"What? Where am I? Am I...dreaming?" Alex opened his eyes to find himself in an unknown place. His body was floating in an empty abyss, he began to feel himself floating downwards until his hooves felt a floor that could not be seen. Alex hesitated to take a step forward as he was unsure if it was safe to walk in any direction. He soon mustered the courage to take the first step and thankfully it was safe. He continued walking forward, but no matter how far he went his surroundings remained the same.

"Please...no more..." said a voice from afar.

"Hello? Is someone there?" asked Alex.

"You have to stop!"

"I can't take much more!"

"The pain! It's too much!"

"We're not going to make it!"

"I just want to help you!"

"It's no use!"

"I don't want to die!"

"SOMEPONY HELP US!!!"

"W-who are you?! Where are you?!" asked Alex. The voices kept screaming over and over again, driving Alex mad. He cowered in fear and covered his ears in hopes of ignoring the voices. "Please stop. Make them stop. Make them stop! MAKE THEM STOOOOOP!!!"

"Do you want to make them stop?" asked a single voice from above.

Alex opened his eyes and stared at a single figure standing before him. "W-who are you?"

"Do you want to make the voices stop?" it asked again.

"What are those voices? Why are they screaming like that?"

"The voices...they belong to those who will suffer because of you."

"Wh...what? What do you mean?"

"They are in pain, pain brought upon them by you. Do you want to make them stop? Do you want to save them?"

"I...I can save them?"

"Yes, do you want to know how?"

"Yes, yes I do! How can I save them?"

"You just have to open your eyes Alex." said the figure as it began to disappear into the darkness. "Just open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open your eyes..."

"Wait! What do you mean?! Answer me! Please tell me!" he shouted as he attempted to chase after the figure. His shouting had caused him to awaken in his study room and he looked around to find that he had been studying about the Doctor for too long and had fallen asleep. He looked at a nearby mirror and saw that he was a complete mess. What does it mean? He thought. Open my eyes? Am...could I still be...dreaming? Is this all just one great big dream? No, that's impossible. Isn't it? His train of thought was broken by several knocks on the door of his study.

"Alex?! Are you alright?! Alex answer me!" shouted Twilight. Twilight.

Alex opened the door and stepped out, "Y-yeah Twilight I'm fine, why?"

"I heard you shouting from upstairs and I thought something might have happened! Are you okay?!" she said as she began checking him for any injuries.

Scootaloo came up to him with a look of fear on her eyes, "What happened? I thought you might have been attacked by wolves again."

He went to give her a hug, "It's okay Scootaloo I'm fine, I just had a little nightmare is all." He then turned to the bed to see the cat still sleeping there. "Couldn't even bother to check up on me huh?"

"Don't worry about him. Are you sure you're fine? You're not hurt at all?" asked Twilight.

"You...you were really worried about me?" he asked.

"Of course I was worried about you! I thought something terrible might have happened to you!"

"Oh, um, thanks Twilight." he said. She really cared. Then I'm really awake right? She's really my friend? "Oh! What time is it?" he asked.

Twilight pointed at the clock, "It's about two in the morning."

"Two o'clock?! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry for waking you both. I promise I'm fine now. I think I'll sleep in my own bed. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Goodnight." said Twilight as she climbed up the stairs to head back to her room.

Alex then climbed into his bed and stared at the roof. The moons light was like a cold blanket that covered everything in his room, all he could think about was what he heard in his dream. He just couldn't make sense of those words. He decided to let it go for now and get some sleep. The sun rose in the morning and its bright warm glow awakened Alex from his slumber. He looked over and saw Scootaloo there yet again. When did she even sneak into my bed last night? He thought. I made sure she was asleep before me this time! Just like every other morning, Scootaloo woke up at the same time he did and stretched her tiny little wings as she yawned.

"Did you have a good night my sneaky little princess?" he said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yup!" she began, "I always have a good night."

Alex began to impersonate a royal servant, "Perhaps your majesty would enjoy it more if she slept in her own bed? The one that I bought for her yet she never seems to use?"

Scootaloo played along, "That bed is far too uncomfortable for a princess like me and I will only sleep on a bed that is perfect for royalty."

"Very funny, I spent a lot of money on that bed you know." he said changing back to his normal voice.

"Yeah, but it really is uncomfortable. Your bed is way better than that one." she said pointing at the beds.

Alex looked at her with curious eyes, "How did you even sneak in my bed? You fell asleep before me!"

"Sorry, but if I told you that then I wouldn't be able to sneak in anymore." she said.

*Sigh* "Why do you even sneak into my bed anyways?"

"Oh, uh, no reason." she said as she turned away.

"Hm? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing da- I mean Alex!" she said.

"Huh? Well, if you say so. Come on, we've got a long day ahead of us." said Alex as he headed towards the stairs.

Alex and Scootaloo ate breakfast together like they usually do every morning. After they had finished, Scootaloo began preparing for school. As she headed towards the washroom, Alex heard a knock at the door. "Oh, I was wondering when they would show up." He then walked up to the door and opened it to see a familiar face. "Hey there Derpy."

"Hello Alex! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm pretty good. Please, come in."

"Thank you!"

"Hey, thanks for doing this. I was surprised when you offered to take Scootaloo to school with you and Dinky."

"No problem, Dinky figured that she would be able to see you more often if we did."

"Mom! Don't say that!" said Dinky as she appeared out from behind Derpy. "Hi Alex!"

"Hello Dinky! Have you been good?"

"Yes! I've been super good!"

"Great! Now we just have to wait for Scootaloo. She should be ready soon." Just then he could hear Scootaloo coming down the stairs and stared at her in shock. "Scootaloo!"

"What?" she asked.

"Your mane is a mess! You can't go out looking like that! Twilight do you have a comb I can use real fast?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll go get it for you." she said as she headed upstairs.

Alex then crossed his hooves as he looked down at Scootaloo. "Did you remember to brush your teeth?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you comb your mane after? I've told you several times to do them both right after the other."

"But it's so annoying! Can't I just go without combing my mane?"

"Absolutely not. You need to look presentable when you leave the house."

"Here you go Alex." said Twilight as she brought a comb over to him.

"Okay, thanks Twilight." said Alex as he lifted the comb with his magic. "Alright Scootaloo, I'm going to need you to hold still because I can't hold my magic for long." He then proceeded to carefully fix Scootaloo's mane.

"Ouch! That hurts!" she said.

"That's because you keep moving. You have to hold still." he said as continued. Scootaloo felt embarrassed to have Alex comb her mane while everypony else in the room stared. "There we go. Alright, now go and get your bag. You don't want to make Derpy and Dinky wait."

"Yes sir." she said as she quickly ran towards the basement.

"I think it's adorable that you treat her like she was your own daughter." said Twilight.

"I don't. I just wanted to make sure that she looks nice when she goes out. My mother raised me the same way so I figured I'd do the same for her."

"Awwww! How adorable!"

"Wai-No! It's not-I don't-I'm not her father!"

"But...you did adopt her from the orphanage right?" she asked.

"Well yeah but, the thing is that-"

"Wait." Dinky Interrupted. "If you become my daddy, then does that make Scootaloo my sister?"

"Dinky! Don't ask those kind of questions!" said Derpy. "I'm sorry!"

"I-I-It's okay." said Alex. "Scootaloo! Are you ready yet?"

"Yes!" she said as she came out from the basement. "I'm ready to go!"

"Alright then, have fun at School." said Alex. Scootaloo then left the library with Derpy and Dinky.

"Bye Alex! See you later!" said Dinky.

"See you later! And thank you Derpy!"

"You're welcome!"

"Oh thank goodness that's over with. Well then, I guess now I have a lot of spare time on my...hooves. I wonder what I should do to pass the time?"

"Hey, if you're not busy I could use some help organizing the books in the library." said Twilight.

"I thought they were already organized yesterday!"

"Well yeah but, I had some studying to do and I just kept taking books in and out and now they're all shuffled around. I could really use your help."

*Sigh* "Alright, let's get started then."

Together, Alex and Twilight organized the books of the library for what felt like hours. At one point the cat came out of the basement, but soon fell asleep on the couch. After more time had passed, Alex felt that he was finally finishing the last batch of books when he found a strange object in the back of one of the shelves. He pressed his hoof on it and it sank in like he was pressing a button, a secret compartment opened up revealing a book that had the initials 'S.S.B' on it. He took it out and began to read the book.

"Hey Twilight, check out what I found!" he called out.

"What did you find?" she asked as she walked over, "Oh my Celestia, Alex do you know what this is?!"

"It's a book?" he asked.

"Not just any book," she said with wide eyes, "This book belonged to Star Swirl the Bearded! I didn't think any of these still existed! I've heard stories that Star Swirl had seven books filled the knowledge that he's learned in his life and others that contained the spells that he had created himself, but the stories say that they all just disappeared. It's said that the spells these books contain are so powerful, only Star Swirl himself could use them! Where did you even find this?! How did I not see it here before?!"

"Only he could use them? Why even put them in a book then?" he asked, "Well then let me see here..." he began flipping through the pages, "Ooooh, this one looks interesting. How about we give it a spin?"

"Wait a minute, Alex you're not actually going to try to use one of these are you?" she asked with concern. "That's too dangerous! You haven't perfected your magical abilities, and you can't even sustain your magic for very long!"

"I hate to agree with her, but I also think this may be too dangerous." said the cat. "Maybe you should practice more before you try something like this."

"Don't worry, I'm just going to try this one and then I'm done." he said. "Besides, it's like you said Twilight. I'm not very good at using magic yet so chances are that I won't even succeed."

"I don't know Alex. I still don't think you should do this. It doesn't sound safe."

"Well we won't know until we try. So let's give this a shot!" he said as he read over the spell carefully.

"Alex, WAIT!!!" she shouted.

"Don't do it kid!"

"Here we go!" he said as his horn began lighting up brighter than ever before. Eventually the light became too bright to see anymore and Twilight had to cover her eyes.

"Alex! Are you okay?! What happened?!" asked Twilight.

"...Nothing."

"What? What do you mean?" she asked as she attempted to open her eyes.

"I mean well...nothing. Nothing happened. My horn just lit up and there was a bright light but...nothing. I guess that was expected to happen. Still...it felt...I don't know, strange I guess?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well usually I can feel myself losing my magic powers as they're being used. But...I didn't get that feeling at all from this. Even if the spell didn't work, I should have felt something after trying to use a spell."

"Well how do you feel overall? Nothing wrong?"

"No, I feel just fine."

"Thank goodness. At least we know they're not dangerous to anyone who tries to use them."

"Yeah, I wonder what else he has in this book." said Alex as he continued flipping through the pages. Wait a minute! What is this?! T-t-t-t-this is!!!

"So what kind of spell were you trying to use anyway?" asked Twilight as she walked over to take a look at the book.

"Oh! Uh....I don't remember. I have to find it again." said Alex as he quickly flipped through the pages. "I think it was some kind of vision spell. I don't remember the specifics though."

"Hm? What's this?" said the cat as he noticed Alex's uneasiness. He then found an empty vase nearby and purposely dropped it. "Whoops!"

Twilight immediately turned to see the mess. "What the?! Oh I can't believe this! What have you done?!"

"Sorry, it was an accident."

"Why, you! Don't think that just because you're a cat that I'll go easy on you! I've been waiting for a chance to teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" she shouted as she ran towards the cat. He then quickly ran up the stairs as fast as he could. "When I get my hooves on you, you're going to wish you had one hundred lives!" she shouted as she gave chase.

Now's my chance! Alex quickly turned back to the page that he had found earlier and tore it out using his magic. He then ran into his room as fast as he could and placed the page into a drawer on his desk. "I...I can't believe...what am I going to do?"

"So...found something interesting have we?" said a voice from above.

"Wha?!" Alex looked up to see the cat there. "H-how did you get in here so fast?! I thought Twilight was-"

"Oh please. You forget I'm a master thief. It's only common knowledge that we learn all of the ins and outs of any building to make our escape. It'll be a while before she realizes where I've even gone."

"You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"That depends, what did you find?"

Alex pulled the page out of the drawer. "I found a potion."

"A potion? You stole...a page from a book written by Star Swirl the bearded...for a potion?"

"Not just any potion. It's a potion that allows one to travel to other worlds!"

"W-what did you just say?!"

"I couldn't believe it either, but it's true! This could be what I've been looking for! I can go home! I can see my family again!"

"I thought you promised to stay here and help them."

"Well...yeah I did but...it...it's difficult you know? It's just-"

"Everything that's happened to you so far has been so unbelievable that you still consider the possibility that this is all a dream?"

"How did you know?!"

"You think I didn't feel the same way after I was turned into a cat? My entire life was stolen from me in one second. I spent days, weeks, months, even years, hoping that this was just one giant nightmare and that I would someday wake up in my old bed with my real body again. It never happened though. I remember feeling sorry for myself for letting this happen to me. But then, I just accepted my reality as it was."

"That's so sad. But you see, it's not just that. It's-"

"THERE YOU ARE!!!" said a voice from above the stairs.

Alex quickly hid the page back in the drawer and turned to see Twilight at the top of the stairs. "Twilight? What is tha-HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL THAT'S A GIANT BOOK!" Alex turned back to the cat. "What did you do?! She looks really pissed!"

"Funny thing about cat claws. They're just so dang sharp. We can't help it if we scratch a few things up."

"A FEW THINGS?! MY ENTIRE ROOM IS A GIANT MESS! YOU TORE APART EVERYTHING IN MY ROOM AND ESPECIALLY MY BED! YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET EVER BEING BORN!!!" she shouted as she ran straight for the cat, ready to swing the giant book with her magic.

"Twilight don't! YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK SOMETHING!!!" shouted Alex as he got in her way.

Unfortunately Twilight's rage consumed her and she continued her attack. She struck Alex with all her might, sending him flying across the room. He ended up crashing into a wall and collapsed onto the floor. "Oh my gosh! What have I done?!" she screamed as she ran over to him. "Alex! Alex are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"

"I...I can't....b....breathe...." he wheezed.

"Hold on! I'll get you into bed! Spike! Come help me!" she called out.

"Twilight? Is something wrong?" asked Spike from atop the stairs.

"Alex is hurt! Help me get him into bed!"

"Uh, right!" he said as he rushed down.

"Don't worry Alex, you'll be just fine. I have some medicine that will help ease the pain." she said as she placed him on the bed. "Just hang on, I'll be right back."

"I'm sure Twilight's medicine will help. So you just get comfortable." said Spike as he covered Alex with the blankets.

"Okay, I've got the medicine!" said Twilight as she ran down the steps. "Spike lift his head so he can take the medicine!"

"You got it!" said Spike as he eased Alex's head up.

Twilight then levitated a spoon full of the medicine into Alex's mouth and made sure he took it all. "There you go. Now you just need to rest."

"C...can't re...st...have....to....wor...k."

"Work? Oh that's right you have work today! Don't worry Alex, I'll cover for you today. Just rest." she said as she cast a sleep spell on Alex. He could then feel himself drift off into a deep sleep.

"Should I watch over him while you're gone?" asked Spike.

"I wish you could Spike, but I had a lot of chores I had to do out in town today and now I need you to do them."

"So I guess that just leaves me." said the cat.

"Oh no you don't! There is no way I'm leaving him in your care!" she shouted.

"Oh? Then who are you going to get?"

"Somepony I can trust."

~~~~~

"Again...I can feel it...I'm...dreaming." said Alex. "It feels...different than before. I can...hardly breathe. I feel so...heavy." He began walking forward until he saw something familiar.

"No! Please! Have mercy!"

"It’s...it's happening again." said Alex as he watched them. "No...no more." He began walking towards the figures.

"What's wrong? Aren't you having any fun? Hahahahahahahaha!"

Alex began picking up his speed. "Stop it."

"I'm sorry! Please no more! Don't do this Alex!"

"You shouldn't have lied to me, you brought this upon yourself. You deserve this!"

Alex began running as fast as he could. "Stop it! Don't do it!"

"I surrender! Did you hear me? I said I surrender!"

"I heard you, but I don't care. You hurt me and my friends, and for that I'm going to..."

"Please stop!" shouted Alex as he continued running. He then suddenly crashed into an invisible wall, blocking him off from the figures before him. "N-no. No! You can't do this to me! Let me go through! I have to stop him!"

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't! I'm begging you!" he shouted.

"I'm going to kill you!!!"

"STOOOOOOP!!!" he shouted as he dropped his head in defeat.

".....Why?"

Alex lifted his head to see a single figure shrouded in darkness standing before him. "W-who are you?"

"Who am I?" asked the figure. The darkness that covered it then began to recede, revealing his identity. "Recognize me now?"

"You...no you're not me. You're not me! You can't be me!"

"Hmhmhmhm. No...you're not me. Not yet at least." he said.

"I'll never be like you! Do you hear me?!"

"Give it time. I remember a time when I used to be like you. Oh, those were happy days...being in denial...keeping myself from accepting the truth. No, I opened my eyes to the truth and became a new person!"

"You forget we're a pony now."

"Technicalities! Who cares about such things hm? I don't. Who cares about what I think? Who cares what others think about me? I know you do. Oh yes, you care deeply you poor boy. You care deeply about how those ponies think about you too. Yet they are the same as humans. Surely you haven't forgotten the pain we've felt? The lies we were told by those disgusting humans?!"

"..."

The nightmare began to circle around Alex. "Humans, they lie, they cheat, and they’ll do anything to get ahead in life even if they have to stomp all over you to do it. They don't really care about one another, they just pretend so it's easier to manipulate others. They see you, they see how other people praise you whenever you do good and then what happens? They get jealous, they want what you have and they'll do anything they want just to take it from you. They act like your friend but we both know better right? They just keep you as long as they need you for and then they toss you aside like another piece of yesterday’s trash!"

"..."

"Oh but at least I have a good heart! It has to count for something right? You tell yourself that but in the end it doesn't count for anything. It's just some pathetic excuse that idiots made up so they can feel good about their weakness! Well people take advantage of that weakness and use it against you. And I'm sick of being on the losing end! I refuse to play the good guy any longer and let other people get away with stepping all over me! Being bad is so much better. You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want. If others have a problem with me, then I just get rid of them. I don't even feel guilty about it! It's so much fun to be bad! And there's still so much more to enjoy, but you'll see it for yourself someday.

"You're wrong! I won't be anything like you! This is just a dream! This isn't real! You're not real!"

"How do you know that?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"How do you know that this isn't just one giant dream? You've been thinking about it, I can tell. Don't deny it. What if the whole world is just nothing but one great big dream created by your mind, and you're still in a bed waiting to wake up? Or who knows, maybe that's the dream and this is the real world! Or maybe we're all a part of someone else's dream and none of us have ever really existed at all! Hahahahahaha!"

"S-stop it. Stop it! You're just trying to confuse me!"

"Am I? Or am I here to help you?"

"I don't need any help from you!" Alex shouted as he felt his anger growing. "I don't want help from some murderer! You're nothing but a nightmare that doesn't deserve to exist! SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?!"

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh yes! Spectacular! You're one step closer to seeing the absolute truth! You can feel it can't you? That wonderful feeling of pure anger and hatred, that irresistible desire to kill! It suits you very well. Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" he laughed as he began to disappear into the floor.

"Come back here you monster!" shouted Alex as he gave chase. He then stared into the floor as he could see his own reflection. He felt scared to see himself so full of anger. "No....no.......NOOOOOOOOO!!!"

~~~~~

"Gah! Wh-where am I?!" asked Alex as she shot himself awake. He looked around to see himself back in his room in Twilight's library again. "A dream. It was just a dream." He laid his head back onto his pillow and tried to calm himself. Then suddenly he could feel something climbing onto the bed, making its way towards him. "Cat, I really just want to take it easy right now okay?" he said. No response came from whatever it was that climbed onto his bed and he began to feel uneasy. He opened his eyes to see two round magenta colored objects. As he tried to look away from the objects they continued to follow him wherever his eyes went. "What the..."

"Hey there." said a voice from in front of him.

"...aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! What the hell?!" he shouted as he attempted to get out of the bed.

The object backed its face away revealing their identity to Alex. "Bahahahahahahaha! Y-you're face! That was...hilarious! I am never going to forget about this one!"

"R-Rainbow Dash! What is wrong with you?!" he shouted. "What are you even doing he-" his sentence was cut short as he felt something from deep inside.

"Hehehe...heh...Are you...okay?" she asked. "Alex? Are you okay?"

"M-my stomach. Ack! What's going on?! It hurts!" he shouted as he fell back onto the bed writhing in pain.

"Hang on! I'll go and get your medicine!" said Rainbow as she bolted out the door and re-entered with medicine. "Alright, just one spoonful." she said as she poured the medicine onto a spoon that she had quickly grabbed. She then bit down onto the spoon and lifted it over to him. "Open wide." Alex did his best to hold still as Rainbow Dash gave him tried to serve it to him. "There we go. Just give it a few seconds and you'll feel better in no time."

"Gah! Hah...hah...aw man! That felt horrible! What happened?!" he asked.

"You don't remember?"

"Um...wait, oh yeah! Twilight hit me with that giant book. Where did she even get that thing?!"

"Beats me. I don't live here, and I'm really glad I don't. I hate books."

"You'll get over it one day." he said as he slowly tried to climb out of bed.

"Whoa, easy there. Here, let me help you." Rainbow eased up and carefully helped Alex out of the bed. "How does your body feel?"

"It feels fine. What kind of medicine is that anyway?"

"No idea. Twilight said she gave you some earlier, and told me to give it to you at least two more times. Oh, and to tell you to take it again before you go to sleep tonight."

"Oh, okay. So that was the second time?"

"Nah, that was the third."

"Wait...when was the second time?"

"I gave it to you while you were asleep. You were squirming like crazy, you actually fell off the bed. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't heard it."

"Oh, okay. So, how did you get me to take the medicine? That must have been difficult since you don't have..." He stopped and thought about his next words carefully. I wonder...should I say hands? She obviously wouldn't know what they are but still you can never be too careful.

"Hmhmhmhm. Oh it was pretty easy, and very...very...enjoyable."

"Uh...what exactly do you mean by that?" he asked. I don't like the way she laughed.

"Oh, you know." she said as she gently glided her hoof across her lips while looking at him with her eyelids half shut.

"Y-y-y-you don't mean!!!"

"Pffffttt! Ahahahahaha! You fell for it again!" said Rainbow as she began to laugh at Alex again.

"YOU!!! THAT WASN'T FUNNY!!!" he shouted.

"You're right...IT WAS HILARIOUS! Hahahahahahahahaha! Oh I cannot wait to tell everypony about this! Your face was priceless!"

"Grrrrrr! You better not tell anyone! I can't believe you would pull something like that!"

"It's your fault for falling for it!" she said as she continued laughing uncontrollably.

"What are you even doing here anyway?!"

"Ahahahehehehe...heh...*Ahem!* Twilight asked me to look after you she knocked you out. Since I wasn't busy at the moment, I figured I could do it in hopes of strengthening our friendship!"

"Friendship?! What friendship?! All you've done is play mean jokes on me!"

"Aw come on! We're totally friends!"

"How are we friends?!"

"Oh come on we do stuff together all the time! We did um...There was that one time where....Hang on let me think...We...You and I...huh. I guess we haven't done anything yet, but there is one thing that proves that our bond has grown more!"

"What's that?"

"You're talking to me without stuttering!"

"Shouting at you in anger does not count as talking!"

"Jeez you are not going to make this easy for me are you?"

"Not after what you just did! Tch! Some nurse you are!"

"Hey! I am NOT a nurse!"

Oh! A little touchy are we? "What's wrong? Did I upset you nurse dash? Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to provide you with a proper uniform haven't I? Do you want me to get it for you so you can look appropriate? Would you like the pink one or the baby blue uniform?"

"You better stop with this nurse stuff!"

"Or else what?!"

"You better beg for mercy because I'm about to give you a whole new set of bruises!" she shouted as she prepared to charge at him.

"I don't think so! You so much as lay one hoof on me, and I'll tell everypony about how you volunteered to be my nurse!"

"Grrrrr! What do you want?"

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"What do I have to do so you don't tell anypony?"

"You don't tell anypony about those pranks you pulled, and I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Deal!"

"We're in agreement then!" he said as she angrily shook their hooves. "So why are you really here anyway?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh please. Equestria's greatest flyer, agreeing to spend an entire day inside of a library, a place she dislikes very much, just to take care of one pony when there are clearly others who would take this position besides you?"

*Sigh* "Fine, you got me. The reason I agreed to do this is because Pinkie Pie has been trying to get me to hang out with her." she said in disgust. "I figured that this would be the only way I could get a good excuse so I don't have to."

"Oh no, are we seriously at that episode right now?"

"What does that mean?" asked Rainbow.

"Uh, nothing! So let me guess, you don't want to hang out with Pinkie Pie because she talks too much and she's so annoying?" he said.

"That's exactly right!" said Rainbow, "How did you know that?"

"Oh you know..." he began. Dammit! I can't let her find out! Come on! Think of something! You can do this!!! "...I'm psychic." ...Flawless.

"You're psychic?!" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I totally am." he said. "Wait a minute, you told Pinkie that you were busy taking care of me right?"

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not in pain anymore so...you're done. That means there's nothing to stop Pinkie from coming to get you."

"No. No! Nonono! You! Bed! Now!" she shouted.

"What? I'm not getting back into that bed! I'm done with rest for today!"

"Well I'm the Nurse here, and as your nurse I am telling you that you need more rest!"

"So you admit to being a nurse!"

"Shut up and get in the bed!" she shouted as she began to push him towards the bed.

"I said I'm not tired! I...refuse!" he said as he began pushing back.

*Kachunk!*

"Wh-what was that?" asked Rainbow as she froze in place.

"I think...that was the front door opening." said Alex as he stared at the door waiting for it to open. "D-did you lock the basement door?"

"Of course I did! Now keep it down so she doesn't hear us!" she whispered.

"......I don't hear anything. Do you think she left?"

"Who knows. Maybe she went to check upstairs first."

"Here I am!!!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she exploded from under the bed tossing it across the room.

Alex and Rainbow were so startled by Pinkie's random appearance from under the bed that they rushed toward the back of the room and held each other in safety. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?!?! Alex and Rainbow's bodies shook in fear, waiting for the smoke to clear to see their attacker. After a few moments they began to see a figure in the smoke and their fears grew more and more. At last they could make out Pinkie Pie in the smoke and Rainbow Dash calmed down.

"Hello Alex! Rainbow Dash I need a favor." said Pinkie Pie.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-"

"Sorry about the bed by the way! I just thought I'd surprise you!" said Pinkie.

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK DID YOU DO?!" he shouted.

"I've never heard that word before! It's silly! I just used my surprise cannon from under your bed! It looks like it still needs some fine tuning though."

"YOU MEAN THE PARTY CANNON?! IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!!"

"Ooooh! That's a great name!" she said as she rolled the cannon over, "The party cannon, I think I'll call it that! I wonder how I can make it more fun!" she asked herself.

"HOW ABOUT YOU USE CONFETTI AND STREAMERS INSTEAD OF ACTUAL AMMUNITION?! WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THAT THING IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" he screamed.

"That is the greatest idea ever! That'll really make it a party cannon! Thanks Alex!" she cheered.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER?!

"So are you going to kiss me or what?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"WHAT?! HOW CAN YOU MAKE JOKES AT A TIME LIKE THIS?! WE COULD HAVE JUST DIED!!!"

"What are you talking about? That cannon only fires toy balls. They're harmless."

"What? Are...are you sure? That thing did just blow up my bed."

"I'm positive. It's the cannon itself that blew up your bed. The balls it fires are not harmful in any way...I think."

"Oh...okay." said Alex as he began to calm down. "I think...I think I'm okay."

"Good, because you are squeezing me really tightly."

"What?" he asked as he turned to see that he was still holding on to her. "AHH! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I did."

"Making a kissing joke does not help me when I've just had someone blow up my bed!"

"So where do you want to go for our first date?" she teased.

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Now I've got to get another bed. That's just perfect. What time is it anyway?"

"It's about three o'clock, why?" asked Rainbow.

"It's three o'clock?! Oh no I'm so fired!" he screamed as he quickly got his things together. "Applejack's going to be so mad! I need to hurry!" Alex began running around like crazy and headed up the stairs. "Alright I'm off and don't worry about cleaning the room, I'll handle it once I get back. Rainbow Dash you have fun playing pranks with Pinkie Pie, later!" he shouted as he ran out the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rainbow.

"No way, How did he know I was going to ask you to help me play pranks?" said Pinkie Pie.

Alex ran as fast as he could toward Sweet Apple Acres but he had a hard time catching his breath after everything that's happened. His mind wandered back to his nightmare and the words that were exchanged between them. No! I shouldn't think about that! It's just a nightmare...so why can't I just forget about it? He then tried to avert his thoughts into what he should say to Applejack once he arrives at Sweet Apple Acres, but then everything seemed so crazy that he was afraid that she might not believe him. Finally he arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and found Applejack and Twilight walking towards him.

Alex ran up to Applejack while trying to catch his breath, "Applejack...sorry...I'm...late."

Applejack ran towards him and immediately began scanning his body for any injuries. "Alex! What are you doing here?! Should you be out of bed right now?!"

Twilight walked up to him, "You're awake! How are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?"

"Relax, I'm fine." his mind suddenly clicked, "Sorry about being so late Applejack! I swear it wasn't my fault!"

"Hm? What are you apologizing for? Twilight came and told me what happened. It was because of that no good cat that you got hurt like this! When ah get my hooves on that furball, ah'll show him what happens when he gets mah friends hurt!"

"You don't have to do that! He's just a cat! Plus, it's not like it's that important."

"Not important?! Alex you shouldn't say that!" said Twilight.

"She's right! You got hurt, and we care if somepony we know gets hurt like that!"

She...she also cares. So then that definitely proves it right? Why am I still thinking about that? I...I can't focus! "Well I'm here now. So I hope I'm not too late to help."

"Well actually I came here to fill in for you after I put you in bed." said Twilight.

"That's right," said Applejack, "After ah heard what happened ah wanted to go make sure you were okay mahself, but Twilight said Rainbow Dash was looking after you and that we'd go see you after we were finished here. Ah'm glad to see you're doing better."

"I see," he started, "So...you don't need my help today?" Why? Why can't I stop thinking about it?! This...this is real! Isn't it? Am I...am I real?

"Alex? Are you okay?" said Twilight.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." he said.

"Are you sure?" asked Applejack. "You don't look like you're feeling well."

"Yeah, listen I need some time to think right now so I'm going into the forest for a little bit okay?" he said.

"Wait, you mean the Everfree forest? It's dangerous in there!" said Twilight.

"Don't worry Twilight, I'm not going that deep into the forest." he assured her. "I just need some time to think on some things okay?"

"Maybe ah should go with you just in case?" suggested Applejack.

"Thanks for the offer but, I need to be alone." he said.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." said Twilight, "You just got out of bed. I think you should rest some more before you head out to the forest."

"I don't need more stupid rest! I'm done with resting! So just leave it alone!" he shouted. Applejack and Twilight then stared at him with troubled looks on their faces. "Oh...oh no. I-I'm sorry!" he shouted as he ran off towards the Everfree Forest.

Alex made his slowly through the many trees of the forest looking for somewhere he could just think to himself. He eventually noticed a pack of shrubs with a bright light shining through an opening in between. He made his way through the opening to see an amazing sight. There was an amazing lake with a beautiful little waterfall on one side and the lake was covered with Lillie pads that gently glided across the water. The trees made a circular opening above him, allowing the sun to shine down and brighten the lakes surface. He walked up towards the lake and looked down at his own reflection.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked himself. "Am I truly in denial? The girls, they're real aren't they? My family, they are real! They're real aren't they?!" He became angry and started to pound his hooves on the lakes surface, "Stop looking at me like that! I'm real! I'm not some dream made up by someone else! I'm alive! I have a family! These stupid nightmares are just trying to confuse me! Aren't they?! I don't know anymore! I don't know what to think! Why is this happening to me?! Someone! Anyone! Please, tell me!" He dropped his head down as he could feel tears running down his face. "Has my whole life been a lie?"

He face was completely soaked, he stopped pounding at the water and just stared at himself. "I...I don't know what to do." Alex then felt something tapping him from his left. He turned to see a little bunny looking up at him. He then looked around the lake to see many animals looking at him, almost as if they came in response to his call. He could then hear something disturbing the bushes behind him from where he had entered.

"Angel?" a voice called out, "Angel you know the forest is dangerous, please come back before you get hurt!" Alex then watched the bunny hop towards the voice in the bushes. "There you are Angel! Where did you run off to? What's that? You want me to go in there? Someone needs help? What do you mean Angel?" The bunny came back to Alex and waited. "Alex? Is that you?" said the voice.

Alex slightly turned his head to see Fluttershy standing there and turned back to the lake. "Go away. I want to be alone."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Come on Angel, Alex say she wants to be alone." The bunny refused to move and simply pointed to Alex. "Oh dear, um, are you sure you want to be alone Alex? You don't look okay."

"I...I'm not okay." he said as his body began shivering. Fluttershy could see the tears falling down his face.

"Oh no! What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've been having horrible nightmares and now I can't tell what's real and what's not anymore! Am I just some dream that's been made up by someone else?! Or is this whole world one dream and I'm still sleeping back in my world?! I don't even know if my family is real anymore! I don't know what to do and I don't know what to think! I feel like my whole life has just been one big lie! I don't even know if you're real or not."

"Everypony has nightmares every once in a while Alex, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." she said.

"Nothing to worry about?!" he snapped, "You don't understand how serious this is Fluttershy! This may not seem like something serious to you but to me it's very serious! My nightmares have been happening one after the other and I feel like I'm losing my mind! I can't even trust myself anymore because I can't stop thinking about it! You don't even know what it's like to be me right now! You don't know how it feels!"

Fluttershy backed away in fear, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were going through so much, please don't hurt me!" she said as her eyes began to water.

Alex blinked a few times as he stared at her, the fear in her eyes made him turn back and stared at his reflection once again. "Day after day I've lived my life normally, thinking I would just grow up like any other person. Then I'm just suddenly dragged into another world shattering everything I've ever known. And now I'm in this place, with all these things I've never seen before. Now I can't even tell if any of this is real anymore. I...I don't even know who I am anymore."

"I'm sorry. I was there on that day. I didn't think about how you would feel. None of us did. We were just so worried after we heard about the dangers that were coming. When we heard that you could help, it seemed like we had no other choice. We should have thought more about how you would feel."

"It's too late now. I don't even know if I can do anything to help you. I'm not some warrior, I've never even been in a fight before. Then again...that might change sometime soon."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked.

"My nightmares. I've also been having nightmares where I can see myself attacking someone in anger. That's not me! I'm not a violent person! I would never do something like that!" he screamed as he slammed his hooves into the lake. "I feel like I'm changing into something horrible, but I don't want to change into someone like that."

"Alex, you shouldn't believe anything you see in your dreams. They're just nightmares, they can't hurt you unless you let them. So don't ever say you're not real, because you are to me and to everypony else as well."

"Do...do you really mean it?" he asked.

"Yes, so don't think like that okay?" she said. "You will always be you, and nothing can change that."

"I will always be me?" he repeated as he looked down at his reflection. He then felt a sense of relief. "T-thank you Fluttershy." he said as he wiped the tears from his face.

"I'm just glad I could help." she said with a smile.

"I guess it helps since you hold the element of kindness." he said.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"Heh. Don't worry about it for now. Hey, I just noticed."

"What?"

"I'm talking to you, and I'm not stuttering."

"You're right! I am too!" she said.

"I guess that talk helped us both. I think it's about time we get out of here too."

"Oh my gosh you're right! I almost forgot where we were!"

"I wonder if we'll get out without any problems." said Alex. Just then the animals that had been watching them moved closer. "Uh, are these animals friendly?"

"Yes. They won't hurt us." said Fluttershy as a bear walked up to her. "This bear says he and his friends will make sure our way out will be safe. He also says they hope you feel better about your problems."

"Oh, uh, thanks...bear. Um, well let's get going I guess." he said as he began walking. "Hey, do you think you can keep what we talked about here a secret from the others?" he asked.

"Why would you want to keep it a secret? I think they have a right to know about what you've been going through." she said.

"I have many secrets that I'm still keeping from them and from you, but these are things that must be kept hidden unless I think it's safe enough." he explained. "I don't want them to worry about me, do you understand?" he asked.

"I guess so." she said.

"Thanks Fluttershy. Oh my goodness I almost forgot! When you take the ducks with you tomorrow, take Derpy with you okay?" he asked.

"Hm? Well I guess it would be okay if she came too. Wait, how did you know I was going to help the ducks tomorrow?" she asked.

"Um, sorry but I can't tell you." he said as he looked up. "The sun's almost set; we better hurry before the moon rises over. I don't want to show up super late and have Twilight asking me a bunch of questions."

"Okay, hop on up Angel." said Fluttershy as her little bunny climbed onto her back and they both began running out of the forest. After much time had passed, they had finally arrived at the library.

"Hey Fluttershy, thanks for helping me earlier." said Alex.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help you feel better." she said with a smile.

"I'm just glad that's over with." he said as he opened the door. Alex entered to see Twilight waiting in the living room, "Oh hey Twilight, were you...waiting for me?"

"Yes!" she shouted, "Where have you been?! You said you were going to the forest to think about some things, so I went to pick up Scootaloo from school and brought her home and after a while I looked at the time and it's been six hours since then and you still weren't home! Just what happened out there? Are you okay?"

"I was, um, helping Fluttershy take care of her animals! Isn't that right Fluttershy?" he said as he turned his head towards her.

"Oh! Um, yes he was. He was helping me feed the animals." she said as she walked toward Alex's side.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to Fluttershy's?" asked Twilight.

"Well I didn't expect to find myself there either. So were you just waiting here for me?" he asked. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the kitchen, "Is somepony in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's...something you should know." she began, "You see, I sent a letter to the princess earlier about the spell book and I got a letter back. This, you have to see." She took out a scroll and levitated it to him.

"Okay then, let's see here." he said as he began to read.

To my faithful student

I have received your letter about the book of Star Swirl the Bearded and about Alexis' attempts to use one of his spells. Now although it hasn't brought any physical harm to him, you must be sure he does not attempt it again. We don't know what might happen if he does. Secondly, the Gospel and I have been discussing a certain matter and have decided to send somepony who needs Alexis' help. She seems to have trouble adjusting to her new life and I believe that Alexis would be able to help her as he they both share the same problem. She will be arriving with the details so I am asking you to have him take care of her, I have confidence that he will succeed.

"How does she know I'm having trouble fitting in? And what does she mean she's sending someone down? Does this mean I'm being put in charge of somepony else who's going to be living with us now?" he asked.

"Well yes, but when I told her that we don't have any available rooms she said that she would be staying with you." said Twilight.

"Oh so I'm having a roommate now?" he said. "That's going to be troublesome. Pinkie Pie blew up my bed."

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, I fixed your bed for you."

"Hey, thanks. But that still only leaves me with my own bed and Scootaloo's bed. By the way, where is Scootaloo?" he asked as he looked around.

"Alex!" screamed Scootaloo as she ran across the room toward him, "I'm so glad you're finally home, there's this strange pony in the house! She's really scary!"

"Hey, that's not a very nice thing to say about our new guest." he said. "I'm sure whoever they are can't be that bad."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Twilight.

"Well I mean...if Princess Celestia thinks I can handle it then I'll do what I can but..." he said.

"Do you even know who she is?" she asked him.

"Well no but I'm sure it can't be that bad. Why are you two acting this way anyway?" he asked.

"You'll see," said Twilight, "You can come in now."

Alex turned toward the kitchen to see a pony walk into the living room, at which point he began to understand why the girls acted the way they did. "Ah, greetings Prince Alex, it certainly has been a while. I do hope you will look after me from now on." said the pony as she bowed her head.

Alex just stared with wide eyes, "Princess Luna?! Wh-what?! You're the one Celestia sent?!"

Author's Note

Hello and welcome back to the after chapter discussion! I am hungry and I want a bananna, whose got one?! Give it to me! Now back to the story discussion! Well this chapter finished with quite the surprise, didn't it? So first we've got a cat, then there's Scootaloo, and now Princess Luna! How many roomates are there going to be?! I'll never tell! Next time, in chapter 6, Gilda appears! Get ready for that! So now we've got five chapters, the next one is coming soon, and I'm also finally getting back to that next "New Pegasus In Town" chapter. I've been gone for too long and I have to get back to both my projects! So if there's anyone who has been waiting for that, get ready because that's also coming soon! So please, tell me who has that bananna, and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. And remember, feedback is greatly appreciated, and so is food.