exchange, Daniel caught himself grinning as the two guards gave crisp salutes and started trotting back out the gates and into the city.

"Twilight Sparkle and company, I am lieutenant Swift Haven. The city guards that gave you escort have briefed me of your purpose here and if you would follow me, I will take you up to the guest hall to await an audience with the princess."

Twilight was, of course, cordial as ever while Discord would have preferred just snapping himself right up to the throne room. Daniel smirked, even here there was protocol for meeting with someone of high rank or status. Discord had put on a rather posh looking exterior complete with ocular and white gloves before he addressed the guard.

"I say Lt. Haven, Canterlot does look a bit more snobbish since the last visit I had. Perhaps I should journey this way more often!"

Discord's 'high-society' talk, while funny to Daniel, didn't draw the same effect from the officer escort.

"Quite the opposite Discord. If it wasn't for Miss Sparkle and her guest, I would take no small pleasure in escorting you personally to the nearest cliff and sending you over it."

Both Daniel and Twilight blinked at the lieutenant's choice of words and the human looked over at the draconequus who merely wore a smug look.

Discord waved away the harsh words as the Lt took everyone up a large staircase, "my good pony, such ingratitude will not earn you a pay raise when I inquire as to overseers for my park."

The officer clammed up at his needling and Daniel turned his attention back to the spirit of chaos walking beside him, "you failed to mention you had so many friends here on the ride up Discord, care to share?"

He looked at Daniel from the corner of his eye and grinned widely, "a harmless prank was put into motion and everypony got up in arms about it, I honestly don't see where the resentment comes from."

The lieutenant never turned around but Daniel could guess he was fairly hot under the collar... that is, if he was wearing one.

"A prank on one or two ponies I can concede. Even Princess Luna takes such liberties- but the entire city of Canterlot! It took months to get all that dye out of the drinking water!"

Discord whistled softly and Twilight arched a brow, "so that was why the usual traveling salesponies never came to Ponyville from Canterlot last month?"

A group of guards gave the Lt a salute as they passed by and into a long hallway.

"Miss Sparkle, nopony left Canterlot for a while until we could find a spell to fix the stains on their teeth. Why, even Princess Celestia had to cancel day court for a few days while she was un-presentable."

Discord gave a snark at the idea, "oh how I wished I could have seen that!"

"Dye in the water? Sounds like it would have been fairly easy to recognize, so why all the fuss?" Daniel thought the idea behind it was quite novel.

"Why it's quite elementary my dear human!" He materialized a Sherlock Holmes style hate and pipe, "I simply added verity to these predictable pony's lives."

"What he DID was put a clear magical dye in the water source to Canterlot and anypony that drank from it, washed clothes, cooked food... EVERYTHING turned tie-dyed!"

The Lt's loud explanation jostled Twilight and Daniel could see a few of the guards a ways off turn their heads towards the noise. The officer's fur on his neck bristled at the memory.
"At first it was isolated. A few ponies here and there turning up with rainbow colored teeth. We shrugged it off as a prank...until it got into the castle. All the guardsponies, to include myself, had the most hideous smile you can imagine! And what was worse, nopony knew where it was coming from."

As Daniel listened to the officer's tale, he couldn't help but admire Discord's imagination on something of such magnitude. Finding the water source and adding an invisible colorant was, in itself, remarkable. The Lt's venting continued at a much lower volume as they continued to walk and when Daniel had heard enough, he was glad he switched to taking in just where they were going. There were more and more guards now and quite a few of them had spears or pikes at the ready. A couple of unicorn officers sported wickedly curved scimitar blades and gave the group a careful look over as they passed.

Daniel's training for SERE threatened to take over as he began counting steps through archways and large halls should he need to escape. But to where? The entire city was built on the side of a mountain and unless he could fly, it left little to the imagination.

"There sure are a lot of guards out today lieutenant Haven, any particular reason for that?"

Twilight's question brought Daniel's mind back to the present and he glanced from under his boonie hat at the many large eyes watching them.

"A rather large dignitary and ambassadorial staff arrived late yesterday so we have set out a few more guards to make sure THEY don't wonder off or get into something they aren't supposed to."

Swift Haven led the trio to a large antechamber where cushy, low sprawled couches, chairs and tables set the atmosphere as a waiting room. Daniel had long since removed his shades and was taking in the enormity of it all. From sweeping arched ceilings and elaborate tapestries to the plush furniture and even more expensive looking deep crimson carpet, Daniel guessed the waiting room could hold a few hundred ponies if needs be. Twilight and Discord both set their things on a convenient table and took a seat opposite each other. Movement from the corner of his eye revealed a white mare in a maids' outfit approaching the two seated individuals.

Daniel thought she looked a little nervous being so close to Discord and rightly chose to speak to Twilight first.

"Ma'am, Princess Celestia will be with you shortly, in the meantime, please feel free to enjoy some refreshments prepared for you."

Twilight thanked her and went over to a long table set near a wall which Daniel hadn't seen on the way in. There were several maids and serviceponies stationed here and there and they removed the covers on the trays as Twilight browsed the items. Daniel shucked his pack and picked up a plate to pick out a few vegetable snacks that looked safe. There were even a couple of things that looked reminiscent of sushi but he would wait on those for the time being. The maids tried their best to continue setting out food and removing items that might have been getting stale but Daniel noticed them sneaking long looks at him when they thought he wasn't facing their way.

Discord sat close by and munch on a bowlful of blue popcorn while Twilight was content with some celery sticks and dip. Daniel did a double take at the popcorn and looked at the table again- there was no popcorn. Blue or otherwise.

At the end of the table Daniel saw something that surprised him, "you guys have wine here?"

The maid closest to him only gave a nervous smile and nodded as he reached out to pick up the green glass bottle. Twilight saw it and offered an explanation off the cuff.

"Canterlot isn't as well known for its wine because, as you might guess, their vineyard is rather small but they do have good grapes. Sweet Apple acres has them beat in volume of grapes and most of the grapes used in Canterlot wine comes from Apple Jack's farm."

Daniel spied a nearby corkscrew and popped the top with practiced ease and put the cork to his nose.

Twilight tilted her head slightly, "Uh Dan, why are you smelling the stopper?"

Now it was Daniel's turn to spin some education off to the ever knowledgeable purple unicorn. He explained that a quick sniff could tell if the wine was bad without pouring any. If it were oxidized, it would have a vinegar smell. If it were musky, perhaps the cork was dirty and allowed mold to grow. The cork was nice and moist, evenly colored too indicating that the bottle had been stored and rotated properly.

Daniel poured just a splash into a nearby stemmed glass and brought the glass high to look through it in the light. He further expounded that, unless it was a very old vintage, the wine should be clear from sediment and not be cloudy. The light rose color and sweet fruit scent led him to believe this was a dessert wine. A sip later...

"Oh wow, " Daniel looked at the liquid with new found respect.

Discord gave him a shrewd look, "I had no idea humans could be such connoisseurs or aficionados."

Daniel poured himself a half glass to go with his veggie plate and sat on a low couch nearby, "while I do enjoy a good glass of wine Discord, the only thing closer to my heart is a better cup of coffee."

Twilight was impressed by his experience and offered a small slice of information for his 'gee-whiz', "if coffee is your thing, we should check out Doughnut Joe's shop here in Canterlot. I hear he's got some of the best imports of fine coffee to compliment his world famous doughnuts this side of Saddle Arabia."

Daniel stopped in mid-munch to process what she just said.

"You guys have a country named 'Saddle Arabia'?"

She gave him an odd knowing smile and nodded, "not our country, it's on the other side of the ocean."

Twilight went on that she forgot to mention certain etiquette around the princesses but Daniel's brain had ground to a stand still as the words played over, 'that sounds very similar to Saudi Ara..'

His thoughts and Twilight's lesson were both interrupted by the large double doors swinging inward and Princess Celestia stopping halfway through to address the crowd gathered behind her.

"I have allowed you all to escort me to this next meeting room but I'm afraid I must attend to other matters here. If you wish to discuss anything further you may wait for me back in the court hall."

Her voice was melodious and quite motherly as she attended to the mob that threatened to ooze around her and into the room. Daniel was the furthest from the princess as she stood in the door and even from the distance he could tell she was a much larger being than Twilight and had pound for pound a heavier build than Discord.

Daniel saw the beings stop in the doorway and blinked dumbly at the creatures that would have never existed back on Earth. Besides the obvious equines, he could see two griffons and a tall minotaur. The griffons were very regal looking with the smaller of the two having lighter color grey feathers with two silver rings on its left ear while the other had the look of a stone with darker greys and browns that would have given it impeccable camouflage in a mountainous terrain. The Minotaur's broad shoulders gave him the look of a football linebacker. With heavy exposed muscles and polished horns that spread out several hand spans from head, it was an intimidating sight.

The lack of sound brought Daniel to his senses quickly as he noticed them all staring at the group he was part of. No, at him.

An avalanche of questions were thrown at Celestia's back as the doors closed with a gentle golden glow. The guards on the outside lead the crowd away and once the commotion had distanced itself, Celestia made her way to the standing group after a brief word with a guard.

Twilight was first to bow and approached the large white alicorn with abandon, giving her a hug.

"My dearest Twilight, thank you so much for coming to see me on such short notice. Perhaps one day we will meet casually without the fanfare of court to distract me."

Twilight released her with a smile, "it's ok princess, I know your position demands a lot of you."

The white princess turned her attention to the approaching draconequus and gave him a pleasantry as well, although not on the same level of Twilight.

Discord gave her a courteous bow that would put a jester to shame, "ah Celestia, as radiant and magnanimous as ever! May the years ever be as kind to your fair countenance as the spring ushers in delectable bounty to all of Equestria."

Celestia managed to keep a straight face during his monologue while Twilight face-hoofed off to one side "Discord, finally I can say it is nice to see you too and look forward to discussing your project, it does sound rather interesting."

Discord straightened himself as Celestia stepped around him toward Daniel, "what, don't I get a hug too?"

Twilight gave him a frown and shook her head at his antics while Daniel had been taking in her beauty. Truly the princess was a sight to behold.

Her mane and tail both sported a mix of pink, teal, light sea green and purple flowing with pastel shades on an unseen wind. As an alicorn, Celestia had both the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn, although much longer than Twilight's horn- if that was any indication of their age difference. The gold breastplate, shoes and crown accented her well and while the stylized mark of the sun adorned her flank just like the others Daniel had encountered, it was her piercing eyes that drew him in from his assessment.

Princess Celestia was easily at eye level with him and her horn stood a head taller. Daniel gave her a bow reminiscent of the medieval orient where two parties would never take their eyes off of each other. While this form relayed due respect, it also denoted lack of trust. Celestia, being well versed in many forms of address and history, knew instantly of this and was interested to know more.

"May I officially welcome you to the city of Canterlot, capitol to the Kingdom of Equestria. May I have the pleasure of your name?"

Twilight looked embarrassed that Daniel didn't introduce himself right away and that she didn't think to do it either. Daniel didn't add any title or weight to his name as they continued.

"Princess Celestia, I am Daniel Hopkins- Dan to those that know me better," and he waved a hand to Discord and Twilight, "you may call me Dan if you wish. I am retired and currently on vacation in your land and have found it a very lovely place. I'm honored that you would allow me to come see you here at your home."

She gave him a warm smile, "most welcome Daniel Hopkins and I do hope that we may be friends as cordial dialogue between us would be most beneficial."

Daniel knew exactly what she meant by that because of how he bowed to her and was cautious in his reply.
"Princess Celestia, since we have just met I would like to lean toward friendship and for the sake of diplomacy stay neutral in any instance of question."

He retired with a high enough rank to know how political terms got tossed around and didn't really buy it himself but rather used the terminology to let Celestia know he could play the game too. She had heard those lines before and let it rest.

"Well then, let us all take a seat and enjoy some refreshments together," she took note of Discord's blue popcorn and shook her head slightly. Everyone took seats a semi-circle and a maid brought Celestia some tea, apparently one of her favorites as they didn't need to ask.

After a moment of getting settled, Celestia started the conversation again, "so Daniel, I understand through Twilight and Discord's letters that you are partly involved with his idea. Quite commendable I must say."
She took a sip from her tea, "but if I may ask of your prior employment, you said you're retired- from what may I ask?"

Daniel had a notion of epiphany while washing down a cracker with cheese on it with a swig of wine, anything he said might lead the princess to asking further questions about his past...

He swirled the contents of the glass around, "well, I'm retired from the military service of my country where I come from. Enjoying life should be more important than destroying it."

"An honorable notion for a soldier...so why did you choose Equestria for your vacation?"

Daniel gave Twilight a cursory glance to see that she was listening too, "Well uh, believe it or not, I didn't exactly choose Equestria. It was a mistake I think. I was actually trying to visit another place on my own world and just so happened that there was some kind of mix up and I found myself here instead."

Celestia made a thoughtful hum, "a very interesting concept... because I know that no being such as yourself lives within the boarders of Equestria so I'm interested by what method you moved from YOUR world to OUR world..."

Daniel kicked himself mentally for letting that slip, "while I'm not sure to the process, technology did play a major part in it."

She watched his face from over the rim of her tea cup and gave a small twitch of her ears. At the mention of technology, Twilight had scooted to the edge of her seat eying him for the 'rest of the story'.

The princess's abrupt laughter towards her interest nearly made Twilight fall off the couch. "Perhaps that is for another time Daniel, but I would like to hear more about this 'amusement park' and what role you had in suggesting it."

From there, Twilight and Discord took turns filling in small details of the park that the princess had wished to hear. Daniel was silently thankful for the change in subject and didn't wish to be the center of attention at any rate- especially under the eye of one of Equestria's rulers. Discord was in the middle of a particular stint about the park and Celestia gave him a suggestion and complimented his responsibility he was showing.

He was a little embarrassed by her praise, "Oh Celestia, stop it you charmer or should I lock up your tongue with the rest of the silver?"

She gave him a whimsical grin and Twilight entreated her next, "princess, I would like to ask something before we get too far along, how long should we expect to be in Canterlot for? I'd like to send word back to Spike at the library so he'll know when to expect me back."

The princess sat down her now empty tea cup and she waved away a maid from re-filling it, "a very befitting question Twilight and I have to say that there are some matters at stake here where I'll need you close for direct input. So until that issue is resolved, I'd like for you to feel at home here in the castle."

Twilight smiled sweetly and gushed about staying in the castle once again while Discord looked thoughtful, probably planning pranks for the guards and tenders. Daniel, on the other hand, picked up on something in between the lines- what he heard was 'you'll be here for as long as I see fit.'

Celestia gave the guards at the door a small signal and they opened the massive doors to reveal several other guards waiting just outside. She then addressed her student, "I do realize that this will sound out of the ordinary for my usual audiences Twilight, but I would now like to spend a little time with each of you and ask some questions I have. Discord, Daniel, if you would please follow the guards to your prepared rooms while I talk to Twilight first."

Daniel and Discord picked up their own bag and pack respectively and followed a couple of guards out and around a few corners to a rather spacious guest accommodation. Three rooms branched off a single large meeting room with a sunken center flanked by an ornate yet functional fireplace. Discord skipped to a room and flung himself onto the bed with a blissful sigh. Daniel looked in on the second and third rooms and settled on the last one. It had a better view of the mountainside and the terraced walls stretching away to the gardens and waterfalls beyond.

He set his pack down on the bed and took in the area of the guest room. The bed itself was smaller for pony bodies and the furniture fit the stature as well. The walls were warmly painted with ornate trim work pushed into everything with an edge. Daniel scratched his head at the attention to detail on some of the woodwork and noticed Discord leaning against the door frame to his room and rubbing his claws down on a file.

He was about to make a comment but the opening of the main guest chamber doors drew his attention and Daniel.

"Discord, would you please follow me?" A guard pair held open the doors, the one, a unicorn and the other a pegasus.

He shrugged and walked by them without so much a word, odd behavior? Daniel didn't know, of course, there wasn't much in this obnoxiously bright world that he 'could' put in the normal category. He adjusted the strap on his pistol and left his pack on the bed for the sofa in the main room. Daniel sat down on it and instantly regretted it. The cushions were soft and inviting and seemed to form to him as he stretched out. Memory foam? Daniel propped his arms up behind his head and considered the ceiling for moment- it was painted to a striking copy of a partly cloudy day. He smiled in thought of an analog Michelangelo to this pony world and found that the painting had a peculiar depth effect that he could almost fall into.

Daniel didn't know how long he cat-napped for but hoof falls entering the room and transitioning to the lush carpet brought him to his full senses.
There was a brief pause then a voice piped up, "Daniel Hopkins?"

He raised the boonie hat up from his eyes to see a single guard a few feet away looking nervous, "yes?"

"The princess would like to speak with you now. If you would follow me... please."

Daniel had to wonder at this because the guards from before didn't seem skittish. They both walked out of the room and down the hall to the double doors where they had meet before- only this time...
The food had been all put away and the tables had been pushed back against the wall. In their place were fifteen to twenty guards. Daniel gave a quick count of heads and ears as his nervous escort blended into the ranks.

Princess Celestia stood as Daniel entered, and as the doors closed behind him asked that he come sit with her. But the air of a friendly meeting was gone. He had sat in on meetings like this before. It normally meant that one party suddenly knew something or was suspicious of ulterior motive. He made sure that his pants kept his pistol covered as it was the only anchor to sanity he had- even if it weighed less than a pound.

"Daniel, I'm sure you have questions concerning my methods for this meeting and I can assure you they are honorable. Certain information regarding your visit were omitted and now I've had a chance to hear them firsthoof, I want to give you the opportunity to clarify some things."

Celestia's gaze was steady and probing, what was she after? Did she think he was a spy? Or worse, reconnaissance for an invasion? His imagination was beginning to run away with him but one thing stood out more than anything and before he could stop the words they were out of his mouth.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

Of all the questions that could have slipped through ivory bars, he awaited the majestic alicorn's response.

Celestia adjusted her wings slightly and calmly began, "if a mysterious being were to one day appear in your world and offer a solution to every problem, cure every disease and do this without asking anything in return, would you not be suspicious of its motives?"

Daniel had heard this argument before and sadly, mankind didn't have a good track record for being benevolent to hand outs but rather chose to be apprehensive.
"I'm not selling anything princess, nor am I here to stir up trouble."

She gave him a knowing grin, "oh, quite the opposite I have observed actually. You have given Discord direction for his existence, something I could never do and even with the help of the elements of harmony he was merely playing out the days. You appear, quite literally, out of thin air and in under a week's time manage to direct one of the most volatile chaotic forces this world has known to build an amusement park of all things."

Celestia was watching his expression that entire time to gauge what he was thinking but his body language was not a pony's and she was not familiar with humans.

"Perhaps I have missed some small thing princess, but the complete history of your world did not come with the travel guide when I got here."

She missed his sarcasm and continued, "perhaps I am mistaken but it does seem suspect to me. After all, you did come into my country unannounced and into our land without presenting yourself.."

Daniel didn't know where this was heading but he had little to add in his defense, "I didn't even know where I was, surely you don't intend to pass judgement on a traveler that mistakenly crosses your boarder?"

"A traveler yes, that is understandable. But no one in all of Equestria has the ability you wield, not even Discord. One that has the potential to disrupt all the magic of this world."

Her counter gave him some insight as to this inquiry now, was she afraid of him?

"Princess Celestia, please understand I didn't want it, it just sorta happened. If Twilight hadn't attacked me to begin with I wouldn't have known what it was..."

A point that made her raise a brow. Twilight didn't want to disappoint Celestia so she had conveniently left that part out of their talk about him.
"Twilight attacked you? Why would she do such a thing if you claim you came here peacefully?"

"It was a mistake and she didn't know what I was when we first met."

"So attacking you was her first thought?"

Daniel deflated a bit, "I can't say what she was thinking, she never really said but after I got to know her a little I don't believe she had ill intentions."

As he tried to explain his situation without giving away too much from his own world, a couple of the guards exchanged glances and moved closer to his seat. They could tell that their princess was getting frustrated and they could feel indignation towards his responses.
Daniel could see that the princess was 'fishing'. She had questions and she wanted direct answers but some of those he just couldn't say. He grimaced inside as she worded a question another way and thought she could have been a master news reporter...

"There is incongruity in your story Daniel, especially at the part where you carried little Sweetie Belle. Your anti-magic should have affected her as well- perhaps that had something to do with the amount of time she spent in the hospital?"

Daniel seethed at that implication but kept a level tone, "it's 'your' world princess, I don't know how it affects every pony and how you can be forming such erroneous opinions when you don't have all the facts? I would never intentionally..."

In the next moment, chaos. The two guards that had moved closer shared a thought, 'who does this creature think he is talking to our princess like that?!" Their decision to intervene cascaded from there.

Lt. Cope Stone's face soured and spoke over Daniel, "you need to be more respectful when you speak to the princess!"

That signal gave the pegasus Sargent Black Hoof the initiative to nudge Daniel but what he got in return was blinding light. The magic that gave the pegasus his flight ability was instantly nullified and he dropped to the ground in a heap with the wind knocked out of him. The flash of light and sparks that lingered after the contact made Celestia pause in her train of thought to what she had just witnessed. But even as she tried to speak, her guards reacted with nimble swiftness.

Before Daniel could even turn his head fully to see who had touched him, a body slammed into him side as he was tackled off the chair. The guard's move would have pushed him across the room in any other scenario but again, as contact was made, the guard lost flight and strength and merely flopped over the edge of the couch with the human in tow. Other guards, thinking that Daniel had just attacked the Sargent joined in the fray only to be zapped and weakened when each tried to restrain him.

The lieutenant had moved in front of the princess and several other guards formed up on his line to protect her, Celestia's mouth hung open slightly from shock over the scene unfolding right in front of her. Daniel was under a pile of flightless pegasus and had the wind knocked out of him from the shear number of bodies that had wholly thrown themselves at him. Even though they lacked magic to support their wings, they still had the combined mass of their bodies and armor. Daniel's first thought was that somehow Terry Tate had followed him into Equestria and was just randomly tackled like in one of his office commercials. His second thought, as the spots cleared and his hearing returned was... no.

"no... No! Don't touch me! I wasn't trying to hurt you!"

His struggles under the weight of so many bodies was useless as they shouted at him breathlessly.

"Don't..'huff'...move!"

"We saw it! Princess...'wheeze'... he attacked first."

Celestia didn't have time to respond to that statement as the doors flung open and more guards hurried in, one burly earth pony had a heavy chain draped across his back with hoof cuffs on the end.

Lt Cope Stone turned to the princess in hopes that the human be chained up, but to Daniel's relief and the guards annoyance, Celestia voiced a measured concern.

"No restraints will be necessary lieutenant but in the meantime Daniel, I will ask that you will be confined to your room, the guards will escort you there until we can further investigate this anti-magic talent."

"But princess! He is a threat to anypony that comes near him," the Lt was going on to say but she held up a hoof for him to remain silent.

"I understand your concern lieutenant but I saw what you did not, and I do not believe he intended on starting a fight. So my order stands- and please send Twilight back to me once Daniel is back in the guest quarters."

His bearing on the matters not withstanding, she ordered the guards to let Daniel up and they formed a loose circle on him as they made way toward the door. As they left the room, Celestia added a word to the guards that had tackled Daniel to go get checked out by the staff doctor and send a report of any lasting effects of their symptoms. The group of pegasus bowed and glumly walked out, their wings nearly dragging the ground.

Twilight had been trying to study some architecture while Discord played with some quills and drew cartoony ponies screaming on a ride as pies were blasted into their faces. Both of them were startled when the doors suddenly opened to a dozen wary looking guards and a fuming human who was marched right into his room and locked in.

Twilight was instantly on her hooves asking what had happened and why he was being treated in such a way. Even Discord had a hard time swallowing what the guards began to say.

"He attacked us with magic!"

"He was being disrespectful to the princess."

Twilight was asked abruptly to go talk to Celestia, Discord was directed not to have contact with the human and as quickly as it began, the storm of bodies left the room and left a very interested spirit of chaos in their wake. Discord rubbed his ear in thought for a moment and snapped his fingers making it vanish away. He looked over at the door where Daniel had been unceremoniously deposited and gave a hum in contemplation.

Daniel stared at the door for a moment longer before sitting back heavily on his bed, "I can't believe that just happened!" He grabbed his boonie and secured it back on his head, "I knew it was a mistake to come here- I just... arugh!"

As the voices moved away, Daniel pulled his pack close and made a check of everything that was inside. With his hasty inventory confirmed he thumped the bag in frustration, "This is my pack for vacationing and camping, not escaping castles magically attached to mountains!"

The obscure thought of escape flickered to life in his mind and he headed to the window and the drop below to an interior castle wall. The curtains next to the tall frame were sturdy and the bed sheets were well made, they could hold his weight no doubt. His 550 cord could serve as an anchor to the bed- it looked heavy enough. From his vantage point he could make out the land marks in relation to the outer wall and would be easy enough to follow if he could get high enough from time to time. Of course, from the height he was at, he could also see the rather daunting drop from the waterfalls several thousand feet down.

He slapped his hand against the ivory railing and was startled back to his senses by someone talking to him.

"Ya know, suicide isn't very well received in this culture... even I know it's not a very honorable way to go." Discord gave a laugh at the absurdity of it.

Daniel blinked at his implication and his situation was momentarily derailed , "I can't believe they thought I was starting a fight, I would never attack the guards! It happened the same way when we shook hands."

Discord smirked, "welcome to Canterlot and all its bureaucratic glory! Although I'm impressed you got just a slap on the wrist and sent to your room after what the guards said. They even had the unmitigated gall to tell me I couldn't talk to you." And he threw up some air quotes for good measure.

Daniel sighed but Discord continued, "my reforming was only partly successful you see and I just can't stand idly by while another being of chaos is engaged in mayhem- either by design or chance."
He gave him a wink, "as the saying goes about birds of a feather make more hats together!"

Daniel gave his head a shake and stepped away from the window after closing it, "I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes, but for everyone I've met so far in this zany world, you're OK in my book."

Discord leaned back against the locked door and began to tell Daniel that the guards were really upset and that they are asking the princess to reconsider her orders, something about attacking other ponies. He looked intrigued for a moment and passed on that now Twilight and the princess were talking- "the princess lays a great deal of respect to Twilight and is taking what she says into careful account."

"How do you know all that Discord?"

He cleared his throat in an aloof manor and waved a claw over his absent ear.

"Clever..." Daniel breathed, his anger abated as his unseemly roommate continued.

"Ooo- Twilight is actually taking up for you! She says you mean well and the ability is not something you can control." And Discord got a little closer and held up a hand to him as if someone might hear 'their' discussion.
"Just imagine if you could control it? What fun THAT would be!"

Daniel gave him a chuckle, "you're wild Discord, you know that?"

He was about to respond when he stopped to listen with his other ear, looked at the door suddenly and vanished. Daniel blinked away the spots as the lock began to move and the door open to reveal Twilight standing beside a rather disgruntle guard. She thanked him and left without another word edgewise.

"Princess Celestia says she will choose to trust you and take a chance." Twilight said stepping into Daniel's room and stopping just short of his bed where he was sitting. With him sitting down like that she was more than eye level with him.
"I've been put in charge of you as it were for the rest of the time you are here since the princess doesn't want you shackled as long as you are under my watch."

Daniel groaned and ran a hand over his face at having a "foal-sitter."

Twilight was determined to not let what had just transpired ruined their afternoon and eventually the trio, and a couple tag-a-long guards, made it out of the castle in the direction of Doughnut Joe's coffee shop to relax.

Celestia, however, was not so lucky. The ambassadors and their staff had waited long enough and were now back in the throne room talking animatedly about what they saw.

"He is indeed a visitor from a very far away land," she began to address a question of the Griffin dignitary, "do not be alarmed if you do see him, it is a 'him' by the way. Please use an address fitting of dignitaries of your respective kingdoms. I would ask that if you see something out of the ordinary with our dear visitor that you send a messenger to me straight away."

Another round of questions were thrown about before the griffin Meirak Talon's inquiry caused the others to listen in, "Princess, do you suspect that this 'visitor' has ill intentions?"

"What manner of creature is this? I've never seen such a thing in Equestria before..." one of the Minotaur advisers said in a low voice.

She put on a very motherly tone and a smile, "not to worry my friends, I have all the faith in my student Twilight to handle the situation appropriately."

The Minotaur ambassador spoke out over the group, "I saw Discord with her Princess! Surely Twilight can't handle two unknowns around Canterlot!"

Murmuring again but Celestia never wavered, "prime minister Steel Horn, if you would recall my letters that I sent to each of you stating that Discord was reformed and that he had agreed to use his magic for good; that should be a satisfactory answer to that subject."

Some agreed, others did not. It was typical of the court and Princess Celestia gave a muted sigh as they began to bicker over Discord more than the human visitor. She almost broke a smile as the idea that Discord was scheming surfaced and was using Twilight and this 'visitor' as a front. As she listened to the back and forth, she had to wonder if Discord wasn't indeed playing at something. If the ambassadors were so riled up about them just walking around, how would the leaders handle the news of the spirit of chaos wanting to build an amusement park?

,,,^..^,,,

Canterlot weather was always nice this time of year and the weather team in charge of it took their jobs very seriously. It was one of the most prestigious positions a pegasus could have in the capitol, next to being a royal guard of course. The mountainous area of Canterlot was a natural spire that made the job relatively easy to keep stray clouds from forming close to the city but there were always a couple hanging about the year-round falls that graced the eastern rock face.

Daniel shielded his eyes and watched as another lightly colored pegasus pushed an errant cloud away from overhead. He had stopped mulling over the meeting and instead turned his attention to the area they were walking through with the sights around him. He couldn't help but think the sound alone was reminiscent of the 18th century when horses were still a primary mode of travel before the industrial revolution hit. All the hoof clops on the cobblestone streets and side walks made Daniel smile in spite of himself. The voices surrounding him were surreal however; if he pushed reality from his mind he could almost picture people close by talking about their day and the lovely weather.

Donut Joe's coffee shop was a rather exquisite store with more emphasis on donuts rather than coffee. As they talked and walked toward it, well, Twilight did most of the talking- she brought Daniel up to speed on the notoriety of Donut Joe with his culinary prowess. Discord had been surprisingly quiet through their walk and he suspected it had something to do with the two 'tails' that were just a couple body lengths behind the group.

At the shop, Joe was busy making doughnuts off to the side while a dark green unicorn with a silver mane and tail maned the register and helped patrons with their orders. Daniel was a bit surprised that Joe actually looked like a normal horse...pony...unicorn. His tan coat and brown mane and tail were completely out of contrast to the other pony's colors while his serving hat and white chef's jacket were comical relief to the otherwise snooty attire of the ponies enjoying the cafe'.

Joe had just finished dunking a batch of dough into the boiling hot oil as our party entered the door. Several conversations became much quieter and many of the customers turned from their sugary treats to gawk. The interior of the shop was fairly reserved in terms of decor. There were a few pictures of donuts on the walls, a black and white checked tile floor and simple polished tables with few chairs. Daniel observed that most of the ponies either stood to eat or sat back on their haunches. At the counter, however, there were a couple of bar stools pushed off to the side of a glass case with delectable pastries inside and out. Racks of glazed goodness stood at the ready on the wall behind the register with simple styles to eccentric bright sprinkles and everything in between.

"Twilight Sparkle! Long time no see, again!" Joe said wiping some flour off his face and trotting out to meet her.

She gave a bit of a chuckle, "Pony Joe! I know, I need to visit more but sometimes it can't be helped. I've brought a friend with me who is in need of coffee and I told him all about your shop."

Joe gave a laugh and looked up at Discord and then to the human, "well I hope you only told him all the good things Twilight," he correctly assumed Twilight wasn't talking about Discord and stuck his hoof out to Daniel.

Daniel reached out and gave it a firm shake and came away with a dusting of flour on his hand. He had to wonder about the hygiene of such a place, "pleasure to meet you Joe- certainly looks like you have a fine shop here, what kind of coffee do you have?"

Ever the businesspony looking to make sure his customers were happy, Joe trotted back behind the counter and lifted out a menu with his magic to Daniel. Of course, Discord had to laugh at his expense and Joe's confusion at how Daniel could speak Equestrian but not read it. Twilight merely sighed and translated what Daniel voiced as 'chicken scratch'.

A steaming mug later, and a little doctoring, Daniel had the biggest smile on his face that Twilight had ever seen. She had thrown a couple extra bits in for a small stack of mixed donuts, a mug of chocolate for herself and, oddly enough, Discord. As they sat down at a booth on an opposite wall from the register, Daniel took in the rich aroma of the coffee and gave it another careful sip. Such a simple pleasure he enjoyed that wouldn't have any terrible effects on his health like cigars... Daniel's travels had put him in close proximity to some of the best cigar manufacturing places in the world and unfortunately had taken the bad habit home with him.

But a Cuban or Honduran 'edge' was the last thing on his mind as the flavor of an entirely alien made beverage threatened to dissolve the fillings in his teeth.

After a moment of damn-near euphoria, "man, how is this not illegal here?"

Twilight could only smirk while Discord, instead of dipping a donut into his hot coco, dipped the ceramic saucer instead and took a noisy bite out of it.
Her expression fell instantly at any hope of Discord acting normal and she facehoofed, "could you please not embarrass us Discord and act like you know what normal is?"

Daniel held his mug like it was the only real thing in the world as Discord's noisy chewing ended in a swallow that sounded like someone dropping a platter of dishes down a well.

"Normal you say? Twilight I don't have to remind you what normal is here and that you are anything BUT normal," Discord's cool tone was grating to Twilight and Daniel felt it was both comical and insightful as he continued.

"You study under Princess Celestia, helped Princess Luna get over her social anxiety, have wild adventures without the common courtesy of inviting me..." Discord paused dramatically to feign a hurt face, "always meet interesting ponies... or should I say people in Daniel's case. Which brings us to our current state, THE spirit of chaos, a human and yourself having a snack at Donut Joe's shop in the capitol of Equestria!"

Discord leaned in to her face with a toothy grin, "now tell me what is 'normal' about that?"

Twilight blinked as all that registered and she pushed his face away from her own with a hoof, "circumstances change all the time Discord, in fact, had this been a year ago I doubt seriously that you would have been willing to sit down in any public place without causing a scene."

Discord gave her an innocent smile and continued eating his saucer while Daniel had been observing what was beyond their table. Just that fast and without any sensation at all, several items around the shop changed color, texture, position... the dark green unicorn assistant at the counter gasped when the hot chocolate she was pouring into a customer's mug changed directions in mid-air and dribbled into the wall.

Daniel continued with his coffee and stole a glance at the draconequus next to him who casually drank his hot coco- normally.

,,,^..^,,,

Throughout his career, Daniel had the honor to travel to seventeen different countries and learn the basics to get around in five. He had a notion to count Equestria as the eighteenth since it did technically count as a 'foreign' land but he doubted that anyone back home would just accept such a wild story.

After leaving Joe's, the trio walked the streets of Canterlot without a general destination in mind, much to the chagrin of Twilight and the annoyance of the escorting guards. Discord was all about giving the guards grief which Daniel had to smirk along with- the idea of them being followed still grated on his nerves. But several hours into the impromptu walk, they had actually accomplished quite a bit that made the purple unicorn finally smile.

Twilight had managed to steer the group by a couple of markets, a small museum, and an art gallery. Daniel found the art gallery odd since most of the art was pony related in some way but the museum was interesting, especially the part 'dedicated' to Discord. While he scoffed at the artisans not getting his 'good side', the depictions and replica statues of Discord were eerie in accuracy. Thankful that Discord didn't cause a scene, Twilight noted that the sun was setting and that they should head back to the castle. Daniel imagined the guards sighing with relief but their stoic, military bearing never faltered.

The walk back was uneventful save one thing, that same quick setting of the sun and the vivid rising of the moon. Only this time all the stars above gave a mighty twinkle as if they were cast out on a still lake and a pebble had been thrown in to create ripples. Daniel's expression of awe gave Twilight the giggles as she asked if he liked Princess Luna's sky. He had heard of the nocturnal princess but not yet seen her personally and if the night was so beautiful, he would have to compliment her on it.

The group had wandered further then they thought and it took nearly a hour to get back. The street lamps were all aglow with a gentle flame that Daniel noted neither smelled of oil nor smoked. Magic? He couldn't tell directly as they were too bright to look at for very long.

Back inside the castle, the guards graciously peeled off and others took their place but these dark pegasus ponies looked different. He couldn't directly tell in the lesser light but they appeared to have cat-like eyes and wings more like a bat than feathers. One of the guards caught Daniel's assessment and their eyes locked as they went. Twilight was recounting something aloud with Discord just a couple steps ahead as the guard held the human's gaze before giving a sneer and returning his eyes forward.

'The hell...'

Daniel's unvoiced concern took root as he noticed more and more of the white day guards swapping out with their darker night counterparts.
As the trio entered their guest quarters they noticed three trays of various fruits and snacks had been left out for them should they have a late return. Good thing too, while Daniel merely took another of Apple Jack's apples, Twilight and Discord dug in.
His thoughts drifted to the note that was in the basket and he briefly wondered about it before looking over his shoulder at Twilight trying to eat with some semblance of respect and Discord making a mess. Daniel got up and went to his room without disturbing them to look at the folded paper out of sight.

,,,^..^,,,

Princess Luna had long since raised the moon and night court wasn't due to start for a while. She sat out on the balcony of her study and mulled over the scrolls that had been left for her to review on waking and found them disturbing but not grave.

A gentle knock at the door stirred her from the considerations, "enter."

"Luna? Are you out there?" Celestia's voice was searching as if she didn't already know where she was.

"Sister, I am out on the balcony, come join us."

The white alicorn gave a jaw cracking yawn as she approached the open air to stand beside her darker sibling. "You have seen the scrolls I left for you?"

Luna's gaze up at the stars never moved, "I have."

Celestia followed her gaze upward to see that she was moving a couple of stars back into place that had drifted.
"I would very much like to hear what you would say on the matter."

Luna's dark figure shimmered briefly as the final nudge plugged the heavenly body back into its spot. Her horn ceased its faint glow and she fluttered her wings slightly in the mountain breeze.

"I would like to meet him, this hu-man that was so mentioned." Luna said the word as if tasting it and not certain it would be something she would like.

Celestia blinked at her sister's words, surely she had more of an opinion then that. "And of Discord and his... amusement park?"

Luna's grin was ever so slight but Celestia saw it, "to have a small place as an outlet for his anarchy while our subjects might sample it as fun? Hmm, we do not see harm in this."

The white ruler fixed the darker one with flat expression, "chaos is not something I invite or condone dear sister."

"But surely you don't believe this visitor is trying to direct our subjects in Discord's favor? In millennia past, the turmoil and disorder were always widespread and disorganized. We now know the exact measure of the circumstance- if your observation of him in the magic realm is true. Discord's own claw bares witness of this."

Celestia was silent a moment, "I do not know Luna. But this human Daniel has within himself, whether knowing or not, the ability to change our world. Even our very nature."

Luna had read the report of the guards that touched the human and gave a sigh, "how are the day guards?"

"They are recovering. No lasting effects have been seen as of yet. The doctors say they should be flight ready and return to duty in another day."
Celestia looked at Luna from the corner of her eye before continuing, "that is the most disturbing piece to our visitor Luna. What of Equestria should he touch one of us? Even Discord cannot match such anti-magic ability..."

Luna finally broke her thoughts from the night sky and looked at her older sister, "you are tired from a long and trying day my sister, go regain your rest and allow me the night, I will inquire of this a little and let you know my findings."

Princess Celestia stifled another yawn and moved her wing around to intercept it with a nod, "very well Luna but do consider this; by whatever means do not take the chance of contact. You and I are bound to our nation and as it's rulers...we stand against all forms of subversion."

She made her way to the door and cast one last look at the balcony where the younger ruler still sat, "a pleasant evening to you sister."

Princess Luna gave her a warm smile in return, "and good dreams to you."

With that, Celestia was gone and off to her own chambers to sleep. Luna however was even more curious than before. "I've not seen her so overwrought since the changeling queen was here."
Her thoughts were meant for no pony in particular but one did answer her next words.

"Swift Wind?"

The shadow cast by the balcony tapestry wavered and the body of a night guard materialized from its inky depths.

"My Princess?"

Luna didn't need to look in his direction to know he was awaiting her orders and would follow them without hesitation, "inform the night court nobles that I shall be delayed until the hour of midnight. And send word to our guest, Daniel the human, that we desire an audience with him at the sweeping balcony under the observation tower."

"All will be done Princess." And her guard was nearly at the door when Luna added one more thing.

"Without question, ensure that no pony touches him."

"Your word is law for me, Princess."

And he was gone.

Luna looked around the now quiet study beyond the doorway and turned back to the open air of the clear night sky. She unfolded her wings and in one beat was hurled into the blackness above.

,,,^..^,,,

Daniel was no linguist, that much was certain. The letter in his hands was rough hewn and hasty looking but he couldn't help shake the feeling that it was important. He thumbed an edge as he looked over the chicken-scratched hieroglyphics and sighed. He didn't know how to read it and couldn't tell if it was upside down or not. The only objects that stood out with any familiarity were three small 'apples' drawn at the bottom of the page. Or was it the top?

He refolded the letter and could only surmise that Apple Jack did write it- but that was it. Daniel thumped the folded note against his pants leg in thought... Who could he ask to translate it for him that wouldn't ask too many questions or let word of it get around? His contemplations were halted by a knock at his chamber door.

Daniel put the note in his pocket and opened the old oak door to reveal a night guard pony similar to what he saw on the way in. This pony came up to eye-level with his chest and easily had double Daniel's weight in muscle even without the dark reflectionless armor. It was a pegasus, that much he could tell but male or female?

Swift Wind had never seen the human before and noticed Daniel's assessing eyes. For the briefest moment their eyes met and he could see what Princess Celestia had feared- an intelligent unknown.

He took an easy breath and addressed the guest, "Princess Luna would like an audience with you. If you would kindly follow me, I will escort you to the meeting."

Definitely male.

The night guard pegasus had a pleasant tone in his voice that spoke of not only respect but also experience. Daniel gave him a nod and cast a glance over his shoulder to see if he should bring anything along. He mentally shrugged and gave the guard a tight smile.

"Very well, lead on."

Swift Wind was the only pony sent to escort the human and didn't feel the need to direct other guards to tag along. Twilight and Discord had paused once when the night guard entered and asked where the human was and now, they paused again to see Daniel following him out of the guest quarters.

Daniel directed a passing comment to Twilight as he stepped out, "save something for me will ya?"

Swift Wind led Daniel out into the halls and made steady progress to... somewhere. With the light low and only a scant few lanterns to see by, Daniel had little choice but to follow his escort through the twists and turns.

The muted hoof-falls of Swift Wind and nearly silent steps of Daniel's boots still gave an echo as they turned a corner and started up a rather large flight of stairs.

"So I noticed that Princess Luna isn't meeting me in the same place that Princess Celestia did, is that normal?"

Daniel would have preferred the quiet but the route they were taking would be nearly impossible to follow back by himself. His attempt to start up some small talk with the guard almost failed but the guard turned his head after a moment of thought. Daniel could make out his outline well enough but the shimmer in his eyes caught his attention first.

"Princess Luna requested the meeting be at the sweeping balcony. It is an area reserved to the princesses for outdoor meetings with dragons."

Dragons. If he had to guess, the area must be huge and offer plenty of space for such creatures to move around without smacking into a wall or a statue.

Daniel could feel the air moving as they neared the top and the 'sweeping balcony' was indeed aptly named.

The opening to the stairs could easily fit a couple grey hound buses and the balcony was more or less the size of a baseball diamond. The lights that were just barely on as the two emerged blared to life and fully illuminated the area better than any streetlight could. The balcony was flanked on one side by a tall tower that Daniel could just make out the silhouette against the night sky. Despite the sun being set for a few hours, the air was still comfortably warm and he took in the fresh breeze.

"Out here, huh?" Daniel caught sight of a couple of long benches near the marble railing but didn't advance without the guard.

Swift Wind glanced at the human briefly and looked up at the sky, "the Princess will be with you shortly, have a seat if you so wish."

Daniel noticed the guard's eyes following something above for the smallest instant and the guard turned to walk toward the archway and the stairs beyond. If he hadn't been following the night guard's movement Daniel would have missed the disappearing act as he crossed the threshold into shadow and vanished.

He stood rooted for a moment longer wondering if what he 'thought' he saw, really just happened.
"I bet these guys would be a blast to play hide and seek with," he mused and made his way over to one of the marble benches that looked more like large tables.

Daniel could easily make out the careful craftsmanship everywhere he looked but one thing caught his attention and he touched the spot with a few fingers. Deep parallel gouges marred the stonework where he sat and by comparison wagered they were close to a foot long and a few inches deep. Whatever did this was...
He spied another set of claw marks a few feet away. Then another and another. Daniel checked his pistol and smirked at the irony. Yeah right, trying to use a pistol against a dragon would be like throwing a stone at a freight train. Only the train would not be confined to the tracks...

The warm night air caused his mind to wonder away from such thoughts and was soon smiling as he looked out at the wide expanse of the sky.
"So many stars... yet, the Milky Way isn't there."

Had he not been looking up Daniel might have missed the outline contrast quickly over the star-scape and round on the balcony itself. He turned fully as the shape got closer and the hairs on the back on his neck break danced. But no unearthly dragon fire met him nor claws or teeth. Rather, the majestic vestige that was his host for the night gave a gentle and practiced flap of her wings and landed a few body lengths away with very little sound.

But there was sound, Daniel exhaled a nervous breath he didn't know he had been holding and he rose from his seat to behold the dark alicorn in front of him.

She was just a little shorter than Daniel at the head while her black obsidian crown and horn were easily level with his eyes. The navy blue of her coat was fitting for the midnight princess and her flowing mane and tail mirrored Celestia's but with a night sky scheme with dots of light throughout. She wore a black chest piece with a crescent moon on it of similar material like her crown and on each hoof was a shoe that had the look of glass. But it was her large aqua-teal eyes that sparked something familiar that made the human relax and give his host a pleasant smile.

"Princess Luna, my I presume?" Daniel kept his eyes on her as he gave a bow and extended his hands to his side.

Luna would have been lying to say she was nearly speechless as he acknowledged her, his voice was calming and had a quality in it that was clearly non-Equestrian.

"Thou presumes correctly human, your name is Daniel?" She folded away her wings and tilted her head slightly as she took note of him.

"Yes ma'am, Daniel Hopkins. My friends call me Dan."

Luna gave him a thoughtful hum, "if you would please, step this way into the light proper- so I might see you better."

Daniel stepped away from the railing and bench to stand beneath a light and Luna approached him as one might see a new specimen on display. She walked slowly around him and tilted her head this way and that.
Why did he wear such clothing? That was not included in her sister's report, and his mane was cut short too. Surely her sister could have been more thorough in her details.

She came to stop in front of him, "would you now turn in a circle for me?"

Daniel's expression must have betrayed his thoughts as he saw a glint of humor in the princess's eyes but he slowly turned and held his hand out slightly, "am I to dance next, princess?"

Luna quirked a brow, "can you dance?"

"Err, I would think that our methods would be quite dissimilar seeing that you have four legs to consider while I have only two." Daniel hoped that she wouldn't ask for a sample, his comment before was only in jest.

Princess Luna turned away slightly and smirked, "I would tend to agree and I do apologize if my request was odd, for I have not seen a creature like yourself before. Walking on two legs seems rather... unbalanced."

Daniel put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, "I suppose that is a fair assessment coming from a quadruped, but then again we are from different worlds."

Luna motioned him to the balcony railing and she was careful to keep a body length between them as they went.

"Would you tell me why you are here?" Luna half looked out at the night and half looked at the intriguing creature beside her.

Daniel had told his story before but it was always the abbreviated version. Why did he feel like this one could be trusted a little more than the others?
"Well princess Luna, it started out as an innocent offer for a vacation..."

He didn't know if it was the lack of visible guards, the relaxed meeting atmosphere or just Luna's seemingly fascinated nature but Daniel found himself letting out a few more details of his trip that hadn't been previously discussed. It didn't take long, and with just a few inputs from Luna, before Daniel was comfortable enough with his dark listening ear to share a couple of his military travels back on his world. Some of the stories were quite hard to fathom by her reckoning- metal boxes with wings that could fly faster than sound? Daniel denied the use of magic whenever the princess implied it but had to admit some of it was born out of science fiction.

As the hour turned into two, Daniel voiced a question that made the dark alicorn give him a shrewd grin.

"Ya know princess, there were guards all over the place today when I met your sister, but I don't see any around tonight. Was that bat-looking hybrid one of yours?"

Luna's ear flicked at a barely audible snort from the shadows but gave Daniel her attention, "the guards of the day court must be many for the nobles and dignitaries are many that visit during the day. My night guard is special to me that they have taken on themselves to be creatures of the night."
And she gave him a knowing smile, "they are all close and would come instantly if needed... do I need them?"

Daniel rubbed the back of his head, "ah no, no I don't believe so." He definitely didn't want a repeat of earlier and if Luna was comfortable enough to not have an entire platoon standing at the ready then perhaps he could let his own guard down just a little.

"Good because I have one last question for you, if you would answer it. Tell me, what do you think of our Equestria?"

Of all the things a ruler of a kingdom could ask...

,,,^..^,,,

The next morning, before the sun rose, 'surprised' would be a mild term to describe the attendants when they came into the area where Daniel had met Celestia the day before. After a small amount of tension at seeing the human alone without somepony else around, and some calming words on his part, an earth pony mare with a tea cup on her flank decided not to run off screaming for the guards. Of course Daniel's request of breakfast wasn't so odd and he was led to another area and left after his order was placed.

It didn't take long before Daniel was looking at the simple meal on his plate and gave an internal sigh. A shaky morning start not withstanding, last night with the princess could have gone better.
He started in on the scrambled eggs and gave a slight guffaw at his down-playing the events. He was glad to see none of the ponies that got him breakfast had stayed around to see him nearly spit the eggs out from trying to laugh with his mouth full.

'Gone better... Huh, yeah, just where did I loose my bearing and turn into a blubbering fool? I have not lost control like that in... well, a long time.'
Daniel's silent monologue stemmed from Luna's innocent enough question about his family back home after he had given her a compliment on her night sky. Which, of course, was after she gave him a small demonstration of her magic by 'moving' a star. Their conversation moved from his time in the military to certain aspects of war. It went downhill for him shortly after that as buried emotion surfaced and he voiced his concern about the best years of his life gone- what did he have to look forward to? Trying to get another job to pass the time? To watch himself decay with the passage of time?

He sipped some orange juice that was beyond delicious but he barely noticed as his mind was still elsewhere. Luna...
She was so much more approachable than Celestia. Why was that? A frown creased Daniel's brow as he tried to work it out logically as usually, but something was off about it. To him, Princess Celestia had more of a Ph.D attitude that rubbed him the wrong way- but Princess Luna. She had more of a college student attitude; eager to learn but with temperance and method that Daniel could relate to. So why did he break down crying in front of her as he spoke about his past?

Daniel's body moved on it's own as he picked up and ate the toast and fruit slices that accompanied his meal. The only thing that it could have been was...

'...attachment...'

He knew the word and dreaded it. It was something that kept him moving around so much all his military life. It was something he avoided like the plague and by doing so he felt safe, like no one could use his past against him. His distance from even his 'friends' was a direct measure of his control over it. And now? After one evening of talking to a pony- a fantasy being that could never exist back home; an alicorn princess had managed to break down his barrier without batting an eye.

Daniel's senses came back to sharp focus on his now empty plate and he knew what it meant. To have such complete resolve in avoidance. His vacation was over- it was time to leave.

,,,^..^,,,

Throughout the day Daniel had been taking note of everything and everyone... or was it everypony? Such errors in proper titles were far from his mind as he planned his escape. While not technically a prisoner, he wasn't exactly free to just leave either. He carefully calculated this fact into his chances of making it all the way back to the Everfree forest without some violence ensuing. Twilight had noticed his more introverted demeanor during the time she had to be around him and was meaning to ask about it after lunch but was called into a meeting with Celestia and it had to wait.

Luna had passed a few items of her meeting with Daniel on to her sister that morning and Princess Celestia inquired of Twilight if he had mentioned any of it to her. She was a bit shocked that the human had opened up to Princess Luna so quickly when Twilight had actually spent more time with him. Maybe it was because of their first meeting? She pushed that unpleasant thought away and made the connection to how Daniel was acting. Perhaps he was upset about something he and Luna had discussed that did not make the report?

Twilight agreed with the white alicorn that more observation was needed before conclusions could be reached. But the facts pointed toward Daniel being much more knowledgeable about warfare and its effects than he first let on and this troubled Celestia greatly.

Back in the guest quarters, Discord had been lounging around and Daniel had been sorting through his pack. As he re-stuffed everything in order of priority, the folded piece of parchment from AJ was left over.

He stared at it blankly and looked at the closed door to his room. He still couldn't read it but perhaps it was time to bite the bullet and ask someone to help him with it. Daniel didn't like to leave certain things unknown.

He rubbed the paper between his fingers as he opened the door to reveal Discord was still alone. Daniel looked down at the note and back up at the draconequus who now had a curious expression plastered on his face.

"Discord, do you have a minute?"

He snapped a wind-up clock into existence and placed a single finger on the clock hands and the ticking stopped, "I've got all the time in the world Dan! What do you need?"

Daniel was about to ask about the clock as Discord let it go and it hovered in mid air, still suck on the time where it was paused, he looked down at his own digital watch to see that it was frozen in place as well.

"Right...could I ask you to do something for me?"

Discord's grin became almost sinister, "something immoral, unethical or just plain illegal?"

Daniel blinked and rolled his eyes, "nothing like that, I just need you to read something for me."

The spirit of chaos coughed, "yes, well- of course, I was just... ahem, yes." He stepped over to the human and held out a claw to take the note but Daniel hesitated with a warning not to let anyone know because he didn't want the author of the letter to take it the wrong way. Discord gingerly unfolded the letter and waved it offf, "are all you humans so privacy oriented? Because 'that' is rather boring!"

He gave the jokester a subtle glare, "come on Discord, can you read it or not?" Daniel knew asking was a bad idea, and now, Discord was going to prove it.

"Touchy-touchy Danny, of course I can read it! I just have to find my reading glasses." He waved his free hand in the air and an old pair of bottom semi-rimmed glasses winked into existence into his fingers.
"Ah! There they are!"

Discord cleared his throat several times and adjusted the glasses dramatically and began to read:

"Daniel, you were right about me being tha element of honesty. Ah can tell when somepony is lying, it is mah gift and is even stronger as an element barer. When you were so close to me ah couldn't sense any dishonesty in you, in fact, there was so much honesty that it causes you pain. Because ya can't be more honest."

Daniel was rocked by two things right away and the most damaging to his intellect was how Discord was actually relaying it perfectly in Apple Jacks' voice! While amusing, and slightly horrifying that he could mock her voice so perfectly, he was miffed that this creature, this 'person' in a pony that is Apple Jack can sense this in him when he never said anything about it at all. His mind wondered back to the retelling as it continued.

"Ah appreciate what ya did for me and RD in getting our tails untangled. It embarrasses me to be honest in this but I have to be. I've never had a stallion as honest and with such good intentions be so close to my flanks without trying some funny business."

Discord stopped and jeered looking up from the letter, "I can't believe she actually wrote that!"

Daniel was equally taken back but narrowed his eyes at the draconequus in warning. He almost reached out to poke him, "you'd be surprised what comes out when it's from the heart."

Discord has a little repose and remembers Fluttershy saying she wasn't his friend at Sweet Apple Acres and how crushing it would have been to lose her friendship. It went straight through to his own conscience and he clammed up grudgingly, "well OK, you have a point and I won't tease."

Daniel gave him a 'tsk' as he continued the letter to the end, again in Apple Jack's voice.

"While ah don't know ya that well ya do seem like a nice..."

The draconequus squinted at the page and turned his head left and right to move the paper out a bit, "sorry Dan, whatever she was trying to write here has been scratched out a number of times. It looks like...

"...human. Ah'm not so fancy with words like so many other ponies are- Ah'm sorry. Ah really am glad ta have met ya and if you ever need a friend, ah hope you consider me one. Signed... three apples?"

Discord scrunched his brow for a moment until he realized his error, "oh silly me, that's Apple Jack's signature..."

He handed the letter back to Daniel who took it with reverence at what it now contained. Apple Jack had wrote that herself after just that single meeting at the library. Ice clutched at Daniel's gut as the implication was apparent- another attachment.

"I appreciate it Discord, I know you'll keep this to yourself- right?"

He gave him a raised brow and casually walked back over to where the clock hung and tapped it again. Immediately it started ticking again and Daniel's watch resumed its digital march.

"Part of the wonderful thing about being the spirit of chaos Daniel is that I can alter the paths of those around me by perception. In your case, I don't have to alter a thing! There is so much chaos around and following you it's almost poetic!" He finished with a dreamy look that would have gotten a slug in the arm if he had been in the military with Daniel.

He was about to reiterate the previous statement when Twilight entered the room with a half smile and wondered if she had interrupted something important. Discord bound over to her and gave her head a noogie while saying they were just having some 'guy talk'. Once she was free from his grasp and had fixed her mane via magic, she addressed Daniel and the likelihood that tomorrow he would be asked to participate in some testing concerning his anti-magic abilities. An ill-set feeling washing over him as Twilight continued with a few details and finished with the 'results' being able to set Celestia's mind at ease.

And if the outcome was unfavorable?

Daniel didn't voice it or let his expression betray his thoughts as she changed gears to Discord and the headway he was making about his amusement park. They chatted, took out papers and re-thought a couple of rides while Daniel was between the two plans. He would sit in on the talk for a while and make a few suggestions or comments then excuse himself for a few minutes to step out onto his balcony with the door closed to observe movement around that side of the castle.

A fifty foot drop, two terraced walls judged to be between eight and fifteen feet high, the edge of the garden with patrolling guards and finally an outer wall that led out to the city of Canterlot, waterfalls and train station.

Daniel glanced at his watch and noted the dinner time hour fast approaching. He dared not stay another night and knew that his goal was far away. He hadn't gone out for exercise in almost a week now and soon- very soon, he'd get all he ever wanted.