The Masks We Wear

by JourneymanChronicler

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Celestia, Sex, Human, Main 6, Drama, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Romance, Princess Luna
Length: 62970

One morning while raising the sun and lowering the moon, the princesses sense a disturbance that leaves them unsettled. On the same day, a traveler arrives in Ponyville.

"We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes."
— Paul Laurence Dunbar

It started as a normal Equestrian morning, but doesn't it always? The princesses are frightened, and in Ponyville, a creature from a forgotten race walks into town. His kind hasn't been seen in over a thousand years, but even then he's still far from what he appears to be.

Arc 1: The First Day

Author's Note: Hey guys! This is my first story, so constructive criticism is more than welcome. I'll take this moment to say that I own nothing but my main character, the plot, and a few surprises which will appear later. All other characters and linked music are NOT mine. A word on music. At times I might offer two links to a song. The first is the OFFICIAL version, the second is the closest approximation to how I feel it is sung in the story. Just warning you, because I know some people hate covers. This story is rated teen for occasional language, implied sex, and gruesome imagery (mostly late in the story and in flashbacks). Now with technical out of the way, I wish you all happy reading, and I hope you have fun.

Edit: Bug the writer! He writes faster when you do.

Published 2013-07-26 03:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-16 07:38:55 UTC

1.1

1.1

At times I wonder if I regret my decision, and at others I wonder if I really had a choice to begin with.

1.1

Cold...

It was always cold. Sometimes it felt like I was bathing in arctic seawater that bit at my bones, and other times it was like walking through a fog on an early spring morning. Not a painful experience, but it was enough to make my hair stand on end. Regardless of how it manifested, the cold was the only constant within the Void. It was the only thing, besides myself, that existed in the nothing.

My smile brightened when I felt that it was to be a gentle passage through the abyss. As I drifted through, I felt the chill slide across my form. There was nothing here to keep me warm, nothing here to hold in my heat. Once I had wondered if the chill was from the emptiness trying to swallow me, but the heat that left my body was all that it could manage to catch. For a time, it frightened me, but, eventually the cold was just another thing I got used to.

When it's calm, it's actually kind of relaxing.

I felt my feet touch the ground, and the chill began to fade away. I stood there with my eyes closed. As the feeling of the Void vanished it was replaced with a warmth. I heard birds chirping and felt a light breeze flow through my hair. I took a deep breath and smelled the calming scents of early morning air, earth, and... apples?

I opened my eyes, and saw that I had stepped into an apple grove. The trees were larger than any apple trees I had seen before, but the red fruit that hung from their branches was unmistakable. The moment my eyes fell upon one of them my stomach decided to suggest something rather loudly. I smiled and took a step toward the tree intent on letting my stomach have its way. I gave a reflexive glance to the side, and what I saw made me stop. The trees were all lined in perfectly straight rows for as far as I could see. I looked to the other side and found that the row continued for another few yards until ending at a fence.

This isn't a grove. It's an orchard.

I took another look at the inviting morsel and sighed. Then, much to my stomach's disapproval, I began to walk towards the fence.

"We don't want to start off our visit with an act of petty thievery, do we?" I asked my stomach. My stomach's reply was a short grumble, but it then fell silent. I wasn't really hungry, and I suppose if my stomach could have made an argument it would have said that it was the apple's fault for looking so delicious. A fact that I honestly couldn't argue with. I hadn't seen an apple that begged to be eaten so badly in years. As I hopped the fence, I made a mental note that I would have to acquire a few the first chance I got.

On the other side of the fence was a cart path. I noticed two sets of grooves cut into its surface and multiple sets of hoof prints, some were between the grooves and others seemed to be random.

That's far too much traffic for a farm. There's a good chance there's a town ahead.

I looked up and for the first time took in the world around me. For a moment, the level of color actually threw me even through the dim of my sunglasses. Every part of the plants, dirt, and even the sky were saturated liked they had been painted. Above the trees, I saw the distant peaks of mountains. Craning my neck around I saw different peaks in all directions, which meant I was in a valley. I paused, one mountain catching my eye. There was a thick forest on the side of the path, which was blocking most of the mountain, but despite this I caught something glittering through the leaves.

I need to get higher.

I jogged off the path and up to the forest. It was a thick and tangled mess of untouched woods, and I quickly decided that it would be a bad idea to venture too far in. I didn't have to, fortunately, as I found a tall tree that looked like it could support my weight. The first branch was about twelve feet off the ground, but that didn't discourage me. Facing the tree, I took off at what most would consider a full sprint. A few feet from the tree's base, I leaped into the air planting one foot against the trunk without missing a step and shot up the side reaching out with my fingers. With very little trouble, my hand closed around the lowest branch and, using what was left of my momentum, pulled me up and over the branch. I made sure to angle myself so the scabbard strapped to my back wouldn't catch on anything.

I sat on it long enough to find my next target. In a combination of jumping, leaping, and shimmying I ascended the tree. It only took a minute until I had my hiking boots resting on a the last supportive branch sixty feet in the air and my back reclined against top of the tree. I stayed there awestruck at what I saw. At this height it was easy to see everything the trees had been blocking, and the sight demanded I remain there.

Picturesque was the only word I could find to describe it. Everything appeared crisp and clean. Whether this was a trick of the light or simply the truth I was uncertain. My earlier description of the color seemed to extend to every corner of what could be seen. It indeed looked liked everything had been painted like something from a Bob Ross video.

"Complete with happy little clouds," I said looking at the sky. I turned towards the east and smiled at the dawn. With a thought, a flash of blue appeared in my right hand and a camera materialized in its grip. I felt a warm feeling tickle my funny bone, a sensation that occurred every time I activated my data drive. It was another feeling I had gotten used to.

I picked the camera up and took a few pictures of the horizon. I brought the camera to my left and stopped when I saw buildings. It was a decently sized village about a mile down the road. From the tree it looked rustic, but as I zoomed in I could make out the steady glow of electric lighting from some of the buildings. I scanned the streets but couldn't make out anyone in town. Glancing back at the sun, I figured it must still be too early for most to be up. Returning to the village I took a few more shots. I let the camera move north and what I saw next made me freeze. I brought the camera down and whistled in awe.

"Okay, I don't think Bob would have painted anything like that," I said. I had found what I had seen glittering through the trees. A few ideas had come to my mind as to what it might had been, but golden city built into the side of a mountain had not been high on that list. In the red light of the morning the city glistened in a fiery blaze. I brought the camera back up and through the viewfinder could see the turrets of a massive palace. Their tips were decorated in what I guessed was gold, and the castle and most of the buildings built around it were white. The city's architecture flowed and curved in beautifully sculpted forms. It reminded me of a Disney castle only with a better balance of regality and fantasy. Separating the city from the mountain was a waterfall that would have made Angel Falls look like a small leak.

After taking a few more pictures I returned the camera to the data drive and relaxed against the tree. There was a time when I would have wondered how such a city could exist. I had since learned to let those questions go. It was just another thing I had gotten used to.

From the tree, I looked back to the small village and smiled knowing I had a destination. I was about to climb back down when I saw something shimmering in my peripheral. Only a couple of yards up the path towards the village was a lake sitting on the apple farm's property. It's crystal clear water glistened and rippled from a breeze. There was a large oak tree on the side of the shore beside the road. It's branches hung over the water, and a rope swing lazily swayed over the water from the tree. Directly under the tree was a thin space in the grass likely from someone using it as a place to lie in the shade.

I glanced at my arm and took notice of the layer of dust I had been ignoring since before I had arrived. It was as foreign to this world as I as was and had belonged to a place far less clean then this one. Like most things such as this, it began to get annoying the second I gave it any attention. I could feel it on my scalp, which was starting to itch, and it gave my fingers a chalky feeling that I didn't like at all. It caked my clothing making my jeans look almost like khakis and my red shirt appear pink. My eyes went from myself and back to the lake.

I haven't had a good swim in forever, and that's clearly someone's swimming hole.

I smiled again and began to climb down the tree. The town could wait, I decided.

Plus, I have no idea what the people here look like. If an alien were to waltz into town I would hope it would at least be a clean one.

There was a time where I would have found a thought like that strange. Now, thoughts like that were just another thing I had gotten used to.

"Scootaloo, can ya slow down a bit?" yelled Applebloom. "I don't like the shade of green Sweetie Belle's turnin'."

Scootaloo didn't appear to hear her friend as she sped across the road along Sweet Apple Acres, towing her two unfortunate passengers along with her. The wagon bounced and shook as it went over every bump in the road, and the two fillies inside it were forced to endure each one.

"Sorry, Applebloom, but I can't be late today," Scootaloo said.

"You've never cared about being late a day in your life!" shouted Applebloom. "If this were a school day you'd still be asleep."

"Girls, I don't feel so good," moaned Sweetie Belle.

"This is so much more important than something as boring as school," Scootaloo shot back. "Rainbow's going to start flying lessons with me today."

"Can we please pull over? Ugh."

Applebloom gave her pegasus friend a flat look. "Do you really expect Rainbow Dash to be awake at seven thirty in the mornin'? I give her another two hours or more before she even thinks about waking up."

"My tummy-"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and looked back at her friend. "She promised me that we would start practicing 'bright and early' the first day school let out. Besides, I gotta limber up first. Do you know how embarrassing it would be to get a wing cramp in front of Dash?"

I'd rather die than let her see that.

"Oh, uh ugh!"

"Ain't this limbering you up enough?" When her friend didn't slow down Applebloom sighed."Well, if Sweetie Belle barfs I'm makin' sure it's all over you." Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle and saw that the little unicorn had her head hanging over the side of the wagon. Her eyes were heavily lidded, and her face was so green that it was starting to effect the color of her horn, somehow. She looked ready to spew at any moment.

"Fine," Scootaloo groaned and dropped her speed.

"Thank Celestia," moaned Sweetie Belle.

How many slices of pie did she have last night?

It had been a few weeks since Dash had taken the little filly under her wing, but with her going to the academy, handling Discord again, and running off to the Crystal Empire, she'd been too busy to actually start any formal training. They still had time to hang out more often, but it was never regular enough for them to dedicate more than a few exercises to it. Now with school out for the summer, and things quiet in Ponyville, she and Dash were ready to hit the sky flying.

Better than hitting the ground crashing.

"Why'd you guys want to use the lake anyway?" asked Applebloom.

Scootaloo shrugged as she angled down a fork in the road. "Rainbow heard from Twilight that water causes updrafts because of reflected sunlight or some eggheaded thing like that."

Plus, it makes a good crash mat.

"Alright then, just remember save up enough strength so we can shoot for our water ballet cutie marks," said Applebloom.

I wish Applejack hadn't shot down our high diving cutie marks idea.

"Did we remember to bring the gear?" asked a still nauseated Sweetie Belle.

"Yep," Applebloom said. She had been gripping the basket she and her sister had put together, so it wouldn't fall out of the pegasus powered wagon. "We've got towels, floats, mane caps, flippers, and apples for lunch," she said, looking through the basket. "Not that we can actually start swimmin' until my sister shows up. Which makes me wonder why we had to leave ahead of her." She shot an annoyed glance to the wagon's driver.

"Your sister's too slow," was Scootaloo's only reply.

"Oh yeah," she said, gaining a devious smile, "you know she could out run Rainbow Dash on hoof any given Sunday!"

She did not just say that!

"Rainbow Dash would make Applejack eat her dust!" shouted Scootaloo, pulling up to the lake.

"Uh, girls?"

"Nope, I heard Dash, herself, say it to that news crew that came by a few days ago," Applebloom said.

Scootaloo dismounted her scooter, took off the new helmet Dash had given her (Wonderbolts colors of course), and turned to Applebloom with a frown. "She was just being modest," she said.

"Girls?"

Applebloom hopped out of the wagon and looked unconvinced. "When have ya ever known Rainbow Dash to be modest about anything?"

"G-g-girls?"

Scootaloo felt her wings ruffle as she got angrier. "She can be modest when she wants to be!"

"Are ya sayin' it's better to modest then truthful?" Applebloom said. Scootaloo huffed. Applejack may have been the Element of Honesty, but she knew Applebloom wasn't far from being the same way.

"No," Scootaloo said, walking up to Applebloom. "I'm saying that-"

"Girls!" shouted Sweetie Belle.

"What?!" they both yelled, looking at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie had yet to leave the wagon and had somehow gone from green to a paler white than her fur had ever been. She sat there staring past her arguing friends until she raised a hoof and pointed at the lake.

"W-what is that?" she said.

Scootaloo followed her friend's pointing hoof to the base of the tree next the lake. Apparently somepony, or in this case something, had already beaten them to the lake. It was reclined against the trunk of the tree, and it seemed to be sleeping soundly despite the loudness of her and Applebloom's argument. Scootaloo looked to Applebloom, who looked more curious than afraid.

"Do you have any ideas what that thing is?" she asked.

Applebloom shook her head, "I ain't seen anything like it before."

"Maybe we should leave it alone," said Sweetie Belle, who appeared to be too afraid to leave the wagon.

Scootaloo smirked at both her friends and turned towards the creature. "I'm gonna go check it out," she said trotting towards it.

"Scootaloo, it could be dangerous!" said Applebloom, but she didn't move to stop her friend.

"Come on," said Scootaloo, dropping to a whisper, "It's asleep. I'll just be quiet."

"It might not stay asleep!" Applebloom whispered through clenched teeth. "Git back here!"

Scootaloo ignored her friend and slowed to a crawl. Now that she was closer she could make more details of the creature. It was a long and lanky thing, almost six-and-a-half hooves tall. It had hands kind of like Spike's, except it had five, clawless fingers instead of four, sharp ones. It's right hand had a silver band around one of the fingers. She eyed its weirdly shaped feet and saw that it had five digits as well. However, these were so stubby she didn't know how they could used for anything. It was wearing a damp, red shirt that covered its chest and a pair of red and black shorts which were also damp.

Why would anypony go swimming with their clothes on?

Laying on the other side of it was a guitar. It's right hand rested on the instrument's body, and the other lay on his chest beneath the guitar's neck. It seemed to have fallen asleep while playing it. The guitar 's neck certainly appeared well used as the brown finish on the neck had been worn down to the bare wood beneath. Looking up closer to its head she saw a pair of black, blocky things with strings coming out of them. She didn't have a clue what those were.

She saw something in the corner of her eye and glanced up. A line was tied around a branch of the tree and strung out a few hooves to a black pole that had been driven into the ground. On the line was pair of blue pants which seemed to have been hung to air dry. Something else hung from the line that she didn't recognize. It looked like a belt with a cup attached to its side. Inside of it something with a black handle and made of shiny metal swung in the breeze. If she squinted she could have sworn she saw a blue glow coming from inside.

She looked back at the creature and stared at it's weird skin. It was pale and had little fur except for a bit on its arms and legs. It's mane was a messy, brown color, but it seemed to have streaks of golden blonde running through it. It was like someone had used it for a paintbrush and didn't get the job done cleaning out the paint.

The weirdest thing of all was the creature's face. It didn't have a muzzle. Just a small mouth underneath a long, thin nose. On which was balanced a pair of round sunglasses. They didn't have any frames, so she had no clue how they stayed on its face. It had a short, stubbly beard that was just thick enough to be noticeable.

It has a beard, so I guess it's a boy.

Above the beard on his left cheek was something that made her gulp. A two and a half inch long scar ran along his cheek. It would have been distracting if he didn't have such deep, green eyes.

Wait "deep, green eyes"?

Scootaloo froze as she looked down at the creature, and he looked right back up at her.

I've been caught sleeping by plenty of unpleasant things before, but unless something unexpected came out of the orange thing beside me—which I still couldn't rule out at this point—I think I was fine this time. It stared at me. Its face showed several different emotions at once, all of which some derivative of terror.

Again the first thing I noticed was the little thing's color. Its fur was bright orange, and the mane and eyes were an interesting fuchsia. A color scheme that I would have never thought worked, but on this thing it was adorable. As for the creature, it looked like a miniature horse only infinitely more cute. It's eyes were large and expressive, and I could see the anxiety written on its face.

As gingerly as I could, I scooted my back up the tree into more of a sitting position which brought us to equal eye level. As I did it's eyes stayed locked onto mine, and I saw it draw in a breath. It didn't back up, though, as it was too frightened to move. I tried to look as relaxed as possible. I had a soft smile on my face, my muscles were relaxed, and my movements were as slow and nonthreatening as I could manage.

She, or at least to me she looked like a she, didn't move until I started to raise my hand, however it was what she moved that surprised me. She tensed and a pair of orange wings flared out from her sides in an attempt to make her look bigger.

A pegasus? Well that makes things interesting.

"It's okay, little one," I said. I raised my hand up and held it out to her. "I'm not going to hurt you." For the first time she looked away from my face to my hand and then back. She kept looking between the two with increasing uncertainty. I had to hold myself back from "daaawwwwing" at the sight. She had to be among the top three most adorable things I had ever seen.

From over her head I noticed movement. I quirked my head up and saw two other small horses a few yards down the road. One had light-yellow fur with red-orange eyes, and a rose red mane. She had a pink bow tied up in her mane and was waving both of her front hooves in the air which I read as a "get out of there" gesture. The last one, which was hiding in a red wagon, was smaller than the other two. Of course that may have been because she had curled herself up into a trembling ball of white fur. I could see her two-toned mane and tail of purple and pink vibrating from where I was sitting. The horn protruding from her forehead didn't surprise at all. If there were pegasi here, than the fact there were unicorns shouldn't be that much of a shock.

Okay, I'm going to need a new adorableness list because these three just broke it.

I looked back at the orange pegasus who had to steeled herself enough to make up her mind. I rose an eyebrow as she lifted a hoof to my fingers instead of leaning in with her snout to get my scent. It was better to offer something less vital to a potentially dangerous creature than something dangerously close to the brain. It was a very, for lack of a better word, human and intelligent gesture. Therefore what happened when her hoof touched my fingers shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did. It felt like an icy fluid flowed from her hoof and into my hand which wound its way up my arm and into the base of my skull.

Scratch what I said earlier. Things have just become very interesting.

I felt the cold sensation flow into my brain until it seemed to find a hole that I didn't know had been empty. It proceeded to fill it up and I was greeted with flashes of emotion and memory. I felt a boundless sense of determination and perseverance. I also felt stubbornness, pride, and arrogance, but these were smothered by other attributes: love, altruism, and friendship. I knew these wonderful feelings would keep the more negative aspects at bay if not drown them out entirely with time. It was a beautiful soul.

A few images played across my eyes. Most were of the other two creatures I had seen. I also caught a glimpse of two older figures, but their forms were blurred and distorted. The last thing I saw was a rainbow colored flash that was coupled with a sense of deep admiration. I blinked my eyes and once again saw the little pegasus beside me.

"What was that?" she said, in a young, feminine voice. She stared at her hoof, and her fur stood on end from the sudden cold she had likely felt. Luckily, the viewing was one way, and I had only seen her soul and memories. Of that I was thankful. No one deserved to see mine.

"Something I honestly didn't expect," I said, looking at my own hand with small interest. The pegasus froze and seemed to realize I was still here.

"Y-you can talk?" she asked, her mouth hanging open.

"Yes, quite elegantly too, if I wish," I said. Her fear seemed to lessen, and she tried to put on a brave face. She puffed out her chest and spread her wings. It would have been convincing if the her wingtips weren't trembling.

"Okay, well, what are you?" she said. I smiled.

This is going to be fun.

"You're asking me the wrong question," I said. She looked at me confused. "For you see, I'm not a what. I am a who. Therefore, the question you should be asking is, 'Who am I?'. But this is a rather rude question to ask, and you don't like to be rude meeting new people. Then instead you would ask, 'What is your name?'" I stopped and looked at her expectantly.

"Uh?" she said.

"Eh, close enough," I said shrugging. "My name is Isaac, but my friends call me Ike. At your service." I bowed to her as best as I could from my position. "And now since I do not like to be rude to new people, I will ask you the same question. What is your name, little one?"

She seemed a little stunned by speech but much less afraid, which was the point.

"Um, my name's Scootaloo," she said.

"Scootaloo, huh," I said, looking up in thought, "that's an interesting name."

"Well, Ike's weirder," she said. "It sounds like ick!"

I chuckled, "That makes it easy to remember."

I actually got her to smile on that one.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said. Silence fell, and I looked at her expectantly again.

"Well," I said, "are you going to ask the next question?"

"What?"

"Almost," I said, "the full phrasing is 'Ike, what are you?', or if you wanted to be scientific it would be 'Ike, what species are you?', or if you wanted to be rude 'Ike, what the heck are you?'"

"Uh, the first one," she said.

"Fair enough. I, my dear, am a humble human. Of course, I don't think that answers a lot."

She shook her head. "Nah, not really," she said, pausing for a moment before looking up suddenly as if realizing something. A sly smile crossed her face. "Ike, what is a human?"

"Aha! Look who's catching on," I said with a wink. "A human is a two legged primate." She gave me a funny look. "You know what a monkey is right?" She nodded. "Same family, just distantly related. Humans have a nose for trouble, a passion for stubbornness, a fierce curiosity, and apparently a knack for making little pegasi laugh."

Scootaloo was relaxed, a little wary, but definitely not afraid. She was also chuckling. It was a cute squeaky sound, and if I closed my eyes I could have fooled myself into thinking it was a little human girl I was entertaining and not a pegasus. However why would I want to do that? Reality was much more interesting.

"So does that make you a monkey boy?" she asked.

"Do you have a banana?" She shook her head. "Darn, if I could peal it with my toes, then we could find out!" I flexed my toes in emphasis.

I was rewarded with a full laugh that proved to be infectious as I joined her.

"Hey!" someone shouted. Scootaloo and I looked back and saw that the red maned one had finally found her voice. "Scootaloo, Ah told you to git away from that thing. It could be dangerous." Her voice was higher and laced with a delightful, country twang that dredged up a few memories of summers that past long ago. I pushed them aside as I always did.

"Applebloom, relax," said Scootaloo. "His name's Ike, and he's cool."

I drew in a shocked breath. "Wow!" I said, "Here five minutes, and I'm already cool."

Scootaloo gave me a flat look. "Don't push it."

"Sorry."

"How do you know he's not trying to lighten you up before he does something?" Applebloom said.

Paranoid this one.

I couldn't blame her. She had every right to think I was planning something, and if it had been anyone else Scootaloo could have been in deep trouble many times over in the last few minutes. However, for me paranoia was just an obstacle that I had to get out of the way as fast as possible.

"Is there anything I can do to defend myself?" I asked.

Suddenly the unicorn that had been hiding in the wagon spoke up. "I have an idea." Her voice was even higher and squeakier then the other two. It also happened to be heart-shatteringly adorable.

Definitely going to need a new list.

"We can make him Pinkie Promise not to hurt anypony," she said.

I had to hand it to Child Logic. It had pulled my butt out of the fire a few times before, but I couldn't condone how silly it was. The thought of taking it made me feel guilty. I also felt extremely relieved that it was me and not someone else who had shown up here.

"I don't know," I said. "I'm not sure that would be enough."

"No wait," said Applebloom, "Pinkie would never let anypony go back on a Pinkie Promise. I remember what happened to my sister when she broke one." I could see Applebloom's bow quiver.

Okay, maybe it wasn't Child Logic, and it was religious. From the sound of it this god, Pinkie, looked over whoever made one of these promises and punished those who broke them. A little dark for a place that seemed so G-rated. Of course, I'd only met three kids and seen some pretty scenery, so what did I really know about this place.

This, oddly enough, made me feel even more guilty, and even more relieved that it was me that showed up here. I didn't argue this, though. It wasn't polite to challenge one's religion.

"Alright," I said, "how do I do this?" Scootaloo turned to me and sat on her haunches.

"First you say what you swear," she said.

"Okay, I, Isaac, solemnly swear to not harm anyone-"

"Anypony," said Applebloom, sitting next to her friend.

"What?" I asked.

"It's not anyone. It's anypony." I could almost hear the gears click in my head.

"Oh, pony!" I said. "I get it."

Looks like I'm going to have to pick up the vernacular.

"Alright," I raised my right hand in a scout's salute, "I, Isaac, solemnly swear not to harm anypony," the girls nodded in approval, "while I'm in-" I paused. "Uh, where am I?"

"You don't know?" said the unicorn who had left wagon, but still hid behind her friends. I shook my head. "You're in Equestria."

Of course I am.

I shrugged and began again. "I, Isaac, solemnly swear to not harm anypony while in Equestria," I thought for a moment, "or how about never unless in the defense of others."

"That's a good promise," said the unicorn.

"Now," said Scootaloo, "Cross your heart." Her hoof crossed her chest.

"Cross my heart," I said, dragging a finger across my chest.

"Hope to fly," she said flapping her wings.

Lacking wings I used my arms. "Hope to fly."

"Stick a cupcake in your eye," she said, placing a hoof over her right eye.

I blinked a few times before sticking my palm against my eye. "Um, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Cutesiest religious oath I've ever given.

"There now we're good," said Applebloom. The level of faith she had in such a simple gesture was both disconcerting and heartwarming. I felt bad for how empty it was coming from me. I sighed.

I don't need to wrath of a god breathing down my neck in order to keep my promises. I can do that on my own.

"Well," I said, trying to brush off my hollow feeling. "Now that I'm not a threat. I must take care of something that's been bothering me. You," I said pointing to the unicorn. "What's your name, little one?"She looked nervous for a moment before sliding around her friends sitting beside Applebloom. Now they were all sitting beside me.

"Uh, my name's Sweetie Belle, and what's yours?"

"It's Isaac, but my friends call me Ike. Which would you like to call me?" I asked.

She smiled realizing my game. "Ike!" she said.

"Good," I smiled, "And I'll call you Sweetie if that's alright?" She nodded.

"So, Ike," said Applebloom, "what was it ya said ya were?"

"He's a human monkey-boy," Scootaloo said before I could answer. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle crumpled over laughing.

"Now wait a minute!" I said. "That's a misconception. I'm a human, and we're related to monkey's... distantly. A chimpanzee would be a better example."

"A chump pansy?" Scootaloo asked.

"Imagine a shorter version of me, but much hairier and lacking dashing good looks," I said, running my hand through my uncut hair. At this, all three girls were laughing, but unfortunately it was at the wrong part of the joke. "Okay, laugh it up."

I decided to scoot around. So I leaned off the tree and sat cross legged, facing the girls. They all stopped laughing at my movement and watched as my legs bent in ways theirs never could. Now with my back straight I was a full head taller than them. Applebloom paused as she noticed something behind me.

"Is that a guitar?" she asked. I was only a little surprised that she knew what it was, but I could see the wagon and scooter they had with them. It was only a slight stretch to imagine they had other things I would recognize. Besides, the village looked human built, but I imagined I would only find older versions of these three once I got there.

"Yep," I said, picking it up.

"How do you play it?" Sweetie asked.

"What?" I said.

"Well, you don't have a horn, so you can't use magic... can you?" she said.

Horn equals magic. We'll file that away under need to know.

"Well, I-"

"Now wait just a minute," Applebloom said, cutting me off. "My cousin, Six Strings, can play a mean guitar just fine, and he's an earth pony."

Conclusion: No wings or horn equals an earth pony. Interesting species dynamic.

"Oh yeah," Sweetie said, "I forgot."

"Yeah, but he doesn't have hooves either," Scootaloo said.

"Fingers," I said, playing a quick riff. The girls' eyes grew larger, somehow, as my fingers flew across the strings. "Quite dexterous," I said when I finished.

"Cool," Scootaloo said.

"Do you know any songs?" Applebloom asked.

You have no idea.

"A few," I said.

"Could ya play us one, please?" she said. Her voice cracked, as a child's tends to do, when she said please. One the of the memories I had pushed down a minute ago came back, and I was unable to stop it this time.

She was about six-years-old and freckle faced. Her smile could melt your heart even with the gap in it from the tooth she had lost the night before, and her sun-bleached hair cascaded down her back to the ground. She looked up at me with puppy dog eyes.

Might as well say yes to whatever she's about to ask you now, bud.

"Ike?" she said, country accent and young voice made it sound like 'awk.' "Could ya sing me a song, please?" Her voice cracked, as a child's tends to do, when she said please.

Like I really have a choice by this point.

"Sure, coz," I said, grabbing my guitar. It was an old thing. The finish on the fretboard was worn thin, and the wood on the body was scuffed from my fingers striking it as I strummed.

Eh, it gives it character.

"What would you like to hear?" She got up and walked over to the T.V. She fished around in the drawer beneath it for a second before returning with a movie in her hand.

"The last song from this movie," she said, showing me the box. I knew the movie and the song in particular very well. It was her favorite.

"You like this one, don't you?" I said. She nodded.

"It's happy," she said, which to a child was all the reason she needed. "Will you play it?"

"Sure, little one," I said to the trio of pony's in front of me. I brought my hand up to the strings. "To the small hours," I said and began to play.

I knew the fingering well enough, so I closed my eyes and became just as much an observer to the song as the girls. I felt lose as my fingers moved across strings, but I felt free when I began to sing. The lines came to me, and I felt a little upset when it was over.

I opened my eyes and saw the girls in various states of awe.

"That was beautiful," Sweetie said.

"I didn't expect ya would be able to sing so well!" Applebloom said.

"Yeah, it was okay," Scootaloo said, trying to hide a misty eye." A little soft though."

"Uh huh," I said, eyeing her and then looked at Applebloom. "I guess you could say singing's my natural talent." All three girls shot up at the statement.

"Really?!" they said.

"Did you get a cutie mark for it?" Applebloom asked.

"A cutie what?" I asked.

"You don't know what a cutie mark is?" Sweetie Belle asked. I shook my head.

"A cutie mark is a symbol that appears when a pony discovers their special talent," Scootaloo said. She looked down. "We haven't gotten ours yet."

"But we're workin' on it," Applebloom said.

"Yeah," Scootaloo said perking up. "No matter how hard!" She put her arm (foreleg?) around Applebloom.

"No matter how long!" Sweetie Belle said, putting her own arm around Applebloom.

"No matter how many times we fail!" said Applebloom, putting her arms around both her friends.

"We will not stop until we get our cutie marks!" all three girls said. "Because we're-" the girls stood up on their hind legs and threw their hooves in the air "- THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, YAY! WHOA!" Unfortunately, they hadn't gotten the balance right, and they all teetered over onto their backs. I was about to move to help them when Scootaloo looked up at me.

"We're still working on the chant," she said.

Please excuse me, my heart just stopped from an overdose of distilled adorableness. Not even going to bother making a new list, because nothing would be worthy of it.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, huh?" I said as the girls started to sit back up.

"Yup, we try everything we can think of to get us our cutie marks," Applebloom said. "We haven't had a whole lot of success yet, but we'll keep tryin' till we get um."

Gotta love the determination.

"So what about you?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Hm?"

"Did you get your cutie mark singing?" she asked.

"Uh, I don't think humans get cutie marks."

"What?" they gasped.

"Then how do you know what you're good at?" asked Scootaloo.

I shrugged, "Humans just try things until something fits. For me, I was practically raised on the stage, so singing and performing just comes naturally for me. Some people are like me, and others have to try a lot harder to know what they're good at. Some people never get the chance to find it at all." The girls looked at me confused.

"Never knowin' what you're good at?" Applebloom said. "That sounds horrible."

"Hey, humans are tough," I said. "We can survive."

"Hm," mumbled Applebloom. Her forehead screwed up as she thought for a second. Then she looked up at me smiling. "So your kind never gets a cutie mark?" she asked. I shook my head. "But they can still have a special talent?" I nodded. Her smile broadened, and she leaned over to Scootaloo and whispered something in her ear. Scootaloo looked confused for moment before smiling herself.

"That's a great idea!" Scootaloo said.

"What is?" Sweetie Belle asked, and Applebloom leaned over to her. She was soon smiling, as well. "That's brilliant, Applebloom!"

Okay, what am I missing.

Applebloom looked at me, smiling broadly. "Ike, the girls and I have decided to ask you to be the official Cutie Mark Crusaders Musical Mascot!"

"What?!" I said.

They want me to be Chuck E. Cheese!

"I don't know," I said.

"Please, Ike," Sweetie said.

"Yeah come on, dude," said Scootaloo. Before I could respond, I was hit with a triple entendre of puppy dog faces.

Well, there went my heart again. Crash cart! CRASH CART!

My mouth moved before my brain could tell it not to. "Okay," I said.

"YAY!" the girls shouted.

"Ike, you're pathetic. You just got manipulated by children. For shame, son, for shame."

"They had weapons of mass adorableness on their side. I was out gunned," I mumbled.

"..."

"Fine be that way!"

"What ya say, Ike?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "So what does being a mascot entail?"

The girls looked at each other and shrugged.

"We haven't really thought that far yet," Scootaloo said. "But we'll tell you when we think of something."

"You could play us another song," Sweetie Belle said.

I smiled.

Singing I can do.

"Sure," I said, righting the guitar. "So Scoots, you wanted something a little more hardcore? I think I've got something."

I'll tone down the vocals just a tad.

As I started I saw Scootaloo grow excited at the quick opening. I let my eyes close and fell to the music. All-in-all this had been a great start to the day. If things kept going this well then I was in for a fun stay, but then again what did I really know.

I show up in a quiet apple orchard and take in some wonderful scenery. Then I meet three sweet and trusting girls who were lucky I was as nice as I am. If this place really is as innocent as it appears then I shudder to think of what kind of trouble it's in to have called me here.

Author's Note

"Who is this strange human? Why is he so calm in a world of pastel ponies? What trouble does he allude to? Find out next time on Dragonb-."

"Al, wrong show."

"Oh, oops."

"And they aren't going to find out any of that next. I have a longer character arc than that."

"Oh, then I guess I should get writing, huh?"

"Ya think?"

1.2

There's a fine line between telling lies and telling half-truths, but a line nonetheless. I try not to cross it, but no one's perfect.

1.2

Rainbow Dash was annoyed for three reasons. First, she had to get up early which was never a good start to any day. Second, despite getting up early she was running late. Third, she had to get up early which was so annoying it counted twice.

"Stupid, alarm clock," she said, as she glided to Sweet Apple Acres. "Y'know you could've been a little faster getting me up this morning." Flying next to her was a tortoise with a magic powered propeller strapped to its back. He looked towards his owner and lifted his forepaws in his best impression of a shrug, although it took him a full ten seconds to do it.

In the little guy's defense, he had tried. He was awake when her alarm failed to ring and did his best to wake her as fast as he could. The problem was that he slept in the corner of her room, and it was a long walk to the head of her bed. He had to use the Daring Doo novels stacked by it as a stepladder in order to get up there. It had taken half an hour to get to her, and after summiting it he woke her with a gentle chomp to the ear when poking her for five minutes failed to get the job done.

Dash rubbed her sore ear and winced. "And if I wanted to get my ears pierced I would have asked Lotus or Aloe to do it." The tortoise looked down, and she sighed. "Hey, hey, it's okay, Tank." She reached over and gave him a light pat on the head. "You did good, bud. It's the morning, so I'm just grumpy." Tank looked back up and smiled, his cute grin made awesome by the flight goggles he was wearing.

"Now Scoots and I can have all day to practice," she said angling towards the Apple family home. The thought of her little "sister" lightened Rainbow's mood. She hadn't known how fun it could be being an older sister until Scootaloo had asked her to take her under her wing. At first, they hung out more often. They would read comic books, play games, and Dash had even managed to get the little filly hooked on Daring Doo novels. It was actually kind of weird to have fun helping her write a book report for school.

"If school would have us read awesome stuff like this than it wouldn't be so boring," Scootaloo had said. She almost included the statement in the report itself, but Twilight, who had agreed to proofread, suggested it be left out.

Doesn't mean it's not true, Dash had thought.

She was as annoyed as the filly was that they hadn't been able to start flying lessons with how busy things had been lately. Dash was anxious to get started. In the few times they had managed to do some things she had seen something in Scoots, determination. Scootaloo did every exercise without a word of complaint and sometimes went as far as to force Rainbow to get her to stop.

I don't care what anypony says. That kid has a fire in her that will beat anything holding her down.

She smiled as she descended to the ground and into a gentle landing. She felt the weight of Tank landing on her back and heard his flying contraption sputter to a stop. She trotted up to the farmhouse's front door and knocked.

"Ah'm comin'!" she heard through the door, and a moment later it swung open. Applejack stood behind the door and smiled. "Well Ah don't believe it! Ya actually managed to get yourself up!"

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Dash asked.

Applejack chuckled, "Sugarcube, Ah've only ever known you to get up early for two reasons, and I do believe cider season ended a month ago and you don't have any Wonderbolts Tickets. The whole town would know if ya did."

Dash rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well, now you have three." She trotted inside the house and looked around. "Are Scootaloo and the girls still here?"

Applejack shook her head, "Nope, they left for the lake about an hour ago. Scootaloo practically dragged them out by their tails. Something about, 'needin' time to stretch.'"

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a chuckle, "she kind of took that lesson to heart."

"Well, ya better not keep her waiting," Applejack said, walking Rainbow out the back.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Ah will be. The girls wouldn't wait for me to get the animals straighten out," she said. Rainbow looked toward the pig pen and saw that they all looked nervous.

"What's the matter with them?" she asked.

"Not rightly sure, myself," Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head. "Something seems to have spooked them this morning. I asked, and they don't know what it was. They just keep talking about some weird feelin'. I've been givin' them extra stock today, and it seems to calm them down. They don't feel it anymore at least."

"Hm, weird," said Rainbow. "So you'll be coming once you're done feeding them?"

"Yep!"

"Cool." Rainbow crouched and spread her wings. "Let's fly, Tank." The tortoise's propeller sped up, and he lifted off Dash's back. Dash leaped into the air and shot into the sky.

"If Applebloom and Sweetie Belle get into the water make sure to watch them until I get there!" she heard Applejack shout.

"Will do!" Dash yelled back before looping in the air and pointing herself towards the farm's lake. She pumped her wings and settled into a gentle pace so Tank could keep up with her.

"Hey, you didn't feel anything weird this morning, did you?" she asked. Tank looked up in thought and did his slow shrug again.

"Hm," sighed Dash, "maybe something was making noise in the forest."

Tank nodded as if to say, "Probably."

"Everything should be alright," she said. "Nothing ever leaves the forest."

I hope.

Rainbow crested a hill and saw the lake appear in front of her. That was when she heard the screaming.

Oh no!

It was something she had never seen before. However, what it looked like was not what scared her. It was what it was doing. Two fillies ran across the grass and hid behind the wagon that had pulled them there, but the other, an orange pegasus, was cornered against the oak tree next to the lake. The creature was walking towards her menacingly with its claws ready to swipe.

"Hello, said the spider to the fly," it said.

Inside of Rainbow Dash every protective instinct she had kicked in, and her vision went red.

NO YOU DON'T!

"Tank, execute anti-creep maneuver!" she yelled. The tortoise dove away, and Rainbow tucked in her wings and sped towards the monster.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY LITTLE SISTER!" She collided with the it, and they went flying across the field. It slammed into the ground cutting a track a few hooves long. Rainbow rode it out on top of its back. When it came to a stop she reached with her forelegs and bent one of the creature's legs up and over its back trying to pin it.

It lifted its head off the ground. "What the-" but was silenced when a ballistic tortoise shell dropped on top of its head. It didn't move after that.

"Shoo," she said. "Good work, Tank." The tortoise popped out of his shell and smiled up at her triumphantly. "Scootaloo, I need you to-"

"Dash," Scootaloo yelled, "get off of him!"

What!

"What?" she said. "It tried to eat you."

"He wasn't tryin' to eat us," Applebloom said, running over to them. "He was playing with us!"

"Yeah, we were playing tickle tag, and he was it," Sweetie Belle said. Rainbow noticed she was wearing a pair of round sunglasses.

"Ike, are you okay?" Scootaloo said, poking it's arm.

From beneath Dash came a muffled reply, "I think she broke my coccyx."

"Dash, let him up." Rainbow looked at Scootaloo and then to the creature. The filly gave her a pleading look, and Dash sighed. She let go of the leg and hopped off its back, but she faced it in case it tried anything funny. Tank looked at her confused.

"It's okay, Tank. You can get off of it," she said. The tortoise's propeller sped up, and he flew to his usual spot on Dash's back. The creature lifted up its head and started to spit out dirt.

"Blah! This dirt has such an interesting flavor," it groaned. It had a deep voice which possessed the barest hint of a rasp which faded in and out depending on the words. It was almost melodic.

It shook its head and lifted itself into a sitting position crossing its legs in a very odd way. It shook some of the dirt from its dirty blonde mane and looked at her with a pair of green eyes. Now that it was facing her Rainbow decided that it wasn't really that terrifying. It was odd in that it was something unfamiliar, but it was far from scary. The only intimidating thing about it was a wicked looking scar on its cheek that lent it a certain amount of awesomeness.

"So," it said, "to whom do I owe the pleasure? Oh, and for clarity's sake, it is not an it. It is a him."

"Uh," Rainbow said. It had spoken a little faster than she expected.

"This is Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said, latching her hooves around Dash's neck and hugging her. "The most awesome big sister in Equestria!"

"Ah, so you're the one Scoots has been telling me about," he said.

Scoots?

"I suppose your war cry should have been enough of a clue. Good shot by the way," he said, rubbing his lower back. "No permanent damage, so I think I'll let it slide." He didn't sound angry as he offered her his hand, and Dash looked at it confused.

"Uh, dude?" Scoots said. She lifted hers hooves and clopped them together. The creature lifted an eyebrow before realization flashed across his face.

"Oh yeah," he said and curled his hand into a fist. Dash looked at the fist before raising her hoof and bumping it. Her hoof clinked against a silver ring around one of his fingers.

"Um," she mumbled, lowering her hoof, "sorry for plowing you into the ground." For a second he looked confused before he buried it.

"Y-you were p-protecting your sister, s-so I understand," he said. His voice had a slight quaver to it like he was nervous about something.

What's got him so weirded out?

"Oh wait!" he said, his nervousness disintegrating. "I'm being very rude. My name is Isaac, at your service." He bowed to her.

"Uh, Rainbow Dash," she said.

"The name would seem appropriate," he said, looking at her mane. Dash frowned.

"Hey, are you making fun of me?" Isaac raised his hands, which Dash saw were completely clawless, and held them up defensively.

"Not at all," he said. "It's actually very pretty. I've seen a lot of people attempt rainbow hair, but no one that pulled it off."

Dash narrowed her eyes at him. "Girls, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure!" they said.

"Over there," she pointed up the road. Isaac moved to stand. "Just the girls," she said. He paused before settling back down and shrugging. She gave him another once over and walked up to the road with the girls.

"Alright," she said once she thought they were out of earshot, "where did he come from?" The girls looked at each other and then shrugged.

"We didn't ask him that," Applebloom said. "We found'im sleepin' by the lake."

"And you didn't think to go get somepony?"

Scootaloo looked down. "I knew you would go check him out, so I did what you would do."

Dash sighed, "Squirt, I can check out weird creatures because I'm older and awesome. You're still too young and are just an awesome pony-in-training. He could have been bad news." She glanced over her shoulder at Isaac. He still sat in his spot and gave her a friendly wave when he saw her looking at him. "He could still be bad news."

"He isn't bad," Sweetie Belle said. "He's nice."

"Yeah and he's really cool too!" Scootaloo said. "You should hear him sing."

"He sang so well we made him our mascot!" Applebloom said.

"You made him your what?"

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders Musical Mascot," they all said.

"And what does he do?" Dash asked.

Again the girls looked at each other. "Y'know he asked us the same question. We don't really know what we want him to do right now."

"Mostly he just plays us songs when we ask him," Sweetie Belle said, adjusting the glasses on her muzzle. "He's also fun to play with."

"Sweetie Belle, where did you get those?"

"Get what?" She asked. Rainbow tapped the glasses. "Oh, these are Ike's. I was the one who got him when we were playing tickle tag. I told him I would stop if he let me wear his glasses." They wobbled on the filly's snout. "I don't think they were built for pony faces."

"Hm," she said. "So what is he?"

"He's a monkey b-" Scoots started to say before Applebloom shoved a hoof in her mouth.

"He's a human," Applebloom said, "which are distantly related to monkeys."

Human, why does that sound familiar?

"Or chump pansies," Scootaloo said, pulling Applebloom's hoof from her mouth.

"Chump what?" Dash asked.

"Chimpanzees," Isaac said. "A member of the primate family, oh, and can I have those back, Sweetie Belle?" Dash turned and stared at the hu-something or other. They had to be forty hooves away, and they had been quiet.

How the hay did he hear that?

"Sure," she said. The filly cantered up to him, setting the glasses in his hand. He placed them on the bridge of his nose where they fell into place. He thanked Sweetie Belle, but Dash could just barely make out the words. Whatever he was, human or not, must have had ears like a dog to make out their conversation.

Dash got up and walked towards him warily. She wasn't afraid of him. There were very few things that she was afraid of, and even fewer things she would admit to being afraid of. He was bigger than her, sure, but his arms and legs looked like twigs. She was confident that if he tried something stupid she could tie him in a knot. What did frighten her was how easily the fillies seemed to trust him. On the one hoof, it was great that they weren't afraid of someone for looking so different, but on the other they knew nothing about this guy. He could have been some crazed pony-killer for Luna's sake.

I swear. Cheerilee really needs to do more stranger awareness classes.

Dash froze in mid step, and her eyes went wide with shock.

By Celestia, I'm starting to think like my dad!

"Are you okay?" a deep voice asked. She shook her head and saw Isaac eyeing her with concern.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to drop the thought as fast as she could. "So a human, huh? I swear I've heard that before."

"Really?" Isaac said. "From what I got from the girls, they had never seen a human before."

"I've never seen one either, but I swear I've heard about them before," she said, scratching her head. "Nope can't remember. I suppose Twilight would know."

"Twilight?"

"She's one my friends," Dash said. "Runs the Ponyville library and is a super egghe- I mean- is super smart."

"Really?" Isaac said, raising an eyebrow. "She sounds like some, uh, pony I'd like to meet."

"I suppose I could take you to her," Dash said.

I really wanted to start training with Scootaloo today, but dealing with this guy is probably more important.

"Ugh," groaned Dash, "Sorry, Squirt, I'm afraid I'm going to have to get him sorted out."

Surprisingly, the filly didn't seem so upset. "That's okay, Dash. Hey, can we come with you?"

"Sure, I guess," Dash said. She turned to Isaac. "Well, are you coming?"

"Yeah," he said, "just give me a minute to get my stuff. " Isaac shuffled his legs and stood up. Rainbow's head tilted back as she followed him up, and her eyes widened. At his full height, Dash's head barely reached his waist.

He's giant.

"Tall," she said dumbly.

"Heh, yeah. I've been asked to change a lot of light bulbs," he said. He walked towards the tree, and Dash noticed the clothesline that had been strung out from it. He put on the pair of blue pants hanging from it and strapped on a weird looking belt around his waist. It had a second clip that wrapped around his leg that secured a holster.

"What's that?" Dash asked.

"Some defensive equipment," he said, rolling up the line and placing it in his pocket. He stepped into two blocky, black things and laced them up. He didn't have hooves, so Dash suspected they protected his feet. Lastly, he pulled up the black bar that had been jammed into the ground. A couple of straps hung from it, and he put them around his shoulders which held the bar across his back. He took a moment to straighten it and walked back to Dash.

"Took you long enough, " she said.

"What?"

Dash shook her head and took the air. She hovered up until she was at his eye level. "Alright, town is that way so try to keep up, okay."

"No problem," he said. "Come on girls!"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle loaded into the wagon, and Scootaloo took the handle bars of her scooter. Her wings let out a loud buzzing sound as she took off down the road.

"Catch us if you can, Ike!" she shouted as she sped past him.

"Ha, you're on," he said. He took a long step and jogged after the wagon.

He's faster than I thought he would be.

Apparently, his long legs were good for something. In one bound he stepped three times further than a pony could. He could match the wagon's pace, but he could never out run it. Rainbow Dash suspected Scootaloo was keeping it slow to make the chase more entertaining. It was still too slow for Dash, but she and Tank flew behind in order to keep an eye on him.

She glided up next to him. "So, Isaac-"

"Ike."

"What?"

"My friends call me Ike," he said, his green eyes peeking up at her from behind his glasses. His ever-present grin still on his face.

This guy's weirder than Pinkie Pie... okay, maybe not that weird, but he smiles just as much as she does.

"Um, alright, Ike," she said. "Where are you from?"

"A city called Baltimore," he said.

"Wait, you're from Baltimare?" she said, surprised he was from someplace she knew. That was until he shook his head.

"More not mare," he said. His brow furrowed. "There's a city here called Baltimare?" Dash nodded to which he sighed and mumbled something about "parallels".

"Baltimore is a bit far from Equestria," he said. He glanced beside her and cocked his head. "Cool tortoise."

"He's a tor-, oh, thanks." She had gotten used to correcting ponies when they called Tank a turtle.

At least he's smart enough to know the difference.

"Did you make that?" he asked.

"No, that was Twilight," she said.

He looked at Tank once more, "Clever."

"Yeah, she is," Dash said, and it grew quiet. "So, how did you get here?" she asked. His smile broadened.

"Mostly, I walked," he said She was about to question that when Scootaloo turned around and drove up beside the two of them.

"Come on, dude, you can be faster than that," she said and kicked it into overdrive, taking off down the road.

"Not again!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"We'll see about that!" he said. Apparently, he could go much faster than Dash expected, because he shot off after the girls, Sweetie Belle screaming the whole time. The screaming could probably justify what happened next.

They rounded a bend, and Ike was doing a fair job of at least keeping up with the wagon. When a lasso appeared out of nowhere.

"Git away from those fillies, ya varmint!" shouted a familiar voice. Ike didn't have a chance to respond as the lasso wrapped around his torso and yanked him off his feet. He slid to the ground on his belly and was pounced on by an orange and yellow blur that bound his wrists and ankles together over his back. He was completely hogtied in a second.

"Woo, Ah'd say that's a new record," said Applejack as she sat on Ike's back. "Girls, he didn't hurt you did he?"

"Let him go, Applejack!" shouted Applebloom.

Here we go again.

"What?" Applejack looked around and spotted Dash. "Dash, what's goin' on?"

"I'll explain everything, AJ, but you need to let him up." Applejack looked confused but nodded. She tugged on the knot, and Ike's limbs flopped to the ground .

"Ugh, girls," he said, lifting his head.

"Yeah, Ike?"

"No more chasing or screaming," he said, and his face fell back to the ground. "This dirt tastes just as interesting."

"Remind me, again, why we have to have this special order sent in so soon?" asked the baby dragon, who was skimming through a tome heavier than he was. The book was encased in a violet shimmer and pulled away from him.

"Because if we don't we'll have to wait another few days," Twilight said, as she opened the book and rapidly leafed through the pages. She paused, squinted at a line, and glanced at a note she had levitating next to her. "Put Mare Curie's Alchemic Substances on the list."

Spike groaned and scribbled the title on his growing list. "Twilight, that's sixty books, so far."

"It should be sixty-two," she said.

"Whatever," he said. "The point is why do they all have to be ordered today?" Twilight put the book back in its place and starting looking over the shelf.

"Because these are special, limited availability books that have to be signed out by the Princess herself," she said, taking out a book, looking it over, and placing it back on the shelf. "The Summer Sun celebration starts in Manehattan in a few days, so if we miss today the Princess will be too busy to okay the order for the next four days." She pulled out another book and looked inside. "Wernher von Brand's The Luna Project as well."

"What are you studying?" he said, jotting down the name.

"Nothing in particular," she said, "this is assorted material for the different things I plan on studying in the next six months."

"So this is what you'll be studying until December?" he said.

She shook her head. "No the six months after December. It'll take until then for the paperwork to be sorted through."

Spike scratched the side his head with his quill. "So, wait, this is so you're not behind studying... six months from now?"

"Uh huh," she said. "The Princess signs the order, and then the archivists sort through the paperwork."

"How much paperwork could it possibly be!" he said. Twilight gave him a flat look before levitating a stack of paper twice as tall as he was on to her desk.

"Is that it?" he said. Spike's claw twitched like it was expecting doom.

"No," she said, "it's half." She placed a second pile of paper beside the first. "Once we're done finding all the books I'll have to fill these out."

"You will?" he said, his claw relaxing.

"Yes, hoofprint only," she said. Spike sighed in relief.

You can relax, but this means my hoof's going to be leaving marks everywhere for a week.

"I think that's the last of them," she said, taking Spike's list. She nodded. "That's it." She trotted up to her desk, getting an ink tray from the drawer. "I won't need you for the rest of the day, Spike."

"Great!" he said. "If you need me, Twi, I'll be in dreamland." He took one step up the stairs when a loud knocking came from the door.

"Spike could you get that," she said as she readied the ink tray. She heard Spike walk down the stairs and the door open. Twilight raised her hoof about to press it into the tray.

"Oh hi, Pi-"

"TWILIGHT!" shouted a high pitched voice. Twilight, startled by the noise, slammed the side of the tray sending it flying into the air. With a quick telekinetic grab, she caught it before it could spill all over the floor.

"Twilight," shouted the neon pink pony as she galloped up to her. "Twilight, something is wrong!"

"Pinkie Pie, you nearly caused me to paint my floor black," Twilight said, placing the ink tray back on the desk.

"Wait! You mean that just fell?"

"Yes, thanks to you," she said. Pinkie Pie started to tremble.

"Twilight, something is wrong," Pinkie Pie said. "Something is very undeniably uber badtastically wrong."

Badtastically?

"Pinkie, calm down," Twilight, putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Can't you tell?" she said. "No twitchy eyes, no itchy hooves, and no ear flops! That tray fell, and my tail didn't twitch!" Pinkie grabbed Twilight by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. She couldn't remember seeing Pinkie Pie this scared, but right now she looked terrified. "My Pinkie Sense isn't working!" Twilight stared at her, confused.

"So let me get this straight," Twilight said. "You're this worked up because your body is acting... normally." Pinkie nodded frantically. "Pinkie you've told me before that it comes and goes."

"Yes, but I've never had a drought for this long," she said.

"Alright," Twilight sighed, "when was the last time you felt something."

Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin. "Last night, right before I went to bed. My back left hoof twitched, my nose itched, and my right ear flopped."

"And that means?"

"That Gummy was hiding in Mr. Cake's hat. It took me ten minutes for me to get him to let go."

"Of the hat?"

"No, Mr. Cake's head," she said.

"And that was the last time?"

She nodded. "I haven't had a single feeling since then, and I've seen things when I should have felt something. Pound cake barfing on Pumpkin Cake, Gummy in Mr. Cake's hat again, and I wasn't there when a little colt lost a balloon in the marketplace. I NEVER LET FOALS LOSE THEIR BALLOONS!"
Pinkie looked like she was about to weep until she pulled an emotional one-eighty. "But I had an emergency all-day-sucker stash nearby, so I managed to get rid of his frowny in jiffy." She sniffled, "But that poor, sweet, innocent balloon. It never had a chance!"

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I was thinking you could hook me to those machines like you did last time," Pinkie said. "You remember, right?"

Kind of hard to forget.

"Yes, I remember being put in the hospital trying... several times," Twilight said.

"Please, Twilight, this time I won't give you any trouble about it," Pinkie said, giving Twilight a teary look.

Twilight glanced at the forms on her desk and then back to Pinkie.

Friends come first.

"Alright, I guess I can compare you results from last time to now and see if there's any difference."
Pinkie smiled broadly and wrapped Twilight in a massive hug. "Thank you, Twilight! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!"

"Pinkie, I can't breathe," Twilight wheezed.

"Oh, sorry," she said, releasing the unicorn.

Twilight took a moment to catch her breath. "Spike," she said, "Pinkie and I will be in the lab if you need us."

"Alright, so... can I go to bed now?" he said. Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Okay," he said, turning back to the stairs, "have fun picking Pinkie's brain." He took one step up the stairs when, again, there came a loud knock at the door. Spike groaned and hopped down from the stairs. "I'm never getting a nap at this rate."

"Who is it now?"

Spike shrugged and opened the door. "Hi, Rainbow Daaa..."

Twilight and Pinkie Pie turned to the door and saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack walk into the library followed by something else. It was so tall that it had to duck in order to get through the door, especially with a pegasus filly riding on its shoulders. As it entered, Twilight saw that its arms were behind its back giving two other familiar fillies a double-piggyback ride.

When it got inside, where it could fully stand, it took a few curious glances around the room. A gentle smile upon its face the whole time.

"Quite a collection, you've got here," it said in a deep, distinctly male voice.

Pinkie gasped violently. "Twilight," she said, "we'll have to reschedule. Priorities first." In a pink blur, the party pony shot out the library, going between the startled creature's legs to do so.

Only Pinkie would think throwing a party is more serious than potential brain trauma.

"Um," said the creature, "did I do that?"

"Sort of," Rainbow Dash said.

"I didn't mean to scare her," he said.

"Trust me," Dash said, "You didn't ."

"Then what was-"

Suddenly a pink head appeared between his legs again and gave him the most serious look Twilight had ever seen Pinkie make. She eyed him for a second while he glanced around apparently at a loss.

"Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or snozzberry?" she asked.

"Uh, chocolate?"

Pinkie broke out into a huge grin. "Thank you!" she said and was gone. The creature blinked and looked around.

"I... yeah, um, what?"

"Sugarcube," Applejack said, "It's best not to try and hurt your brain figurin' out Pinkie Pie. Darling's sweeter than apple pie, but she can a bit..." Applejack faltered trying to find the right word.

"Random," Rainbow Dash offered.

"Yep, that's about right," she said.

Twilight stared at the strange creature as he talked with her friends. She had read every book that detailed the world's sapient creatures, but whatever this was didn't belong to any of them. However, as she took in more of his features, she felt a nagging sense of familiarity.

I've read about this creature somewhere. I just can't remember where?

A shout interrupted her thoughts. "Yo, Twi?"

"Huh?" she said, shaking her head.

"Equestria to Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "Are you in there?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," Twilight cleared her throat. "Who is this?"

The creature stepped forward and bowed, Scootaloo waved at Twilight as she dipped towards the ground.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Sparkle. My name is Isaac, at your service," he said.

He's polite at least.

"Uh, nice to meet you," she said nervously. Something in the back of her mind wouldn't let her drop the weird feeling he was giving her. She wished she could remember what she had read about this creature. "Girls, why are you on his shoulders?"

"Because he gives awesome piggyback rides. Seriously look how tall he is!" said Scootaloo. Twilight had to agree with that and was thankful that the library's main room was so high. Scootaloo's head would be dragging across the ceiling if it were anypony else's home.

"Excuse me?"

The creature looked down to where Spike was tugging on his pants leg.

"Are you an alien?" asked the baby dragon, his face was a comical mix of awe and fear. Twilight was surprised Spike had been bold enough to approach him.

"Probably," he said with a smile.

Spike looked at him in confusion, "You mean you don't know?"

"Well, I could be, but Dash said she's heard of things like me before," he said. This time it was Twilight who looked confused.

"You have, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

Dash shook her head, "I've never seen them before, but he says he's a human which I swear I've heard about. Does it ring any bells to you?"

Twilight's heart dropped in her chest.

That's it! That's what it was!

Twilight remembered the book in an instant. It was an old mythology textbook detailing some of the myths and legends of Equestria's past. The passage on humans had barely been a page long in the massive text. There wasn't much known about them, and their time in Equestria had been brief.

Humans had appeared a thousand years ago not long after Nightmare Moon's banishment. They had never been seen before in Equestria's history, and one day an entire population of them appeared out of nowhere. The humans seemed to not recognize Equestria as well, and it was theorized that they may have come from another world as there was no other explanation that fit.

They were noted for being frail, but what they lacked in physical strength they made up for with mental capability. They were predators like griffons and shared a similar diet. Unfortunately, first contact had not gone well between ponies and humanity. A few proved to be kind, others paranoid, and some violent. The worst part was that it was impossible to tell which was which. They could act kind and gentle but really be scheming or mad. The strangest could be cold and distant but never harm anypony.

The duality of the species made them hard to understand and harder to approach. A few misunderstandings occurred between the two groups, and several ponies ended up getting hurt. Humans proved to be dangerous when provoked, and the Princess was about to intervene when something strange happened. They vanished.

They had grouped together and formed a small community in what was now the White Tail Woods. A group of pegasi went on a routine surveillance mission and found the area deserted. When the settlement was explored it looked like everyone had got up and left. Meals were found half eaten, fires still smoldered, and tents were half built. The area was searched, but the humans were never seen again. Eventually, their brief existence faded into obscurity, and, if not for the Princess confirming the story, they would be little more than a myth.

The author warned at the end of the passage that if anypony were to find another human that it would be best left alone. He said they were too unpredictable to be brought into polite society and best left in the forest.
Twilight regarded the apparent human warily. He did match the physical description to a point. He lacked the sinister aura the author had claimed they possessed.

Now that I think about it that author seemed to call everything that wasn't a pony sinister.

He looked harmless, especially with three fillies riding on him. However, Twilight still felt nervous. The book clearly described humans as being hard to understand. For all she knew his kind exterior could be an act and beneath that could be a... monster. Twilight gulped.

What do I do? He could be dangerous, but if I react too suddenly he could hurt somepony. For Celestia's sake, he has three fillies he could use as a shield. If they really are clever he might have planned it that way!

"Hey, Ike, can you let me down? My legs are goin' to sleep," Applebloom said.

"Yeah, mine too," Sweetie Belle said. Twilight froze worried the human would grab the girls, so he could keep his shield.

The human laughed, "Sure thing." He kneeled down and let the two fillies jump off.

Okay maybe not.

He reached up. "You too, Scoots."

"Ah, why?" she said, obviously enjoying her perch.

"Honestly? Because I'm getting a crick in my neck," he said. The pegasus pouted but let him remove her anyway. He set her on the ground and rolled his neck. There was loud crackling sound that made the fur on Twilight's neck bristle.

"Heh, sorry. My spine's been a little abused today," he said, shooting a glance at Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Applejack looked down, "Sorry about that."

The human grinned, "Eh, that's not the first time a woman's tied me up." Applejack turned red, and Rainbow Dash strained to keep from laughing.

"You walked right into that, AJ," Rainbow Dash said. She chuckled before looking back at Twilight. "So, Twi, is Ike an alien or not?" It took Twilight a second before she realized Dash was talking about the human.

"Maybe," she said, "humans were last seen about a thousand years ago. Most ponies think they're a myth."

"Apparently, they're more than a myth if we got one standin' right here," Applejack said.

"The Princess knew of them," Twilight said. "The only reason they aren't widely spoken of is that they were here for less than a month. They showed up, caused a stir, and vanished."

"That's where I heard of them!" Rainbow Dash said. Everypony looked at her in confusion. Dash sighed, "In Daring Doo and the Lost Sea there was part where she talked about civilizations that had vanished, and she mentioned the Humans of White Tail Wood. I can't believe I forgot that!"

"Hm, the humans barely communicated with anypony, but some have guessed that they came from another world," Twilight said.

"Huh," Isaac said, "I guess that makes me a legit alien after all." Twilight tilted her head. Something about what he had said sounded off.

"What do you me by, 'legit alien?'" she asked.

Isaac sighed, "I suppose I'll give you the details." He looked around before shrugging. He walked over to the wall by the door, leaned against it, and slid to the floor. He crossed his legs, laced his fingers behind his head, and seemed to recline into them.

Isaac took a deep breath, "I'm a bit of a traveler. I tend to walk wherever the road takes me. This time, it seems to have brought me to your world."

"Wait," Rainbow Dash said, "how could you have walked here if you came from another world?"

"I said 'mostly,'" he shrugged, "I've also ran, rode, jogged, and hang-glided to get where I am." Rainbow gave him irritated glare. "I did walk here, though. It may have been through a portal," he held up a finger, "but it still counts as walking." Rainbow tried to respond but ultimately facehooved in defeat.

"That still doesn't answer what ya meant by 'legit alien,'" Applejack said.

"If this world had other humans in it I would consider myself a 'nondomestic human'. However, given there are no other humans here at all I'm just a regular alien," he said. From the way he spoke Twilight figured he had given this speech before.

That explains why he's calmer than the humans from before. He's used to being in strange places.

"Are you from the world the old humans came from?" Twilight said. He unlaced his fingers and scratched the stubble on his chin in thought.

"It's possible," he said, "It could be my world, could be a world I visited before, the one after this one, or none at all." He stopped scratching and shook his head. "Unless the humans said anything about the world they came from there's no way to tell, and even then it would be hard to know for sure."

"This is so cool," Scootaloo giggled in excitement. "We have an alien as a mascot!"

"Mascot?" Twilight said. She looked to Applejack and Rainbow Dash who gave her "we'll explain later" looks. For now, Twilight felt the academic inside her begin to get excited about what this human could tell her.

He is a completely different creature from a completely different world! A potentially dangerous creature from a potentially dangerous world, but, still, this is a hippologist's dream come true... Lyra's going to be so jealous!

"Twilight, you've spaced out on us again," Dash said.

Twilight shook her head, "Huh, oh, sorry." She cleared her throat, "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

He shrugged, "It depends on the questions, really, but sure."

Twilight's heart fluttered in excitement, and she levitated a notepad and quill over to her. When she looked back at him he was staring at the quill.

"That's a nifty trick," he said.

Twilight blinked, "What is?"

"The levitaty, lightshow thingy," he said.

"It's basic magical manipulation. Most unicorn foals could do it."

"Oh so that's what your magic looks like!" he said. "My world doesn't have anything like that."

Everypony in the room looked at the human in disbelief. Magic was a fundamental part of the entire universe, so what he said was basically equivalent to saying there was no such thing as gravity.

"That's impossible," Twilight said.

Ike shrugged, "Maybe here, but my world seems to turn without it."

Twilight's academic side suddenly became ravenous. She pushed all of her fear and uncertainty away for the time being.

I have to know more!

"How?" she asked.

"How what?"

"How does it work? How could a society, a race, a world, a universe function without magic?" she asked. Her heart pounded from the excitement.

"That's a long story," he said.

"Well, ya better tell it, sugarcube, because I don't think Twi's goin' to let leave until you do," Applejack said, finding a comfortable spot on the floor. The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat down, as well, the curiosity of childhood gripping them and the prospect of learning about their new friend being to awesome to pass up. Rainbow Dash groaned, as she realized her entire day was shot, and found a spot to lounge.

"Learning about an alien would be kind of cool, I guess," she mumbled. It was as close as she was going to get to admitting she was a little curious as well. Isaac looked over his audience and chuckled.

"Well, mom always said, 'if you had audience you might as well perform,'" he said and took another deep breath. "So where else to begin but the beginning."

He wasn't kidding about that, because he did start at the beginning; the beginning of everything. He was a great storyteller, his gestures and visualizations even kept Rainbow intrigued. He painted a world that was both fascinating and horrifying. An entire universe born from a point that grew into everything. He told of dust becoming stars, and stars forming galaxies, and how a little blue world sprung up about, as he put it, "a rather unimportant star in a rather unimportant galaxy."

The world he described was similar, yet alien. Everything worked on its own. The sun and moon moved in their "predictable patterns," creatures fended for themselves, and the weather could barely be predicted—let alone controlled—which Dash thought was the weirdest thing she'd ever heard. Somepony brought up that it sounded a lot like the Everfree forest, and after a moment of explanation, Isaac agreed.

"Stretch that forest out to the size of a planet, and that would basically be my home world," he said. No pony could decide whether that was interesting or frightening.

"How the hay do you survive in a world like that?" Scootaloo said.

"Simple," Isaac said, "by being the smartest thing there." His story then narrowed to that of a single species, his own. Humanity started humbly, just as any creature, until it figured out that being clever meant surviving. Ever since, they continued to get smarter. In a world where magic apparently didn't exist technology took its place. If they didn't have something they built it. Rainbow Dash interrupted him several times when he began to describe his species' flying machines, and when he said they had landed on their moon both Dash and Twilight nearly passed out. He did remark most of his species' history wasn't perfect.

"We lived in a violent world, and if you weren't violent along with it you died," he said. Everypony's expression darkened at the words until Isaac looked up with a whimsical smile. "But, call me an optimist, I think we were finally getting to the point where we realized we didn't have to be that way anymore. Seriously, humanity can do anything when it puts its mind to it." He chuckled lightly, "How many species can slow the rotation of an entire planet?"

"You did what?" Twilight gasped.

"It was only by a few milliseconds," he said, "and it was an accident. Imagine what we could do if we put our minds to it?"

Something tells me I don't really want to know.

"Ah," Isaac said, clearing his throat, "How long have I been talking?"

"Not long," Twilight said. "It's just been-" she glanced at her wall clock "-six... hours?"

Did he really talk that long?

Twilight glanced at her notepad and was shocked that she had stopped taking notes at around the time he was explaining galaxy formation.

Did I really get that lost in what he was saying? I guess it is possible to lecture too well.

"Hey, Ike, what did ya mean by 'were getting to the point?,'" Applejack asked.

"Things were coming up on a day-to-day basis around the time I left, so I didn't see how it turned out," he said.

"So, ya just got up and left?" she said.

"Pretty much," he said. She opened her to speak again but was cut off by a low rumble. Ike's face flushed in embarrassment.

"Uh, sorry," he said, "I haven't eaten anything today."

"Now that ya mention it, neither have-" Applebloom started before her own stomach growled which was follow by pretty much everypony else.

"That settles it," Rainbow Dash said as should she stood up and stretched, "everypony's hungry."

"Twilight," Spike said, "I don't think we have enough for everypony."

"Oh," Sweetie Belle started, "don't we have the picnic basket in the wagon, Scootaloo?"

"Uh huh," she said.

The filly stood up and trotted to the library door, "I'll go get it. There's enough for everypony, and we shouldn't waste it."

"Yeah," Applebloom said following her friend, "Ike, you're goin' to love our apples."

The human laughed, "I nearly tried a few this morning." Applejack eyed him suspiciously. He held up a defensive hand. "I saw it was a farm before I took any."

Applejack shrugged, "Nah, don't fret about it, sugarcube. We don't get our tails in a twist over a few missin' apples. A fact Ah'm certain somepony takes a little too much advantage of." Applejack peered over her shoulder at the cyan pegasus, who was trying to get a loose feather. She stopped her preening long enough to look up and shrug, and Applejack rolled her eyes.

Twilight sat quietly trying to sort through all of the information that had been given to her. Most of Isaac's world wasn't that different than their own, but it did lack a lot of the balance.

It's almost like it lacks harmony altogether. I bet Discord would love it.

"It sounds chaotic," she said.

"Hm?" Isaac grunted. He had zoned out in his corner of the library.

"Your world."

Isaac smiled and shrugged, "I won't deny that, but even chaos has its patterns if you look at a big enough picture."

Now I really want to know what Discord would think. Although, Tartarus would freeze over before I invited him here.

Twilight nodded when a thought came to her, "Do you travel alone?"

"Hm," he said, "No, not always." He craned his neck and looked out the window wistfully. The sunlight peaked through and seemed to set the blonder parts of his hair ablaze, and his smile seemed to dim. It reminded her of the look Granny Smith got when recalling a fond memory. It made him look a lot older. His fingers began to fumble over each other, and Twilight saw that they were twisting the ring on his finger like they were checking if it was still there.

"Just recently," he said. There was an air of finality in the statement, and Twilight figured it was best to drop the subject.

"How old are you?" she asked.

He didn't blink or look away from the window. "Twenty-five," he said.

Only three years older than I am.

She was about to say something else when he spoke, "I wonder what's taking the girls?"

Through the door a series of voices suddenly spoke up.

"-is real!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Yes, darlings, I'm sure your alien mascot is quite fascinating," said a familiar voice.

"Quit, teasin' us , Rarity," Applebloom said, "We can prove it. He's in the library."

"Well, let's have a look then, shall we."

"Uh oh," Applejack said, "Ike, ya best brace yerself."

"Huh?"

It became abundantly clear when the library door shot open and Ponyville's premier fashionista trotted in with her usual dramatic flair that Isaac had been sitting a little too close to the door. As the door swung open, Twilight saw the briefest flash of surprise on Isaac's face before it disappeared behind the door with a dull "thunk".

Applejack winced beside her, "Ah didn't think it would have to be literally."

"Ah, hello darlings," Rarity said. Twilight, Spike, and the girls waved, but all were too stunned to say anything. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom trotted in with a basket and looked around the room.

"Wha- Where'd he go?" Applebloom said.

Rarity smiled, "Oh, he's right here, darlings." She indicated to a blank space of air in front of her. "I must admit that he looks absolutely adorable in his spacesuit. Don't you little guy?" Rarity brushed her hoof through the air like she was ruffling the antennae of an alien half as tall as Spike.

"Rarity," Sweetie Belle groaned, "Stop playing with us. He's not there."

"Yeah," said Applebloom. "and he's not that short anyway. He's really tall."

"Of course he is," Rarity said, looking at another blank spot with her head tilted up. Twilight guessed it wasn't far enough if he had been standing there. There was a exasperated groan from the two fillies. "Oh, honestly, girls. The both of you are almost nine. You really are too old for imaginary friends."

Scootaloo jumped up to her friends' defense. "He's not imaginary!"

"Really," Rarity said, "then where is he?"

"Behind the door," a strained voice squeaked. Rarity froze and her eyes widened.

"You probably killed him," Scootaloo said flatly.

The door slowly swung closed to reveal a dazed human. His eyes looked unfocused and his sunglasses hung crooked on his face. His smile had gone from relaxed to just plain goofy.

"Hi," he said, his voice was slurred like he'd gone through several barrels of cider. "Mah nam's Isick, at yur serbis."

"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked. He looked at her, his eye's still swimming in his sockets.

"Ah sucks, Dash, I'm fi-" he gasped, "look a double rainbow!"

Dash groaned and looked to Rarity, who was gaping in shock. "Great job, Rarity, you scrambled his brains!"

Scootaloo trotted up to him and waved a hoof in front of his face and then bopped him on the nose. The poke seemed to work, as his eyes snapped focused, and he shook his head.

"Ow," he said, putting a hand to his forehead.

"Oh, sir, I am so sorry," Rarity said, shooting to his side. "Please, I did not wish to cause an interplanetary incident. Let me escort you to the hospital personally."

Isaac's smile returned to its gentle norm, and he waved her off. "No. No native cures. No witch doctors. I'm fine," he said.

"Are you sure?" she said.

He held up a finger. "Yeah, just give me a second to-" he rotated his head and there was a pop "-HA! There we go! Everything's realigned."

"Well, I'm still sorry," she said.

"Don't worry about it," he said. He grimaced as he used the wall to slide back up until he was standing. Rarity's head tilted back as he did, and Twilight realized she had been right about earlier. Rarity's head was nearly pointed straight up as he got to his full height.

"Oh my," she said, backing up just a few paces.

"Told ya he was tall," Scootaloo said.

"I believe tall would be an understatement," she said, but then her eyes caught something. "Darling, those clothes!"

Isaac glanced at his shirt and trousers. "What about them?"

"Well, they're a little I subdued. I expected an alien to wear something little more... flashy," she said.

"How would you know what an alien would wear?" Twilight asked.

Rarity coughed into her hoof and a blush became apparent on her cheeks. "N-n-no reason at all, dear. Just pure speculation."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion as Rarity continued to look Isaac over. Twilight felt something poke her side, and she looked down to see Sweetie Belle. The filly waved for Twilight's ear, and the older unicorn leaned down.

"She has a stock pile of science fiction novels hidden under her bed," Sweetie Belle half whispered, half giggled. "She has more of them than she does those romance novels."

"Really?" Twilight said. Sweetie Belle nodded.

I never pegged Rarity as a sci-fi fan.

"Well, subdued or not red is definitely your color," Rarity said. "It screams power, but it's gentle enough to feel warm and approachable like a hearth in winter."

"Thanks," he said.

"The glasses might be a little much."

"Ha ha, no," he said, "they stay."

"Are you sure, dear, they draw away from your sc-. Oh, oh dear, I hadn't notice that yet," Rarity said. "I'm sorry. Hm, maybe your right. The glasses should stay, but your physique, it's so different from anything I've ever seen. It's so long and angular, not blocky and square like a minotaur. You must come to my boutique and show me the rest of your wardrobe."

"Your boutique?" he asked.

"Oh, where are my manners," she said. "I am Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique. I'm the primary provider of Ponyville's fashion needs."

Isaac raised an eyebrow and glanced at the ponies in the room, and his eyebrow only seemed to move higher.

"There aren't many formal occasions in Ponyville this time of year, except perhaps a wedding or two," she said.

"So clothing is only for formal affairs here?"

"Most of the time," Rarity said.

"We usually wear something at all times," he said.

"Why?" Dash said.

"Everything kind of hangs out, and it isn't really a pretty sight to see... among other things," he said. Twilight saw him tug on the sleeve of his shirt, pulling it lower.

"Now I really must see the rest! A race that wears clothes all the time, it's like something from my dreams," Rarity said with whimsical smile.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm afraid this is about it," he said. "I tend to travel light."

"What?!" Rarity gasped. "Darling, that simply won't do." Rarity smiled and her eyes brightened. "Idea!" she said in a sing-song manner. "I'll make you a wardrobe myself."

Isaac held up his hands. "You don't have to do that. Besides, I don't have any way to pay you for it."

Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. "It is no trouble at all. Working with a form such as yours is a challenge any designer would die for and would be its own reward."

"Wow, thanks," Isaac said with a surprised chuckle.

"Mister Isick, generosity is my element," she said.

"Ha, I wouldn't doubt that," he said, "Oh, and sorry I was a little stupefied a second ago." He knelt down to her level and bowed. "My name is Isaac, but my friends call me Ike." He took her hoof in his hand and gave it a gentle kiss. "At your service."

"Blah," Scootaloo gagged which made the other crusaders and Rainbow Dash laugh. Applejack shot them a look, but it did little to silence them.

Rarity blushed, "Well, Mister Ike, you seem to be quite the gentlecolt."

He stood back up and smiled. "I find it helps."

"I can imagine," Rarity said. Her eyes widened as she seemed to remember something. "Oh, girls, I forgot why I was coming here in the first place. Pinkie Pie told me take all of you to Sugarcube Corner."

"To what?" Isaac said.

"It's a quaint little bakery that one of our friends works at," Rarity said.

"He's technically already met her," Twilight said, knowing exactly what was waiting for the human at the bakery.

"Oh really," Rarity said, her smiled indicated that she realized what was going on as well. "Then you really must come with us, darling. Pinkie Pie just loves meeting new ponies, um, I mean people."

Isaac rubbed the back of his head, "That's not the impression I got this morning."

"Trust me, dude, you could never understand Pinkie Pie in a million impressions," Dash said.

I have to agree with that one.

Twilight was still a little nervous. Isaac had given every outward hint of being a kind person, yet that passage from the book kept giving her a nagging doubt in the back of her mind.

What if Pinkie does something to upset him? I'll just have watch over him at the party.

"Come on, everypony, let's get a move on," Applejack said.

"Ah," Applebloom said, "Ah really wanted Ike to try some of this," she said pointing to the basket.

The human chuckled and leaned off the wall. "Don't worry, Applebloom, I'm sure I'll have more than enough room." He reached into the basket and pulled out an apple. He took big chomp, exposing his sharp canines as he did. For some reason this sent a chill down Twilight's spine.

Now I know I'm being ridiculous. Any griffon is just as carnivorous as he is, and none of them have ever frightened me.

Yet, when his face went flat and his eyes went wide with shock, Twilight had to fight back a shiver of terror.

"Ike?" Applebloom said.

"These-"

"Yes?" she said a hint of worry in her voice.

"Are the best apples ever, of all time," Isaac said. He proceeded to devour the fruit in seconds, which somehow calmed and unnerved Twilight at the same time. "Oh, it's been too long. Applejack, you and I will be doing business later."

Applejack laughed, "Always good to have a satisfied customer."

"Yeah, AJ's apple's are great," said an impatient Rainbow Dash, "Now let's get to the bakery before I eat my own wings."

"Alright," Isaac said, "lead the way."

Twilight sighed in relief as everypony began to file out of the library. Isaac was about to follow when he stopped and looked down. Twilight once again saw Spike tugging on the human's pants leg.

"Oh, sorry for ignoring you, little dude," Isaac said as he dropped to a knee. "Ike," he said, lazily holding up a fist. Spike looked at it for a second before bumping it.

"It's cool, dude," he said, "I'm Spike, Twilight's assistant... and sort of little brother."

"Really?" Isaac said. "Well, Spike, if I may be so bold you don't exactly look like-"

"A pony," Spike said. "Nah, I'm a dragon. Twilight's raised me since the day I hatched."

Isaac's eyes lit up. "Fascinating!" he said and then put on a wry grin. "Well, Drem Yol Lok, mal dovah."

"What?" Spike said.

"Heh, I'll explain later," Isaac said. "So what do ya need?"

"I wanted to know what that is?" he said pointing over Isaac's shoulder. Twilight then noticed the black bar strapped across Isaac's back. One tip stuck over his right shoulder and the other near his left hip. She had been so focused on him she'd let it slip by her.

What is that?

"What this?" Isaac said grabbing the bar near his hip. "It's just a sword."

"A s-sword," Spike said. "You're not going to use that are you?"

Isaac's smile dimmed ever so slightly as he looked at the black scabbard . "I severely doubt it." He let go of the sword and looked at Spike. His smile was still there, but his eyes were serious. He held up a finger, "The first thing they teach you about a sword is that it is best when near and unused."

Spike nodded and glanced down. "And that?" He pointed to the holster strapped to Isaac's leg.

"I suppose you don't know what a firearm is?" Isaac said. Spike shook his head. "Let's just say it comes with the same first rule."

"Okay," Spike said. Isaac smiled and ruffled the spines on Spike's head.

"Don't worry about them, Spike. Traveling can be a dangerous business," he said. "They're just tools nothing more. Now come on." Isaac stood. "I'm very interested in this bakery." At that his stomach growled again which made Spike laugh.

Isaac rubbed the back of his head, "One part of me in particular."

Twilight watched as the human and baby dragon walked out of the library. Her mind was spinning with questions.

He's kind and considerate, yet he's scarred and carries weapons that he eludes to know how to use. UGH! Why are humans so complicated? He acts like he can't hurt a fly, but he knows how to use a sword. And that whole, "Traveling can be a dangerous business," screams that he's used them before. I don't know whether to trust him or call the guard on him.

Twilight let her mind stew for a second more before following the group.

He can't use magic, so I can easily stop him if he does something. I'll have to keep an eye on him tonight.

They walked through the streets without much of a problem as there appeared to be very few ponies out at the moment.

Everypony's probably at the bakery.

"So, Mister Ike," Rarity said, "you said you travel? You must have a lot of stories."

Isaac smiled, "More than I could properly retell. Of course the stories aren't as interesting as the people you meet," he laughed, "or the ponies you meet in this case."

"I can imagine," she said.

"Actually, Twilight's magic reminded of this one fellow I knew, Vorgan," he said. Twilight cocked her head interested. "Great blob of a creature," Isaac continued, "he looked like a walrus in a business suit, especially with that mustache he had. Nice guy though, he laughed a lot. A deep belly laugh that practically shook his entire shop. Anyway, he had these fronds on his head he could giggle and move things with his mind."

Twilight thought about the image and found it completely ridiculous. She also became very proud of the fact that she had a horn instead of fronds.

Isaac laughed, "Unfortunately, he went cross-eyed every time he did it. Poor guy had no accuracy whatsoever. I can still hear his wife shouting at him, 'Vorgy, a little to the left!', and of course he would shouted back, 'I know what I'm doing woman!'" Isaac laughed for moment at the memory. "They were good people. Gave me a place to stay when I really needed one."

Rarity smiled, "I hope you find Ponyville just as accommodating."

"Rarity, It's not often I'm greeted so openly," he said. "I haven't felt so welcome in-" his smile dimmed again "-a while."

Rarity smiled, "And it's just been half a day. Who knows what the rest of it will be like." Rarity cast a knowing grin at Twilight who returned it half-heartedly.

They rounded a bend, and Sugarcube Corner appeared in front of them.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the gingerbread house is the place," Isaac said.

"What gave it away?" Rainbow Dash said.

"The fact that it looks like it was designed by Willy Wonka, and because I can smell-" He deep sniff and stopped talking. "Y'know what, let's just go!" Isaac sped up to the bakery's door.

"Who's Willy Wonka?" Dash asked.

"Hay if I know," Applejack said. "Must be a human thing."

Isaac opened the door and held it open for everypony. "Ladies first," he said.

"Mister Ike, I do believe you're giving the Canterlot nobility a run for their bits," Rarity said.

"Nah, mostly I'm worried about getting stuck in the door," he said.

They trotted in with Isaac last. He bent low in order to do same. As he stood up a look of confusion crossed his face when he notice how dark the place was.

"What's with the lights?" he said.

Click.

"SURPRISE!" shouted about fifty ponies that had crammed themselves inside the bakery.

"Dah!" THUD!

Isaac was surprised. So surprised that he leapt a half hoof into the air. Unfortunately, there was only a quarter hoof of clearance between his head and the roof. He collapsed like a piece of timber.

"Alright, that one was my fault," he groaned.

"Oh you poor thing!" said a timid little voice. A butter-yellow pegasus with a long pink mane rushed up to his side. Isaac groaned one more time and looked at the pegasus.

"Would you look at that, an angel," he said. Fluttershy blushed and hid her face behind her mane.

"Oh, I-I'm not an angel," she said. "I'm just Fluttershy."

"Isaac," he said, holding up his fist, "at your service."

Fluttershy tapped the fist politely. "Here, let me look at that," she said, pointing at his head, "um, if-if that's okay."

"Nah, it's alright," he said. "It'll take a lot more than that to crack this thick skull. See." He rapped his knuckles against his head to demonstrate.

"Okay, well, at least let me help you up," she said.

"Thank you," he said as she put a hoof on his back and lifted him into a sitting position. When he was upright he paused looking at the crowd. Twilight looked around and saw every expression one could imagine when somepony saw an alien. Some were afraid and actually backing up, but there were a surprising number of ponies who looked at him in awe. One mint green unicorn was gaping at him. Suddenly, from the crowd a pink flash darted out to the human stopping inches in front of his face.

"Helloareyouokayyoudidn'thurtyourheaddidyouIhopethatdoesn'truinthepartyImadeforyouohwheremyaremanners I'mPinkiePie!"

Isaac starred at her for a moment. "Okay just to clarify. You said, 'Hello, are you okay? You didn't hurt your head, did you? I hope that doesn't ruin the party I made for you. Oh, where are my manners, I'm Pinkie Pie.'" Pinkie Pie nodded.

He caught all of that?

"Okay just checking," he said. "I'm fine. My head's okay. This party's for me? And, my name is Isaac, but my friends call me Ike, at your service."

"Of course, the party's for you," Pinkie Pie said like it was obvious. "You're the newest new po-, um?"

"Human," he said.

"-human in Ponyville, and I always throw a party for every new pony in Ponyville, and since I've never seen a human before you must be new, so I threw this party together and invited everypony I could because I thought, since there was nothing like you, you must be lonely, and I don't like it when ponies, or humans, are lonely. You see?"

Isaac blink once then again, "Yeah... uh, makes perfect sense."

"Well, then get off your tushie and let's party!" she said. She ran off to the back of the crowd leaving a confused Isaac sitting on the floor. He shook his head and stood up. The crowd, who had been murmuring about the party's guest of honor, fell silent as they noticed his impressive height.

Isaac looked at the crowd before smiling, "Hi, every, um, pony." He found were Twilight and the her friends had positioned themselves and sidled off towards them. Everypony started murmuring again. He found a stool next to them and fell onto it.

"Boy, and I thought my ADD was bad," he said.

"Yeah, that's Pinkie Pie for you," Rainbow Dash said.

"Wait a minute?" he said "That's Pinkie, as in Pinkie Promise Pinkie?"

"Yes?" Twilight said.

Isaac sighed and set his face into his hand, and mumbled something about being, "demoted back to Child Logic."

"So Ike," Dash said, "you said you were hungry right?" Dash held out a cupcake. "Here, take a bite of one of these. The Cakes make the best cupcakes you'll ever eat."

"Thanks, Dash," he said.

"Don't mention it," she said. Dash slid over to Twilight who heard a suppressed giggling. Twilight looked at Dash who was on the verge of hysterical tears.

"What's so funny," Twilight asked. Dash slid something from behind her back.

"Do you remember your welcome party, Twi?" Twilight looked at what her friend held in her hoof and paled. It was a rather familiar bottle of hot sauce.

Oh no!

She turned only to see Isaac take a huge bite out of the cupcake. Rainbow Dash hovered beside her waiting for it to take effect.

"Mm, you're right," he said, "this is go-" He paused. "Hm, is hot in here, or is it just me?" His cheeks were turning red and sweat was rolling down the side of his face.

"I think it's just you," Dash said. He coughed and pulled on his shirt collar.

"Oh really?" he said a tear falling from his face. "That's odd. I must be coming down with something." Rainbow Dash couldn't contain herself any longer and burst out laughing.

"Twilight could you tell Pinkie Pie we're leaving for the-" said Mr. Cake as he and his wife trotted up beside them. He stopped when he noticed the laughing pegasus and poisoned human. He eyed the human warily for moment before his face went flat when he realized what was going on. He looked to Twilight, "Hot sauce on the cupcake?"

Twilight, who was too terrified to look away from the human, nodded dumbly.

Mr. Cake nodded, "Hon, can I have the baby bag?" Mrs. Cake gave her husband the bag. He rifled through it for a second before pulling out a bottle of milk. He pulled off the top and held it out to the human. "Here, son, drink this."

"Divines bless you," Isaac squeaked as he took bottle and chugged its contents. Mrs. Cake took the baby bag before looking inside confused.

"Dear," she said, "you did give him the one with the formula, right?"

"Of course, hon, otherwise it would be the-" Mr. Cake's eyes widened, and he looked inside the bag. "Oops."

If Isaac heard this he apparently didn't care. It was too late anyway as the milk was already gone. "Sweet merciful relief!" he said. He looked at the empty bottle and held it out. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," said an embarrassed Mr. Cake. "You must be the new 'thing' Pinkie threw this party for. I hope that wasn't too off putting."

"Hey," Dash said, "no pony's a part of Ponyville until they've been pranked by me." Mister Cake rolled his eyes.

"No harm done," Isaac said. "It was good until I got to the liquid fire."

"Ha!" Dash laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face."

The human's grin turned devilish. "Dash, I hope you know what one deals out they shall receive in triple."

"Ha! You're on," she said. Mr. Cake shook his head and looked back at Twilight.

"Miss Sparkle, would you be nice enough to tell Pinkie Pie we're leaving," he said.

"S-sure," she said still glancing at the human.

Maybe I should relax. If that didn't set him off I can't imagine what could.

"W-where are you going?" she said trying to calm herself.

"Manehattan," Mrs. Cake said. "We've got relatives there that are dying to meet the children, and since the Summer Sun Celebration is being held there this year we thought we'd make an event out of it."

"Where are the twins?"

"Right here." Miss pulled the baby carriage over with her tail. Inside the two Cake twins were somehow sleeping over the noise of the party. Isaac stopped his verbal sparring with Dash long enough to peek inside.

"HNRK!" he said grabbing his chest.

"Are you okay, dear?" Mrs. Cake said.

"I'm fine," he said his voice strained. "It's just I was wrong. I was so very wrong. There is something worthy."

She stared at him for a moment. "Okay," she said and looked to Twilight. "You'll tell her?"

"Of course, Mrs. Cake," Twilight said. "I hope you enjoy your trip." They said their goodbyes and walked out the bakery.

"I've seen a lot, but those were the cutest things ever. No contest at all," Isaac said.

Twilight's ear twitched. It occurred to her that while she had asked about the human's world she knew next to nothing about him. Twilight opened her mouth to say something when an mint green mare appeared between them. She looked at the human like he was a mountain of gold, and the size of her smile seemed physically impossible.

Of course she picks now to show up.

"Um, hi?" he said. The unicorn squeed in delight and started looking him over.

"Stereoscopic binocular vision, bipedal locomotion," she lifted up his lips revealing his teeth, "omnivorous oral arrangement," she placed her hooves on each side of his head, "and a massive cranium to body mass ratio! Oh you're fascinating!" she said clapping her hooves together. Isaac eyed her for a moment, and she blushed as she realized her forwardness.

She backed away and coughed into her hoof, "I'm sorry that was rude of me, Lyra Heartstrings." She held out a hoof. Isaac smiled and bumped it.

"Isaac, but my friends call me Ike, at your service."

"Forgive my rashness. It's just when I saw you I kind of flipped out. I'm an amateur hippologist, and you're the historical find of a lifetime," she said.

"Hippologist?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, the human equivalent would be an anthropologist."

"Anthropologist?" Lyra said raising a hoof to her chin. "The study of-" Lyra's eyes shot open and she burst out laughing. "I think that means something completely different in Equestria, and now I that I think of it I know exactly what to call my sister. She certainly chases enough stallions."

"I don't get it," Dash said.

"Anthropology translates directly into study of man," Twilight said.

Dash thought about it for a second and shook her head. "Egghead jokes."

"I have to introduce you to Bon Bon," she said taking his hand. "Here come this way."

"I don't kn- whoa!" he said as he was pulled off the stool.

"Wait," Twilight said, "I need to-" It was too late. Lyra had already yanked him across the bakery.

Darn, I still need to watch him.

"Darling, let him go," Rarity said. "It's his party he should have some fun and mingle with everypony."

"How can you be so calm?" Twilight asked. "He's an alien that we know nothing about. He could still be dangerous."

"Dangerous!" Rarity said. "Twilight, I assure you that if I knew a stallion half as genteel as Mister Ike I would not be single." She looked over the at the human. He was sitting in corner talking with Bon Bon and Lyra. Lyra was miming a plucking motion and pointing to her cutie mark. Isaac nodded to her and made a strumming motion with his hand.

"To tell truth," Rarity said, "I wonder if he wouldn't mind settling down. I might not have to find a stallion."

"Rarity!" Twilight said.

"Is there a problem, Twilight?" Rarity said with a mischievous smile.

"Two that I can see," Twilight said. "One, you've barely known him for an hour, and two, he's not a pony."

I wonder exactly how many of those science fiction stories she has are romances.

Rarity laughed, "I thought you, of all ponies, would be open-minded about these things. Besides, I'm just thinking out loud anyway. It would be scandalous wouldn't it? I could say that I had to look to another world to find a stallion of good character. Oh, stop looking at me like that, Twilight, I'm only teasing."

"Ah'm with Twilight on this one, sugarcube," Applejack said. "He might be polite, but don't ya think he might be too polite."

"Too polite?" Rarity said. They all look back at the human. He had gotten a deck of cards from somewhere and was doing sleight-of-hoof (or hand in his case) tricks. Pinkie Pie had joined the crowd of fillies, colts, and Lyra, and they were all watching intently. Apparently, his long, nimble fingers were perfect for the tricks. He pulled an ace of diamonds from behind Pinkie Pie's ear, and there was a rumble of applause.

"Too polite?" Rarity said again. "Darling, I've never heard something so ridiculous."

"Well, something's still givin' me a weird feelin'," Applejack said. "Ah know it's silly, but ah just can't shake it."

"What about you, Rainbow?" Rarity said.

"What about me?" Dash said.

"What do you think of our guest?"

Dash shrugged, "I don't know. He's cool I guess. I don't think he's going to hurt anypony. I mean, it was squirt and the girls that found him this morning, and he didn't try to do anything to them. He was alone with them for almost an hour."

"See a gentlecolt, and he's good with foals," Rarity said. "I really don't know what's got you girls so worried."

"S-sorry, but w-why are we worried?" The girls turned and found Fluttershy standing next to Dash.

"Twilight and Applejack are afraid of Ike," Dash said.

"Oh, why? He seems so nice," Fluttershy said.

"If that isn't evidence I don't know what is?" Rarity said. "Our sweet, innocent Fluttershy isn't even afraid of him."

"Now wait just apple-bucking minute, Ah never said Ah was afraid of him. Ah said, he gave me a weird feeling. Ah just don't know why." The girls looked at him again. He was laying on his back and holding a colt, Pipsqueak by the look of it, in the air. The colt laughed, and Isaac's deep laugh could be heard along with it.

Applejack's eyes widened, and she stomped on the ground. "That's it!"

"Heavens, darling, don't scare us like that," Rarity said. "What is it?"

"Ah'm not the Element of Honesty for nothin'," Applejack said, "and Ah know for a fact that was the first truthful smile I've seen from him all day."

"What?" Rarity said looking at the human again. "Applejack, I believe you're over reacting. He's been smiling since I met him."

"Yeah, but it's been a put on," Applejack said. She eyed the human before frowning sympathetically. "Ah wonder what could've happened to a him to get him that way."

"What do you mean, Applejack?" Twilight said.

"Somepony can never be that way and later laugh like that and be cruel," Applejack said. "Something makes them that way." She shook her head. "He's hiding something, but I think it's best to let it go."

"Applejack, if what he's hiding is dangerous-" Twilight said.

"Twi, trust me on this," Applejack said. "He ain't dangerous to no pony but himself." She looked at him again, and her eyes saddened. "Ah can't tell ya what to think about him, but Ah think he needs friends more than anything right now."

They watched him lifted the colt into the air again, and Applejack chuckled. "He looks good with a smile."

Twilight thought over what Applejack said.

Could he really be faking that smile so well?

The party continued for a while after that. Twilight kept an eye on the human the whole time. She tried to look for what Applejack had seen, but every smile looked as genuine as the last on his face. The only reason Twilight didn't let it go was because this was Applejack's element. She would never question her friend's judgment in that area.

The party continued on, and it was around eight o'clock when she felt a thud next to her and heard a heavy sigh.

"Some people I've met would say this party was a little kiddy, but I never was one for growing up," Isaac said. Twilight looked at the human. He had slumped onto a stool and reclined against the bakery's counter. Sweat trickled down his forehead from where the foals had been using him as a jungle gym, and he'd taken off his glasses and hung them from the neck of his shirt.

"The kids are about to leave," he said. "It's a shame. There's this thing I like to do at parties at home, but I'd need an electric guitar."

"You mean like this?" Pinkie Pie said. She had popped up from behind the counter and pulled out a red electric guitar. Isaac's eyes widened in surprise and looked at the instrument with astonishment.

"Yes!" he said reaching for it. He stopped and looked at Pinkie Pie. "M-may I?" he said.

"Absofruitolutely!" Pinkie Pie said. "The sound equipment's over there."

"Pinkie Pie, you are awesome!" he said, taking the guitar. "Girls!"

The crusaders walked up to the counter. "Yeah, Ike?"

"You want to help me with something cool?" he said.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo said.

"Good, I'll set this up and tell you what to do." He got up and walked over the sound equipment. He was whispering instructions in each of the girls' ears.

"Pinkie Pie, where did you get that guitar?" she said.

"Vinyl, lent it to me," she said. "I got this feeling we were going to need it. Oh that reminds me, my Pinkie Sense is working again."

"What," Twilight said, "When?"

"About a minute after I left the library," she said.

Twilight stared at her friend incredulously. "Really just like that?"

"Just like that!" she said. "Well, specifically right after I went through Ikey's legs. My first feeling told me I needed to ask him what kind of cake he liked which is weird because usually it tells me directly."

"Wait," Twilight said, "your Pinkie Sense came back after you touched Isaac?"

"I suppose," Pinkie said and then gasped. "Do you think he has magic healing powers?"

"What?" Twilight said. "No, it's probably just a coincidence."

Suddenly, there was a loud "Bong!"

"Whoa, is this thing on?" said Isaac's amplified voice. "Alright, can everypony hear me?" There was a smattering of affirmatives from the crowd. "Good, first I'd like to thank everyone for a great party. I haven't felt this welcome in... um, ever, so give yourselves a round of applause for that." Isaac paused as the crowd stomped on the floor. "Second, another round of applause for Miss Pie for organizing this mess." He paused again and again the crowd applauded.

"Okay, It's been a wonderful night, and I realize the little ones have to go home soon, so I figured before that I'd treat you to something I would do every chance I got at every party I attended at home. If I could direct your attention to my three lovely assistants. There's going to be some crowd participation with this, so follow their lead everypony. It's simple all I need you to do is this." He stomped the ground twice and then clapped. "Assistants, if you please."

The fillies stomped the ground twice and clapped their hooves together.

STOMP! STOMP! CLAP!

"Can everypony do that for me?" he said. A couple of over enthusiast colts started at that, and he waved them down. "Everyone has to do it together okay? Alright on the count of three! One, Two, Three!"

Sugarcube Corner shook as everypony followed the lead of the three girls and the human on stage.

STOMP! STOMP! CLAP!

The human smiled wide as everypony fell into sync and created a perfect beat. After a few beats, he lifted the microphone and started to the sing. It wasn't much of a song, Twilight thought. It was more like a chant. He finished a verse, and the three fillies chanted in sync.

"WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU!"

A few a ponies looked confused until Isaac quickly said, "Come on everypony, you've gotta sing with them."

When the girls chanted again they were joined by half the crowd.

"That's it!" Isaac shouted and jumped into the second verse. When the girls chanted again it was with the whole crowd. Isaac sang the third verse and signaled for everypony to keep chanting. Somewhere in the mix Twilight had found herself chanting with everypony.

Isaac picked up the guitar and struck one of the strings. A long note rang out that gradually gained volume. It built to a crescendo, and Isaac suddenly began to rapidly pluck at the strings. Everypony stopped chanting, but they kept stomping in time. Twilight had never heard a guitar be played quite like this, but she could tell Isaac knew what he was doing. He finished the song, and everypony went wild. So wild that it took many of them a moment to realize he had started another song.

There was not an audience with him this time, and he carried the whole song by himself. It was a more traditional song as far as Twilight could tell, and she was soon swaying to the rhythm.

"This is awesome!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she swayed to the music.

The song faded into the quiet, and everypony went nuts. Instead of starting a new song, Isaac bowed to the audience and waved for the crusaders to join him. They ran up to him and joined in a final bow to the crowd. As he did, Twilight thought she saw something for second. He smiled wide, and his eyes seemed to smile with him.

It is different.

It didn't look any realer than his other smiles, but it definitely looked brighter and more alive. He got off the stage, and when he got back to Twilight his normal gentle smile was back on his face.

"The only thing I regret is I could only play the rhythm section," he said.

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Dash said as he settle back on his stool.

"The three T's," he said waving to a group of foals that were leaving the bakery, "teachers, time, and talent." He stopped waving, and a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Mostly my mom and dad."

Twilight's ears perked up. This was the first time he had mentioned anything about himself.

"My parents were teachers, but of an interesting sort," he continued, "Dad was a music professor. He taught me to sing and how to play the guitar and piano. My mom was an acting coach. She taught me how to perform." His smile brightened.

"They both loved performing, and I grew up with it. Music and acting were my life until I started traveling."

"Why'd ya decide to start traveling?" Applejack said.

"Who wouldn't want to see new places?" he said without really answering the question. He tilted his head back into a deep yawn. "Oi," he groaned, "I'm going to see if I can barter for a hotel room."

"I've got a spare room," Twilight heard herself say.

What did I just do?

"Really?" he said. "Thanks, Twilight, but I wouldn't want to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble," she said again. "Besides, the library is the only place big enough for you to move around in comfortably."

"Okay," he said, "The room's not too close to yours, right? I've been told I snore."

"That shouldn't be a problem," she said. It was for the best, she figured. Her house was technically a public building, therefore it had security spells that would trap somepony who intended to harm to anyone else. She had written some of the logic for those spells herself, so she was confident that her home was the best place for him.

"Alright then," he yawned.

"Hey, Ike?" Twilight looked down and saw Scootaloo on the ground. "You'll come and watch tomorrow, right?"

"Sure, Scoots, by the lake?" he said.

She nodded, "Great, I'll see you then." She trotted off, "Goodnight, Ike."

"Goodnight," he said. Rainbow Dash hovered up to the stool next to him.

"What did she want you to do?" Dash asked.

"She wants me to watch the two of you train tomorrow," he said.

Dash smiled, "Alright, but you're going to need more than those sunglasses to keep me from blinding you from my awesomeness." Dash got up and started flying towards the door.

"We'll see," he laughed. "Leaving?"

"Yeah," she said, "gotta get up early and make sure I'm there in case the girls find another alien by the lake."

Isaac laughed, "See ya, Dash." She waved and flew out the door. Isaac stretched his hands above his head and sighed. "I think I'll follow suit," he leaned over to Twilight, "unless you wanted to stay longer."

Twilight shook her head. "No we can go now." They stood and walked toward the door, Isaac waved a goodbye to Pinkie Pie as they did. Rarity caught them at the door and told him to see her tomorrow at her boutique. He agreed, and he and Twilight walked out into the night.

I didn't realize the party had lasted this long.

The moon was already up and only a few ponies were on the street. Some stopped and stared at the alien trailing Twilight, but she was surprised to see a few wave to him. He had certainly made an impression at the party.

"Twilight, I would like to thank you," he said.

Twilight tilted her head. "Why?"

"I wasn't kidding about the 'feeling welcome thing' I said at the party. Usually, I'm a stranger or something strange. I usually have to hide or worry someone's going to try something. It's been a while since I've felt this... at home." He looked down at her. "Thank you," he said.

"It's the right thing to do," Twilight said as they reached the library door.

"Hm," Isaac said bending under the door frame, "you'd be surprised how few people are willing to do the right thing."

Twilight thought about that for a moment before leading him up the stairs. It seemed like a sad statement, but when she looked at his face she saw the same smile it always had.

Could somepony really fake that?

"We need to be quiet," Twilight whispered as she went up the stairs. "I sent Spike home early, and he's probably asleep." The human nodded. They got to the top, and Twilight saw the purple dragon snoozing in his basket. She quietly trotted up to him and ran a hoof lovingly through his spines. Isaac watched from the top of the stairs.

"How does a unicorn get a dragon as a little brother?" he whispered.

"It's a long story," she said turning from the basket. "I'll tell you tomorrow." Her horn lit up and she opened a door. "Here's your room."

The tall human entered the guest room with Twilight following close behind. It was a small room adjacent to her bedroom. There was a set of drawers, a small closet, and a desk. It also had a door to a balcony that seemed just large enough for the human to walk about comfortably. As he moved into the room it became obvious what wasn't large enough for the creature.

"Oh, I'm sorry Isaac," Twilight said. "We'll have to get you a bigger bed tomorrow." The human said nothing as he approached the bed that was easily a foot too short for him. He turned Twilight with a serious look on his face, and for a moment she thought he was angry with her. That was until he smiled and flopped backwards onto the bed, it's springs creaking from the sudden weight.

"Twi, to me a bed's a bed," he said with a goofy smile on his face, "and this is perfect." He closed his eyes and relaxed so deeply that for a moment she thought the mattress was trying to eat him. He remained motionless for a few moments, and Twilight waited for him to say something else. When a few more moments passed and the only movement from the human was the rise and fall of his chest. Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

Did he fall asleep?

She trotted up to him, with a little more caution then was necessary, and tapped his leg. He surprised her when he shot upright into a sitting position. She "eeped" when he picked her up in a massive hug.

"Thank you so much!" he said.

She smiled nervously, a little shaken from the sudden pony-handling. "Oh, you're welcome, Isaac. It was the least I could do." He set her back down, and she righted herself on her hooves. She started to walk back to the door but slowed herself so it didn't appear like she was retreating. "Well, if there's anything else you need, please, don't hesitate to ask." She grabbed the doorknob and started to close the door.

"Twilight?" She stopped and looked back at the human.

"Yes?" she said.

"Can you please call me, Ike, all my friends do," he said, his wide smile attempting to be disarming, but his canines undid most of that. She couldn't help but think how odd it looked. Everything about his face was too small. His mouth, nose, and ears were tiny compared to a pony's, and they were all oddly shaped. His short, pointed nose seemed to be an afterthought glued to his face instead an actual structure. His ears baffled her even more. The small, round protrusions were almost covered by his mane, or "hair" as he called it, and they were stuck to the sides of his head. If his neck weren't so flexible, she knew he would never be able to pinpoint sounds with any accuracy. It also made it harder to read his emotions as they didn't lie flat or stand up when he was nervous or excited.

She then found it odd that she thought his eyes were large. They were nowhere near the size of a pony's, but they easily overshadowed every other feature on his face. The deep, green orbs didn't seem out of place, but they did draw you in. Especially now that they weren't covered by his glasses.

The only other feature on his face wasn't really as strange as it was unsettling. The two and half inch long scar that ran along his left cheek wasn't a clean line. It was a thin triangular shape for most of its length until it shrunk to a tattered line at the end. The skin looked like it had been ripped apart there instead of cut. She shivered at the visualization.

She supposed it was a good thing that his eyes drew away from it so well, or else it would be the first thing everypony saw. She looked away from the scar and back to those eyes, which were looking at her questioningly.

"Twi, are you okay?" he asked. It took Twilight a second to realize she had been staring. She caught herself and finally opened her mouth.

"Sorry," she said.

Isaac just chuckled, "Hey, don't apologize you're not the first girl to be rendered speechless by my good looks." Twilight's eyes widened in shock, and Isaac laughed again, louder. "I'm kidding, Twi, jeez. You really need to loosen up. Look, I understand that I am an oddity, and I can handle a few stares," he shrugged, "or a lot if necessary."

She nodded, "It was rude."

He shook his head, "Only if it was intended to be, and I find curiosity to be a fairly neutral intention." He stood and walked up to her before kneeling down to her level. "So, how about it?"

"How about what?" she asked.

"How about you call me Ike, and I call you my friend," he said holding out his fist. He still made her feel uncomfortable, but she realized that he wasn't doing anything to make her feel this way. He had been kind, open, and maybe a little goofy, but when Pinkie Pie was one of your best friends a little goofy wasn't something to get worked up about. The root of it was that book. A reason she quickly felt guilty about.

"It is impossible to tell the intentions of a human," the book had said.

"Twi, trust me on this, he ain't dangerous to no pony but himself," Applejack had said. "Ah can't tell ya what to think about him, but Ah think he needs friends more than anything right now."

I'm the Element of Magic, therefore the Element of Friendship. He's been reaching out for friends all day, and I've been to afraid to accept him because of a stupid book.

Twilight took a moment to realize she had just called a book stupid but brushed it to the side.

Well, not anymore. Applejack trusts him, and I trust her. There should be no question that I do as well.

She smiled and put her hoof against his knuckles.

"Deal," she said.

"Good," he said, standing. He towered over her, but this time she didn't feel as intimidated by his height.

He may be different, but that doesn't make him a monster.

"Get a good night's sleep... Ike," she said.

He laughed his deep laugh and walked to the bed. "Trust me, Twi, that will not be a problem."

"Goodnight," she said closing the door.

"Night, Sparkles," he echoed back.

Strange sure, but not a monster.

She turned from the door and walked across her room towards her own bed. She got halfway there when she saw the forms she had been filling out that morning flutter on her desk.

Great, now I will be late getting those books sent in by the Princess...

"The Princess!" Twilight gasped. "She'll definitely need a report about today." She looked to Spike only to see the little dragon fast asleep in his basket. She sighed and grabbed a quill with her magic. She felt like writing this one herself anyway.

She hadn't written a Friendship Report to Celestia in a while, and, even though the Princess had told her to take her time, she still felt a little behind. Ike had been nice enough to drop one right into her hooves. As she wrote, she realized that the Princess would probably want to meet him.

I'll have to get him prepared for that. I'll have him read up on etiquette, Rarity will need to make him a suit, and... is that music?

She stopped at writing as she heard a sound from behind her. A melody was coming from Ike's room. Curious, Twilight dropped the pen and trotted over to the door. The steady strumming of a guitar could be heard coming from the other side. She pushed open the door a crack and peered through.

She saw Ike sitting on the balcony railing with a guitar nestled in his lap. She didn't see him bring one in, but she had seen Pinkie Pie pull things seemingly out of nowhere, so she decided to let it go. His long, slender fingers danced over the strings, plucking each note as they moved. He had a far off look in his eyes, and his usual cheshire grin had shrunk to a ghost of a smile. She nearly walked into ask if he was alright when he started singing.

The song didn't rhyme she noticed, but the way he sang it made it not matter. It was slow and somber, and Ike's voice only added to the feeling. She was surprised that his deep voice could pull off such soft tones.

Twilight closed the door as gently as she could as the song ended. She didn't know what to think at the moment. She stayed at the door until she was sure he wasn't going to start again and returned to her desk. She stared at her nearly finished letter for a moment before picking up her pen once again.

She made one final line before rolling up the letter and sealing it. She levitated it up and over to the sleeping dragon, who was snoring in his basket. With the feather of her pen she tickled the dragon's nose. It looked silly, but she didn't want to wake him up just so he could send her mail.

"Ah... AH... AHCOO!" A cloud of green flame engulfed the letter, and a smoke trail flew from the dragon to out her window. Twilight watched it fly away and fade into the distance. She sighed and trotted over to her bed plopping down onto its sheets. She pulled the sheets over her and glanced at the door of her guest room wondering about the alien inside it.

Definitely not a monster.

It had been blessedly quiet all day, and Celestia thanked whatever deities there were for that. With all the commotion that morning the guards and staff had been on edge. The Day and Night Courts had both been called off and excuses as to why had been given. Celestia had not wanted anything keeping Luna and her from giving Equestria their full attention. For once she wished that she really was as omnipotent as some believed she was.

There hadn't been a single disturbance all day. It had been a quiet, normal day for all of Equestria. Baltimare's ships sailed as usual, Manehattan buzzed with its usual hectic congestion, ponies pressed their luck in Las Pegasus and most, as usual, lost, and the ponies of Ponyville went on with their simple lives as usual. It was all usual, usual, usual.

So why do I feel so worried?

Celestia had been tense all day and Luna had been tense because she was. She kept up her royal mask as best she could, but she knew it had slipped a few times during the day. Her anxiety had caused her be short with some of her staff over something petty. It was only once and no pony had noticed, but she still chided herself for it. This whole scenario was driving her mad.

I wasn't this worried when Chrysalis threatened the city. How could a silly fall unsettle me so badly?

She knew she was lying to herself. That feeling of nothingness had been much more than a fall. It had ripped all sensation from her and left her powerless. It had been several millennia since she had felt that exposed. Actually, she began to wonder if she had ever felt that vulnerable in her life. No memory came to her that said she had.

Celestia shook her head trying to clear it of these distressing thoughts. She sat in her quarters still dressed in all of her regalia, even though she had set the sun four hours ago. She was determined to be ready should anything threaten her kingdom and her little ponies.

I wish it would show itself!

She gritted her teeth and bit her tongue to keep her from screaming in frustration.

"I need something to take my mind off of things," she said. Suddenly, a something entered her quarters. She bristled and began to draw in her power only to stop when she saw a red-banded scroll materialized out of a cloud of green smoke. She recognized the personalized seal that bound it. She took a deep breath and sighed happily.

"Bless you, Twilight," she said as she levitated the letter up. She always looked forward to these letters. They were always a gift that she cherished receiving, and with each one her confidence in her pupil rose.

It won't be long until she's ready.

A legitimate smile spread across her features for the first time that day as she unfurled the letter and began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia,

"I really wish she of all ponies would just call me, Celestia," she said, shaking her head. "Maybe when she's my equal." She returned to the letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am happy to report that my friends and I made a new friend today. I can't believe I'm writing this, but he's a human from another world.

Every single drop of blood in Celestia's body froze in an instant.

A human! One hasn't been seen in centuries! No calm yourself it could still be a coincidence. Besides a human couldn't cause what happened this morning.

She was beginning to make a bad habit of lying to herself.

I remembered that legends about humans said they were equally capable of great kindness and cruelty. I'm sorry to say that this made me afraid of him. I judged him based on what I had read and not on who he was. He was nothing but kind to me and my friends, and I only treated him with suspicion. Well, today I learned that even books can't give you the full picture of a person, and I should let their actions speak for themselves. I realize that you have the Summer Sun Festival coming up in Manehattan in the next few days, so I will wait a week before taking him to meet you in Canterlot. I have to make sure he's ready anyway, and a week should be plenty of time. I can't wait to introduce you to him.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. His name is Ike, and, even though he hides it, I think he's lonely.

"Do you think it is a coincidence?" Luna said as she finished reading the letter.

"It's possible, but the chances are slim," Celestia said.

"You said these humans came while I was... away," Luna said. "Are they powerful?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. Clever, yes, dangerous, no more than an angry pony, and they can't perform magic. They don't have the power to cause what happened this morning."

"He could still be related," Luna said. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Twilight's going to bring him here in a week," Celestia said. "I say we let her, but we should keep him under surveillance just in case."

Luna nodded, "Sister, on the off chance he is the cause of all this, what can we do?"

"Honestly," Celestia said, "I don't know. If he wanted us dead, I believe he could have done it by now."

"A show of power then?"

"Maybe. We won't know until we meet him," Celestia said.

Luna shivered, "I pray it isn't him."

Celestia nodded, but she didn't fully agree with her sister. What incapacitated them this morning was more powerful than anything she had ever felt. If this alleged human turned out to not be the cause of it, then it left a nagging question in the back of Celestia's mind.

What did?

END OF ARC 1

Author's Note

Just so it's clear, this story begins between episode 12 and 13 of season 3.

The first thing I would like to say is THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I can't tell you guys how happy I was to see everyone's thoughts on this story. I've enjoyed reading the praise and criticisms alike. It's amazing how supportive people have been, and I hope I can continue to please you guys. Lastly, I'd like to thank GoldenArbiter for his advice, thanks bud.

Some fun little prizes, I'm not much of an artist, but if you check my blog I'll have Ike's portrait posted.

Until next chapter, I hope to post for you again soon.

-Al

P.S. I've been told I need an editor. Anyone like a shot?

2.1

Everything I can do I had to learn. I've had plenty of time and no excuses to learn a lot.

2.1

I was floating. As I laid on the water's surface, I stared at the darkening sky above. The stars came out early here, but that was to be expected when the sky contained four times as many of them and none of the light pollution like back home.

Home...

It fluttered through my mind for a moment, but faded away nearly as quickly. I could remember home perfectly, but I remember everything perfectly, so it didn't count for much. I hardly ever think about it, though. I really have no reason to think about it, or any want to, sad as that may seem. Home was now just one of those thoughts that intruded on me for a moment then had the decency to leave me alone for a while. Home was where I happened to be at the time... where we happened to be at the time.

A rocky barrier kept the waves at bay from this little alcove that I was beginning to grow quite fond of. The water was warm, barely moved, and crystal clear. Birds, or this island's equivalent, sang and chirped in the woods near the shore, and the distant sounds of waves could be heard. The smell of sea salt and the still lingering odor of a barbecue filled the air. Paradise for most people, but not quite close enough for me. I felt a hand lace its fingers around mine. I gripped the hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Now it's paradise.

A tear slid down the side of my face and into the water.

"Why are you crying?" asked a voice so sweet it weakened me to hear it.

"Because I have to wake up."

I turned my head to the other person and saw the empty side of a bed. I didn't move. I stared at the empty place beside me. A part of me wondered if I stared long enough that I might actually see something. A strand of silver hair, a smile, the deepness of her blue eyes, anything. As usual, I saw nothing.

I sighed and sat up in my too small bed, rubbing my forehead to get rid of the pounding I was feeling.

Serves me right for trying to get an actual night's sleep.

As I tried to relieve my headache, I felt buried memories pick at the back of my mind. I screwed my eyes shut, and at some point I began to whisper.

"Yesterday, upon the stair,

I met a man who wasn’t there

He wasn’t there again today

I wish, I wish he’d go away…”

I repeated the mantra three times. Each time my headache and memories would fade away more and more, and a cold emptiness began to take their place. After a few more minutes of rubbing, I dropped my hands and stared at the wall.

My eyes had adjusted to the light, so I looked around the room. It was small, like every place I had seen today, and if I were to take too high a step my head would become part of the ceiling. Sometimes being my height can be a pain, but I've learned to live with it.

I turned to the balcony door and saw that it was still dark outside. The moon shone through, bathing the street outside and floor inside in a pale light, while a few dim streetlamps glowed in the distance. A glance to the alarm clock, which was the only thing that adorned the desk, showed that it was barely past three. I fell back onto the bed and looked at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come to me as I expected it wouldn't.

I lay there for a while. In that time, my headache had left me completely. However, I was beginning to feel another sensation take its place. I felt it travel up my arm like a snake. It was a sharp, burning sensation the felt like scalding water was being poured against my arm. I tried to ignore it, foolishly thinking it would subside. I knew what was causing it and how to fix it, but I still thought I could salvage this night's rest. Unfortunately, the pain overcame my laziness, so with a groan, I got out of bed, knowing I wasn't getting anymore sleep that night.

"Fine. Fine," I said, "I'll dump you." In all honesty, it was my fault. My data drive was twenty kilos overburdened, and I had fallen asleep when I knew it should have been dumped. With a mental command, a blue light flashed in my right hand, and a rod materialized in its grip. The burning sensation flared for a second, and I grimaced.

I took the rod in my hand and twisted its middle. The base of the rod split into three pieces forming a tripod. I set it down on the desk and pressed a button on its side.

"Lamp, twenty percent illumination."

An aperture at the top of the device opened, and fifty bead-like devices floated out of it. They clustered themselves into a sphere over the device's opening and began to glow. The light was focused toward the center of the sphere which made what light it emitted gentle on the eyes. It was just bright enough to illuminate the corner of the room and soft enough not to cause my headache to resurface.

I looked at my arm and frowned at it. From my palm to just below my shoulder my arm was inflamed and tender. I rolled my wrist and felt it pop. As it did, a spider web of blue lines flashed beneath the skin of my palm down to the center of my forearm. It illuminated two faint scars that normally couldn't be seen. They ran parallel to each other on the underside of my forearm. They were the only evidence of the device that had been grafted to my bones.

"It's a useful gadget. You'll be thankful you've got it."

I smirked, "Yeah, Artus, but I really wish you had told me not to fiddle with it." I leaned over my bed and placed my hand flat on the ground. There was a flash and bundle of equipment appeared on the floor of the room. The pain in my arm broke, and it felt like I had jumped into a pool on a hot day. I sighed in relief.

I looked at my arm and saw that it was already starting to return to its normal shade. I glanced at the pile of equipment on the floor. It was one hundred and fifty-four pounds of gear I could carry without having it weighing me down. Unfortunately, that was forty-four pounds more than the drive was originally built to store. I blame myself. I broke a few safeties on the device and increased its capacity. However, now it has a tendency to overheat unless it was periodically purged, and manifesting gear out of thin air in front a bunch of ponies would have led to some annoying questions.

I could reactivate the safeties, but that would mean dropping gear that I might need. In the end, I was too sentimental, too lazy, and too masochistic to do it. It wasn't that bothersome, anyway. It just meant I had to keep an eye on my stuff when it was out in the open.

I rubbed the last of my soreness from my arm and shifted in the bed when I felt something catch.

I fell asleep with everything strapped on again.

The scabbard's straps were digging into my shoulders, and my gun holster was making my leg fall asleep. Not wanting a blood clot to ruin my day, I unbuckled my holster's clasps and pulled it from my leg. I set it in my lap and pulled out the gun. The silver metal glimmered in the moonlight as I turned it in my hand.

The gun wasn't all that special, but at the same time, a thing of beauty. I was never much of a gun nut, but there was always something about revolvers that I liked. They were elegant, simplistic, and reliable, and an S&W 686 plus was a beautiful example of all three.

I thumbed the release and the cylinder fell from the frame. I pressed the ejector just enough for me to pull out one of the bullets. The caliber was .357, but the bullet itself was obviously not made of copper or lead. The bullet's cartridge was normal, but the projectile itself was made of a blue crystal. These crystal bullets were what made my revolver special.

Any combat specialist would tell you that a revolver is reliable, but in a firefight an automatic would be better because of capacity. They're right. When an automatic fires, it ejects the casing of the bullet, but a revolver keeps its cases in the cylinder. The neat thing about these crystals was that they grow back after twenty seconds. The revolver's basic functionality meant that I never had to reload.

In a firefight, twenty seconds can feel like an eternity, but it's a good compromise to make for near unlimited firepower.

I slid the bullet back into the cylinder and laid the gun on the desk. I unbuckled my scabbard and flinched when I felt a hitch in my shoulder.

I've been tackled, hogtied, squished by a door, and climbed on, and you pick now to act up? Unbelievable.

I groaned as I slid the scabbard off my back and tried to roll out my shoulder. I tapped a security case, one of the things from my drive, with my foot opening its lid. Inside was a laptop and a couple of compartments. I placed the case on my lap and powered on the computer. My shoulder continued to ache the entire time, and I opened one of the side panels in the case. It was small and contained only one item; an orange bottle which held three capsules. I eyed the bottle with the kind of look that reminded me it was option, but that I wasn't really considering using it.

I don't want to feel sluggish tomorrow.

I closed the panel after a moment and looked back to the computer screen. It had already tried and failed to find any kind of communications signal. I wasn't surprised. If it had, I would have sent out a virus that would have built me a profile and a history. I had learned that a man who didn't exist drew a surprising amount of attention, so the virus was built to fix that. Of course, it only worked when there was a digital presence, and I wasn't too different from the inhabitants to blend in. It appeared that neither were happening this time.

I had figured as much this morning, so I hadn't bothered trying to blend in. I looked at a rolled up traveler's cloak on the floor which had made me a ghost in public many times before and chuckled at how useless it was here.

"A good cloak and a determined walk can make you more invisible than any spell or device."

"Did you happen to account for three and a half foot tall ponies, Arty?" I whispered. I sighed, closing the case and putting it on the ground. I pushed the throbbing of my shoulder to the back of my mind. Standing from the bed, I walked out of the balcony door into the night outside.

I took in a deep breath, and the cool, late night air made me feel ten times lighter. I reached out, gripping the railing of the balcony like I would actually float away if I didn't. It was a childish thought, but I enjoyed the feeling of it regardless.

I closed my eyes and listened. I was pleased to find that this night had a perfect silence. There was noise, don't get me wrong, but it's the right amount and the perfect kind of noises. The hoot of an owl, the sound of rippling leaves in the breeze, the rhythmic sound of a million cicadas calling out, the white noise that is the sound of a living world.

I hate absolute silence. The sound of nothing drives me mad, mostly from my mind trying to fill in the blankness. Why it tries to do so with a piercing ring, I have no idea. Out in the open, be it a field, a forest, or a sleeping village, I never get that sound of silence. I could be in the middle of a desert and be the only living thing for miles, and I still wouldn't hear the ringing. Put me in a small room with nothing but the blood rushing through my ears to make noise, and I might go insane. It’s an odd paradox that I always found comfort in – for silence to be perfect, it needed to be flawed.

I breathed in once more and opened my eyes to the village in front of me. It looked normal from the balcony, like any village you'd find nestled in any European country. However, my perspective illusion was broken if I faced the house that was nearest the library. When I did the obvious size difference became apparent, and I was reminded of my intrusive existence.

As if that were the only thing.

A world of talking, magical ponies (and other species if some of the information I had gathered at the party was true) was a new one for me. It's still leagues away from the strangest places I've been, but it was new.

I like new. I really don't get enough new in this business.

However if I was completely honest, it wasn't that different from home, but it did have a few things going for it. It was colorful and vibrant, and any halfwit could feel the life radiating from it. The world had a spark to it that I found comforting, like the atmosphere was trying to embrace you. It was like home, but clearer and fresher.

A world so peaceful that they'd welcome a stranger like a long lost friend? I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

I felt the corner of my mouth tighten into a small smile as I looked up. Gazing at the sky, I noted familiar constellations. A similarity that only further proved how far I was from home. It was earth, just not mine. It's a funny thing really. I can go to so many places, yet most of them had the same sky.

My eyes wandered across the expanse until they settled on a bright, red speck. I watched it twinkle the sky fooling everyone into thinking it was still there when it had likely died centuries ago. This illusion of a star had always been my favorite since I was kid, likely because it was my favorite color. Although, I always thought it deserved a better name than Betelgeuse.

"Who's going to blink first tonight, old friend, you or me?" I said, staring up at the star. It continued to twinkle indifferently. "Eh, you're never any fun." I looked away from the star and back to the sleeping village. It was a beautiful place.

As far as first impressions go this place gets an A. I haven't felt this good about a world since...

I frowned as sensations drifted across my mind: the smell of the sea, the rumble of waves, and the sound of laughter, mine and another’s. "Has it really been that long?" I asked myself. I couldn't remember the last time I was in a position where I could just stop and take in everything, or do that and feel like I had a right to.

I stepped away from the balcony and headed back inside my room. I looked over the pile of equipment I had summoned on the floor. It was a collection of survival gear, a bundle of daggers, and few useful devices I had picked up here and there. Usually, I have to resort to one of those long before I get to use anything else. This world, however, had been different.

My old guitar leaned against the pile, the moonlight highlighting the wear on its surface. I sat on the bed and pulled the guitar onto my lap and turned it over. The back showed just as many signs of use, if not more, than the front. The only difference was a small embroidered plate that was no bigger than business card fastened to its center. The initials M.O.K. were inscribed on the plate in a graceful script, my dad's initials. I ran a finger along the plate, feeling the rumples on its decorated surface.

It had been good to play for a crowd, again. The look of wonder and awe upon the audience faces was more intoxicating than any kind of drug imaginable. When I played, I felt so blissfully lost and relaxed. It was a sense of freedom I would never get tired of.

Of course, what kind of person shuns freedom of any kind?

I took the guitar in my hand and with a thought saw it disappear in a flash. Leaning over I set my hand on the floor and returned the rest of my gear to the drive. Except for a slight tingle it didn't protest. I stretched on the foot of the bed, feeling my spine pop in a few places.

It does that way too often.

Something slid down the top of the bed and poked my back. I turned and saw the black scabbard of the sword resting against the side of my hip. I frowned at it and picked it up with much less reverence than I gave my guitar.

Most swordsmiths would give the scabbard the same look I did, but for completely different reasons. It was metallic, and no idiot put a sword in a metal scabbard unless they wanted a very blunt sword. The particular sword inside this scabbard, however, wouldn't care if it could, and it was the sword that was the subject of my disdain.

"I can still remember the ringing," I said. I felt a memory pick at my mind. I recognized it as a fairly benign one and let it seep through.

"Explain to me why I need to carry a sword in the first place?" I said as I brought the hammer down on the red hot brick of metal. A metallic ring filled the air. "You and I both know that a firearm in the hands of an amateur is better than any master swordsman." I banged on the metal one more time and wiped the some sweat from my brow. "Didn't I show you that scene from Indiana Jones?"

There was a low rumble of baritone laughter and a sagely voice spoke. "You and I aren't master swordsmen,” He said wryly, “and there are situations where a blade is more helpful than a bullet. Besides, in your hands, a sword is a better instrument to disarm someone with."

I grabbed a bottle of water and took a few deep gulps from it. "What? You saying I can't disarm someone with a gun? You've seen me shoot, Artus."

I could practically hear him shake his head. "Yes, and I find you have a proficiency for plucking holes in people. A sword doesn't have to break the skin to disarm someone, you know."

"Then why don't I just carry a club?"

There was a deep, drawn out sigh. "Because sometimes you do have to cut someone down. Now wait a moment before sticking it back in the forge." I felt a massive hand grip my arm and pull the glove from my hand. There was a moment of pain, and I pulled my hand back in surprise.

"Dammit, Arty!" There was a cut along my palm. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding freely.

"Sprinkle it on the metal before firing it again."

"What, my blood? Seriously, Artus, are you going to call in a couple of monks and have them start chanting while beating planks against their heads? I thought I was forging a sword, not performing a satanic ritual."

"Nothing so melodramatic," Artus said. "It's your sword. Therefore it must require a part of you."

I stared at the blood welling in my palm. "That's not supposed to be melodramatic?"

The sagely tone dropped from his voice. "Quit complaining and do it."

"Not complaining," I sighed, dribbling my blood on the metal. It sizzled and popped, filling the air with the smell of burning rust. "I just want to know the importance of it all."

"You and everyone else since the beginning of time," he laughed.

"Ha ha, O'Great Mystic Comedian," I said. "You know what I meant."

"Trust me, it'll make sense later."

"It better," I said, sticking the metal into the forge. "It's going to be hell working with my hand like this."

"So what are you going to name it?" he asked.

"I dunno," I shrugged. "Do I have to?"

"No, but a sword without a name is not a complete sword," he said.
I thought, turning the metal over. A few names came to mind, some original, some not so much. It wasn't like Artus was going to recognize any of them.

Let's see. A tool meant to bring about an abrupt end.

I smiled and pulled the metal from the forge. "Caesura," I said, striking it with the hammer. A metallic ring filled the air.

I let out a labored breath as the memory faded away. I clutched the sword tightly as my eyes wandered down it to the engraving near the pommel.

Wreaver, it read.

"You're not mine," I said. I made to toss the sword away, but thought better of it and propped it against the foot of the bed. I placed my elbows on my knees and let my face fall into my hands.

I wanted to feel tired. I wanted to be able to crawl back into the bed and go to sleep, but I knew once I was up that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't fair. For once I had a nice quiet place to stay, and I was going to end up wasting it.

I had gotten accustomed to sleeping my first few nights in a world on the streets, or at least in worlds where I couldn’t fake a bank account. Sometimes when I was just as alien as I was now I'd been hunted, hated and, worst of all, feared. I wasn't lying when I told Twilight most people aren't so welcoming.

"I wish I had been just as truthful the rest of the day," I mumbled.

How many lies had I told today?

I thought for a moment. "Four," I finally said. "Two blatant, one by omission, and the usual." That was three too many, but these ponies were in the awkward position of not deserving to be lied to and also not being capable of handling the truth. Most people qualified for the latter, but few did for the first.

They opened up for me. They were wary but decided to give me the benefit of the doubt. The cynic in me wanted to think that was naive, but the tired part of me felt relieved. No hiding, no awkward introductions. It was refreshing, calming... peaceful. My mind crept back to the salty, warm air of that island, and of the feelings I had felt at the time.

It has been a long time.

A thought began to take root in my mind. A crazy idea that became more and more attractive and less crazy as it grew.

What's the point of being on the job here. I can't put feelers out on any form of cyberspace, and a nonintegrated world's underground is notoriously unreliable. I'd be chasing rumors. Maybe I should just sit tight for a while?

Part of me couldn't believe I was contemplating a vacation, but the more I thought about it the more fruitless I realized doing anything else would be. In the last few worlds I went to did looking for trouble actually help me find it? Maybe twice, and it really didn't make any kind of difference anyway.

I shuffled on the bed and stood up. I needed to know more. I needed something that would tell me staying put wouldn’t be a bad idea. I needed information... I needed a library.

A smile crept across my face, and I picked up my lamp from the desk.
I pressed the button on its side. "Search lights. Stealth variant."

The floating bead-lights flared to life like a swarm of bees. Half of them returned to the rod and the other half collected themselves above my right shoulder. They formed a small concave surface and projected a soft beam of light like a flashlight. I cast my vision around and the beam of light stayed fixed in my center of view.

I clipped the rod to my belt loop and made my way to the door. I opened it and quietly stepped outside. As I shut the door, I heard a muffled snort from across the room. I swung around facing Twilight's room. My lights dimmed and spread out in order to not disturb the sleeping dragon I saw at the foot of her bed.

Spike lay nestled in his basket in much the same way as he did when Twilight and I got here. Only now his forked tongue was flopped out of his mouth as he snored. I relaxed slightly as I glanced toward Twilight.

She was resting peacefully on her side facing towards me. She had a dreamy smile on her face and one of her forelegs, which she had pulled up against her chest, gave a barely perceptible kick followed by the twitch of one of her ears. I bit my tongue to keep myself from vocalizing how adorable it was.

Seriously these ponies are so cute it hurts, but I swear it's a good kind of pain.

I turned away from the two of them and made my way to the main room down below. My light wandered upon the many spines of the books placed in their cramped shelves. The foyer had that smell that many loved about libraries: the dry, earthy smell of old paper and ink. This library also had the smell of an old log cabin - not surprising, given it was made out of a still living oak tree. This combination of old wood and books made the foyer really smell like a library.

I wandered across the bookshelves trailing a hand across the titles. I figured there had to be something that would enlighten me to the state of this world. You might think that the history section would be my first choice to peruse, and while it was definitely on my list I didn't think it would be ideal. History might give a broad sense of the world, but if I wanted a more to-date idea than what I really needed were the periodicals.

Yellow journalism, muckraking, and tabloids may abound, but they are modern. They show modern worries, trends, and ideals. They point me in a good direction, especially if I could find Equestria's version of National Geographic. That would be like hitting gold. Titles went by my finger one by one. I paused at one and pulled it from the shelf.

"Does My Cutie Mark Define Me: An Exploration of Magical Determinism by Over Thought. Yuck, philosophy. Okay that's going back." I slid the book into its spot, walked down the shelf, and pulled out another. I repeated this process several times and even took the time to leaf through a few before putting it back into place. I was looking through a legitimately interesting book on magical inscribing when a rogue thought passed through my mind.

Is this even English I'm reading?

It was one of those thoughts that came without warning and was gone again in a flash. This one caused me to pause for a moment and consider it.

In all honesty, I had no idea. Scootaloo had obviously not understood me the first time I had spoke that morning, but that could mean I was still adjusted to another language. In a world of talking ponies, the likelihood of the main language being anywhere close to English was astronomical, but stranger things had happened.

I hadn’t the slightest clue as to how my Awareness translated for me, except that it did. The odd part about it was that even my music seemed to fit. Words, meaning, all of it seemed to translate. I knew of nothing that could make that work, but somehow I managed. I put the book back onto the shelf and shook my head with an exasperated sigh.

Why do I make no sense?

Sometimes I wished that wasn't one of the more common thoughts on my mind.

As I rifled through the books, I sensed movement behind me. I turned and glanced around but saw nothing. I shrugged and faced the books.

"Who?" asked a voice above me.

I jolted and nearly fell backwards from the bookcase. I managed to steady myself and looked up to the top of the bookcase. An owl sat on top of it and eyed me curiously. Its eyes glowed in the dark room, reflecting my light back at me.

"Who?" he said again.

"Jeez, give me a heart attack, why don't ya?" I whispered. "What are you doing in here, bright eyes?

The owl took off and flew over my head, landing on a perch across the room. He tapped at it with his beak. Looking down at it, I saw that it was a ceramic branch with a plaque fastened to its base.

I tilted my head and read the plaque. "Owlowiscious?" I read, glancing up to the owl. He fluffed his feathers in pride.

Oh puntastic.

"Twilight didn't tell me she had a pet owl," I said. He gave me a look. It's hard to read an owl so I can't really say for certain what kind of look. "Although, I never really asked."

Owlowiscious tilted his head, "Who?"

I chuckled, "You're a bird of few words, aren't you?"

"Who?"

"Right," I said, "You wouldn't happen know where the more up-to-date information is kept would you?" Owlowiscious gave the bookcases a quick once over before flying over to a shelf a little farther down from where I had been last searching. I was only slightly surprised when he pulled a book from the shelf and flew back to me. I held out my hand as the bird casually handed the book to me.

I blinked at the book once, twice, and then three times. "Smart bird," I said.

"Who!" Owlowiscious hooted with pride.

"Let's see... The Equestrian Guide by Smooth Sailing.” I flipped the book over and saw a review that seemed very promising. "'Guaranteed to inform even those who have been living under a rock for a thousand years.' Yeah, I think that'll work." I looked back at the owl. "Got anymore?" He took off to the same shelf as before and tapped it with his beak. "Thanks."

I began to skim over the titles, and started pulling a few from the shelves. Most were traveler's guides, socio-geographical information, and the like, all immensely informative. However, when I reached the bottom of the shelf I found a book that seemed out of place. It was thicker, and the title had been handwritten (hoofwritten?) on its spine.

My Friends.

Curiosity driving me, I pulled the book from the shelf. Pulling it open, the first page contained a picture of Twilight and her friends.

It's a photo album.

I immediately knew that looking through this book would be an invasion of privacy, and that I had no business flipping through the rest of its pages. It would be best to just put it back on the shelf and leave it. Those thoughts in mind, I decided I would just give it a quick peek.

It was sitting there for all to see, so she wasn't really hiding it.

I sat down, my back against the bookcase and legs crossed beneath me. Being careful not to crease the picture I slid it out of the book's binding and held it out. The image was crisp and clear, and all of the colors were as vibrant and bright as the real thing. It was of better quality than I expected these ponies were capable of, but all societies develop at different rates. They might not have computers yet (or at least none that I had seen), but photography is just simple mechanics and chemistry.

I felt some indentations on the back of the photograph, so I turned it over. There in flowing, elegant penmanship was written, "My New Friends: (From left to right) Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Me, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack." I looked over the writing curiously. Each name was penned with delicate care and precision, like the writer was committing each stroke to memory, while keeping the final product as beautiful as possible.

I turned back to the smiling group photo of Twilight and her friends. I was going to have to come up with some way to thank these girls. Sure, there had been a few bumps along the way, but a few trivial, and kind of hilarious, misunderstandings weren't worth troubling myself about. I'd had much worse before.

I looked at Twilight in the center of the picture. Her smile was one of unbound joy, wide and bright. Her eyes seemed to dance along with it like two partners in a waltz. It was the best kind of smile, one that made everyone who saw it smile in return. I hoped I would see the real thing soon.

She had done well hiding her trepidation for me, but she let it slip a few times. She acted like someone placed in a cage with a lion that she wasn't sure had been trained. Her actions had been measured, and her words tempered, except for when her curiosity got the better of her. It wasn't until she bid me goodnight that she finally seemed to relax.

And yet she offered me a place to stay before she got over her fear of me?

I had to admit that was incredibly brave of her. Her gut instinct must have been amazing, or she was incredibly foolish. However, all of the girls had been rather trusting of me. Product of a quiet setting, I supposed. I looked each girl over. Rarity had offered to clothe me, Fluttershy tried to help, Pinkie Pie threw me a party after only glimpsing me, Applejack had indirectly fed me, and Rainbow Dash had...

My brow furrowed. Dash had made me pause. It had happened when she spoke. Nothing is familiar to my mind, it doesn't work that way. Not anymore. Everything is either recognizable or unknown, never simply familiar. Yet, I knew I had heard Dash's voice from somewhere which was impossible. The sensation was so unexpected that I had fumbled over my words for a second. It felt like being given a test that I hadn’t studied for the night before.

Of course, she wasn't the only one I sensed something from. I felt it when Pinkie Pie brushed my leg yesterday morning. Except for Scootaloo, I didn't have a single viewing from anyone else I had touched in Ponyville, and I only had one from Scoots because she was the first one I touched. The only time I felt something similar was when Pinkie touched me, but that feeling was something I recognized. I had canceled out my interference.

After what I've seen her do, it's not surprising she's a tuner. I hope I didn't off balance her too bad before I fixed it.

That still left a problem with Dash though, but I decided that after meeting as many people as I had it wasn't too surprising that voices would eventually start blending together. Still it was strange that such a unique voice would be the first that it would happen to. Strange, but not improbable I supposed.

Besides that, she had been the first to trust me or, at least, give me a chance. The crusaders might have trusted me first, but kids hand out trust easily to gentle people. Dash didn't strike me as the type to do that often. Truthfully, she may still not trust me, but she didn't run me off. Understandable dive bombing aside, that is. Truly, I had been lucky yesterday. Pleasantly lucky.

I placed the picture back into its setting and turned the page. I was surprised to find that the album's front page contained more than just a few more photos. The very first thing inside the book was a newspaper clipping. I felt an eyebrow rise up my brow, and as I read...

"Princess Saved, Nightmare Moon Defeated."

It's odd how one sentence can offer a whole new perspective to a situation, but it's even more amazing what another can do to your impressions of a person, because the next line was as amazingly unexpected as the last.

"Twilight Sparkle, personal pupil of Princess Celestia, and her friends are the mares that Equestria and the rest of Equus have to thank for ending Nightmare Moon's brief return to power."

The rest of the article read like something from a fantasy story. Apparently, Twilight and her friends were international heroes. They had stopped a power hungry tyrant from plunging the planet into an eternal night (something I was going to have figure out later because the globe in the corner showed this world was obviously round) and rescued the Princess and her sister in the process. I finished the article in a state somewhere between intrigued and surprised.

I turned my attention to the next page, half expecting something else just as fantastic, only to find pictures of Fluttershy's birthday party. The shift in tone was so abrupt it almost sent my mind spinning. Here we had a page that basically said that these girls saved the world from Lord Voldemort, and directly opposite that there's a picture of Fluttershy feeding a little white rabbit a piece of carrot cake.

I blinked a few times before turning the page. Again, I found a few more mundane photographs and the occasional note or drawing. Birthday parties, outings, school performances, all of these perfectly normal, but then I found more newspaper clippings. There was everything from dealing with a pest problem (two if I counted the dragon), to time travel, and even defeating then reforming the living embodiment of chaos.

Although, his idea of chaos seems to be, "What can I turn into candy?" Cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain? I glanced at a picture of Pinkie Pie with a chocolate mustache and pink fluff that wasn't hers stuck to her cheeks. Yeah, I figure that's something she would like.

I closed the book and let out a sigh so heavy that I would have been shocked to learn that it didn't tilt the planet onto its side. I set my face in my hands and rubbed my eyes. My headache hadn't returned, I was just surprised I didn't see this coming.

"Of course, they're important... they're always important," I said. A normal person wouldn't have let an alien walk around their home, but a group of heroes that had earned that title a few times over were a little bit more believable. It also made more sense as to why Twilight had offered her home to an unknown creature. Surely, a unicorn that had defeated a giant bear monster, a chaos spirit, an evil emperor, and a semi-possessed rival mage could handle a spindly, alien goofball with no magic.

Surely...

It would have been understandable if the book had disappointed me. This world was far more active than I had thought. I hadn't figured it was a utopia, and the book had proven that in countless ways. In all likelihood, it wasn't going to be the quiet stay I had expected. In that case, it would also be understandable to think the smile spreading across my face was out of place.

"This world is perfect," I said. It was a living world, and while the book had proven that it had its flaws it also proved that what flaws it had didn't hold these ponies back. For it was the rest of the book that showed its perfection. Despite the evils these six girls had faced, they still lived like everyone else. They had normal day-to-day routines, jobs, hobbies, and lives, and they had them regardless of what the world threw at them.

No, this world wasn't absolutely pure, but just as pure silence isn't perfect silence, neither is a perfect world a pure one. Some flaws are necessary for perfection - there would be no concept of purity without a little grime for contrast.

Also, it doesn't hurt that trouble seems to follow these girls like a magnet. It wouldn't make any sense to go anywhere else.

So that was it. I was going to lay low for awhile. It wasn't going to be the calm vacation like the one before. I felt my smile fade at the memory.

It’s probably better that way.

I placed Twilight's photo album back on the bookshelf and gathered up the small pile of books I had collected. Sitting them on the table across the room I set my lights back to a dim lamp setting and began to read.

I was midway through skimming the eighth book when I tried to brush something off the page only for it jump to the top of my hand. I paused and looked at my hand. An orange shard of sunlight rested atop it with little care that it had interrupted my reading. Turning to the window, I saw the early morning light peeking over the top of the mountains far to the east. Drawn to it like a moth to flame, I walked to the window and opened it.

The air that wafted in held the sweet scent of cut grass and morning dew and perhaps the tang of what I thought was baking bread that some early rising baker had started preparing. Despite it obviously being early summer, I could see light gleaming from the stubborn snow that capped the mountains towards the dawn. It made the jagged horizon look like a smoldering crack in the sky.

What light that made it to the village reflected off the dew soaked grass like it would crystal figurines. The little droplets of water created thousands of rainbow colored points that twinkled quietly amongst themselves. In the sky, I noticed a few specks approach a group straggling clouds. They twirled around it, and the cloud vanished into nothing.

The morning was set to wake the sleeping village to a new day. Most would have called it paradise, however it wasn't quite close enough for me. My hand hung limply at my side, but I felt no fingers lace around mine. I had nothing to give a tender squeeze. There was no voice to ask me why I was crying.

Author's Note

Dear Lord Almighty, what year is it? Guys, I deserve to be chained to a pole and flogged for taking my sweet time on this. School's back in full swing, and hopefully, I've got a good routine going, so let's hope this doesn't happen again. Alright, first I'd like to thank everyone for their patience, criticisms, and praise. You are all wonderful. Second, I would like to thank my fantastic editors, Carshig Hempstead and totallynotaunicorn. Take a bow, gentlemen.

This is merely the beginning, and I hope to continue on soon.

2.2

There is always something added, never taken away, and I am ignorant of it for as long as I allow it.

2.2

Twilight gently raised her muzzle, as a cool breeze drifted through the misty air. The sun gradually rose in the east; the distant rumble of Canterlot Falls droning in the background of the plaza. She rested her forelegs against the railing that separated the ground from the sheer drop off the side of the mountain. From here, anypony could see the falls as they tumbled down the craggy mountainside to the rocks below. She watched as millions of gallons of water poured over the edge, forming false rainbows in the clouds they produced.

This was her favorite part of the city, besides the castle library of course. It was the perfect place to simply relax and enjoy the view Equestria had to offer. Twilight watched as the waterfall flowed from the channel that cut through the heart of the city. Somewhere along the way, it turned the turbines that gave Canterlot its power, and without its enchanted riverbed the water would have eroded the city off the mountain long ago. Her heart swelled with pride at the genius of it.

A beautiful balance of nature and pony ingenuity.

Looking the other way, she could see to the mountains far to the south. In between, there was an immense mosaic of green. The grasslands and forests seemed to blend together like a massive puzzle, and the southwestern border was made of a thick, deep green, almost black line that was the edge of the Everfree Forest. Even from the top of Canterlot Mountain, she could sense the wildness of the forest, and how it seemed to be a dark mirror of the land around it. On the line that separated the two she could see a small patchwork of shapes that contrasted with foliage.

It looks so small from here.

Her home. It seemed funny, how after three short years she could call it that so easily. The town was barely distinguishable from the landscape around it. Ponyville was but a small, speckled patch among a sea of green. However, if she looked close enough, she could almost make out individual buildings. The tall spire of Town Hall, a big cupcake that could only be Sugarcube Corner, even the wide canopy of her library - all parts of her new home, visible from her old one. She smiled contently.

I have to bring the girls here sometime.

She gently pushed off of the railing and trotted to her bench. On it sat a paper bag which she unfolded and, out from, levitated one of Donut Joe's famous donuts. She settled onto the bench, and whilst drawing a book from her saddlebags, munched on the pastry. Flipping to the marked page, she was immersed into the words before her.

Next to the Royal Library, the Falls Plaza was the best place in Canterlot to enjoy a good book. The far off roar of the Falls was just loud enough to make it a less than ideal place for a conversation, but soft enough for it to not be overbearing - the perfect location for some quiet contemplation. Nearby, several other ponies were lost in their own books, another meditating in the morning light. It was the most peaceful place in the city, except for the distracting music.

Wait, music?

Twilight looked up from her book curiously. Looking around she couldn't find the source of the sound. It had started as a few lone beats, before being joined by the smooth sound of a horn. There had to be several musicians, and they had to be close by because the sound managed to cut right through the usually overpowering noise of the Falls. Glancing from side to side, she couldn't find the source anywhere, and from the look of everypony else, she was the only one who seemed to notice it.

The music grew louder, and she sprang up onto all fours on her bench. Her front hooves slipped in her sudden motion, and the entire plaza seem to blur and melt away as she fell forward. As the world fell apart, Twilight did the vertigo inducing act of opening her eyes, unaware that they weren't already open.

She jolted awake in her bed as the last remains of her dream faded away, and the ceiling of her bedroom came into focus. Her heart fluttered for a moment as she took a few deep, calming breaths before sitting up. She was about to roll back over and try to go back to sleep when her ears twitched. She could still hear the music.

"Spike, I thought I told you not to play with the record player without my permission?" she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He didn't answer. "Spike?" Twilight got out from under her covers and leaned over the foot of her bed. The little dragon still rested in his basket, completely deaf to the world, and her record player sat silently in the corner of her room.

Twilight looked up, confused, and crawled out of her bed. Walking to the balcony before her, the music grew louder, and with the quirk of an eyebrow she started down the stairs. Halfway to the bottom, she could hear two voices singing: one she didn't recognize, but the other sparked instant recognition.

Of course, I'd forgotten about Isaac... but where did he get that music?

Quickly trotting across the foyer, she moved into her kitchen and saw Ike standing at her stove. A pan simmered on the stove top, giving off a smell of cooking eggs. Ike was dancing whilst preparing breakfast, all of it following the tune of the music. Twilight cast a glance around, still unable to determine where the music was coming from, until her eyes finally stopped on a small, rectangular device propped on her counter. Based on the direction of the sound, the music seemed to be coming from it.

Some kind of record player?

A cord led from its base to a square panel that had been placed on the windowsill above the sink. The panel was tilted up into the early morning sun, and she could see light reflecting off of it like a mirror. Of course, she couldn't get the best look at it as her dancing, alien houseguest, kept stepping in front of it.

His movements were limited to the rhythmic bobbing of his head, and the occasional shuffle by the confines of her kitchen. His hands, however, were flying across the cooktop. One held a spatula, which he beat against a coffee tin, and the other tapped a pepper shaker against the counter. His voice matched the other singer to the point that it provided a smoother harmony to the invisible stallion's, or likely man's, rougher voice. That is until Ike broke away from the lyrics.

"I've been in the right world, and it seems so right, right, right, right, right!"

Twilight smiled at that.

At least he seems to be feeling better than last night.

The song suddenly came to a break, and Ike let go of his cookware. He made an exaggerated gesture with his right hand, and a flash of blue light left Twilight blinking and stumbling back a few steps. She shook her head, clearing her vision of spots. When she turned back to Ike she saw the guitar from the night before cradled in his grasp. He was providing an animated acoustic to back up to the electric guitar solo that was now playing. She stared at him, her mouth hung open in shock.

How did...I thought he said humans didn't have magic?

The guitar solo ended, but Ike continued to twirl around with the guitar in his hands. His eyes were closed, and he remained blissfully unaware of his audience. The song began to fade into silence, and Ike made a final half turn. With a flourish, he dismissed the guitar in another flash that Twilight managed to shield herself from.

Ike stood with his back turned to the stove, his arms held wide open like an entertainer basking in applause. His face held a similar look, until he opened his eyes...

She gave him a hard look and let out a quiet, "Ahem?", that sounded like a question and an accusation at the same time.

He smiled nervously like a colt caught drawing on his bedroom wall and let out a choked chuckle. "Hehe, hey, Twi! H-how do you like your omelet?" Twilight tapped her hoof against the floor, but said nothing. Ike's smile faltered and he dropped his arms with a sigh. He grabbed the music player and tapped its surface. A new song that started to play faded into nothing. "You're going to want an explanation aren't you?"

"Yes, I think that would be a good place to start," she said.

"Fine," he groaned, "but really, what do want on your omelet?" He pointed over his shoulder. "I found some mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese."

"Don't change the subject, mister." She took a whiff. "And that sounds good." Ike nodded and turned to the cutting board and began dicing up the peppers. Twilight walked over to her table and sat down, keeping an eye on Ike the whole way. He finished chopping and poured the peppers over the eggs.

How could he used magic? I know that book said humans couldn't use it, and he told me there was no magic at all on his world. Yet, he just pulled off a summoning spell that some unicorns would have diffi-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud clattering as Ike sat down the knife and cutting board. "You know, I can feel your eyes boring into my back from here." He turned to her with a confused look on his face. He folded his arms and leaned against her counter. "I can understand being a little startled, but you seem a tad miffed."

"I'm trying to figure out why you lied to me," she said.

"Lied?" he said, his confusion deepening.

"You told me humans had no magic!" she said, sounding a little more accusatory than she wanted. "If that's the case than what the hay was that?"

"Magic?" he said. His brow furrowed before his eyes opened wide with realization. "Oh, right, I see," he said and then laughed.

Now it was Twilight's turn to be confused. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry," Ike said trying and failing to arrest his laughter, "I just couldn't help but imagine Arthur C. Clarke is rolling in his grave."

"Who?"

Ike took a deep breath which seemed to compose himself. "He was a writer who once said, 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' I think you just proved him right." Ike turned around and began to dice up the tomatoes and mushrooms.

Twilight sat quietly in her chair mulling over the implications of what he just said. "Wait, you mean that's some of your people's technology?"

He said they had machines that could fly, but how does somepony summon something without magic?

Ike spread the diced ingredients over the eggs, and then moved on to grating the cheese into the pan.

"Technology, yes," he said. "My people's? No." He set the grater down and then much to Twilight's confusion, placed the pan in her oven twisting on the timer. He grabbed his devices from her counter and moved over to the table where he fell into a chair that was far too small for him. He held his right arm up. "I got this from a friend of mine. Of course, his people didn't make it either. Come to think of it, I don't remember asking him where he got it."

Twilight tilted her head, but all she could see was Ike's arm.

"You got what? I don't see anything," she said.

"It's... um, it's in the arm," he said.

Twilight frowned, thinking she had misheard him, "D-did you say in your arm?"

He nodded, "It's grafted to my radius between it and my ulna. It's about this big." He held up his thumb and forefinger, holding them about three inches apart. He placed them over the surface of his forearm, and now that he pointed out where exactly it was she could barely make out two faint scars on the his skin. Her stomach churned as images went through her head.

"You put something in your arm! Why?" she asked.

Ike shrugged, "Well, it makes it hard to lose." Twilight noted that he didn't say impossible, but felt it best to let that slide. "It's a backpack in the most general sense. It's called a Data Drive. It turns matter into a form of information and stores it away."

"Like how a computer stores information?" Twilight asked.

Ike perked up, intrigued. "You have those?"

Twilight nodded, "In my lab down stairs, I probably have the only ones around here, and they're tiny compared to the one at Canterlot University."

"It's sort of like a computer," Ike said, "From what I understand, my data drive uses something other than bytes. Storing that much information that way is ludicrously impractical."

Twilight nodded, "I imagine it would take more than 64 kilobytes." Ike snorted and brought his hand up to arrest another giggle. "Now what's funny?"

"That's how much you can store?" Ike said.

"No, of course not," Twilight said. "That's what the university's supercomputer can store. A computer that size would fill up my entire ho-... why are you laughing?" Ike's chortling had grown into full laughter. He leaned over the table and even a few tears fell from his eyes. He had held up a hand and took a few calming breaths.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice leveling. "Now I'd imagine Gordon Moore is rolling in his... wait," Ike looked up in thought, "he wasn't dead when I left. Eh, well then his ears are burning."

...What?

A ding sounded from her oven.

"Oh, hold that thought," Ike said, getting up. He left the devices he had with him on her table and moved over to the oven. He took out the pan, and Twilight found her mouth watering at the smell that followed. Ike took a plate from her cupboard and tilted the pan, letting the omelet slide out. From the size of it Twilight realized she was going to need to get more eggs.

Did he use an entire crate?

With his brow furrowed and his tongue sticking out in concentration, Ike held both objects steady. Then he snapped his wrist, pulled the plate back, and folded the monstrosity. "Ha!" he said triumphantly. Twilight smiled and laughed.

"I could have done that for you with my magic," she said.

"Now where would the fun have been in that?" He put the plate down and turned off the oven. "It's nowhere near as exciting to make without the potential for complete disaster. Besides, it's not that hard. As long as you don't hesitate you should be fine... usually." He grabbed a knife. "How much do you want?"

"Just a small piece."

He cut her what would have been a generous slice if the rest hadn't been so big and put it on a plate. He did the same for what would be Spike's and took the rest for himself.

"Not going for a modest proportion, I see," she said.

"What?" He shrugged, "I'm a big guy, and all I had yesterday was an apple and a few pastries." Twilight raised an eyebrow at him, and his shoulders drooped. "Fine. An apple and quite a few pastries. An on-the-road diet and a high metabolism don't mix well, alright?"

Twilight chuckled, "It's fine, Ike."

With his size he probably does need more food anyway. Spike and I will have to go to the market today.

"Hm, we're missing something," he said, before picking up the plates. He snapped his fingers and walked over her fridge. He opened the door and paused. "Um, Twilight, you have a snowstorm raging in you fridge."

"Of course," she said, "how else would you keep food cold?"

"Apparently not freon compression," he muttered.

Freon?

Pulling out a bottle of ketchup, he closed the door and glanced at the logo on the front. "Cirrus Industries?"

"They're the largest producer of weather-magic related goods in Equestria," Twilight said.

Ike shook his head and sighed, "Pony corporations, of course." He grabbed the plates and ketchup bottle and brought them over to the table. "Want some?" he said, holding out the bottle.

"Why would you make a perfectly good omelet and then smother it in ketchup?" Twilight cutting off a piece with her fork.

"Shush," he said, covering the bottle protectively, "do not insult the nectar of the gods." Twilight simply eyed him, and he shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said and poured the bottle on his food. Twilight rolled her eyes and took a bite.

This is really good!

"Wow!" she said, quickly taking another bite.

"I take it you approve?" Ike said, taking a bite from his own plate.

"How did you make it so fluffy?"

Ike held up one finger, "Dash of milk to fluff up the eggs," he held up a second finger, "and broil for two minutes to even out the sides."

"That's clever," Twilight said.

"Omelets are easy." He looked down at his plate and played with the edge of his meal with his fork. "All you need are some eggs, and then you can add just about anything. It's a good meal to master."

"When you're always moving?" Twilight added, glancing up at him. Ike didn't look up and gave a half-shrug. There was a few moments of silence while they both ate.

"So," Twilight finally said, "you were explaining."

"Oh right?" Isaac perked up, "well, there's really not much more to say other than it's essentially my backpack. I can carry about sixty-five kilograms of equipment within it. The way it's stored keeps it from weighing me down."

Twilight nodded seeming to understand, "So it's like a bottomless bag. Wouldn't it be easier to carry one of those? Some can store entire houses. A lot more than what you're carrying."

"Ah," Ike said, raising a finger, "but that requires magic."

"What's the problem with that?"

"Well, let's say that I go to a place where the magic that enables said bag to function didn't exist. Best case scenario is the bag dumps everything right there."

"And the worst case?"

"It explodes. I find exploding tends to be the worst case scenario in most circumstances."

Why do I have the distinct feeling he's speaking from experience?

"That's the reason I avoid using magical devices. They tend to be unreliable, in the grand scheme, but I can trust technology to always function. It works off the basic laws of the universe, and those are always constant regardless of what world I'm in. Nothing is ever taken from them just added to them." He took a few more bites before continuing. "Gravity always works, the laws of mass and energy always work, and I can trust that when I do this," Ike place his hand on the table, there was a flash, and a pile of equipment littered her table, "I don't end up with a charred stump instead of a hand." He rolled his unharmed wrist theatrically before pointing at his equipment. "I also figured your next question was going to be what I had in it, so I thought I'd just show you."

It wasn't, but it probably should have been.

Before she could get a good look at the pile, however, she heard a gasp from behind her. "That was so cool!" Twilight turned and saw Spike gazing in awe at the her table.

"Morning, Spike," Ike said. "Sleep well?"

"Hey, Ike! What are you doing here?"

"Twilight was kind enough to offer me your guestroom," Ike said, pointing to the counter. "Made ya breakfast."

Spike took a deep sniff before licking his lips. "Awesome, I got an alien roommate with superpowers that can cook!"

"Hey," Twilight huffed, "you know I can do that trick too."

"Yeah, but, you're a unicorn, Twilight."

"So?"

"So when you do something like that it's kind of normal, but for Ike to do it without magic it's like an earth pony levitating something."

Twilight slumped, "I'm so glad my special, innate, bound to my very soul, talent has not left you jaded, Spike."

"Thanks!" he said, missing her sarcasm completely. She slumped further into her chair and shot a glare at Ike, who silenced his renewed chortles and became very interested in his fork. His ever-constant grin did remain a few shades brighter however.

Spike got his meal and a jar from the fridge before joining them at the table. Spike opened the jar and sprinkled a few pea-sized sapphires onto his omelet. He hummed in delight, sliced off a piece, and stuck it in his mouth with an audible crunch of shattering stone. Twilight noticed Ike had been staring at Spike with a mixed look of fascination and pain. She watched as the human worked his jaw a few times and ran his tongue over his gums.

For all his calmness, he's still a stranger in a strange land.

"Dragon teeth," she said, trying not to laugh at Ike tapping his fork against one of his canines, "are some of the hardest naturally forming things on the planet. Kind of have to been when diamonds are a part of their diet."

"Heh, you don't say," Ike said, putting down his fork.

"Yeah, diamonds are good," Spike said, through his munches, "but I like rubies better. They're fruitier."

"Yes, and the last time you gorged yourself on them you ended up with night terrors," Twilight said.

"It was my birthday, and Pinkie put them in a cherry pie. I couldn't help myself." Twilight gave him a knowing look, and the dragon shrunk into his chair.

"If I remember correctly there were three pies, and you were only supposed to have one a week. Not all in one afternoon," she said.

He's lucky he got night terrors and not a food coma.

Spike chuckled nervously before looking for a way out of this conversation. "So, Ike," he said. The human had been watching the exchange with an amused look on his face.

"Yes, Spike?"

"What's, um, this thing?" he said, pointing to a part of Ike's equipment at random. Twilight chuckled to herself, as she let the subject fall to the side.

It was just a little ribbing anyway. Besides, I want to know as much as I can about this stuff as well.

The object Spike had pointed to seemed like nothing more than short, black rod.

"This is an Omni-light." Ike said, grabbing it, "Basically, a glorified," he paused and pressed a button on the rod's side, "flashlight." He said the last part in a loud, clear tone, and the rod obeyed. An aperture opened on the end, and a beam of light emanated from the opening.

"Oh," Spike said, a little disappointed. "Well, that's still cool."

Ike's smile brightened like a magician before the prestige, "Now wait a second. I said 'glorified' remember." He nodded to the window. "Shut the blinds and turn off the lights." Spike got up and did so as Ike twisted the rod which caused its base to spread out into a tripod. He placed it on the table as the room fell into darkness.

"Rave," Ike said in the same clear tone. Twilight then watched in awe as many bead like objects floated out of the aperture. Each one was about the size of a fly and had a dimmed light at their tips. They all orientated themselves in a half spherical shape in the air. The white light at their tips then morphed in a rainbow of different colors, and just to top it all off, they began to dance.

It's like a mechanical firefly lantern, but I don't think you could ever train fireflies to do this.

Her kitchen became a sea of oscillating colors that shifted and swirled in hypnotic patterns. At least they were to the baby dragon, whose eyes grew huge at the prismatic display. Ike deactivated the rod, and Spike turned on the lights. Twilight just barely caught the last of the beads return to their compartment before the aperture sealed them inside.

"That's awesome," the dragon cheered. "It's like a party in a stick!" He paused with a thoughtful look on his face. "You better not tell Pinkie Pie about it. It would be worse than the time she figured out you could fry ice cream." Twilight winced at the memory.

Colgate and Doctor Stable nearly chewed poor Pinkie's ear off about the importance of dental hygiene and low cholesterol after that little binge.

"That sounds terrifying and delicious, and I don't know why," Ike said.

Trust me you have no idea.

"So, besides a your flashlight, what else do you have?" Twilight asked. Her eyes fell on the two objects he had out when she found him in the kitchen. "What about those?"

Ike picked up the black rectangle, and turned it over in his hand. The surface had a mirrored finish, and looked like nothing more than a paperweight.

"This is... well, it's kind of a multi-tool," he said tapping its surface. The screen began to glow and series of flat buttons appeared. The screen was completely smooth, but somehow it knew where Ike was tapping. "Unfortunately, it's used to work with other devices rather than alone, so for now it's just a music player."

"How many songs does it have on it?" she asked. She had seen several similar devices capable of holding in recorded sounds. Most of them were enchanted crystals that could be hooked to an amplifier. They had better sound quality than a common record, but could only hold a song or two, and they were too expensive to be much more than odd knickknacks for rich nobility. That didn't stop her father from splurging on a set, however.

"The future!" he had called them.

Ike glanced at the music player contemplatively before shrugging. "I'm not really sure. It was a gift from this tech guru I helped out once. When I asked him he just smiled and said, 'Enough.' If I were to guess," he paused, thinking, "several hundred thousand maybe. He made some crazy modifications to its storage space, among other things."

Twilight felt her stomach drop. Her father may have been right. "S-several hundred thousand?"

"Give or take," Ike said, as if it wasn't a big deal.

"That's awesome!" Spike said. "You could have a concert that could last a year!"

"Likely several," Twilight mumbled. Her words were apparently ignored by the dragon as he pointed to the other device.

"And that?" he said, pointing to the mirrored panel about the size of a dinner plate.

"This is what powers all of my electronics," Ike said. "It's a solar panel. The shiny surface absorbs sunlight and turns it into electricity."

Now that is very clever! Dad has some coworkers at the college who would love to have that idea run by them.

Ike moved on to the next device which was a rather unassuming box he called a fabricator. It was featureless cube about the size of a breadbox. Twilight's confusion grew when Ike asked if he could use her drinking glasses to demonstrate how it worked. Telling him it was fine, Ike took the glass and placed it on top of the cube. The top of the cube lit up when the glass made contact, but Ike had shifted his focus to the music player he had with him, tapping away at its screen.

He made one final tap, and Twilight's jaw fell open at what happened next. The glass disintegrated, but instead of falling in pieces to the surface of the cube it coalesced into an orb at the center before being sprayed out onto the table. Twilight's eyes widened as she saw the atomized glass reform into something new. After ten seconds, what was once a glass cup was now a glass figurine of a swan landing on a lake.

"That is amazing!" she said, levitating the swan up for a closer look. It was so detailed that she could see the smaller feathers of its wings.

"I know it," Ike said, nodding. "It really lightens my load. Why carry extra gear when I can just make it, and if I'm patient I can make just about anything; provided I find the materials. That's it's one downside, it has to obey the law of conservation of mass, and it can only make one solid object at a time. That means if what I make has more than one part I still have to assemble it by hand."

That thing alone could revolutionize manufacturing.

Twilight stopped herself from asking if she could study the device. It would have been rude to take it from him and likely break it in the process. All of Ike's equipment was remarkable if she were honest with herself. Spike seemed to be handling the wonder better than her. His childlike awe glossing over the technical bits that were driving her analytical mind crazy, and when Ike took out his collapsible computer (it was at this point she learned why he had been laughing earlier, because apparently terabytes of information could be stored in something that weighed twelve pounds) Twilight hit an informational overload. By the time he was done describing all of its functions, her initial amazement had all but worn off leaving her with a headache.

Record player, child's play. Photo album, of course. Film archive and projector, you bet. Library, why the buck not! And all of it powered by sunlight absorbing brick.

"So you can play games with it?" Spike asked as he gazed at the "laptop" in awe.

"Among other things," Ike said, "I'll show you some sometime." Twilight saw Ike give her a worried look as her hoof toyed with something at least partially mundane, his camera.

Except that it can take more pictures than the total number of photos ever taken in Ponyville before filling up, but I'm going to ignore that fact right now for the sake of my sanity.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Isaac asked.

"Hm? Yes, I'm fine. Maybe a little overwhelmed." She said, casting a glance at the rest of Ike's gear. Hoping to find something to ease her culture shock.

Most of his equipment appeared rather mundane, which was why he had apparently skipped over it, and some of its items were labeled (which she approved of). There was collapsible tent, his guitar, a few sturdy looking cases, and items wrapped in bundles. One appeared to contain an extra set of clothing, and if his species did wear clothing all the time then what he had told Rarity was true. He did travel light. Another bundle caught her eye, something silver glittered from inside.

"What's in there?" she asked. Ike looked at the bundle and froze. For a few moments it seemed like he wasn't going to open it, and a debate went on behind his eyes. Finally, he steeled himself and undid the clasps. When it unrolled Twilight had to keep herself from drawing in a surprised breath.

Knives and daggers, at least a dozen of them. A few bore similarities with griffin and pegasi filet knives used on fish, but not the daggers... no, those had another purpose. Regardless of their function all were cared for and shined to a mirror finish, and Twilight could see her forced neutral expression in all of them.

Shining would find this impressive.

Her brother had taken to collecting similar weapons before going to the academy, so she was familiar with these types of items. However, seeing them on her kitchen table, and in the possession of a relatively unknown houseguest was a bit unnerving. Casting a glimpse back at Ike, she was surprised to see a flash of shame in his normally bright eyes. His smile had fallen to a nearly flat line, and he didn't look at the daggers. It was like he didn't want to acknowledge them.

Now that I look at him, it's kind of funny to imagine him using these.

"'Traveling can be a dangerous business,'" she said, echoing his words from yesterday.

A half smile returned to his face. "'Tools, nothing more,'" he finished. Twilight grinned in return and nodded.

Good enough for me.

Ike tucked the weapons away, and they both silently agreed that was enough show-and-tell for now. Ike recollected all of his equipment and began to clear the table. He didn't say a word as he moved the plates into the sink and began scrubbing them. His smile had slowly returned, but Twilight noticed the far-off look in his eyes as he worked. It was the same reminiscent gaze she had seen yesterday, and again, it made him look far too old.

Twenty-five-years-old... just how much have you seen in that time?

Twilight had her suspicions about Isaac, though they had changed since yesterday. She no longer thought of him as an alien monster, it didn't fit with him anymore. Now, however she saw something far more troubling. He was a happy, carefree individual, or at least at one time she believed he was. Perhaps he still was, but something seemed to be holding him back.

Her eyes glanced at the scar on his cheek. It appeared out of place, but at the same time she couldn't imagine him without of it. It was like a bit of truth peeking out from behind the mask he showed the world.

"Ah can't tell ya what to think about him, but Ah think he needs friends more than anything right now." Applejack's words echoing in her head once again.

Twilight nodded to herself, I'm beginning to believe the same thing.

"So you'll help me?"

Twilight jolted when she realized Ike had asked her a question. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said, 'Could you help me find a place in town to stay?'" Ike said, drying his hands off.

"What's wrong with staying here?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, we don't mind if you stay here!" Spike said, "Especially, if you keep making breakfast." Twilight rolled her eyes at the dragon. "What? He's good at it."

Ike shook his head. "I don't like being a burden, and I was actually planning on sticking around for awhile," he said, leaning against her counter again.

"Really?" she said. "What happen to 'going wherever the wind takes you?'"

Ike chuckled, "The wind can wait a while. Besides, this seems like a nice place you've got here, and I haven't kicked my heels up in a long time." Twilight noticed his fingers had begun to absentmindedly twist the ring around his finger. She caught herself before letting her curiosity ask something about it. Her friends may have said she was terrible at poker, but thanks to her numerous strategy guides, she knew a tell when she saw one. The only question was what did it signify? Twilight realized she was drifting again and forced herself back on topic.

Don't start treating him as a puzzle, last time you treated somepony like that you ended up in traction.

"How long are you planning to stay?" she asked.

He shrugged, "I'm not sure. A few months or more, maybe. I don't want to be in your ha- um, mane that long."

Twilight smiled and waved the comment off with her hoof. "Ike, you're obviously a considerate houseguest." She indicated to the dishes he had cleaned and set in the drying rack. "Besides, I already told you the library has the most room for you. Well, except Town Hall and Rainbow Dash's house."

Ike raised an eyebrow, "What's different about Rainbow's house?"

"It's traditional pegasi architecture. The ceilings and hallways are wide so they can fly around in them."

"Sounds expensive," Ike said.

"It would be if the place wasn't made of clouds," Twilight said.

Ike's puzzled look only lasted a moment before he understood, "Oh, traditional architecture. So I guess that means it's-"

"About one hundred hooves off the ground, and you'd fall right through without a cloud-walking spell, yes," Twilight finished.

"Hm, well I guess that's out," he chuckled. "Still, I nearly cleared out your fridge. I wouldn't want to run up your grocery bill."

Twilight rolled her eyes, "I get a stipend from the princess, herself. A few extra groceries is hardly going to hurt me financially. As a matter of fact, Spike, why don't you go up stairs and get what we need to make a shopping list?"

"You got it," he said, slipping off his chair and waddling out of the room.

Ike still leaned against the counter, the corner of his lip quirked up in a thoughtful expression. He looked down at the kitchen floor mulling over her offer. A few moments later he straighten up having come to a decision. He raised one finger.

"One condition," he said.

Odd, it's usually the landmare who sets the conditions.

"Yes?"

"I'm paying rent."

And it's usually the landmare who decides that.

"Ike, I already told you that-"

"I know," he said, cutting her off with a raised hand, "but I'm not staying here for nothing. Besides, getting a job will be an interesting experience."

"I thought you were 'kicking your heels up', taking a break?" she asked.

"Twilight, traveling is what I do. Doing something as mundane as getting a job would be taking a break," he said, "and I'd like having a routine for once."

Twilight couldn't help but smile to herself.

Stallions and their pride. It doesn't matter what species or world they're from they still have too much. At least Isaac includes his heart with his.

"Alright," she said, "I won't stop you."

Ike nodded and glanced at her wall clock. "Good, now if you'll excuse me, if I don't leave now I'll be running late." Twilight raised an eyebrow and turned to her clock, eight thirty.

Oh right, he promised Scootaloo he'd go to the lake.

"I can walk you there if you want," she said.

"No need. I'm big boy. I can cross the street all by myself," he said, his smile turning wry as he walked out the room.

Twilight shook her head with a smirk. She was more worried about how other ponies would react to him. He was right though; he'd been taking care of himself for a long time, so she guessed he really didn't need her.

The town's going to have to get used to him anyway, and I don't think they're going to have a problem with him. Seriously, insisting on paying me even after I told him the Princess would-

Twilight's thoughts came to an abrupt halt. When had she told him that she knew the Princess? She went through her conversations with him from the moment they met up to that point, and not once had she mentioned the Princess or the fact that she was her student. He couldn't be so ignorant to think that a stipend from her was normal. As she thought harder she realized he couldn't have known pegasi buildings were made of clouds either. So where had he learned that?

Twilight got off her chair and walked out of her kitchen with the intent of confronting him about it. However, she stopped when her eyes fell on library's reading table. On it was a pile of books. She levitated them up to her and went through the titles.

The Equestrian Guide, Tribal Influences, The Rise of Modern Equestria, Equus: Cultures and Races. He's been studying.

The thought actually made her smile a bit. Curiosity was a trait she could sympathize with.

It still doesn't explain how he knew I'm the Princess's-

Then she made the connection. All of these books came from the same shelf which was also the shelf she kept...

"My photo album," she said, a little annoyance slipping into her voice. Curiosity was fine. Nosiness, however, was a little more aggravating. She took the books back to their shelf. Replacing them and pulling out her photo album. She heard the thumps of Ike's now booted feet as he came down from the guestroom.

"Twi, if you need me back all you have to do is ge-" Ike's words faltered as he saw the book she held in her magic. The look on his face was all the proof she needed to tell he'd looked through it. She wasn't angry, but she still opened her mouth to lecture him about privacy. "It's not snooping if anyone can find it!" Twilight held her tongue as Ike beat her to the punch.

Darn.

She let out a sigh and put the book back in its place. "Just ask next time."

"Of course,” he said, nodding. “What gave me away?"

She smiled, "Some would find it odd that a simple librarian is getting a stipend from the Princess."

"From what I saw, you and your friends are anything but simple."

"Humph, yes I suppose. Why didn't you bring it up?"

He shrugged, "It wasn't important."

"The fact that I'm the Princess's protégé and national hero wasn't important?"

"Nope," he said, innocently, "You seem to prefer Twilight the Librarian to Twilight the Herculean mage, and I didn't feel like bothering you about it."

"Herculean?" Twilight asked.

"Reference to a human myth, it means super," he said.

"Oh." Twilight shook her head. Most ponies found her and her friends’ reputation at least a little intimidating. It was oddly refreshing for somepony... somebody to take it so easily. "You're an odd... person, Isaac."

Ike regarded her with mock surprise. "Took ya till just now to figure that out? Yeesh, I'm losing my touch."

Despite herself, she laughed a bit. He came the rest of the way down the stairs, and she noticed that he now had the sword and firearm strapped on his body. They hadn't been in his drive.

So they don't get put away.

She should have been concerned that he was carrying the weapons out in the open, but she suspected it was more out of a habit on his part than anything else.

"Just stay out of trouble okay?" she asked.

Ike nodded and made his way to the door. He paused halfway across the room, a thought seeming to occur to him. He reached up and unhooked the clasps that held his sword to his shoulder. The scabbard swung loose now only attached by the belt, and she realized it had been strapped on upside-down. The pommel was at his hip.

He could never have drawn it that way, and how does it not fall out?

After fiddling with the straps, he held out his hand and summon his guitar. He slung its strap over his head, and the instrument took the place of the weapon on his back. Lastly, he summoned his camera and let it hang on his front. He was an odd sight when he finished. He looked like—no, he was an alien prepared for battle, serenading, and touring all at once.

"There," he said, "now I won't surprise anyone with my flashing." His data drive lit up beneath his palm to emphasize his point.

"That's probably a good idea," Twilight said. "Just be gentle with everypony. They can be a bit skittish."

He smiled, "No need to worry, Twi, I'm the epitome of tact." With that he slipped on his sunglasses and strolled out the door. Twilight breathed out, assuring herself one last time that it wasn't a mistake to let the alien roam free and walked back to the kitchen. As she turned the sound of claws tapping on wood came from the stairs.

"Did Ike leave?" Spike asked.

"Yes, he promised to watch Scootaloo's training session today, and what took you so long?"

"I had trouble finding your quills," Spike said. He walked over to her foyer's desk and pulled open a drawer which was overflowing with the feathers. "I thought you said the paperwork was hoofprint only?"

Twilight winced when she saw the mountain of paperwork she had forgotten about yesterday. "They were just in case a signature wasn't snuck in there somewhere." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Of course, you'd keep quills on hoof for emergencies," he said.

She huffed and walked into the kitchen, giving the paperwork one last look.

No reason to fill it out now. The princess is going too busy to- THE PRINCESS! I forgot to tell Ike I'm taking him to meet the Princess. Oh well, I'll just meet him at Rarity's this afternoon. I need her too make him a suit anyway.

"So?" Spike said, as he scribbled on a roll of parchment, "I know we're going to need more eggs and vegetables. What else?"

Twilight thought for a moment. "Add fish," she said.

Spike looked at her curiously, "I thought you didn't like fish?"

"I don't, but Ike's an omnivore. He needs some source of protein," she said.

I hope Ike doesn't mind cooking it himself. I don't see how Dash can stand the smell.

"Okay," Spike said, writing. "Anything else?"

Twilight gave one look around the kitchen before her eyes fell on the one thing Ike had forgotten to return to the fridge.

"Ketchup." She levitated the bottle and noted that it was empty. "Extra large." She sighed and dropped the bottle into her garbage.

Ponies may not have anything to worry about from him, but I fear for the tomato population.

Just across the way from the Golden Oak library, obscured by the foliage of the path-side shrubbery, a pair of beady eyes watched the front door with intent. A wicked smile stretched across the huddled form’s face, as he sat in manic anticipation. To say Thomas liked his job would be lie of criminal proportions. The pony that claimed Thomas liked his job would need his head examined, because the chances of there being any brain within it at all were slim to none. All anypony needed to do was witness Thomas perform his duty to know that there was no way in Tartarus he liked his job. One look and a pony would know the truth. Thomas did not like his job.

He was unconditionally in love with it.

If there had ever been a pony whose special talent was more suited for their occupation Thomas would have known about it, and as far as he knew, or cared, there wasn't. He did his work with a zeal and enthusiasm that bordered on, and sometimes was, psychotic. Today that enthusiasm was approaching dangerous levels, and that likely made him the happiest stallion in all of Equestria, if not Equus.

Today, the pegasus hid in the leaves of a bush across from the Golden Oaks Library with a smile that said he was up to no good. His patchy white coat always looked like it needed a bath, and the dark spot encompassing his right eye gave him a perpetual black eye, matching the real one on his left he'd gotten two nights before. His uncut brown mane fell from his head in a bedraggled mess, and his broad smile was marred by several missing teeth. As his griffon stepmother put it, he was terminally unkempt.

The only part of him that seemed at all together was his cutie mark. A red cross-hair, signifying his talent of always getting the perfect shot, and today he was going after big game.

From across the street, the door to the library opened, and Thomas's prey stepped leisurely out onto the street. For a moment, his heart stopped as the few lingering doubts in the back of his mind died.

So it's true, an alien!. A real live alien, and I'm the one who's going to get the shot!

Thomas lifted his weapon and took aim at the creature. Though, his body shook with giddiness his arms remained steady from years of practice. He smiled widely and took his shot.

Cl-click!

The snap of his camera's shutter was like bits in the bank, and with each successive snap Thomas's happiness grew.

I can't believe this. Las Pegasus can buck itself, because Ponyville is where the real jackpot is.

Thomas's big score was really more fate than luck. He had no plans on being anywhere near Ponyville until yesterday, when he was rudely awoken by Canterlot city guards at three in the morning. He'd only gotten halfway out of his apartment window before one guard latched onto his back leg and dragged him to their feet, scaring the earth pony mare in his room half to death.

Luckily, they were acting as messengers, and not there to take him away. After reading the letter, he was sure it was a bad joke, but a closer look at the royal seal proved him wrong. There was an alien in Ponyville, and he was supposed to tail it.

A few months ago, Tom became indentured to the Princess in a way. He had helped his nephew into the palace, who then obtained a few unflattering pictures of the Princess.

I still think it did her some good. Everypony loves a more relatable role-model, and she could stand to be taken down a few notches.

However once the pictures were released it didn't take long for the palace to track down the one responsible for it. Now, Thomas might not have the most virtuous of ponies, but he prided himself on being a good uncle and took all of the heat. Besides, he had a few contingency plans.

When his punishment was discussed, the Princess, lenient as always, suggested community service. Thomas took that moment to offer her his services. Thomas's reputation was legendary, and with a name like Peeping Tom ponies got several ideas of what he was good at. In his case, the ideas paled in comparison to the reality. So much so, he called himself by what his stepmother called him.

"Better than that silly pony name," she had said.

And more inconspicuous, he later added. He wasn't ashamed of who he was, but it did make work the slightest bit easier.

The Princess took the offer as he knew she would. Several centuries of peace had made Equestria rather relaxed, and while it still maintained a standing army, it lacked an experienced espionage branch. As far as skill and experience went, Thomas was the clear choice, and to his own surprise, she accepted one of his regular contracts; one that gave him ownership over any pictures he took on the job. It may have been buried in the fine print, but it still had legal weight. He had been gambling on the fact that whatever job the Princess would send him on would be worth a fortune, but he never imagined he would be this right.

He followed the alien as it walked down the street, making sure to get pictures of as it strolled past other ponies giving each one a polite nod in greeting.

It's too bad the publishers are only going to use the ones of the ponies shying away. My gut tells me this guy ain't that bad.

Thomas noted the camera around the alien's neck almost immediately - alien or not, he could relate to a fellow paparazzo. However, it wasn't his job to get the story behind the pictures; that was left to the publishers and editors that would inevitably buy his work. It wasn't his fault if they turned him into an invader sent to take over their world. After all, sensationalism sells, the truth doesn't. While the alien would eventually get his say anyway, the tabloids ultimately didn't care whether their stories were believed - just bought. Whatever the pictures were used for was out of his hooves, in the end.

Many ponies had asked him how he slept at night. His answer was always the same. "I tend to work most nights so I don't really get a chance, but come day time I sleep like a foal."

Thomas followed the alien until it turned a corner and went out of sight. He didn't make a move to go after it. The creature stood out like a sore wing, and he would find it with ease. Instead he turned his camera straight ahead and waited.

The alien was the big score here, and Thomas was certain he could retire on what he currently had alone. However, retirement was far from his mind. He loved his job far too much to leave, and money was not what he wanted most, though it was nice. What he truly wanted – no, craved, was fame, and Princess Celestia had unknowingly dropped the means right in front of him.

The alien would sell, no doubt about it, but it would take awhile. If editors ran every alien sighting they got they would be backed up for months. Some would wait until it was at least partially confirmed. However, there was one topic any editor would sell his mother and maybe his soul to obtain: shots of the Elements of Harmony, the bearers and the rocks themselves. Sure everypony knew of them, but no one actually knew about them. They were each a bit famous in their own way, but that was all the media had gotten. It was only when they were directly in the spotlight that they were approachable. Their public lives were easily seen, but privately they were blank.

Surely the ponies of Equestria deserve to know the mares they owe their lives to. It's only fair.

Princess Celestia herself had instilled the media barrier around the mares, and no pony had managed to find a way through it. No pony until Thomas, and Celestia had practically hoofed him the keys.

Across the street the library door opened, and Twilight Sparkle, bearer of the Element of Magic, Princess Celestia's personal pupil, and the second of his seven targets trotted out onto the street followed by her dragon assistant. Thomas focused his camera and took his pictures.

His contract's orders couldn't have been more perfect. "Follow the alien, record his movements, activities, and effects on the populace." Under-normal circumstances following these mares was illegal. The Princess, self-restraining as she was, still had the power to form an absolute decree as long as three-fourths of the citizen government agreed. In the wake of their salvation from Nightmare Moon they had been more than willing to allow the Princess to decree that the Element Bearers' private lives remain so for as long as they wished. In short, every paparazzi pony in Equestria had been given a mass restraining order.

The only one who could override the decree was the Princess, and Thomas had successfully maneuvered her into doing so, just for him. He knew the exact lines in his contract he could point to for his lawyer to tear apart any reason the Princess could give for him to not sell his photos. They were legally his to do with as he pleased, and as far as the law was concerned she might as well have ordered him to follow the Elements. It was his job, and he would do it with the precision and skill that only he had.

The mare turned the corner in the opposite direction the alien had taken, and Thomas sat considering which to pursue first; both were equally beneficial. Thomas took a second to wallow in his good fortune. By this time next week, he was going to be the most famous, and notorious, photographer in history.

"I love this job," he said, as he spread his wings and flew after the alien.

Author's Note

Oh boy, I've got some explaining to do. Hi guys, it's been a awhile hasn't it... sorry. Let's just say the last few months having been a combination of very annoying things which culminated in me being put on anti-anxiety medication and leave it at that. Anyway, it's good to be back, and I'm happy to present you with this. First, I'd like to thank everyone for their patience, and second, all of the people who looked this over before posting: Carshig Hempstead, RobertBel98, Pixelbrony, and PinkiePieandI. Gentlemen take a bow!

-Al

2.3

Someone once told me you can measure the worth of a man in the tears he causes. Not his own, but by those around him. The tears of the pain he inflicts, the happiness he inspires, and the ones shed by eyes that will no longer see him. If that’s true then you could measure my life in oceans.

2.3

There were a lot of things awesome about being a pegasus. First, you could control weather, which was a freaking superpower if anypony took the time to think about it. Second, you literally had six limbs which was cool all by itself, and the feathers just sweetened the deal. However, if Rainbow Dash had to name the best thing about being a pegasus it was that you fell only when you wanted to.

Rainbow Dash felt the wind whip through her mane as she spiraled to the earth below. All of her muscles limp, she spun like a rag-doll. All pegasi have an innate sense of altitude, almost like a weight in the back of their mind, and Dash could feel that weight increasing with every second. She tensed her wing just enough for it to grab the air and roll her around. Without opening her eyes she straightened into a dive, wings still tucked to her side. The weight continued to grow, pressing down harder, yet she remained angled down with a confident grin etched across her muzzle.

Wait for it.

She could smell the earth now. It wasn't the most interesting smell, but it was dirt. Sitting around and being boring was pretty much all it did.

Not yet!

The weight pressed down harder, screaming at her.

Almost... now!

Rainbow opened her eyes and spread her wings. A large swath of green appeared before her. She pulled up and watched the earth slip by beneath her. Extending a hoof, she felt it drag on the ground just below. It wouldn't claim her today.

Better luck next time!

She angled up towards the Apple family lake pumping her wings hard before pulling them to her sides and sending her arcing into the water. The warm air vanished and was replaced by the brisk coolness of the lake. It sent an invigorating tingle down her spine as she used her wings as oars. Flying and swimming had a lot in common in Dash's opinion. They were basically the same thing. Although you could still breath while flying, so it was naturally the superior of the two.

She angled back towards the surface, wings beating harder to gain speed. As she breached she quirked her wings just enough to send her spiraling out of the water in a dizzying pirouette. Her mane and tail were drenched, but the water on her wings was effortlessly flung off. Pegasi wings didn't get wet. Twilight had told Dash they were hydro...er, hudro... they were so awesome they scared water right off them!

Dash hovered in the air shaking the water from her mane as the sound of cheering reached her ears. Glancing down, she saw Scootaloo wading in the lake waving her arms in the air as she whooped in excitement. The other ponies floating beside her, while not as enthusiastic, applauded with her, Big Macintosh's deep chuckling providing the bass.

“That was awesome!” Scootaloo shouted as Dash came to a hover above the filly.

“That was nothing, Squirt,” she said, mussing up the filly's hair, “Once we get you going that will look like child's play!”

Scootaloo beamed, “Really?” Her eyes twinkled at the thought.

“Absolutely,” Dash said, though she did catch the disapproving glare Applejack threw at her.

I'll get her there, AJ, just you watch! I keep my promises.

“I can't wait!” Scootaloo said.

“Good,” Dash said, “so are you ready to get started today?”

“I thought we were still waiting for...” Scootaloo paused and smiled, looking past Dash. “Ike!” Dash turned and found the human walking down the path.

'Bout time that slowpoke showed up.

He brought his hands up and slowly started clapping as she flew up to him. His lazy grin graced his face as she was coming to expect, and a wild assortment of gear hung from him. She eyed his sword warily. It gave her an uneasy feeling she didn’t like, but she grumbled and pushed it to the back of her mind.

Weird sword, she thought.

“Hail to thee, blithe spirit,” Ike said once she was close. He gave her a half bow, “Bird thou never wert.” Rainbow hung in the air and stared blankly at the human.

“Uh, was that supposed to be a compliment?”

Ike shrugged, “I think Shelley meant it as one.” He held up his camera. “You mind if I…?”

Rainbow Dash, still trying to figure out who in the hay Shelley was, grinned as she saw the camera. “Did you like what you saw? Told you I was good.”

“I won't argue with that, however...” he took off his sunglasses and examined them. He turned them over a few times before shaking his head. “Nope. Sorry, Dash—you failed to penetrate the glasses.”

Dash laughed. “I guess I'll have to try harder next time. Now, where would you like me to be?” she said, striking a pose.

“Anywhere is fine,” Ike said focusing the camera. He paused, looking up from the viewfinder. His grin widened. “But I think we might want to do this some other time.”

“Huh, why?”

“Well, let's just say I'm not in the mood for collecting blackmail at the moment,” he said, as his smile scrunched up and he tried to hold in laughter.

“Hey! What's so funny?” Dash said, dropping to the ground.

“Nothing, but I gotta ask. Did you happen to stick your hoof in an electrical socket?” Ike couldn't contain himself anymore and crumpled over laughing.

Dash stared at him, a mixture of confusion and anger bubbling up within her.

What in Equestria is that supposed to mean?

“Erm, sugarcube?” Dash turned and to see Applejack behind her. She was holding a hoof to her mouth and a blush lit up her cheeks. “Don't ya remember how your mane reacts to water?”

“What do you-” Dash froze as realization dawned on her. She raced past AJ toward the lake. As she looked at her reflection in the water her stomach flipped. Pegasi feathers were waterproof, but their manes were not so lucky.

Her reflection showed a massive poof ball that sat on top of her head. Cold water and dry air had never mixed well with Dash's mane, and now she looked like a rainbow colored cotton ball.

There was an explosion of laughter behind her. She glared backwards and found Applejack rolling on the ground. “A little makeup, RD, and you'd make a perfect rodeo clown!” Ike collapsed next to her and beat a fist against the grown in between his belly laughs.

"Find her a barrel, and we're all set!"

Dash snorted and opened her mouth to tell the two off. “What's so funny?” She heard a young voice say. Dash yelped and without thinking thrust her head back into the lake. She felt somepony poke her in the side and heard the muffled sounds of her name being called.

“What was that?” she said, pulling her head from the water.

“What are Applejack and Ike laughing about?” Scootaloo said. The filly shook the water from her coat and smoothed her mane with a hoof, something Dash had forgotten to do.

“Hm, I don't know. I didn't hear it,” Dash lied as she made sure her mane wouldn't try to embarrass her to death again. “Must have been some human joke.”

“Cool!” Scootaloo said, turning to Ike. “Hey, Ike, could you tell it again?” Ike straightened up, and Dash gave him a death glare.

Say one word and you'll be skydiving without a parachute.

“Maybe later,” Ike said. “It was a bit hair-raising.”

Applejack snorted again and wiped a tear from her eye. “That was horrible.”

“Eh, you still laughed,” Ike said, shrugging.

“Anyway!” Dash said, being irritated did very little to help her patience. “Now that Ike's here can we finally start training today, Scoots?” The filly brightened and all thoughts of human jokes vanished from her mind.

“Yeah, so what are we doing? Flat-spin recovery? Aerobatics? Night-time flying?” Scootaloo was vibrating with excitement, and Dash placed a hoof on her nose to settle the girl down.

“Whoa, slow down, Squirt!” Dash said, chuckling. “I was thinking we’d start small. Like some strength training and stuff like that.”

The filly’s enthusiasm deflated slightly, and Dash could sense her disappointment. “Oh, okay,” Scootaloo said, “I wanted to show Ike something cool, though.”

“Hey,” Ike said, kneeling down. “You’re an eight-year-old learning to fly. That’s cool enough for me.”

Instead of cheering up shame flashed across her face at Isaac’s words. “Hehe, right,” she said, trying to bury it.

Dash glared at the human.

Thanks for reminding how her how far behind she is, idiot.

He may not have known, but it still hurt to see Scootaloo be reminded of her shortcomings. She bit her tongue desperately wanting to say something. She was caught between not wanting to cause a scene and her temper which was never a good spot for her. Thankfully, her saving grace pulled her flank out of the fire. Applejack intervened.

“Now wait a minute, Sugarcube,” she said to the filly, “don’t you and your friends have somepony to introduce Mr. Ike to first?”

Scootaloo’s mood improved once again, “You’re right! Ike, come here.” She and the human trotted toward the lake’s shore. Applejack watched them go before eyeing Dash. Though no words escaped her lips Dash heard her friend’s lecture clear enough.

“He doesn’t know. Give him a break.”

Dash sighed, letting the last of her anger melt away. She nodded to Applejack and the other mare smiled. They followed after the other two and arrived just in time to see Big Macintosh and the rest of the CMC pull themselves from the water.

“Big Macintosh,” Applebloom said, “I’d like you to meet our mascot, Ike, and Ike, this is my big brother.” For once Big Mac was the one looking up during an introduction, though if Dash had to guess the stallion was still a bit larger than the human by weight. Mac, with his usual zen-like calmness, didn’t fidget or blink at the strange creature being presented to him.

Ike took the initiative and knelt down holding out a fist to Big Mac. “Isaac, at your service.” Big Mac cocked his head curiously glancing at the fist before a small smile spread across his muzzle.

“Eeyup,” he said, pressing his hoof against the fist.

A chilling breeze swept across the pond that put all the damp ponies’ fur on end; even making Dash uncomfortable, which was unusual for a weather flier. This was the wrong kind of weather for this time of year.

This is what I get for letting Thunderlane coordinate gusts for a day.

Everypony was shivering, and Mac moved over to the picnic baskets and started pulling out towels. Dash watched everypony follow him except for one. Ike was still kneeling at the water’s edge, fist held out, and eyes glazed over. She raised an eyebrow and poked him in the side.

“Hey, bushy-brow!”

Ike jolted as if spooked and then seemed to notice her. “Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “Yes?”

She eyed him quizzically, “You okay? You looked… weird.”

Ike smiled wryly, “So normal then?”

Dash frowned, “You know what? Forget it.” She turned away from him with a huff, lightly whipping him across the nose with her tail. “Next time you look like you’re having a stroke see if I care.”

“Oh!” Ike groaned in mock pain, placing his hand over his heart. “Your words! Must they sting?” Dash flashed him a devilish smile in reply.

They can do much more than that, bushy-brow, trust me.

“Okay Scoots,” she said to the filly, “Enough distractions! Let’s get started.”

The two began with some quick stretches, and then moved on to the more basic strength training exercises. Dash had actually taken the time to add some youth fitness manuals to her usual reading list. They were no Daring Doo, but she was going to pull out all the stops to help Scootaloo. They were a slog to read, but she stuck to it especially when she found some that dealt with Scootaloo’s “situation”. Normally she would play this kind of training by ear like she had done with Fluttershy and other pegasi from the weather team. However Scootaloo was going to take a lot more work than that, and even that might not help much. Dash paused in the middle of a wing-up to shake her head.

No! Don’t think like that!

She glanced up and saw Scootaloo hovering a few inches off the ground. The filly's eyes were screwed shut, and her wings buzzed at a furious rate, far faster than most pegasi would need. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she grimaced from the effort. After a few seconds of hovering the filly dropped back to the ground with a dull clop.

“Twenty-three” she huffed. Without opening her eyes she jumped in place and started hovering again. A few seconds later she was back on the ground. “Twenty-four.”

Dash’s book had said the routine was good for developing wing muscle for foals too young to do a proper wing-up. It was supposed to be a simple exercise, a warm-up, but it was the best Scootaloo could do. Dash would have been driven mad by the mundanity of the exercise, however Scootaloo had taken to it quickly and never complained. When Dash had first started Scootaloo on the exercise she could barely do ten. Today she was shooting for fifty.

“Twenty-eight,” the filly said as she landed. She took several deep breaths, perhaps lingering on the ground for only a moment longer than she had been, before she was back in the air.

Dash smiled.

That’s how I know she’s going to be fine. That filly doesn’t quit.

Looking back towards the lake, Dash saw the rest of the Crusaders with their new playmate. They had apparently formed a team against the older Apple siblings in a game of soccer. Dash had to admit that it was impressive that such a tall, lanky creature could dribble the ball on only two legs without falling on his face. A couple of empty cider bottles had been set up as makeshift goal posts, but the two teams didn’t appear to be keeping score. The fillies mostly passed the ball back and forth, scoring a goal only as an afterthought. Likewise, Ike liked to keep everypony entertained by seeing how long he could keep the ball in the air by bouncing it off his head. As far as Dash could tell he was only succeeding at developing a hexagon on his forehead.

She still had no idea what to think of the human. He seemed nice enough, but she couldn’t shake this feeling like there was something wrong about him. The weird part was that it didn’t feel like a bad kind of wrong like she figured Twilight had felt about phoney Princess Cadance. It was annoying that she couldn’t place the feeling. For now, she figured it was best to be cautious.

By Celestia, I really am starting to think like my dad.

“He’s not bad, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash jolted and found Scootaloo standing beside her. She also realized she was still holding herself up in a half finished wing-up.

“I know,” Dash said, settling onto her haunches. “It’s just the last three strange creatures to suddenly appear from nowhere were an evil emperor, the Spirit of Chaos, and an emotion-sucking pony... vampire... bug thing.” Dash wiggled her hooves in front of her muzzle like they were fangs to emphasize the point.

Scootaloo chuckled, “He’s not a bug pony.”

Dash sighed, but nodded. “No, he’s definitely not that.” She smiled at the filly. “What makes you so sure he’s not bad though?”

Scootaloo shrugged, “I dunno. It’s just a feeling.” Dash hummed in agreement.

It seems like we both have a feeling about monkey-boy.

Dash shook her head. “Well, if he does cause trouble, and I’m not saying that he will!” She added before the filly could protest. “The girls and I’ll take care of it like usual.” Dash mussed up the filly’s mane again, and then began working the kinks from her back in a cat-like stretch. “So how many did you get to?”

Scootaloo beamed. “Fifty-two!”

“Good work,” Dash said. “Come on, let’s try some fine control training. Go get the balance ball from my saddle bag.” Scoots nodded and trotted off to the group’s picnic baskets and bags. As the filly left, Dash felt another odd feeling pass over her. She started to look back towards Ike but stopped when she realized she recognized this feeling. It was almost like she was being watched. She casted a few glances around but shrugged when she saw nothing out of the ordinary.

I need to loosen up. Before long I’ll be more paranoid than Twilight.

She got up and followed after the filly.

Thomas was disappointed.

From his position in one of the trees next to the Apple family lake, he could see the group of ponies and their alien companion without any trouble. He slumped against the tree’s trunk, one hoof dangling over the side of his branch. Every few minutes he would adjust himself to keep the bark from digging into his flank. He glanced back at the field and watched the pegasus filly take a red balance ball from a bag and start rolling it from wing-tip to wing-tip while the older mare gave her pointers. A little ways off from them the game the rest of the group had been playing had evolved into a goalkeeping competition with the alien as the keeper. Thomas sighed, raising his camera up. He contemplated taking the picture before deciding it would be a waste of film. He lowered the camera and slumped further into the tree.

Is this really all I’m going to get?

When he had first arrived, it had taken every fiber of his being to not scream with joy about his good fortune. The alien had gone to a small field by a lake where there was not one, but two of the other Elements of Harmony! For the first fifteen minutes, the shutter of Thomas’s camera had been practically blinking at the scene. After a few more minutes, he concluded that it was safe to leave the group for a while and attempt to locate his other targets. This time he actually did find a cloud to hide himself on while he laughed like a madpony at his continued good luck when he found two more of them on their way to Ponyville’s local spa.

He worked his way into the building without the owner’s noticing with no trouble. The first floor was a single room that held the reception and waiting room which he crept through with ease. Hovering down the stairwell in the back to the spa proper, he found a wide shelf that contained a vast array of beauty products which fortunately had a bare nook on the top for him to position himself. Settling himself in, he resumed his reconnaissance.

The white unicorn and butter-yellow pegasus were chatting amiably—though it was obvious the unicorn was doing most of the talking—while the spa staff attended to them. Thomas took more of his photos and settled down to wait. He had enough glamour shots, which by themselves were worth a fortune, but it was time to get something more spicy for his buyers. He relaxed and admired the two mares as the were massaged. The view was definitely enough to keep him occupied.

However after an hour-and-a-half even Thomas’s amorousness had grown bored, and the soothing atmospheric music that was being played throughout the room was not helping. Once or twice he felt his eyes begin to droop, and he began to wish he had gotten some sleep the night before. The two mares were still there doing nothing that was beyond innocent. It wasn’t like he expected them to suddenly start making out the second they thought they were alone—he knew his luck wasn’t that good—but he still couldn’t help but feel a bit let down.

Perhaps he’d grown to used to Canterlot nobility. It wasn’t hard to catch them doing something devious. Some were so bad they hardly cared, and the trend usually followed that the more important a figure was the more they had to hide. Images of Prince Blueblood came to his mind, though the Princeling had all but dropped off the radar in the last year. Yes, Canterlot Nobility was a paparazzo’s dreamland filled with opportunity.

Except for his “Lordship” Fancypants. That stallion is so squeaky clean I’m surprised he doesn’t slide right off the mountain.

Following that logic, he, like many paparazzi, had let his imagination run wild at the possible activities of the Elements. These mares were the most famous ponies no one knew anything about. Their status-level was mythical, but he doubted anypony could have picked them out from in crowd. He had wanted to shatter that. He was going to reveal to the world the secret meetings, rituals, and lives of this evil-slaying group of mares that his imagination had convinced him must be real.

Therefore he felt perfectly justified in feeling let down by finding the lack of all of those things. Instead he got a demure pegasus and a unicorn that couldn’t not stop gushing about gossip and her plans for her upcoming fashion line in the Fall.

He frowned.

Time! All I need is a bit more time.

Though time wasn’t a resource Thomas had in abundance. His real assignment was simply to gather intelligence, and his allotted time only lasted until the end of the week. Seven days might sound like a lot to the laypony, but a good paparazzi—and he was the best—could be on a tail for months waiting for the shot that made them famous.

He had those shots by now. He knew that. But they were mundane. He would get his money and infamy by submitting them, but they would be remembered as a letdown. Candid camera shots that any normal peeping tom could have gotten. Who could say that somewhere down the line some lucky kid wouldn’t get the shot that overshadowed his?

He couldn’t even trust his shots of the alien to be that world-shattering. Ponyville had a small paper, and somepony was surely preparing an interview. Their pictures would be nice, clean, and printed first. His pictures would make it to the bigger papers before that story had time to spread, and he would get paid handsomely for them. However by the next week the shots from Ponyville would squash his into oblivion. If he was lucky his legacy would remain as a trivia question.

No! He didn’t want just any shot. He wanted the Shot. The picture that would be reprinted in history books for eons to come. He wanted that notoriety, and the immortality that came with it.

To be remembered for all eternity, that’s the prize here.

“So, are you going to include the pieces you plan to make for Ike in your Fall line?” asked a quiet voice. Thomas jolted awake realizing he’d been close to nodding off.

Damn that elevator music this place has on loop!

He shifted himself around and perked his ears up. He wasn’t a reporter and didn’t usually care about the conversations between his targets, but he was technically on an intel gathering operation. He already pieced together that Ike was the alien’s name, so he figured he should fulfill the “observe the effects subject has on populace” clause of his contract. Plus, what pony wouldn't be curious about an alien?

“I would love to,” the unicorn said, “but that would require getting him to model for me, and I think he has other plans.”

The pegasus cocked her head. “Plans?”

“He said he was a traveler.” The unicorn lifted a hoof to her chest. “Who would I be to interrupt him in his travels?” She then raised an eyebrow, “Tell me what do you think of our guest, Fluttershy? You seemed to open up to him quickly.”

Fluttershy nodded, “I guess it was because he’s not a pony.” She added a nervous chuckle. “I suppose when he bumped his head like that I could think of him as being just like my animals.” Fluttershy’s face turned red, “N-not t-that I think that he isn’t as important as a pony.” Her face grew redder. “Not that I think my animals aren’t important either. Um… what I mean is…?”

The unicorn chuckled placing a calming hoof onto her friend’s. “Settle down, darling. I understand you perfectly.” Fluttershy’s face faded back to its yellow color, and she smiled in such a gentle way that it almost made Thomas swoon.

“Besides that,” she continued, “He seems nice.”

The unicorn nodded, “And what about Applejack’s statement?” Fluttershy frowned and glanced around as if unsure how to answer.

“I would never call Applejack wrong,” she said, hesitantly, “but I don’t see it.”

The unicorn nodded, “I agree. He seems like a charming fellow. Very well mannered, if not a bit strange, but given his nature I honestly don’t know what else to expect.”

“What do you think Applejack saw then?”

“Our dear Applejack may be in a league of her own in empathizing with others, but she’s not infallible,” the unicorn said. “I think she’s having trouble reading his face. With no muzzle or ears to work with it can be difficult. I think he just likes to smile. If I had the opportunity to travel to such exotic places at my leisure as well I would feel much the same way. Besides if there is a problem, then I don’t think it matters, really."

“What!” Fluttershy said, shocked.

“Applejack said that whatever his problem was—if there even is one—he needed friends.” Rarity smiled wryly at the Fluttershy. “I think that should be easy enough.”

Fluttershy nodded, “I suppose so.”

The conversation drifted away from there, and Thomas decided he should take the opportunity to slip away. He made it back out of the spa as easily as he’d made it in and took to the air. He puzzled over the conversation he’d heard. Apparently the elements were of mixed opinions about the visitor, however it didn’t sound like it was a question of trust.

Does one of them think he’s crazy?

Thomas shrugged to himself. Xenopsychology was well outside of his area of expertise, and he’d leave it to the experts to figure out.

He made it back to his tree and was happy to find that the group was still playing in the field. The rainbow maned pegasus was training with one of the fillies while the rest where watching the alien bounce a ball off his skull. Thomas settled onto the branch and leaned against the tree trunk. It didn’t take long for his boredom to return as he watched the two pegasi switch to balance training.

Is this really all I’m going to get? He thought a second time.

Perhaps he could find some extra coverage just to spread out his net. A smile broke across his face as he knew exactly what he needed. The mares were only half of the Elements of Harmony anyway. The rocks, talismans, idols, whatever it was that granted the mares their power, were a part of the equation as well, and few had seen them. To the best of his knowledge not a picture of them existed. Those would be his next targets. It might take a little snooping, but he’d find them somewhere.

Thomas’s scheming halted when he heard a commotion coming from the field. He glanced up and saw the alien, dancing in apparent triumph.

“Ha, none can get past me!” The human said, gloating in the hammiest voice Thomas had ever heard. It appeared none had managed to score on him. “I was trained by powerful mystics in the ancient art of grabbing balls.” He paused for several seconds while everypony stared at him. “That did not come out right!” He added with the same hamminess.

Thomas held up his camera and zoomed in just in time to see the orange earth pony mare smirk.

“You think you’re quick, huh Ike?” she said. “ I bet you can’t handle our secret weapon.”

“Throw whatever you have at me and tremble at my unstoppable blocking skills!” He punctuated the last few words with a set of ludicrous blocking stances.

Thomas rolled his eyes.

This guy really knows how to play it up.

The earth pony nodded and whispered something to the red stallion beside her. He eyed her skeptically, but shrugged without argument. The stallion then positioned the ball at his mark and faced away from the alien. The red maned filly off to the side gasped as she realized what was coming.

“Ike,” she shouted, “He’s gonna use the Macintosh Meteor!”

“The Macinwhat?”

The stallion tipped the ball into the air with his back hoof, and as it ascended, he reared onto his forelegs. Once the ball had fallen into firing position everypony and alien found out why it was called the Macintosh Meteor. The stallion bucked the ball with both his legs, and Thomas swore it turned into a fireball as it cut through the air.

It turned out the human was quick. Quick enough to dive to the ground to avoid being hit by the glorified cannonball. His foot did clip the projectile, but not quite enough to knock it out of bounds. Actually, Thomas could swear it was getting closer to…

Oh buck-

The ball impacted with the front of Thomas’s camera lens which in turn slammed right into Thomas’s face. He saw stars while he fell from the tree and the occasional celebrating alien dancing around his head. Thankfully he landed in something soft instead of the rock his camera managed to find. Thomas’s last sight before getting the sleep he had missed out on the night before was his film bursting out the back of precious camera like the entrails of some mutilated animal. It was at that moment Thomas realized he’d yet to change his film.

“Buck,” he said as he passed out.

“That could have hurt him,” Applebloom said giving her sister an ugly look.

“He dodged it,” Applejack said which only made Applebloom frown more. “Mac knows his strength. It would have hurt his pride more than him.”

From across the field the splayed out human raised his head, “I beg to differ, and this dirt still doesn’t taste any better!”

Applejack chuckled, “Go get the ball, Applebloom. I think it’s time for lunch.” Applebloom huffed but did as she was told, though she did ask Ike if he was fine as he picked himself up.

The human waved it off, “I played soccer when I was little. I took worse hits than that… I think?”

Applebloom shrugged as that seemed to be the best she was going to get. She walked over to the edge of the woods and picked around the foliage for the ball.

“Applebloom!” she heard her sister shout.

“Yeah?”

“I forgot to tell you. There’s a nasty patch of poison ivy over there so watch where you step.”

“Okay.” Applebloom went back to searching and happened to find the ball at the edge of the familiar three-leafed plant. She kicked the ball back out onto the field and saw a place where the plant had been trampled. The sight alone made her itch.

Whoever did that is gonna have a very itchy day.

She left the toxic plants behind not noticing the quiet snoring of the stallion passed out in them.

Rainbow Dash bit into her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and washed it down with a gulp fresh apple juice. It was technically cider, but she refused to hold it up to the same level of awesomeness as the Apple family’s more potent brew—still, the crisp drink was refreshing all the same. After Big Mac had nearly taken Ike’s head off with the ball Applejack had decided it was time for everypony to take a breather. Scootaloo had begged for a few more minutes of practice, but Dash had talked her out of it.

“You don’t want to work yourself into a workout high,” she said. “If you work too hard you could damage something and not know until your muscles relax later.” Dash felt her wings twitch as she remembered the times she had done that to herself. Scootaloo quickly decided that stopping for lunch was probably a good idea.

She sat with her friends, and they all chatted with their new friend while he ate next to them. Most of the time they’d ask him questions about where he came from and of places he’d been. After they’d finished with their meals Applebloom asked him to follow her. She lead Ike to the shaded spot her group had left their wagon. She reached into it and pulled out a few drawing utensils and a piece of paper. She motioned for the human to remain still. When he was seated the filly took a pencil in her mouth and gave him a long calculating stare before starting. Her friends moved beside her but were shooed back whenever they tried to look over her shoulder. After a few failed attempts and a number of swattings by Applebloom’s tail they resigned themselves to wait for the artist to finish. Dash watched the human eat up the attention he was getting. He didn’t revel in it like she had a tendency to let herself do, but his eyes had a certain contented shine to them.

“There it is again,” Applejack said. Dash looked over to her friend who fumbled an apple core in her hooves.

“There’s what?” Dash asked.

“That smile,” she said. “That boy’s peculiar.”

“He’s an alien monkey,” Dash said, dryly.

Applejack shook her head. “I mean besides that. I can’t get a read on him as much as I’d like to say I can. He looks fine right up until he smiles.”

“AJ, he’s always smiling,” Dash said rolling her eyes.

Applejack frowned. “That thing he does with his lips ain’t a smile. Though it fakes being something its not better than any changeling could hope to do.”

Should I remind her only Twilight knew something was up with the only changeling we’ve ever seen.

“No,” Applejack continued, “he smiles with his eyes.”

“Are you sure that it’s not because his flat face is throwing you off?” Dash asked.

Applejack threw a glare at Dash. It was hard and unyielding. Applejack believed she was right, and apparently it was more important than Rainbow Dash had thought.

She’s serious about this.

“I know that look, Rainbow,” Applejack said. For a blink she glanced away from Dash, and the hardness in her eyes melted into to something somber. “Trust me.”

Dash followed her friend’s gaze, but only saw the road that led back to the farm. It was the one Big Mac had taken after he’d finished eating. He’d left to go check on the farm and help Granny Smith with some marketing.

Applejack stood and stretched. “Oh well,” she said, “we’ll get plenty of time to figure him out.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “I thought he said he’d be traveling.”

Applejack shrugged, “Apparently, he’s decided to stick around for a little while from what he told the girls. Even offered to pay Twilight rent.” Applejack started cleaning up their picnic area.

“He’s staying with her?” Dash asked.

“It’s the only place big enough for him.” Applejack smiled, “Although I suppose the barn’s bigger, but not as comfortable.” Dash nodded, getting up. She’d retreated to the barn a number of times for a nap and had never felt satisfied with the hay bales.

Of course, nothing beats a cloud.

She helped Applejack clean up before she hovered over to the girls. As she landed Applebloom rose up from her drawing and nodded to herself.

“Are you finally done?” Scootaloo asked.

Applebloom shrugged, “As done as I can be.” She held out the picture. “It’s not my best, Ike. I’m sorry. I’m used to drawing ponies.” Ike took the picture and a look of confusion spread across his face as he examined it.

“You’re joking, right?” he said, chuckling. “This is great!” Scootaloo peaked over Ike’s shoulder at the drawing and nodded in agreement. Dash worked her way around and peered at the picture as well.

Ears are a bit pointy, but the rest looks right.

“She’s always like that,” Sweetie Belle said. She sat back on her haunches. “Don’t look, it’s garbage!” She said failing to mimic Applebloom’s accent, raising a dramatic hoof to her forehead. “I swear I’ll never touch a paintbrush again!”

Scootaloo appeared next to her and said in her own badly mimicked accent. “What drawing? You mean this? This ain’t even fit for use as toilet paper!” The two fillies collapsed against each other in a fit of giggles while Applebloom gave them both a flat glare.

“Ya’ll two do wonders for my confidence,” she said. Applejack walked up beside her sister and pulled her into a half-embrace.

“Ignore ‘em, sis. Besides,” Applejack said, “it’s a compliment in a way. Your art is beautiful, and who knows, maybe it will take you somewhere.” She added the last part with all the subtlety of a brick to the face.

A blow that missed completely as Applebloom sighed and said, “Nah, it’s just something I like to do.” Applejack slumped as her sister worked herself free of the hug. “Will you keep that, Ike?”

Ike smiled, taking back the drawing. “Always.” The fillies smiled and trotted off. Ike kneeled down beside Applejack and admired his portrait. “Oblivious, isn’t she?” He said without looking up.

Applejack groaned as she rubbed her temples with her hooves. “You have no idea.”

The fillies trotted back pulling towels along with them. “We’re going to get back in the lake,” Sweetie Belle said. “Do want to join us?” She asked Ike who hesitated for a moment. His smile never faded, but Dash saw a brief flash of uncertainty.

“Maybe, later,” he said, tugging his shirt sleeve down. “I don’t really feel like getting wet today.”

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle said, “alright.”

Applejack laughed, “Let him rest, you’ve run him ragged for the day.” The filly relented, and Ike nodded a thanks to Applejack.

“Rainbow Dash?” Dash turned to see Scootaloo shifting uncomfortably in front of her. She was glancing from Dash to her friends. “Are we going to keep practicing?”

Dash smiled. “Ya know, Scoots, doing some paddle exercises might be worth a try.” Dash winked, and Scootaloo nodded understanding. She turned around and started to walk to the lake but paused.

“Are you coming?” she asked.

“Nah,” Dash said reclining on to her back. “I felt like napping for a bit. You go have fun, and keep at it. You did great today!”

“You really think so?” the filly asked, beaming.

“Of course,” Dash said, “you’ll be off the ground in no time with me training you.”

Scootaloo’s wings buzzed so hard in excitement that she nearly did lift off and bounded after her friends. Dash smiled to herself and leaned onto the grass, spreading her wings out onto the soft, warm blades. She closed eyes and relaxed beginning to drift off almost instantly. That was until a hoof jabbed her hard in the side.

“Ow,” she said, rubbing her sore barrel. “What the hay, AJ!” Dash saw her friend giving her that disapproving glare again only this time there was a bit of fire behind it.

“What have I told you about doing that to the poor girl?” Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash snorted and tried to close her eyes but was met with a second jab. “Don’t you dare try to ignore me! I asked a question, and I expect an answer!” Dash felt her blood heat up. This was not the first time she and Applejack had gotten into this argument.

“What do you want me to say that I haven’t said already?” Dash answered, trying not to let her voice carry over to the splashing fillies. “I promised to help her, and I’m going to do it.”

Applejack’s jaw tightened. “You know full well that you’ve promised her something you can’t deliver.”

Dash continued to redden. “I would never lie to her!” Dash hissed. If she had been standing her wings would have been fanned out, twitching with agitation.

“I’m not saying you did,” Applejack sighed, her glare softening. “I just think you might have bitten off more than you can chew.” That accusation almost stung worse than if Applejack had called her a liar.

“She can beat this if I help her. I won’t let her los-”

“This ain’t a competition, Dash!” Applejack said through gritted teeth. “There ain’t a trophy to win, there’s nothing to beat, and everything to lose.”

“There’s a chance!” Dash said, defiantly.

“A chance for what?” Applejack retorted. “That she’ll be able to fly across a room someday. That isn’t what she wants, Dash. She wants to be you, and you know that won’t happen. I’m not saying you can’t train her, but bring down her aspirations a little. At this rate all you’ll do is build up her dreams only for her to see them shatter to pieces!”

Throughout the argument the two gotten closer together until they were nose-to-nose glaring at each other. Dash was seeing several shades of red and was close to blowing up. She only held herself back for Scootaloo’s sake, though her patience was near to the breaking point especially with Applejack’s ironclad will barring down on her. The tension could have been cut with a knife. Thankfully for both of them that knife came.

“Um, excuse me?”

The two looked away from each other and towards the human they had both forgotten about. He was still there sitting directly across from them in the perfect place to hear the whole thing. He gazed at the both of them concern creasing his brow.

“The confused alien is confused,” he said. “Am I missing something?” The mares stared at him for moment before staring back at themselves. Applejack leaned off of Rainbow Dash, and Dash sat up, a brief feeling of shame washing over her.

That was close to turning messy.

Ike looked from one to the other his eyebrows raised expecting one of them to answer him. When nothing was forthcoming he sighed and settled into his cross-legged position reaching over to the side and pulling his guitar into his lap. He fiddled with the knobs of the instrument, tuning it, and his eyes wandered to the fillies playing in the water who hadn’t noticed the brawl that had nearly taken place. He paused, mid-tune. His mouth parted and his smile faded as he pieced it together himself.

“At what age do pegasi usually learn to fly?” he asked.

Dash sighed. “Some can fly unaided a few months, sometimes weeks, after they’re born.”

Ike stared ahead his expression growing somber. “Bad wings?” He asked.

“The girl’s wings are fine,” Applejack said. “With how much she uses them they’re probably stronger than most pegasi her age. Scootaloo’s problem is a bit more complicated than that.” Ike tilted his head only more confused.

Dash groaned, wishing Twilight was there.

I hate giving this lecture.

She held out one of her wings. “Pegasi, griffons, dragons, and many other magical creatures that can fly don’t actually have wings big enough to carry them.” Fully extended her wing was barely half a size longer than she was from nose to flank. “So we get a little added boost.” She flapped her wing sending a disproportionately large gust of wind at Ike that blew his hair back. Dash folded her wing and continued. “It’s magic that’s innate to all pegasi.” She looked at her hooves. “Well, almost all pegasi.”

“What’s wrong with Scootaloo’s magic?” Ike asked.

“Absolutely, nothing,” Applejack said, “or at least there wouldn’t be if she had a horn.”

“What?”

“It’s a very rare disorder,” Rainbow Dash said. “Mostly random though there is a tiny bit more chance of somepony getting it if you have a mixed heritage like Scoots, but most ponies do these days. It happens when the pathways that channel magic inside somepony are… confused. Part of her magic thinks she’s a unicorn like her mom. She can still cloudwalk, but nearly all of the magic that could help her fly is going straight to her forehead where it just sits there.”

Applejack shook her head. “Just one tiny little mistake.”

Ike let out a humorless chuckle. “Those are usually the worst kind.” He twisted the ring on his right hand. “So I take it she can’t fly?”

“She likely never will,” Applejack said and shot a quieting look at Dash.

Dash frowned. “I can do it, AJ. Just let me try.”

Applejack stared at her friend. Her anger had evaporated and what was left behind looked a lot like resignation. “Alright, but be careful.”

Dash nodded.

She’ll fly. I believe in her.

“Have her parents tried to help her?” Ike asked. He was resting his head on his steepled fingers, his brow furrowed in thought. Dash could see something working behind his green eyes.

She shrugged, “There’s not much they can do. They’re good ponies, but they don’t get see her a lot. They both work in Canterlot. Her mom’s some sort of ambassador and her father’s a guard.”

“She lives here with her Aunt’s family,” Applejack said. “They were worried she’d be bullied in Canterlot, so they sent her to Ponyville.”

He sat quietly for awhile. Not looking away from the girls. He was considering something. Dash could see that, but she had no idea what. Finally he grunted seeming to make up his mind.

“I think I agree with Applejack.” He cut Dash off before she could interrupt. “Not about stopping, but be honest about what is realistic. Don’t tell her she can’t be a great flyer, but let her know it’s going to be very hard.”

They don’t get it!

“She’s been told she can’t since she was born!” She gave the human her best challenging look. “You think she doesn’t know it will be hard? The whole world’s been telling her she can’t be what she is. They gave up on her, but I promised to get her off the ground. That’s more than anypony else ever gave her, and I think that’s all she’s ever needed. I’ll catch her every time she falls. I’ll be there every time she doubts herself. I’ll be the one to have faith in her.” She looked away from Ike to Applejack. “All I’m asking is for you to have a little faith in me. You think she wants to be me, AJ? I guarantee you she’ll be better. Even if she only ever gets a few feet off the ground, she’ll still beat me at every race, and she’ll be the only pony that ever does.”

Applejack smiled sadly, but Dash could also see pride. “Do you think it’ll mean the same thing to her?”

Dash didn’t yield. “It will to me.”

Applejack closed her eyes and nodded. “Okay, I won’t bother you about it anymore." She looked out onto the lake and smiled. "She’s in good hooves.”

Ike’s smile was back to its usual bright form. He relaxed and plucked lazily at his guitar. “You know, Dash, you have a knack for pep talks.”

“Heh, stick around, Bushy-brow, you might actually see something really impressive,” she said, reclining back onto the ground.

“Eh, I could actually go without all the drama,” he said. He played for a moment until he looked back at Dash with a confused expression. “What’s with the nickname by the way?”

Dash shrugged, “You sing with your eyebrows. I noticed that last night.” Ike crossed his eyes as he tried to look at his own forehead. A twiddled one eyebrow and gave it a few inquisitive pokes. His other hand still managed to play his instrument even without its partner.

Ike dropped his hand and shrugged. “I blame Benjamin Burnley.”

“Who?”

“Eh, just a singer.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Well besides, I doubt you’d like me to call ya Scarface.”

“I don’t know,” he said, adopting some strange accent. “I wouldn’t mind pretending to be Tony Montana for a while.”

Dash didn’t even try figure out who he was talking about this time. She looked to Applejack who simply shrugged looking just as lost as Dash. She decided to just forget about it and closed her eyes.

Weird, alternate world references.

Everything went fairly quiet except for the distant splashing of the fillies and Ike’s guitar playing. He seemed to be improvising as he flowed naturally from one chord to another and gradually became softer. Eventually his playing faded away entirely, and Dash cracked open an eye finding she missed the sound. She saw Ike sitting still as a statue yet even more blank. She started to ask if something was wrong when she saw his eyes slowly close, and he really started to play.

There was a definite purpose to his progression this time, and she wondered when he would start to sing. It quickly became apparent, however, that he didn’t have to. He made the guitar sing for him. It was a subdued jangly tune, that had him bobbing his head and tapping his foot in time. She gazed at his forehead and, as she expected, saw his eyebrows caught up in their own little dance.

The rogue idea of him holding the instrument up to his face and playing it with those caterpillars nearly made her snort. She covered her face and did her best to stifle it. She turned away from him and looked to Applejack who had a wistful smile on her face as she listened to the music, her own head swaying from side to side like a metronome. Dash settled in and listened as well. The song kept to a recognizable melody but sped up and slowed down at the apparently random places that in their own way seemed to make sense.

Weird alien or not, he knows how to play.

The song slowed, and Ike played a final flourish of notes. As the music faded away, and Dash realized she could hear the wind again, the rustling of trees heavy with leaves, and the droning of insects. Summer noises. They had always been there, but it was like the music’s absence made her realize how loud they were. Despite that the music had cut right through them with no trouble at all. For a brief moment, it had been the only sound there was.

Music makes the rest of the world seem silent. Dash frowned and shook her head. Since when was I ever poetic.

“Well, it seems Bloom wasn’t joking.” Applejack said, standing up and stretching. “You really can play.”

Ike smiled and rubbed the back of his head a sheepish blush coating his cheeks. “Was last night’s performance not enough?”

“It was good,” Applejack said, smiling wryly, “but I prefer a more earthy sound.” She reached out and plucked one of Ike’s guitar strings.

He nodded. “I can understand that.”

“You should have played when Big Mac was still here. He’s a pretty good musician as well.”

Ike raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Applejack nodded, “Music runs in the Apple family just about as well as apple-bucking does. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a decent fiddle player, myself.”

“Decent?” Dash saw that the cutie mark crusaders had pulled themselves from the water at some point during the music. “Sis,” Applebloom continued, “you’re amazing at the fiddle.”

The earth pony filly had pulled her bow from her mane and was wringing water from it. Without the ribbon Applebloom’s mane didn’t resemble a pom-pom as Dash was want to do, but instead looked like a red-colored beast that had decided to set itself on top of the filly’s head in an attempt to eat it. She smoothed it back with one run through of her hoof and secured it in place with bow once again returning it to the delicate ponytail it pretended to be. Dash frowned.

Why can’t mine behave that well?

Applejack waved off her sister’s comment. “I’m alright, but I won’t make it to Carneighgy Hall anytime soon.”

“D-did you say... ‘Car-NEIGH-gy Hall?" Ike stammered.

“Yeah, why?”

The human shook his head looking like he was developing a headache, “It’s nothing. You’re going to have to let me hear you play sometime.” He grinned, “Maybe we could have a jam session.”

Applebloom beamed, “Maybe you can start a band together.” Her smile grew wider. “And we can be your managers.”

Dash didn't get a chance to cover her ears before the trio shouted, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BAND MANAGERS!”

“Ow,” she muttered, rubbing her ears.

Applejack shook her head. “It might be fun,” she said, “but I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

“Aw,” the fillies said, deflating.

“Time?” Ike repeated.

“What is it, bushy-brow?” Dash asked. The human pulled something from his pocket and looked at it. It was a black rectangular object and for a moment a clock face appeared on it.

Ike grumbled. “I still haven’t switched to local time." He put the device back in his pocket. "What time is it, Dash?”

"What?" she said, minding still wondering about the little gadget. "Oh it's... uh?" She glanced at Applejack who groaned and looked up shading her eyes with a foreleg.

“Looks like its a little past noon,” she said, squinting at the sun.

Ike groaned. “I guess running late is my theme today.” He stood up and started gathering his equipment.

“Where are you going?” Scootaloo asked.

Ike shouldered his guitar. “Rarity wanted to see me at her Boutique,” he said, hanging his camera around his neck. “I should go.”

“Oh, do you have to?” He smiled, kneeling down to scratch the filly behind the ear. Dash chuckled as Scoot’s leg gave a few reflexive kicks.

“I made a promise,” he said, “besides I’m not going anywhere.” He stood up and nodded to Applejack. “Ms. Apple.” She nodded back. Rainbow Dash laid back down on the grass. “Dash.”

She raised a hoof. “See ya around, bushy-brow.”

He chuckled. “See ya. See you later girls.”

“Bye, Ike,” said the crusaders as he tromped off. Dash closed her eyes finally free to take her nap and listened to the sound of the human’s footsteps fading away.

Nice guy—weird, but nice.

Suddenly the footsteps became louder again, and a shadow fell over Dash.

“Um, would anyone be willing to show me where exactly Rarity’s store is?”

Then again only somepony very evil would keep me from napping.

Of course all three of the Crusaders volunteered which led to Applejack going with them, and Rainbow hovering alongside the group with a sour look on her face. They passed few ponies on their way into town, but ones they did meet either stopped in place to gawk at the strange member of their party or moved aside in fear. For what it was worth Ike greeted all of them with a smile and a wave.

He thinks this is hilarious.

They reached the Boutique and were surprised to find they weren’t the only ones arriving at the store.

“Twilight?” Ike said as he saw the unicorn. She waved at everypony and so did the stack of groceries by her side.

“Spike, I told you to put those down,” she said.

“You kiddin’?” said a strained voice from somewhere within the pile. “I’ve got these perfectly balanced.”

“And you’re sure you don’t want me to carry a few?” she offered.

“Nah, its alright. This is nothing.”

The quivering display of bravado was met with six looks of incredulity, while Ike simply smirked and continued to study the boutique; Spike, of course, missed it all from behind his precariously perched pile.

"Uh… guys?"

"So, out shoppin’, Twi?" Applejack asked, changing the subject.

“Yes, my new house guest has a big appetite,” she said, eying Ike who was making a pointed effort to look fascinated with the design of Rarity’s store. “He should really thank me for going to Tranquil Bay’s booth for him.”

Dash perked up. “You went to Tranquil’s?” Twilight grumbled looking none too happy about the experience.

“Yes,” she said, “and how pegasi can stomach the smell of dead fish is beyond me.”

“What’s this about dead fish?” Ike asked. Twilight’s horn lit up and a bag floated free of Spike’s pile. It teetered treacherously for a second but settled with a grunt of effort from the dragon. The bag floated over to Ike who took it and looked inside. His eyes widened.

“Is this cod?” he asked.

Twilight nodded, “Tranquil said it was their specialty.”

“I thought ponies were vegetarians?” he asked rifling through the packaged fillets.

“Well, most ponies will eat eggs,” Dash said, “but I’m not sure if that counts. Pegasi on the other hoof love seafood. I think it comes from hanging out with griffins.”

“That’s partially true,” Twilight said, and Dash’s lecture senses started tingling.

Here she goes.

“You see,” she started, “during Equestria’s tribal days pegasi were isolationists. They prefered to remain in their cloud cities and associate with the other races as little as possible. They took it to such an extent that they started anchoring cities over the ocean to distance themselves even more. They soon found out that the bounty of the sea allowed them to be practically self-sustaining. Actually, it was when the Windigos started to feed on all of the hatred between the pony races and caused the fish to migrate elsewhere that pushed the pegasi back to the mainland.”

Dash nodded, “Yeah, but the taste for fish stuck.” She licked her lips remembering her dad’s grilled salmon. She went to Tranquil’s whenever she could afford to buy from her, but she could never get the meal to taste as good as her father did.

There must be a secret ingredient he adds. I’ll have to ask him sometime.

All the other ponies, even Scootaloo who hadn’t been raised with that certain racial quirk, grimaced.

“What?” Dash said. “It’s good!”

Ike folded up the package and held it under his arm. “Thanks, Twilight, but you didn’t have to go to the trouble.”

She shook her head. “You’d get ill without protein.”

“Actually,” he said, “I can survive on a vegetarian diet. I’ve had to plenty of times before. A few vitamins I’m certain I could find at an apothecary, and I’d be fine.” Twilight brightened, apparently relieved at the idea of not having fish in her house. “However,” Ike continued, tapping a thoughtful finger against his chin, “it has been a long time since I made my Aunt Ester’s fried cod.” Rainbow Dash felt her stomach rumble as she saw Twilight’s hope for a fish free home shatter. “And of course, you can have some too, Dash.”

“You’re the best,” she said.

“Naturally.”

“Darlings!” The group turned to see Rarity and Fluttershy approaching them. “Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise!”

Dash landed and nodded to Ike. “Someone had to show this lug how get to your place.”

“I told you you didn’t have to come, Rainbow.”

Dash shrugged. “Nah, watching Rarity pick at you should be entertaining enough.”

Even if you have thrown my sleep schedule completely out of whack.

“Oh, don’t make it sound so bothersome, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said as she opened the door. The group filed in with the mountain of groceries that was Spike at the rear. “Spikey, do you need any help with that?”

“Nope,” he said, puffing, “I got it handled.” Rarity shot a concerned look at Twilight who shrugged in return.

“Well,” Rarity said, choosing her words carefully, “you are such a strong dragon.”

“You bet!” he said, trying to straighten up beneath his load which only made his knees wobble more.

“Just, don’t over-exert yourself,” she said, trotting into her store. Spike took a shaky step after her and his pile started to crumble. Rainbow shot up alongside it steadying it from the the top. She saw Ike had done the same for the other side, and Sweetie Belle had helped brace from the bottom.

“We gotcha, Spike,” she said.

“Yeah,” he muttered, “thanks. Scales, I almost had it.”

Ike looked up at Rainbow Dash raising an eyebrow. She nodded to Rarity then to Spike and made the best impression of goo-goo eyes that she could. Ike chuckled with a knowing grin and nodded. They maneuvered the pile through Rarity’s door, Isaac being the thing that required the most bending to get inside. Shimming over to Rarity’s kitchen, they left the groceries there. Spike pulled himself out of from underneath the mountain and wobbled out of the room, Sweetie Belle rushing up beside him to give support.

“Thanks,” he said again.

“No problem.”

Rainbow Dash moved to follow them when she spotted Ike examining something on the kitchen table.

“What ya looking at, Bushy-brow?” she asked.

“Just the paper.” He held up a copy of the Canterlot Chronicle. “The headline caught me by surprise.” Emblazoned on the front page of the paper in big stylized lettering was the headline, Burglary Attempt at Cirrus Industries R&D. “I was wondering what kind of person robs a refrigerator company?”

“Whoa, wait somepony tried to rob from Cirrus Industries?” Rainbow Dash took the paper and read over the article. The details were sketchy, but the gist of it said that a coordinated band of thieves had tried and failed to break into one of the smaller weather research facilities the company owned. A few guards were injured but, thankfully, with nothing more serious than a few concussions and bruises.

“I didn’t know you were a fan of refrigerators, Dash,” Ike said.

Dash rolled her eyes. “They make a lot more than just refrigerators, monkey-boy. If it uses weather magic C.I. has their hooves in it somewhere. This company owns over half the clouds that make up Cloudsdale.”

“You can own clouds?”

She simply stared at him for a moment. “I live in one. Who do you think owns that?”

“Oh, right.”

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked, poking her head in through the door.

“We just saw today's news,” Dash said, hoofing the paper over to Twilight. She looked over the headline and nodded.

“Yeah, I heard ponies talking about it in the market.” She looked over the article. “I wonder if it was Thunderhead?”

Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry. “Those dunderheads wouldn’t know a lightning bolt from a thunderclap. No way it was them.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The paper said the thieves were ‘coordinated.’”

“They apparently didn’t get what they were after.”

“Yeah, but they still got away,” Dash said, “Thunderhead’s lackeys wouldn’t have made it through the front door.”

Twilight cocked her in thought and then nodded. “True,” she said.

“Um.” The two turned to find Isaac staring at the both of them. “One of you want to fill me in?”

“Thunderhead Inc. is Cirrus’s ‘competition,’” Dash said.

Though, I think a Chihuahua rubbing two balloons together would be better competition against C.I. than Dunderhead.

Twilight nodded, “They’ve been corporate enemies for years, and there’s a lot of speculation that some of their best products were stolen from Cirrus.”

“I doubt those, idiots, could ever get away with it,” Dash said.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. “Am I sensing a personal vendetta between you and this company, Dash?”

Dash flushed and looked away. “I’m not talking about it.”

Thunderhead: Mane and Tail Curler, more like Thunderhead: Shock Baton! Who uses lighting to curl hair, anyway? It straightens it! I still need to get back at Flitter for convincing me to try that. “Add some life to your mane, Dashie!” Horsefeathers, bucking horsefeathers!

Dash had descended into grumbling, and Ike didn’t pry her further. They moved into the foyer and found Rarity rummaging through her drawers for supplies. Several swatches of material were piled on the floor, and she was lining up a series of thread spools on her desk. Across the room the Crusaders sat next to Fluttershy and Applejack on the throw pillows Rarity had laid out.

“Ah, there you are!” Rarity said, as Ike entered the room. Rainbow followed Twilight over to the pillows. If she was lucky, perhaps she could still get her nap once Rarity got into her “zone.” “So, you said this was all you had?” Rarity said, pointing at his clothing.

“Actually, I do have a bit more.” Ike looked to Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, do I have permission to show them my magic trick?”

Twilight sighed, “Go ahead. You might want to shield your eyes.”

Applejack raised a confused eyebrow and Dash tried to say, “From what?” before something went off like a camera flash. She faced Ike and saw that there was now a stack of bundled clothing on the table he’d laid his hand on.

“What? How did?”

Ike smiled, mischievously, holding a finger attached to a dimly glowing hand to his lips. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

Twilight huffed. “He has a storage device.”

Ike’s shoulders slumped. “Way to be a killjoy.”

“Well, you’re just full of surprises,” Applejack said. “Ain’t that right, Flutters… Flutters?” Everypony turned to Fluttershy’s now empty pillow.

“Um,” a small voice said causing everypony to look up, “c-can we get a bigger warning before you do that again, please.” Fluttershy was wrapped around the lamp that hung from the ceiling. It swung gently back and forth with its sudden occupation.

“Er, okay,” Ike said.

While the girls worked to coax Fluttershy down Rarity—who had completely ignored Ike’s conjuring—had immediately unwrapped his bundles and begun to examine his clothing with a critical eye. She went through few coats and scarves. Many of his shirts were the same as the one he was wearing, so she skipped over those, and examined a finely made gray cloak for several minutes. However eventually she paused and held up a strange piece of cloth. “What is this?”

Ike flushed, “Oh, uh, that’s called underwear.”

“You have quite a few pairs of them.”

“Yes,” he said growing redder. “They’re important.”

“And you certainly seem to favor denim,” she said, looking at the stitching of some of his trousers. “It is sturdy, but wouldn’t it be coarse against more, um, sensitive areas.”

“That,” Ike said, taking a deep breath, “would be what the underwear is for.”

“Oh,” Rarity said, blushing as lifted a hoof off another pair of the underwear. All of the girls, save Twilight, giggled, but Dash could see the unicorn was fighting it down. Spike had buried his face in his pillow in an attempt to muffle his laughter.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, let’s get down to the real business. Ike, if you could stand over by the mirrors and strip down, please.”

Ike froze. “Do what?”

Rarity smiled. “Well, I need to get your measurements, darling, and it’s much more accurate if done with your clothes off.”

Ike looked across the room at his audience. Dash smirked, thinking they’d finally found something that had unnerved him. That was until his eyes fell on her. They didn’t hold any fear or embarrassment. If anything they looked ashamed.

Ike’s gaze finally fell on the three fillies and baby dragon in the room. He fidgeted, his fingers twisting his ring. “Maybe we can schedule that in for another day?”

“I’m afraid we can’t,” Twilight said. “I wrote the Princess saying I’d like to introduce you to her in a week. I thought Rarity would like to make you a suit for the occasion, but she’ll need the time to make it.”

Rarity waved a hoof at Twilight. “Oh, Twilight, I may not like to boast, but can surely make a suit in less than a week. If he wants too we can do this tomorrow.” Ike visibly relaxed.

“Actually,” this time it was Spike who interrupted. “We have to leave in four days.”

Twilight turned to the Dragon. “What do you mean, Spike?”

“You remember how it’s the Summer Sun Celebration in a week?” Twilight nodded. “The trains are kinda booked. I could only get tickets for the day before the festival.”

“How are the trains booked?” Twilight asked.

“Uh, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “they’re booked every year around Summer Sun Celebration. They hardly run at all on the day of the festival, and the day after they’re usually taking folk home to Ponyville. That was why we had the Apple Family Reunion early this year.”

“I never left Canterlot during the festival,” Twilight said, flopping on her pillow, “except for when Spike and I came here, but we flew then. This really messes things up.”

“Hold up, Twilight,” Applejack said, “I assume you want us to come?”

“I got eight tickets just in case,” Spike said.

Applejack nodded. “Well I’ve always heard Canterlot has the best festival out of any city regardless of whether Celestia raises the sun there or not. I’d think it be fun, right Dash?”

“Sure, Canterlot super-festival. I’m game.”

“Hey!” Spike said, an idea occurring to him. “We could spend the festival with mom and dad like we used to, Twilight.”

Twilight seemed to brighten at that thought. “That actually sounds like fun. I guess I could write them. Wait, I can host a sleepover in my own room!”

“Oh, that sounds like it could be fun,” piped in Fluttershy.

Out of the corner of her eye Dash saw a forlorn expression creep across Ike’s face as the girls discussed their Canterlot plans. Rarity tapped her hoof against her cheek, eyes glazed over as she mumbled some calculations.

“Well, if that’s going to be the case,” she said, “I’m afraid I’ll have to get started right away, Ike.”

Ike said nothing. He straightened up, his glasses catching the sun’s reflection blocking his eyes from Dash’s view. She couldn’t read him while the rays shone off them. His smile had dropped to an imperceptible line.

What’s got him thinking so hard.

Ike sighed, drawing in a deep, resigned breath. “Alright, just give me a second.” He walked over to the girls or more precisely, Fluttershy. The pegasus grew nervous as Ike knelt down to her, but the nerves changed to confusion when he whispered something to her. When he finished speaking he looked at her and their eyes met. He looked like they were pleading to her. Still looking confused she nodded to him.

“Girls, Spike,” she said, looking to her side. “Why don’t we go to Sugarcube Corner and get a snack?”

“Okay, are we going to get something for everypony else?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Ike smiled. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll meet you there later.”

“Besides, Rarity may decide the three of you need new dresses,” Fluttershy said.

Scootaloo jumped to her hooves, “The flower-girl dress was one dress enough for me! Come on, girls.” The Crusaders walked to the door, and Ike nodded a thank you to Fluttershy.

Spike paused for a moment. “Are you sure I can’t-”

Fluttershy cupped her wing around the baby dragon “Come along, Spike.” As gentle as a mother duck to her chick she guided him out the door. Isaac relaxed when the door shut, exhaling a held breath.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Rainbow Dash smirked. “Was that it, Bushy-brow? Didn’t want the kids to see you strip?”

“Partially,” he said, sounding drained. “My species, my culture really, doesn’t like being nude at all.” He stood in Rarity’s measuring spot and grabbed the hem of his shirt. “The truth is I don’t think they should see this.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “See wha-”

Ike lifted his shirt, and the silence that followed would have been too quiet even for the dead.

Rainbow Dash's first impression had been that Ike was a twig. A long, lanky creature that was possibly flexible but easily broken in half like a piece of wood. That impression had been wrong. What she saw now was a creature that resembled a steel cable. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his torso anywhere. His twitchy muscles were easily visible beneath his furless skin, pulling against each other creating the balancing act that kept him on his feet. He was fit to the point that it was disturbing. Of course, that impression could have been because of the scars.

By Celestia, they’re everywhere!

They criss-crossed his chest in a macabre web of slashes and cuts. Dash had enough scars of her own to know that these weren’t caused by crashes or scrapes. These had a pattern like someone had used Ike’s skin as practice for whittling. Some overlapped each other, some spiraled across his belly around his back and appeared again on his chest, and many did both. He’d been filleted.

His right shoulder, however didn’t have a scar. It had a depression. The flesh sunk in beneath his collarbone, and the muscles around the wound spasmed unnaturally whenever he moved his arm.

Doesn’t that hurt?

Rarity walked mechanically around him, her mouth hanging open in shock which mirrored the other girls. When she saw his back she had to sit down or risk falling over at the sight. Her hooves covered her mouth and tears misted her eyes.

“You poor thing,” she said. “Even your cutie mark!”

“What?” Ike said, confused. He reached behind his back, half-turning when he did. His back wasn’t more torn up then his front, that wasn’t possible, but on it, carved to as many pieces as the rest of his skin, was the remnants of a symbol. It was a black intertwining figure, or at least at one point it had been. Now it was just a couple of mangled strands broken apart like a piece of pottery.

“Oh, that,” he said, “That’s not a cutie mark. It’s a tattoo, a drawing imprinted into the skin.”

“Zebras do that,” Twilight said sounding robotic. Her lecturing tone was absent. She had said the words to simply give her mind something to do.

“What does it mean?” Dash asked, stupidly. She had wanted to ask who had done this to him, because in the back of her mind she wanted to be angry. Anger was a much easier and less complicated emotion to her. This shock was disturbing, and she didn’t know how to get rid of it.

No, with anger all I have to do is find the monster that did something like this and punch him really hard!

She looked at the scars on his stomach.

A lot!

The muscles at his shoulder twitched again.

In the balls!

Despite the scars Ike smiled. “It’s just a silly thing I got from a friend.” His fingers twisted his ring. “Two symbols for infinity laid on top each other.”

It was Applejack who asked the important question. She had been sitting quietly, her eyes wide and haunted. “How?” she said. “How did you get all of those?”

“I…” Isaac paused searching for the right words, “hesitated.” He didn’t offer anything else.

“They aren’t covering each other.” Rainbow Dash looked to Twilight and saw the horrified expression on her face. She continued speaking though Dash doubted she was talking to anypony in particular. “New scars form on top of old scars. They’re all on the same layer.” Twilight’s voice hitched. “They’re the same age.”

Dashed turned back to Ike, staring dumbfounded at the scars. She couldn’t see one that interrupted the path of another. Even slashes that were perpendicular to each other shared the same scar tissue.

He got them all at once!

The tension in the room was unbarely thick. Dash was beginning to come down from the initial shock, but the room remained deathly quiet. Until the sound of the door opening and closing shattered it.

“I know you said not to worry,” Fluttershy said, “but I felt like I had to get you some-”

A bag of freshly baked Sugarcube Corner confections fell to the floor when Fluttershy saw Ike. Just behind her the door burst open.

“Fluttershy don’t-,” Pinkie froze when she saw the pegasus staring at Isaac, “look.”

Fluttershy’s eyes terrified Rainbow Dash. They stared unblinkingly all over the human, examining every mark on his body trying to comprehend what could have done this. When nothing came, her face fell to the floor, and she started to tremble.

Isaac stood in the center of the room, and despite his height, looked small. He never frowned, but he didn’t smile either. “Shy, I’m-” he was cut off when the pegasus leaped across the room. Her wings barely flapped once before she collided with his chest and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’m so sorry.” Ike slowly brought his arms up cradling her even if didn’t matter. Dash had seen reactions like this before, and once Shy was on somepony like that she was on like a vise.

“I’m so, so sorry.” Fluttershy repeated the words several more times before they dissolved into quiet sobs, and Ike held her like a father holding his foal after a bad dream.

“Now look at what I’ve done,” he said, stroking her mane. “I’ve gone and made an angel cry.”

I am a professional, she reminded herself.

Her measuring tape wrapped around Ike’s midriff taking great care not to stare at the scars that covered it. She did the same around his shoulders, arms, and inseam. Thankfully, most of his scars ended just past his shoulders though the longest did reach halfway to his right elbow. She’d take a measurement, write down its figure, and reposition to start again. It was completely methodical and professional. It was also completely unlike how she liked to work.

She liked to chat with her clients: gossip, small talks, even life stories. She didn’t care. She just liked the conversation. The night before she had thought of a million different things to ask the traveler, and now she could not find it in her to ask any of them. Twilight had likely milked him of information already, but she wanted to know about his culture. She would have asked about history and science, but Rarity wanted to know about his art, music, and culture. If what Twilight wanted was the backbone of society, than she wanted the life blood. However, if it was his culture that had allowed something like this to happen to him, did she really want to?

Her measuring tape wrapped around his neck, and she made the mistake of looking down. Just like its twin on his front, the mark on his shoulder unnerved her. The skin was warped, bulging outward in some places while sinking at others. He’s been impaled through that shoulder.

Rarity shook her head and averted her eyes.

Professional, Rarity, you are a professional. If you can clothe a minotaur unfamiliar with bathing you can clothe this poor thing.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He hadn’t stopped smiling she’d noticed. It wasn’t the happy carefree smile he’d had since she’d met him. In its stead now existed a pitiful, sad smile. That had always sounded like a paradox to her, a sad smile. However, if tears could mean happiness surely a smile could mean sadness.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said, climbing down from her stool. She had needed it to get the best measurement of his shoulders. “Our Fluttershy is a very sensitive mare, but she'll be fine soon.”

After the incident it had taken awhile to pry poor Fluttershy off of Ike. After some coaxing her into she finally letting go she was lead outside. Ike had remained silent for the most part except for asking to take a shower before starting. He was back soon after having stripped down to a baggy pair of undergarments he called boxers. He’d been adamant about leaving them on.

“I already apologized to her,” he said. “I was talking about you.”

Rarity paused in gathering swatches for her test passes. “I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t let,” she made a vague gesture towards him, “that bother me so much.” She levitated some material over needle and thread working to find the right patterns for his shape.

He shook his head. “I don’t think I would want to know someone who wasn’t bothered by these.” He shrugged his shoulders, and Rarity made certain not to look at his wounded shoulder. He stood still as a statue as Rarity worked. She was impressed by his angular features, but he wasn’t all that different from a minotaur. His shoulders were broad on him but tiny compared to a full grown bull’s. She’d be able to save on fabric for his clothing.

“Do they hurt?” she said, focusing on her needle work.

“Sometimes,” he said. “A few of them sting every once in awhile, and my shoulder likes to cramp up.”

“You talk about them so plainly.” She untied a seam and made a few notes in the sketchbook floating beside her.

“Eh, everyone has scars.” He looked at her with a light smile. “I just have a few more than most would like.” Rarity looked into his eyes. He’d laid his sunglasses on top of his clothing, so she could see them clearly. They were warm, welcoming, and sincere, and she could even see a spark within them. However, it looked like a spark fighting against a hurricane in an effort to stay lit.

Applejack, I’ll never doubt your skills again.

The door to the boutique swung open, and Pinkie Pie strolled in with the usual bounce in her gait. Her beaming smile had been trimmed down a notch looking almost motherly. Pinkie may have been hyper, but she knew when jubilance should yield to comfort.

“How’s it going?” she asked, plopping down on the vacant throw pillows. All of the girls had escorted Fluttershy out and made sure the fillies and baby dragon didn’t barge in.

“We’re almost done,” Rarity said, making a few more stitches. “I should have more than enough to get Ike’s suit ready by time we have to leave. How is Fluttershy?”

Pinkie Pie smiled. “Fine now. She wasn’t upset really just kinda sad, maybe a little mad too.”

Rarity shot Pinkie a questioning glance. “Fluttershy, mad?”

“Well, wouldn’t you be mad if you knew some meanie-pants did that to somepony?” Pinkie waved at Ike who looked a bit uncomfortable being talked about like he wasn't there.

“I tried not upset anyone,” Ike said. “Some take it better than others.”

Pinkie waved it off. “Don’t worry about it, Iky. I don’t know about other ponies, but from me when you get scrapes and scars you get cakes and cards!” From whatever place Pinkie kept her seemingly endless party supplies she produced a small cupcake, complete with burning candle, and a ‘Get Well Card’.

“Get Well?” Ike asked, picking up the card.

Pinkie shrugged, “I thought ‘Get Well’ sounded better, than ‘sorry some jerkface sliced you to ribbons.’”

“Pinkie!” Rarity said, bring a hoof to her mouth.

Ike simply laughed. “I don’t know. Can you imagine the other cards you’d find with it? ‘Sorry your finger got caught in the garbage disposal!’”

Pinkie snorted a laugh. “Enjoy the hemorrhoids!”

Ike nearly doubled over. “Have fun at you colonoscopy!”

Rarity rolled her eyes.

Well she did it in her own Pinkie way, but at least the mood’s improved. Really, Pinkie can be so considerate when she’s not acting so… bonkers.

Pinkie wiped a tear from her eye. “Alright, now have your cake!” Of course, instead of giving him the cupcake she crammed it into his still laughing mouth.

Oh well. It’s not like it was going to last much longer anyway.

Ike was jostled by the sudden force feeding and stepped back. Rarity felt her needle catch on something soft, and the fabric she’d been working with was torn off Ike’s leg. Rarity saw a small, red drop catch the light as her sewing came undone.

“Pinkie!” She said. “I’ve told you not to do that while I’m stitching!”

Pinkie grinned, sheepishly. “Sorry. So... you like the cupcake Iky?”

“Uhm muh huhm,” was all Rarity could make out as Ike removed the still lit candle from between his lips. He chewed for a second and swallowed. “It’s a vast improvement over the dirt I’ve been getting a lot of recently.”

Rarity frowned. She walked over to her cabinet and started fumbling around for a first aid kit. “I was about to remove that anyway, but stay there for a moment, Ike, while I get you a bandage.”

“A bandage for what?”

“My needle got you.”

“No, it didn’t.”

Rarity sighed as she levitated an alcohol pad and band-aid out of her drawer. She looked towards Ike skeptically. “There’s no need for bravado, darling. Getting a little help won’t diminish your stallionhood.”

“If he’s proportional, I don’t think he has anything to worry about,” Pinkie said.

Rarity flushed while Ike gained a cheesy grin. He pulled on an imaginary shirt collar. “Miss Pie, I’ll treasure that comment for the rest of time.”

“You’re welcome!” she said.

Rarity shook off her blush and cleared her throat. “Regardless, let me clean that up. I don’t want to be responsible for adding another mark to you.”

“Rarity, there’s nothing there look.” He turned his leg to her.

She eyed him. “Other leg.”

He huffed and turned, brandishing the other leg. She saw nothing. The leg was fine. Besides being a bit hairy—what counted as hairy for a human—it had no mark made by her or anyone else on it anywhere.

“But I could have sworn-”

Ike chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.” He started pulling his clothes back on.

Rarity shook her head and picked up her sketchbook and measurement pad. “Alright then, I guess it was my imagination. Your suit will be ready in no time, darling. Are you heading out?”

Ike nodded as he fastened on his sword which he’d left propped against the wall next to his clothes instead of stored in his “drive” as he called it. “Yeah, I figure I should check on the girls after the shock I gave them.”

“They’re at my place!” Pinkie said.

“Then I guess that’s where I’m headed.” He walked over to Rarity and picking up hoof, giving it another genteel kiss like he had the day before. “Thank you for your charity.”

“Thank nothing of it, darling,” she said as he and Pinkie left the shop. They both waved as they went out the door.

Strange creature… poor creature.

She walked over to her measuring area and started cleaning up the space. She levitated the notes she’d taken and read over them, packing things away at the same time.

Military jacket, maybe? No, too intimidating. It needs to be stylish, but simple. He likes simple.

She started towards her Inspiration Room when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Looking away from her notepad and down to the floor she saw a single red spot.

I knew I hadn’t imagined it! Stallions, you’d have to cut their heads off before they’d admit they’re in trouble.

She frowned and lit up her horn. The cerulean aura pooled on the floor around the blood drop, and she pulled it up. Her aura moved, but the blood stayed. Rarity cocked her head and knelt down. Surely it hadn’t stained already. As she got closer she saw that it couldn’t have. A part of it was still shining from the fading light of the sun. She tried a few more times to lift the drop, but each time it stayed.

“How-” she started to say, but as her breath left her lips the drop disintegrated. Puffing away like a mote of dust or dash of glitter. Her breath alone had been enough to blow it away.

She stared at the spot before looking up and out her boutique’s window. She saw Ike and Pinkie nearing the end of the street. Ike had the back of his head cradled in his hands almost if he could lean back while walking. He was laughing as Pinkie tried and failed to stand on her hind legs and walk like him. Before they turned at the street corner Ike had gotten behind her and steadied her by bracing her shoulders. The result was a stumbling gait, but she remained upright. They continued that way until they turned out of Rarity’s sight.

She smiled, shaking her head. It had been a long day, and a drop of glitter wasn’t worth getting frazzled about.

Strange creature indeed.

Author's Note

So this has been a longtime coming. Was anyone else's 2014 just as sucky a year as it was for everyone else. I've been getting that vibe from people. Well, here's 2015! May it actually be productive! Regardless, it's good to be back!
Link to a colored version of Ike's Portrait.

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I write these words not for the benefit of my memory, but for the preservation of my sanity.

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She felt at peace in the familiar embrace of her night. Despite all that had changed in her absence it had remained the same. The air was cool, the cicadas called in the summer, the waking world rested, and the nocturnal creatures roamed. It had always felt calming to her, and that was one reason why it had hurt to see her citizens shun her realm. They had only seen it as a blackness that hid dangers within in its embrace. When she and her sister ascended to the throne, she had forgotten the fear all creatures of the day had of the dark. The Nightmare had made her remember. All those years trapped within herself gave her a renewed fear of an empty darkness. It reminded her of what could be waiting in the dark for its chance to strike. She had been such a fool to let that happen.

In a way, it may have been her fault for letting her sorrow drag her down into whatever abyss that monster had come from. She had kept the majority of her depression hidden from her sister, not wishing to burden her with the trouble. Then, one dusk something latched onto her sorrow and wormed its way into her mind. Everything after that was like experiencing life through another's eyes. Her voice told Celestia that she would not lower the moon, but it was not her that willed it to do so. Her magic had changed her form, but she had not wanted it to.

Many believed the Nightmare to have been an extension herself, and while it was true the Nightmare was feeding off her desires, it had twisted and perverted them in the process. All she really wanted was her citizens to love the night as she did. To love her realm as they did her sister's day. The Nightmare wanted to rule and oppress. It wanted to turn her beautiful night into the very thing everypony already feared. The Nightmare would have been the death of her night just as it had almost been the death of her.

Nightmare. Its name was far too accurate, especially for her. She was aware while it had taken her. She had seen flashes of what it was doing. Watched as it had ended the lives of those that had stood in its way. She had cried as it fought her sister. A few of those cries were her begging Celestia to end it all. She refused to be a monster and would not live as one. It had been the only time that she wanted to die.

Luna had never asked if Celestia had heard those cries, it wasn't a topic either wanted to discuss, but Luna suspected she had because the louder she shouted the more Celestia yelled for her to fight. She tried. The monster's power was immense and fed off her own adding to its strength. She fought with every ounce of her soul through the haze and madness, trying to give her sister time to do something.

They fought the monster, her from within and Celestia from without, and they had been losing. Luna remembered looking down at Celestia through that thing's eyes. Celestia was beaten and broken. One wing was mangled, her coat was covered in cuts and bruises, and her pink mane had been torn from her scalp in places. The Nightmare readied to end her sister's life, and Luna was going to be forced to watch. Her spirit was exhausted, and it felt that if she let go she would fade into oblivion. Her mind sparked as an idea came to her. Letting go was exactly what she had to do.

Not debating her decision, she let go, not of her life, but of her elements: loyalty, generosity, and honesty. They disconnected from her soul, and she sent them to her sister. Celestia and the Nightmare had both been surprised by this. The Nightmare faltered in its death blow, and Celestia was nearly blinded by the sudden flow of power. She looked into the Nightmare's eyes as her wounds healed and her mane changed from pink to a pastel rainbow of green, blue, and pink.

"Luna?" she said, sadness in her eyes.

"Do it," the Nightmare said, but it was Luna's voice. Across the monster's enraged features a single tear fell from its eye. "Do what must be done, Tia." Her voice had been one of resignation. Celestia stood her horn glowing with ethereal light.

"I will not let this monster take you from me," she said. "I promise I'll save you." She released the magic of harmony, and Luna slept.

Her exhaustion and fatigue ate at her soul, so she welcomed the rest. She did not remember much from her time on the moon. The Nightmare had tried to absorb her further while she slept. Whether it was an act of desperation by the weakening creature or just the natural process of its hold on her she did not know.

She remembered flashes of the creature's pain and one time a deep despair followed by a torrent of hatred. She did not know what had caused the feeling, but she had done everything to keep it locked away. It was not a memory worth reliving.

The first few months back from her exile had been tiring. Her sister had stayed by her side the entire time and tried to act as if it were just like old times. It had only unsettled her, and she feared she would return to her depression.

The memories that were from before the Nightmare only served to remind her of what she had lost. Friends that she would never see again. Some far closer than she believed even her sister had known. Habits and traditions that were outdated and forgotten. They showed how behind she had become. How the world had moved on without her.

It had every right too, she thought. Change is just a sign of life moving along as it should.

It was the first time she had started watching the night again that she felt something different. Ponies were out, and they were looking at her night in wonder. It was bittersweet that in her absence the ponies of Equestria had finally started seeing what she had, but it was still a pleasant surprise for her to find.

It had stoked a fire within her that made her adventurous. Soon after that she journeyed to Ponyville to take part in the village's Nightmare Night Celebration. She had been so nervous on that night she kept falling back into habits she had been trying to break. She owed Twilight Sparkle a great debt for helping her through her awkwardness. In the end it proved to be the second crack in the shell she had encased herself in. Her smile returned to her and everything began to feel normal again.

She and her sister began to talk more, and she began to keep in touch with all of the Elements of Harmony. She owed them her life, and it made sense that her friendship could be the least she could give them in return.

She couldn't believe how happy it was to fall into a satisfying routine again. She would get up every evening and raise her moon. Then she would have breakfast while her sister had dinner. They would talk and, increasingly, laugh with each other until they left for the Night Court. Celestia would retire around eleven and leave her with the last hour of court. One thing that had unfortunately remained the same was the Night Court. It was still as boring and depressing as it had always been.

Nobles would drone on about problems of little importance, and commoners would come with problems that were either just as petty or ones she couldn't help with. She was both thankful and annoyed Celestia let the more demanding matters be discussed while she accompanied her. She was grateful because Celestia was better at handling depressing situations. Luna still didn't know how Celestia comforted a distraught filly who had come asking for them to "wake up" her sister. Celestia had sat with the child for almost half an hour, talking quietly with her. By the time the filly left her cheeks were still damp, but a smile had appeared on her face.

The annoying part was that after Celestia left for the night all that remained for Luna to handle was the nobles. She often wondered why they had nothing better to do then gripe to her in the middle of the night. If she had to hear Prince Blueblood complain one more time—or his servant complain for him—her lawyer would have to pull off a temporary insanity plea after she turned the stallion into a gelding. Not only would he deserve it, but his prattling kept her from her other more enjoyable duties.

When court had the mercy to adjourn, she retreated to her balcony and let herself be lost to her realm. It felt as if she had spread herself over all of Equestria. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. She sensed tiny disturbances in her night, most of which made her heart sing.

This night was beautiful.

Her lips curled into a content smile as she checked on one disturbance coming from a young colt camping with his father and grandfather on the Unicorn Range. Dreams were her window into the night. They were how she stayed connected with her subjects and guided them through their troubles. She wished she had taken more pleasure in it before, but it was the Nightmare that had given her a reason to try harder. She vowed that no pony would suffer the tiniest amount of torment like she had.

The little pegasus's dream was a calm and blissful journey. He dreamed of flying through the stars. Gliding up to them and having them swirl around his hoof. He watched them spiral into the galaxies he would one day find out they were. Her smile brightened further, and she departed from his dream without him knowing she was ever there.

She opened her eyes and gazed out at the land before the city. She was at the west tower and gazed at the indigo of the fading night that contrasted with the warm red of the fast approaching dawn in the east. The moon hung low in the sky waiting for her to put it away. Some called it Luna's moon, but she knew that it was not her possession. It belonged to everypony beneath it, and it was simply her responsibility. The same was true of her sister's sun. Celestia was no doubt on the eastern tower at this moment waiting for the time to bring the day to Equestria.

Which would be right... now.

A small bell inset into the balcony's railing in front of her dinged. It wasn't necessary for the device to be there to tell her when to do her job, but she knew it helped the council feel the day was more regulated so she didn't argue. Her horn glowed as she gave the moon the push it needed to be ready for her to raise it in the east at dusk. It slipped beneath the horizon in a way that made it look like it melted into the earth below. It was a sight she would never grow tired of.

The sky behind her and the castle turned a dazzling red meaning Celestia had finished with her job as well. Luna sighed, her smile still on her face, and turned away from the balcony. Two of her Nightguard stood at attention at her balcony's entrance. They saluted as she walked by, and she bid them good morning.

"You may begin the changing of the guard, Captain," she said.

The bat-winged pegasus bowed respectfully but remained where he was. She knew they wouldn't change until the time set for them, but she hated having them wait those few minutes in the daylight.

I'll have to talk to Celestia about getting the Nightguard some eye protection.

She bowed to her guards and made her way into the castle. She and her sister would always meet after they raised and lowered each of their respective celestial bodies and have dinner/breakfast with each other. Today, she felt like making the chef's job easy this morning and having breakfast for dinner. She chuckled.

If Five Star doesn't stop making pancakes as well as he does I will have to seriously consider going on a diet.

She took one more step, and her laugh died in her throat. Something cold and empty fell over her mind. Her legs buckled and she fell to the floor.

"No, not again!" she said, fearing that the Nightmare had found her again. However, she discovered that this feeling was different. The Nightmare had felt like a snake had constricted around her entire body. This felt like the world had been wiped away. It left a hole of complete nothingness. She still felt the floor beneath her and the cold of the stone against her body, but her connection to the world was lost. Even during the day she could still feel part of the world, but now it felt like that connection had been erased. Nothing was blocking it. It was just gone. She trembled. The withdrawal had stolen her breath and left her head swimming with an unbearable delirium.

Just as she was about to scream, the feeling left as suddenly as it had come. Luna's eyes snapped opened as she laid on the ground. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to steady her breathing, and her coat had become slick with a cold sweat.

"Your majesty!" said one of her Nightguard, concern lacing his usually stoic face.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to stand. Both guards helped brace her as she stood on her hooves. Her knees shook and her stomach twisted. She didn't feel like pancakes anymore. "It's passed."

"What has passed, Princess?" asked the guard.

"You didn't feel it?" she asked. The guard shook his head.

"No ma'am," he said, "we thought you had fallen until we felt how cold you were. What did you feel?"

"It felt like-" she paused. She didn't really know how to describe the emptiness. It felt like a feeling of nothing. It was a paralyzing numbness that was trying to swallow her soul, or at least drive her mad. Then the words came to her, and she looked up to him. "Like somepony dancing on my grave."

She had heard the phrase before, and she doubted that any other feeling could come so close. To an immortal (or something as close as she was) it was an odd phrase to use, but it had felt like her life was being drained from her. The guard seemed to be about to speak to her when a light blue unicorn came running around the corner.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" she shouted when she saw the Princess of the Night.

"Gentle Touch, what's the matter?" Luna asked, her knees still shaking. The mare looked distraught, and it took her a moment before she could calm herself enough to speak.

"Princess Luna, it's- it's your sister!"

"Tia!" she exclaimed, forgetting her own discomfort, "What happened?"

"She- she collapsed!"

"What!" Luna shouted.

Did she feel it too?

"She had just raised the sun and seemed fine," Gentle Touch said, tears beginning to roll down her cheek. "Then she fell. Her guards told me to find you, and they carried her to her quarters."

Luna's heart clenched in her chest as worry turned her blood to ice. Without letting the poor mare say another word, Luna took off down the hall of the castle. Half running and half flying, she dodged guards and pushed past palace servants without offering a word of apology. Her only thought was reaching her sister. She came to a stairway and leaped over the railing avoiding the stairs altogether. She fell a few floors before spreading her wings and glided into the corridor that led to her sister's bedroom. Her hooves had only just touched down as she threw herself into the door. It swung open hard enough to cause the frame to split.

"Tia!" she shouted, grinding to a halt in her sister's room. The Princess of the Sun was sitting in a large chair with an ice pack magically held against her head and a fluffy, pink bathrobe covering her alabaster coat. She seemed dazed but otherwise unharmed.

"Lulu," she said, with a smile. "I don't think my door deserved that." Luna went up to her sister and embraced her.

"Tia, are you alright. Gentle Touch said-"

"Luna, calm down. I'm fine," she said, rocking her sister who started crying against her shoulder.

"It's just when I felt it, I was so scared," Luna said. Celestia stopped her rocking.

"You felt it too?" she asked. Luna nodded, smearing her tears into her sister's bathrobe. "Oh dear, I was hoping I had finally overworked myself."

"It- It felt so- so empty," she stuttered. "I thought the Nightmare had come back." Her tears came back again in force, and she pulled herself tighter against her sister.

"It's okay, Luna. It wasn't the Nightmare," She paused and looked out her window. "I'm not certain what it was."

"I lost my connection with the world. It made me so dizzy," Luna said leaning off her sister.

Celestia nodded, "I had just become fully connected with the day. The shock of it all being ripped away so quickly must have made me pass out."

"What could do that?" Luna asked following her sister's gaze out the window.

"I don't know, Lulu. I just don't know," Celestia said. She didn't look worried, but Luna knew when her sister was hiding her feelings. Celestia was just as terrified as she was and was barely holding it together.

"Is it still there?" Luna asked, her voice barely a whisper. It was like she was afraid something would attack if she spoke any louder.

"Something is," Celestia said, her voice becoming a whisper as well. "I don't sense anything, but I know something is out there."

"What should we do?" Luna asked.

"Have everypony in the palace ready to respond to an emergency," Celestia said.

"What about the Elements?" Luna asked. Celestia shook her head.

"If the ponies hear the Elements were summoned it could cause a panic. I'll have a letter ready for Twilight, but I'll only send it if we need her," she said.

"Why?" asked Luna.

"Remember, the time travel fiasco," Celestia said. "That was when she warned herself. Imagine how she would react if she got a letter from me."

"Good point," Luna said.

"Besides, there's a still a chance this could be nothing."

"You don't really believe that," Luna said.

Celestia frowned, "No, I don't."

Luna continued to embraced her for a few moments longer. She stared out the window wondering what could be out there, and what it would do. Her eyes scanned the countryside, a part of her wondering if she would actually see something. Little did she know for that for the briefest moment a flash of reflected light shone from the top of an oak tree on the border of the Everfree Forest. It was so brief that she hadn't noticed it. Even if she had it would have been impossible for her to see what had caused it. She would not know that miles away a strange creature was focusing the lens of a camera on the castle and staring through the viewfinder in a quiet awe.

Author's Note

This is it. The beginning of what I hope to be... uh, something. When you find its flaws, and I know you will, point them out, but do so gently.

A Short Interlude

In a desert under an alien sky a dark ritual was being performed. A pentagram carved into the ground burned with arcane fire. The pitch black flames absorbed the light of the three full moons above contrasting with the white earth below. Inside the circle runes twisted and writhed with the power that was being fed to them. At the center a whirlwind of black sand rose up from the ground. The wind pulsed like the slow, languid heartbeat of a half-dead abomination.

At the circle’s edge stood a tall man in a long black jacket that flapped in the wind. Purple smoke wafted from his upturned hands then curled downward into the black fire, fueling it. His face was fixed in an expression that was equal parts concentration and madness. From his lips he spoke an incantation in a language so vile it would rip one’s mind in two if it attempted to comprehend the words. The man’s eyes were black pits from which dark veins pulsed across his handsome, young face with each syllable.

Behind him were two more figures. One was a very tall and thin young man with a scar on his face. He sat on a boulder with a saw secured between his knees. The same runes as the diagram running up the tool's length. He ran a bow across the toothless edge of the saw drawing out a sharp, haunting sound that cut through the diagram’s pulsing. The sound warbled as he flexed the tool with his free hand, and the whirlwind warped along with the music as if an invisible hand were molding it.

The musician, eyes closed as was his habit while he played, flexed the saw sharply eliciting a note that then sent the runes and the whirlwind ablaze. The jacketed man became a shadowed outline as a column of blue fire erupted from the diagram. The fire was painfully bright and burned cold instead of hot. The musician’s breath could be seen as puffs of white vapor as frost covered the ground, and his sunglasses shone with reflected werelight.

Just to his side hopped the last of the ritual’s participants. Jumping on one foot while beating a rune-covered drum with a chicken foot, he’d had the foresight to come better prepared for the light show and wore a welder’s helmet on his head. With each beat of his drum the fire pulsed with mounting force.

“Yu Mo Gai Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gai Gwai Fai Di Zao,” could be heard being chanted from behind his helmet. The musician cracked open an eye and looked as his companion.

“Is that necessary, Al?” he said.

“No, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” Al said, and continued to chant.

“Can ya shut it up!” shouted the jacketed man from the base of the inferno. “You’re screwin’ with my work!” His accent was distinctly that of a New Yorker—from which part was anyone's guess—and though he usually played it down the stress of the ritual was drawing it out in full force.

“You mean it’s actually doing something?” Al said.

“It is a real Cantonese chant,” the musician said.

“A chant to dispel dark magic!” The jacketed man nodded to the inferno. “A little counterproductive don’t ya think?!”

“Dante’s right, Al. So unless you want to anger the Warlock I’d stop if I was you.”

Al huffed, “Like that’s hard to do, Ike.”

Ike nodded, “True, but…”

Al sighed. “Okay, okay I’ll stop,” he said and then mumbled to himself, “stupid Characters always ruining my fun.”

“I heard that,” they both said.

“And I stand by it!” Al shouted back.

“And you can shove it up your…” Dante started to say, but trailed off when the inferno’s pulses morphed into a deep rumble. “Tighten up boys! Here’s the finale!”

All three resumed their tasks. Dante began shouting the final verse of his incantation, Ike’s bow danced along the edge of his saw, and Al hopped with everything he had.

“My leg’s gonna cramp up at this rate,” he said.

Ike grunted. “Just hold on for a few more—”

The inferno exploded!

Al was knocked off his feet and sent sprawling backwards. Ike had just enough time to grab onto his boulder to keep himself from flying off, but his instruments were sent sailing away. His frame-less sunglasses, however, didn’t budge from his nose.

Al groaned as he sat up and removed the welder’s helmet from his head. He glanced around at the smoldering crater in front of him, and for a second a surge of panic shot through him.

“Where’s Dant-” Al was cut off when a jacketed and slightly charred figure landed on him.

Ike stood up and brushed the sand out of his hair. “There,” he said.

Dante, his eyes now their usual shade of warm brown, laid on the ground and watched the smoke that came from his curly hair drift into the air. He didn’t get to admire it for long before something threw him to the side with a grunt.

“Get off!” Al said. Ike rolled his eyes and walked over the both of them.

“You're welcome,” Dante grumbled as Ike helped the two of them to their feet. Dante shook off his landing, looked over to where the diagram had been, and smiled. “Well, explosions,” he placed both of his fists at the base of his spine and bent backwards. He sighed happily as his back made the sound of a tree breaking in half. “Ah! And spinal injuries aside. I think it worked.”

He walked towards the crater, and after sharing a glance at each other his companions followed after him. At the explosion’s epicenter was a goat, and beneath the goat was a laptop. Dante patted the goat on the head before reaching under it and taking the laptop. He looked at the device’s screen and nodded, smiling triumphantly.

“Yes! Ike, you have yourself one resurrected story," Dante said, handing the device to the him. Ike took the laptop and began to read over the document on its screen, and Al clapped Dante on the shoulder.

“Good work, Danny-boy,” he said. “I knew I’d let that thing sit for too long. Ike and I agreed it was going to need one hell of a jump-start to get it going again. It’s great having a Warlock on stand-by.”

Dante rolled his eyes, “Not that he likes it much.” He then glared down at the shorter man. “And never call me Danny-boy again!” he growled.

“Hehe, r-right,” Al stammered before looking down. “And where did you find that?” He said, pointing.

Dante followed Al’s finger to the goat. For having been at the center of an explosion the goat didn’t have a scratch on it. Its eyes did burn with red hellfire, and the four horn’s that twisted from its skull glowed with a familiar set of runes that spiraled up to their tips, but besides that it was fine. The demon-goat’s tongue hung limply from the creature’s mouth as it studied Al with a derped expression.

“Baaahhh, I’ll swallow your soul,” it bleated.

“My cousin knows a guy, who knows a demon, who owns a ranch,” Dante said.

“Y-you don’t say,” Al said nervously. “Could you?” Dante snapped his fingers, and the goat’s shadow peeled itself up from the ground and enveloped the creature becoming a sack before sinking into the ground leaving behind a dark stain that began to be burned away by the moonlight. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Dante said. They both turned to Ike who finished looking over the document.

“Good work, Dante,” he said, closing the laptop. “Everything seems to be in order. The foundation is all there. Now all Al has to do is make it tangible, and it'll be all set.”

“Yeah,” Dante said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Y’know, speakin’ of making things tangible, Al,” the Warlock turned towards the short, young man giving him a questioning look. “When are ya going to get back to my story?”

The writer grew pale, “Uh, well Dante you see…”

Dante felt a hand lay on his shoulder. “You’ll get your turn eventually,” Ike said.

Dante frowned, “That’s always the excuse. It seems I lose out a lot when it comes to Al’s projects.”

“You have things published,” Al said.

“I have one thing published,” Dante said.

“Well think of it this way,” Ike interjected as he walked back over to his boulder, “You’re a Mets fan, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Well,” Ike slumped onto his rock, “then you should feel used to losing out."

Dante’s face grew red as Al’s paled further. Ike sat on his rock with a lazy smile on his face as Dante stalked over to him. Al gave the musician a bewildered stare, and Ike simply winked at the writer and made a cutting motion with his hand. Al frowned in confusion before realization dawned on him. Dante was seeing far too much red to notice
the exchange. No one dissed his Mets!

“Why don’t ya get up and say that to my face you John Lennon wannabe, Motherfu-”

A door materialized on the ground at Dante’s feet. It tilted up encompassing Dante and slamming shut before melting back into the earth below.

In a New York apartment a young woman sat on her boyfriend’s couch. She held a mug of hot cocoa in her hands sipping contently from it while she watched Merry Christmas Charlie Brown on the TV. The apartment was lightly decorated for the season. A little Christmas tree sat twinkling in the corner, and paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling.

She was dressed in one of her mother’s handknit sweaters, a functional one and not one of those ugly, seasonal monstrosities. Her wild mane of black hair cascaded down her back, and her green eyes started to grow weary with the lateness of the hour. She didn’t want to go to bed just yet, however, as she was still waiting for—a door rose out of the floor in front of her—that to happen. Life had never been normal for her. The last few months only reinforcing that, and she prided herself on the fact that she was hardly shocked by these types of things.

The door swung open and fell backwards into the floor, melting into it as it did. Her red-faced boyfriend now stood in front of her.

“-cker!” Dante shouted before wheeling around and seeing that he was back at home.

Rachel smiled, “Have fun?” Dante’s eyes settled on her, and he slumped to the ground.

“No,” he grumbled. Rachel shook her head and pulled Dante in for a kiss. She paused halfway and brushed a lock of his hair away from his forehead. Her cheeks grew red, and she brought a hand up to stifle a giggle.

“Um, hon?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you missing an eyebrow?”

Dante hesitantly reached up and felt his forehead. To his annoyance he found that his left eyebrow had been singed clean off. His hand fell, and he laid his head on Rachel’s shoulder. She patted his back as he groaned.

“Assholes.”

Ike watched the door disappear into the ground and shook his head.

“Lennon Wannabe?” he said. “That was low.”

“Always interesting having the two of you in the same Headspace,” Al said as he approached and looked at Dante’s vanishing point. “He’s gonna be pissed.”

“Eh” Ike shrugged, “true, but like you said that’s not hard for him.” He stood up, collecting the laptop. “Really I just didn’t want to be the one to tell him about his
eyebrows.”

Al laughed, “Oh, so you saw that too?”

“Who could miss it with those Scorsese brows of his?”

“Said the pot to the kettle,” Al quipped which earned him a light cuff on the back of the head from Ike. “Doesn’t make it any less true.” Ike rolled his eyes and handed Al
the laptop.

“Here,” Ike said, “it’s yours to work your magic on, but really try not to leave it alone for so long next… no, ever again. Actually if you could step up productivity by several orders of magnitude I think a lot of us would be much happier.”

Al nodded in agreement, “This year was a drag.”

“On what, our patience?” Ike said. Al glared at him preparing some sort of remark, but he deflated before he could find the justification to speak it.

“Your’s and mine,” he said with a sigh. He looked down forlornly. How many people had he disappointed? There were his characters and their stories, and the people who wanted to read their stories. It was all so much work he hadn’t gotten done out of worry, laziness, and fear of failure. Part of him knew he would deserve whatever hit his hiatus was going to cause him.

“Don’t go moping on me now!” Ike said, as he gave the writer reassuring, yet jostling, clap on the back. “You screwed up. So what? Make it up to them and us. Keep in mind, you can disappoint your readers, but we can keep you up at night.”

“That a threat?” Al said, a slight smile playing across his face. Ike stepped away his own cheshire smile revealing nothing.

“The worst one I could possibly make,” he said. He turned towards the writer and saluted. “Send me on my way. You have work to do.” Al chuckled and nodded. For a split second everything went dark for Ike with the sound of a door slamming shut, and then daylight unfurled around him. He smelled the scent of summer grass drifting through the air and had just enough time to glance down and see his door meld into the grass at his feet.

He straightened closing his eyes and took a few meditative breaths. There was an unnatural stillness to the air around him like time for it had stopped or, perhaps, exactly like that. On his third breath in, he felt it a slight spark like the ignition for an entire world being kicked to life. Ike opened his eyes and watched a leaf that hung frozen in the air before him slowly began to resume its fall to the ground. As Ike breathed out the world relaxed and everything resumed. The leaf fell and air was no longer still. Ike’s smile brightened, and he picked up his gear that he’d left on the ground. There had been no fear of it being lost with everything halted.

Pulling everything on he sighed, “Let’s really get this started shall we?” He continued on down the path, and for a second his mind fogged over. He shook his head thinking it must have been from his lack of sleep the night before.

He continued on for a several paces when he became aware of something rubbing around in his shoes. He paused taking one off and turning it over. A stream of white sand fell from it, and he frowned.

“Where did that come from?”

The writer stood alone in the desert. It was one of his favorite Headspaces; empty, flat, and strangely comforting in its odd way. A perfect place to try out new ideas. He fumbled with the laptop, opened it, and stared at a blank document. The little vertical line blinked on it like some little, mocking demon.

There was no story there. Not one that he could see, anyway. To his characters, it was there written, edited, and ready for consumption. To him it was hidden, and he had to find it.

“Alright,” Al said. He walked over to Ike’s boulder and relaxed onto it. “Time to make it up to them.”

Author's Note

~~Something is being edited.~~
Something has been published.