What did Twilight just do? What just happened...

It was dark. I was lying on the ground, the grass underneath me scratching my face. I... wasn't in the basement anymore. I was outside. Did Twilight just... teleport me?

My body felt different. I felt... small. And... Oh, I didn't have any hands. Hooves! I had hooves! I was a pony!

I jumped up, my four new hooves landing clumsily on the ground. "Yeah! Twilight, it worked! You did it!" I cried out, beaming.

I looked around with my new, probably gigantic eyes, but couldn't see her. I was alone. As amazing as this was, with no Twilight Sparkle I was totally lost. Thankfully, my excitement masked what would most certainly be debilitating worry.

This new body was... strange, to say the least. I felt so uneasy on four legs. My new tail was the strangest part. It was entirely new to me. It felt so weird moving it around.

"Twilight? You here?" I called out.

No answer. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. A forest. Ok. Everfree? Or... any other forest, I guess. In the dark, it was actually a little creepy. Well... Do I stay here and wait for Twilight to find me or do I look for help?

Uh... "Discord? Celestia? Luna? Twilight? Anybody?"

Nothing. I was starting to feel kinda lonely. Guess I look for help... Which way is town?

If I'm remembering correctly, no forest in Equestria was big enough to prevent me from escaping by walking in one direction. I've been wrong before, though. No use prevaricating about the bush. I picked a direction and started walking. I had to take slow steps, otherwise I would trip over these hooves.

As I walked, I called out for Twilight. Unfortunately, that meant that I was also signaling to whatever else was in these woods that a tasty snack had shown itself. I probably didn't taste very good.

What was it Twilight said? That she would talk to the original creator of the spell? So, Twilight wanted to talk to Star Song? I guess... But I'm already here, I'm already in Equestria. I'm even a pony. Maybe she just teleported me somewhere else in my world. If that were the case, I wouldn't be a pony. Then, Twilight already knew how to cast the spell? That's cool and all, but why wasn't she able to transport me here in the first place? This doesn't add up.

"Hey!" I heard a hushed exclamation.

I looked to the source. A... pony. Someone else! Yay!

"Oh man, am I glad to see s-"

"Shh!" She gave me an angry look as she pointed a hoof upwards.

I looked up, mouthing the words, 'Oh, shit!' as I saw the outline of a large black panther sleeping on a branch above me. In this darkness, I had no idea what I was looking at.

She waved me over. I stared up at it as I slowly walked to her. I couldn't really get a good look at her in the dark like this, but I could see that she wore an explorer's coat.

I followed after her as she started walking away. Once we were in the clear, I said, "Thanks for the save. Are you Daring Do?"

"Daring who?"

I held in a laugh, not expecting that response. "I'm Phil, who are you?"

"My name is Star Song. I'm a researcher. What were you doing in these woods this late at night?"

"You're Star Song?" I asked, surprised.

"You've heard of me?"

"Yeah! A friend of mine was looking for you. Seems she dragged me with her."

"Is that what you were doing out here? You were calling her name and giving away your position like an idiot. Why would your friend think I was out here?"

"Because you are."

"Ah..." She paused, then nodded. "I suppose. Nopony should know that I'm out here. What did your friend need of me?"

"She needs help with a spell, but aside from that, you'll have to talk to her about that. I don't know the details."

"A spell? I don't know if I can help her with that."

"Uh... Like I said, you'll have to talk to her about that."

She chuckled. "Where is your friend, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't know. I was looking for her before we met."

"Twilight Sparkle, was it? I heard you calling for her."

"Yep. Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria."

"You must be confused. Princess Celestia is the only Princess here."

"Hmm? No, she... Ah, I guess I'd better let Twilight do the... Wait, what about Princess Luna?"

"Have you not heard the legends? Long ago, Princess Celestia was forced to banish her sister to the moon after she refused to lower it."

"Wait, but... Luna... She came back."

"She did? That's news to me. Maybe the Elements of Harmony aren't as powerful as she thought."

"I... Um... You're kinda weird." I said to her.

She chuckled. "So are you, Phil."

"Yeah, I guess. Where... are we going? I need to find Twilight."

"I have maps of the forest at my home that we can use to help you find your friend. We're not far off. Right up this path."

"Oh, that's good. She's capable on her own, but I don't want to be split up from her for too long here. What forest is this, anyways?" I could see the house. A small wooden cottage in a clearing. Looked cute.

"You don't know? It's the Everfree. Your friend really didn't tell you anything, did she?"

"Ah, nah. I guess she didn't."

She walked up to the door and opened it, letting me in. It was actually quite spacious inside, despite its outward appearance.

"What kind of friend would just leave somepony like you in a place like this? If I were your friend, I would never let you out of my sight." She placed her bag onto the table against the wall.

"She didn't leave me alone on purpose. We just got separated. One minute she was there and the next, gone."

"Gone?"

"Yeah."

"How strange." She went to her desk and began looking through the scrolls piled up on it. "Here we go..." She unrolled one on the table.

I walked over and looked at it. It looked unsurprisingly like a map of a forest. She glanced at me, then back to the map.

"So, where did you lose your friend?" she asked.

"I dunno. Where did you find me?"

She tapped the map. "Right here. You were coming from this direction." She traced the direction I was going. "So you must've lost her right about here." She tapped the map above the route. "That's a pretty dangerous part of these woods. Unfortunately, it looks like it's the best place to search for her."

"Can't waste any time then, let's get going!"

Though this was a serious operation, she was cheerful as we walked out the door. I liked her attitude. After a short jog, she had led me through the woods to our destination.

The further we walked, the more distracted she became. "There's a powerful magic about this place. A very powerful magic. A powerful spell was cast here recently. Was... Was this your friend? You said she was capable, but..."

"Seems like something she'd do. She's an amazing little unicorn."

"You think? Well, then if we follow this magical signature, we'll find her." She started down a nearby trail. As we walked, she said, "Magical signature is a layman term. It's more complicated than that."

"I believe you."

"You... believe me? I've never heard a response like that before."

"Can you tell if she's close? I'm starting to get worried about all this darkness."

"I can't. If we were any later, I wouldn't even be able to follow her. We're lucky we've gotten this far."

I nodded. Hope she's ok...

"Stay close. If we're separated, I may not be able to find you again in this darkness."

"Can't you light a way with your magic?"

"Too dangerous. We'd be drawing too much attention to ourselves. I can navigate the forest in this darkness just fine."

We kept walking. I got the occasional scratch from a branch here and there, but it was an otherwise peaceful stroll through the woods.

"Hold on." She suddenly stopped. "Do you hear that?"

I listened closely to our surroundings. There was a light breeze in the air, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"I hear breathing." she said quietly, slowly moving forward. She gasped. "Um, Phil? I... think I found your friend."

"Twilight?" I asked, rushing up.

I saw her laying on the ground. She was taking in long, shaky breaths. She didn't look hurt, but she didn't react to us.

"Twilight! Oh my god, are you ok?" I asked.

No response.

"Twilight?" I felt a sinking feeling inside.

"I've seen this before." said Star Song.

I looked to her.

"She's used too much of her power at once. Looks like she wandered off in a daze after casting her last spell."

"Is she gonna be alright?"

She nodded. "With some rest, she'll be back to normal within a few days. Probably. Let's bring her back to my home in the meantime."

"Yeah. Uh... How..."

"She's your friend."

"Uh... Right."

I lowered myself down and maneuvered myself underneath her to pick her up. She didn't weigh anything at all to me as a pony. I could feel her deep breathing against my back.

"She's an alicorn?" asked Star Song, "You didn't tell me that."

"Didn't seem important at the time."

"Is she related to the Princess?"

"Ahh... Technically."

"Technically? Whatever. Let's head back."

Balancing Twilight on my back was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Back in Star Song's home, she instructed me to lie Twilight on her bed. I carefully did so, pulling the blanket over her. She was sweating, still breathing heavily. I was worried about her.

"Are you sure she'll be alright?" I asked out of concern.

"She'll be fine. Well, that leaves me without a bed." she said.

"How long did you say it will take for her to recover?"

"Usually just a few days. It depends on how bad she's got it. She should wake up by tomorrow morning."

"That's good to hear. I hope it's sooner than later. I need to get back home."

"Yeah? Where do you live?"

"It's... complicated. I don't live anywhere around here. Twilight brought me here accidentally."

"That so? No wonder she's so tired. Casting such a powerful spell on one pony would be hard enough. Casting it on the both of you could've been too much for her."

I sighed. If I'm not back home in around two days, people are gonna worry about me. People like Sarah.

"Anyways, I've only got the one bed." she said, "If you want somewhere warm to sleep, you can share a blanket with me."

I turned to her. Not what I expected to hear.

"What's with that look? I don't bite." She sighed. "What an exciting night. I don't think I'll get to bed anytime soon after that."

"Yeah."

"Tea?"

"Hmm?"

"It'll help you sleep."

"Oh, yeah. Alright, thank you."

"I'll get some water warmed up."

Within minutes, the entire house had warmed up with the heat of her stove. She soon had us each poured a steaming hot cup of tea. She smiled at me as she placed my cup on the table. I gave it a look over.

I lifted my new hoof towards my cup, but stopped as I touched it. If I picked this up, I would severely burn myself. Instead, I leaned forward and sipped from the edge of the cup on the table. Hot! Good, but hot!

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Er... Is it good?"

"Best tea I've ever had." I replied.

She smiled. "Good to hear."

"Well, it's the only tea I've ever had, but still, good."

"You've never had tea before?"

I just shrugged.

"That's just plain weird. Everypony drinks tea."

Another shrug.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. So... how old are you."

"25."

"And you... You're a blank flank?"

"Am I?" I looked down at myself. Now that I could actually see myself in the dim candle light of the house, I saw that I had a tan coat with a brown mane. And my cutie mark... "Huh... Guess I am."

"Funny. How does that happen? You just... not good at anything? I know you aren't very smart."

"Hurtful."

"You were yelling in the Everfree Forest. You could've been eaten."

"That's fair."

"So... nothing? How does a pony make it to 25 and not have a cutie mark?"

I shrugged. "Can't answer that one."

"Weird."

"What about you? What's yours supposed to be?"

In her house, I could finally see what Star Song looked like. She looked like... a cute little pony. She seemed pretty confident, but at the moment she was tired, just like I was. On her flank was an open book.

Star Song was shorter than I was, not a good comparison, and seemed somewhat thin to me. She had a purple coat and her mane and tail were a light pink with lighter stripes down them. Both were unprofessionally cut short.

"Mine represents my ability to collect information. At least, that's how I interpret it." she explained.

"Sounds useful."

"You have no idea."

This must be good tea, I was already sleepy. Between sleeping in the cold and sharing a blanket with Star Song, I was having a hard time deciding.

Star Song finished her tea and went to retrieve her blanket from a shelf near the bed. She set it onto the floor and looked to me. "Come on. Hope you don't mind that I sleep in the nude." she jokingly said to me.

I glared at her.

"Don't worry, I'll try not to cuddle too much."

Saying something negative would be petty. "Thank you."

She smiled. "Of course."

My pride, what little there was, was not worth a cold, sleepless night. I joined her underneath the blanket. While I tried to keep my distance, there wasn't a lot of blanket available.

Sleeping in this new body... I expected the first time sleeping as a pony to be with a certain Princess...

Unknown day 1

I felt something bump me, ruining my nap. My eyes cracked open to see what was happening.

Star Song turned to me, yawning. She stopped mid-yawn as she saw me and asked, "Who are you?"

"Huh?"

"Who are you?" she asked again.

"I'm... Phil."

"Phil... Phil... Right, right, it's coming back to me. Sorry. I need to get back to work."

"Have fun."

Star Song moved to her feet and stretched. She let out a sigh. "You stay here. Tend to your friend."

I gave her a groggy, "You got it."

After collecting some items from around her house, she headed to the door. "I'll be back late."

I gave her a groan, lying my head back down.

She chuckled. "Good to hear."

Off she went, leaving us alone. I fell back asleep.

When I woke up again, I stretched out my new pony body, feeling particularly disappointed that I was unable to crack my non-existent fingers. I didn't expect to be sleeping away from home like this.

Twilight was still asleep on Star Song's bed. Thankfully though, her breathing was normal.

Hungry. Cereal seemed to be a no go. No refrigerator. In the young daylight, I noticed a lack of electricity. Unsurprising, given where I was. In my search for food, I found a bowl of apples that seemed fresh and took one for myself.

If I didn't find anything to do, the cabin fever would hit me like a truck. Hmm...

Oh, idea! I'll study the maps so I can find my way back here! She stored her maps somewhere over... Aha! I unrolled and examined the map I saw last night. I could see many landmarks, most of which I've never seen before. The old castle was on it, marked as 'Princess's Castle'. It was a distance away, but Twilight could find her way from there.

It marked our current location as well, 'My Home'. From what I saw, we were deep in the forest. I could... potentially make my way to Ponyville following this. Could, but won't because I'm not stupid.

That took all of five minutes.

I began pacing about the room, eagerly waiting for something to happen. I was concerned about Twilight's safety. It was agitating.

I don't know how long it took before she woke up, but as soon as I heard her making noise, I raced to her. She slowly sat up and looked around.

When she saw me, she asked, "Where am I?"

"You're at Star Song's house, Twilight."

Her eyes widened. "So you're... How did you know my name?"

"No, no, Star Song left a little while ago. She... I... Twilight, it's me! It's Phil!"

"Phil?" She paused. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and her jaw dropped. "Phil! How did you get here?!"

"Don't ask me, you're the one that cast the spell."

"What? But how?! I couldn't get you to Equestria before!"

"Well I dunno! But I'm here now."

"I... can't believe it..."

She started pulling off her blankets. I placed my hoof over her to stop her and said, "Hold on, hold on. You need to rest."

"I need to rest? Oh..." She collapsed back down onto the bed. "Maybe... you're right about that..."

"Star Song told me that you used too much energy when you cast your spell. You accidentally brought me along with you and it was just too much for you to handle. You over-exerted yourself."

"Over-exerted myself? Hmm..." Her eyes wandered to Star Song's cupboards. She concentrated on the bowl of fruit. Her horn started glowing, but soon after, white sparks shot from the tip. She let out a loud breath. "You're right. I can't use my magic. Just that... little bit left me..."

"Here, let me get you something to eat." I said, turning to the cupboards myself. I returned with a few apples for her.

She took one and held it between her hooves on her chest. "Thank you. So you... spoke with Star Song?"

"Yeah. She's a real helpful pony. She helped me find you."

"Where... are we?"

"In the Everfree. Here, I have a map."

I retrieved it and gave it to her. She unrolled and examined it, sitting up again.

"We are right here." I touched the map. "I arrived here... and we found you here."

"This map is strange."

"How so?"

"It's... hard to say. I don't recognize some of these places, even though I've been through the area."

"What does that mean?"

"It means... that my spell worked." she said with a smile.

"Your spell?"

"That's right, Phil. We're in the past."

"The... Oh yeah... That's right, I think you mentioned that. I guess that would explain why she didn't know about Princess Luna."

"What?"

"She didn't know that Luna came back. She didn't know that Nightmare Moon was gone. So that means that it didn't happen yet."

"She didn't... know about... So that means that Princess Luna is... That can't be right."

"What are you talking about?"

"Star Song wasn't around after Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon. She isn't from that time period."

"Huh?"

"Are you sure that it was Star Song that you talked to?"

"That's who she said she was."

"I think I'll need to have a word with this 'Star Song'."

"Well, she seemed nice, if a bit weird."

"That's good to hear."

"Man... I can't believe I'm really in Equestria."

"Me either. I don't know why my spell didn't work. I didn't think that the portal would reject you. It worked for me just fine. I wasn't able to bring you to Equestria, but you're here anyways."

"Guess it just means you're better than you thought. Isn't it... really bad that we're in the past?"

"Don't... put too much thought into it. Trust me, I've done this before."

It was a while before Star Song came back. I had given Twilight some of the books in the cabin to stave off the boredom. When she got back, she set her bags down just inside the door. Dirt covered her hooves from her quest.

"Oh! Hello!" she said as she saw us, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we're..."

"No, no, wait, wait, I remember now. So you're awake! How long has she been up?"

"Uh, few hours." I replied.

She went to Twilight, seemingly ignoring me. "Hello. My name is Star Song. We found you in the woods and brought you back here. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling fine, thank you. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"Good, good. Looks like I was right."

"He said that you knew what happened to me." said Twilight.

"Reckless use of magic." Star Song closed in on Twilight's face, surprising her. "Hmm... You've been sleep deprived, haven't you? It's not a good idea to cast something as powerful as that in your state." She pulled away. "What spell did you cast, anyways? Your friend didn't seem to know."

"It was... It was a time travel spell."

"Time travel? Are you serious?"

"I am."

Star Song put on a thinking face before responding with, "That's a bold claim. Do you have any proof?"

"I..."

"Nope, no proof." I said, butting in.

She raised an eyebrow to me. "Is that so?"

"Thinking things through is not our forte."

"It wasn't just a time travel spell." said Twilight, politely ignoring what I said.

"Oh?"

"I also cast a spell that would transport me to Equestria from another world."

"Another world? Now that is interesting... A time travel spell and a powerful transport spell at the same time. And for two, no less."

"That's right." said Twilight, "Though, he was an accident."

"Well... alright... You've come a long way just to ask for help. I'll hear you out."

"Thank you. I have come here to ask you if you can help me deconstruct your spells."

"You'll have to explain that a bit more."

"I've developed a spell based on your trans-dimensional transportation spell that allows me to travel between worlds at will. Specifically, his world and Equestria."

"My wh... His world? Uh... Could you go a little slower for me?"

"Phil doesn't originate from Equestria. He comes from a different world, a world without magic."

"A different world? What's the horn for, then?" she asked.

"I'm not actually a pony. I'm a human."

"And... that is?"

"Uh... It's... not important."

"How do I know that?"

Twilight cleared her throat, getting our attention. "Humans are characterized by erect posture and bipedal locomotion, high manual dexterity and heavy tool use compared to other animals, open-ended and complex language use compared to other animal communications, and a general trend toward larger, more complex brains and societies."

"So like ponies that walk on two legs? Alright. And they don't use magic... So you transported him here?"

"That's right. I meant to come here on my own but somehow he had joined me."

"Right..."

"Our issue is that, when I cast the spell, my friend was not able to go through the portal to Equestria. It rejected him for some reason. I'm hoping that if I deconstruct the spell, it would help me find the solution to this."

"It... rejected him, you say?" she asked, eyeing me.

"I don't know how he got to this world, but he was unable to come to our present day Equestria."

Star Song was... confused. The look in her eyes was almost angry. "That doesn't... make sense... So for some reason, you can bring him here only when you go back in time... Not only is that highly implausible, it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! You've cast, what, two or three impossibly difficult spells at the same time, not just once, but twice back to back?! And yet you can't just cast one of those spells one time?"

"I..."

Star Song's attitude did a sudden 180 as a smile spread across her face. "You, Twilight... You are an incredible pony. Casting spells of this magnitude is... nothing short of amazing. You're lucky you ended up with just a little fatigue. In terms of skill, I think you've already surpassed me. And..." Her smile faded. "It also seems, in terms of knowledge, you've surpassed me. I don't know how I could help you. I don't know anything about traveling between worlds. I don't know what help I could offer you."

"What? But it was your writings that allowed us to come here in the first place! Without your journal, we wouldn't be here!"

"You have my journal?"

"Not with us, we left it in my world." I said.

"But you have my journal? And it told you... how to get here?"

"That's right. It contained valuable information. We never would've gotten as far as we did without it."

"But I... I've never... worked on any 'trans-dimensional transportation' spells. You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to be able to help you with that."

"What? But you... Your journal..." Twilight was dumbfounded. Star Song was denying the journal she had slaved over this past month.

"I'm sorry that you came all this way just for me to say I can't help."

"You've created so many spells!" Twilight blurted, "Your journal is full of notes detailing spells that would be next to impossible to cast without it. Phil and I have been studying it for the past month in our time! I've used its knowledge to travel to Equestria and back on my own!"

Star Song blinked. "Maybe it's... something I create later in my life. You said that you traveled through time just to meet me. Are you sure you got the right 'me'?"

"No, I'm not." Twilight responded, her tone shifting to be more serious, "Judging from the contents of the journal and the materials that make it up, I would date it as a Pre-Nightmare Moon artifact."

As Twilight said this, I could see Star Song visibly tense. Her eyes briefly darted about the room.

"But it was so well preserved that it could've been made just before we got it. Books of that era are fragile and often fall apart on their own, yet we were able to handle them with no issue."

That... is true... Hmm...

"Meeting you here... Meeting you now..." Her eyes narrowed. "Are you really 'Star Song'?"

"Wh-What are you talking about? Of course I am."

Twilight continued to glare at her. Star Song nervously looked away.

I cleared my throat. "We're not here to ruin your secret identity." I said, "If you aren't her, we'll just try again."

"I am Star Song! I am, I am, I am! Wh... Is this how you repay me for saving you from the forest? Have some shame!"

She seems really upset about this... I turned to Twilight and asked, "Why don't we believe her?"

"It doesn't add up. The journal is from hundreds of years before this point in time. My spell should've brought us to the origin of the journal, which led us here. To her. Star Song didn't live during this time period."

"You can't just come into my home and say I'm not who I am! You have some nerve to insult me like this after my hospitality!"

Twilight looked uneasy. She paused before replying. "I'm... I'm sorry... I've been under a lot of stress. It wasn't right of me to take it out on you like that."

"No, it wasn't." Star Song agreed in a matter-of-fact tone.

Twilight couldn't drive the nail home.

"Well, since you are Star Song, maybe you could help us." I said.

"Mmm... I don't know."

"All we have to do is get the books then, right Twilight?" I asked.

"In my current state, I couldn't bring us back to your world. I don't even have the power to cast a simple levitation spell."

"That's right." said Star Song, "So you'll be staying in that bed until you can."

Twilight nodded. "Maybe it will give me enough time to figure out why the spell I cast sent us to this time specifically."

Star Song blinked. "Uh... Right..." She turned to me. "And where do you fit in here? Why do you even need to be in Equestria in the first place?"

"I have a relationship with a pony and would like to spend the rest of my life with her in this world." I answered quickly and concisely.

Now Star Song was surprised. "I... thought you said she was just a friend."

"It's someone else."

"Uh... Really? You're not... pulling my leg, are you?"

"My relationship is not a joke to me."

"I... I didn't... How... How do you have a relationship with a pony? Didn't you say that you were from a different world?"

"Discord sent her to my world as a joke. I managed to find her and things just took off from there."

"Discord? You mean..."

"In the future."

"So... Discord... How does that work?"

"You probably don't want to think about it too hard."

"This is a lot to take in. You two are time travelers and one of you is from a different world... and you came all this way just to see me. It's just hard to believe, you know?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

"Your magic is no joke though. I'd have to be crazy not to believe you. So, I have to ask... in the future, is my work remembered?"

Twilight and I glanced at each other, then back to her hopeful face. Neither Twilight nor the Princess had heard of her.

As soon as we turned back, her disposition darkened. "Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Star Song." Twilight sympathized.

"It's alright. But I've already done so much... At least... And you said that you had my journal. You said that I did more."

"You have a lot to be proud of, Star Song. With your notes, I was able to do the impossible."

"Why even bother if nopony's gonna remember my work..." she sulked.

"Come on, you know that's not right." I said, "It's not about recognition."

"Oh, piss off. It's all about recognition. It's about sharing your discoveries, improving your work... It's about that sweet, sweet fame and fortune! What does Star Swirl the Bearded have that I don't? Why does he get all the credit for his work when I've devoted my entire life, even risked it a couple of times, to creating spells that I can't even cast?!"

"Spells you can't cast?" I asked before Twilight could aggressively defend her hero.

Star Song sighed. "I didn't mean to say that. Look, I... If you really want to know, I'll tell you. But you have to do something for me in return."

I looked to Twilight. "We'll... try."

"You're from the future. And... with your talent Twilight, you must be recognized by so many ponies. So I want you to promise, when you get back, make sure that my work is known. Alright? I don't want to be forgotten. Not like this. Not after everything I've done."

Twilight nodded. "Of course. Your work has gone unnoticed for too long. I'll see that it gets the respect that it deserves. We've already shown this to Princess Celestia."

"You... You have? That's great! Thank you, Twilight Sparkle." She sighed, a newfound happiness in her voice. "I guess I have to tell you now. When I was... younger... When I was as powerful as you... I was testing a new spell. It backfired, as many spells do, and sent me here. You were right when you said that this didn't seem right. I was born hundreds of years ago and sent into the future. From then on, whenever I tried casting something stronger than a simple levitation spell, I found myself on the ground, seizing."

Twilight took in a small gasp of surprise.

Star Song paused briefly. "My pursuit of knowledge has left me crippled. Crippled and lost in a time and a place far from home. When I finally convinced myself that my dreams of becoming a world-renowned spellcaster were gone, I settled on a more realistic goal, living the life of a hermit, exploring the Everfree Forest. So, yeah... That's... That's my story. Barely a day after meeting somepony and my secret is out the window."

"Oh Star Song... I had no idea... Your journal didn't say..."

"I don't want your pity. All I want is for you to hold up your end of the deal."

"I will, Star Song. I will."

Jesus Christ... That fucking sucks. Wow...

"I guess your story and mine aren't so different then, huh..." She chuckled to herself. "Ohh... No, this isn't funny... What good am I to you if I can't cast magic?"

"You aren't just magic. You've got a brilliant mind, Star Song." I said, "You're great!"

"I was great."

"You still are! I mean, you helped me find Twilight!"

"Y-Yeah! You saved my life." Twilight said, joining me, "Who knows what could've happened to me in these woods?"

Star Song's mouth curved up in a smile. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"You're still the same smart little pony you were before." I said.

"I know. It's just... hard... It's hard to be... uprooted from your life like I was."

I nodded. "I could imagine."

"We need your help, Star Song." said Twilight.

She sighed again. "You wouldn't be here if this wasn't important to you."

I nodded. "It is."

"Well... then... If you think I can help, then I'll try my best."

"Thank you, Star Song." I said to her.

"Don't thank me yet. I haven't done anything. Before we start working on anything, you need to rest, Twilight Sparkle. You're as powerless as I am while you're like this."

"Of course. Thank you for this, Star Song."

"Oh, it's no trouble to me. I like the company. I've been out here on my own for so long."

"Don't you ever get visitors?" asked Twilight.

"Nopony wants to get lost in the Everfree Forest, so nopony ever tries exploring it. Cowards, I say! The Everfree Forest is nothing more than a bunch of overgrown weeds." She chuckled. "I'm just kidding, take this place seriously."

"Are... Are you... the first pony to map the Everfree Forest?" asked Twilight.

"I dunno, you tell me, Ms. Time Traveler."

"I... The first maps of the Everfree Forest, at least that I've seen, date back to around this time period."

"Well, guess I am."

"But... you're not... The first maps of the Everfree Forest were made by a stallion named Marble Lane."

"Then I'm not the first one. Whatever. Ruin my hopes, why don't you?" She chuckled. "The more maps there are of this crazy place, the better. You can't be too careful, here. It's like it changes its shape overnight."

"Well that would be impossible. Trees don't just get up and move on their own." said Twilight.

"You can never be too careful here." she repeated.

"Are you scared of the Everfree Forest?" I asked.

"Are you not? Just because they're overgrown weeds doesn't mean they aren't dangerous! There are all sorts of wild beasts in these woods! Not to mention the dangerous cliffs and pits scattered around. If you don't watch where you step, you could even find yourself in the middle of a patch of poison joke! Oh, how I hate poison joke..."

"What did it do to you?" I asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." she replied, "Look, I don't mind having company, but the last thing I need is somepony on my mind while I'm out exploring these woods. So while I'm away I want the two of you to stay here, alright?"

"No problems there." I said, "Twilight can't use magic and I don't know the area."

"Good. You two need to go back to your own time as soon as you can. You shouldn't be messing around with magic like this."

"I'd go home if I could." I replied.

"Until I can control my magic again, I'm afraid that we're stuck here." said Twilight.

Star Song and Twilight's conversation drifted towards magic, leaving me out of the conversation for a long time until I heard, "Well, what about him?"

"Huh? Wha-?" I perked up, looking to them, desperate for any kind of interaction.

"Maybe you could cast the spell." Star Song suggested.

"Cast the what-now?"

"The spell to take you home."

"Uh... No." I replied.

"Well, you could try." she said.

"I am a human! I don't even know how to use magic in the first place! How do you expect me to cast something so complicated just like that?"

"Well, there is something that I've been wanting to try out." she said, putting on a thinking face.

"Ok. And?"

"Hmm... It... Honestly..." She turned to Twilight. "Since you already know how to cast your spell, it would be better for you to rest than it would be for me to try my experiment."

"What is your experiment?" Twilight curiously asked.

"I could link my magic with his, enabling me to use my skill as a spellcaster while my own body is incapable."

"Oh, I've heard of that! The process isn't well documented."

"I haven't done it before. It could prove dangerous and I don't think the risk is worth the reward."

"So why bring it up?" I asked.

"I miss casting magic." she responded, downtrodden, "Somepony new like you could provide me with a fresh slate."

"Oh..."

She shook her head. "I'm not going to endanger somepony else just for a few minutes of fun."

Helpful.

Being stuck in this little cabin, we spent much of the night getting to know each other. Star Song was an interesting little pony. She lamented about her inability to cast spells exactly once more before quickly changing subjects. Seems she's sensitive about it. I won't mention it.

The next morning was oddly similar to this. Star Song woke me up as she was getting up and asked who I was again. She left same as before and came back same as before, once again questioning us on who we were.

Star Song and Twilight quickly started on discussing their spells, leaving me out of the loop. I listened in, but couldn't understand what they were talking about, forgetting their words moments after they said them. They talked about different ways to cast Twilight's spells to accomplish our goals. Star Song would often sidetrack Twilight, asking about what the future would bring or even asking personal questions about her. Twilight danced around these questions and often refused to answer them. Star Song didn't seem to mind at all.

Unknown day 3

Once again, as we woke up, Star Song asked who I was.

"Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Asking you... Oh! Yes, that's right. I remember now." She smiled. "Phil! That's still a weird name."

"Shut up. Don't you have something to do?"

She smiled. "Nope! Today's Sunday! Sunday's my day off. Or was it Monday? Ah, who cares... I'm not leaving this house."

"Oh. Well, ok." I guess everybody could use a day off every once in a while.

I blinked, looked at Twilight, who was still sleeping, then laid my head back down.

Star Song yawned. "You know, you're an anomaly." she said to me.

"Yeah?" I replied, not looking at her.

"I've spent all this time talking to Twilight and I didn't get a chance to talk to you. I still don't really understand what a 'human' even is. What does a human look like?"

"They look like a... eh... Hard to explain, 'specially 'cause I just woke up."

"Mmm-hmm... What's the human world like?"

"Like your world but... well... I guess I'd say more violent."

"Violent?"

"Yeah. Overall, we're a few percentage points above you guys on the chart."

"Yeesh... That doesn't sound good."

"Nah, it's pretty great. I love the place."

"So why leave?"

"My fiancée can't stay in the human world. She has too many responsibilities in this world."

"I'm sure you have responsibilities, too."

"Just a job. Even if it were more than that, I'd still want to stay here."

She sighed. "How romantic... To go to such lengths for the one you love..."

"I'm not going to any lengths. Twilight's doing all the work. Poor girl's been working so hard for the past month. She's been stuck deciphering your journals over and over and over again all because you have terrible penmanship."

"Wh-What? I don't... How dare you? My penmanship is great, thank you very much!"

"No it..." Wait a minute... I finally got up, something piquing my interest. "But your journal was..."

"Where are you going?"

I mumbled to myself as I walked to her map collection. She got out of bed and joined me as I unrolled one.

Th... This is legible. The names on this are perfectly legible. "S... You... You made this, yeah?"

"Yes."

"And... you wrote the names down?"

"Of course I did. Who else would? What are you getting at, Phil?"

"The... The notes that we found were so poorly written that it took weeks just to read it. This is nothing like that."

"Told you my penmanship was great." she smugly replied.

This doesn't make sense...

"Ngh... What are you two doing?" a very groggy Twilight asked.

I turned to her. "Twilight, I have something for you to see."

"What do you mean?" She was still half-asleep.

"You know how those journals were practically unreadable?"

"Mmm?"

"Take a look at this." I gave the map to her.

She looked to it, then slowly unrolled it in front of her, yawning. "I don't... understand what I'm supposed to be looking at."

"The names. You can read them."

Twilight blinked. She read one of the names. She blinked again. I could see her eyes focusing on the map. She was finally waking up. "You're right."

"So, you guys found my journals, but they're unreadable?" asked Star Song.

"Yeah. The penmanship was terrible."

"Well, they aren't mine then. Somepony must be using my name."

"Using your name? But who? How? The spell I cast led us here, to you." said Twilight.

"You used a spell that relied on an unknown variable. It could've been any number of things that would lead you here. I didn't even know I made that kind of spell."

"I got it from your journal." grumbled Twilight.

"Didn't your mother warn you not to take things from strangers? Especially when the stranger has magic that can bend reality."

"What does this mean?" I asked.

"I don't know." Twilight replied.

"This is strange. Maybe if I had the journal in front of me, I could make more sense of this." said Star Song, "Twilight. You should be well enough to cast spells by now. Do you think you could try it out?"

Twilight nodded. "I think I can."

"It should be easier this time. You'll know where you'll be going. Still, be careful. If you push yourself too hard again so soon, you could end up in bed for a lot longer than just a few days."

"Right..." Twilight took in a breath and let it out slowly. "Stand back."

Star Song and I backed away as Twilight started her spell. A purple glow surrounded her horn. I glanced at Star Song as this happened. Her eyes were fixed on Twilight, not looking away for even a second. She was watching her. Examining her.

I saw a circle appear in front of us. Ahh... Such memories of magic circles.

As the color came to the circle, I could see my lovely little basement on the other side. Not Celestia's castle, but still workable.

"So... What is this?" asked Star Song.

"It's my house." I answered, "Which means... it's my cue."

Twilight let out a loud sigh. We both looked to her. She shook her head, then looked up at us. "Yeah... That's your cue. Could you... get the books for me?"

"Uhh... Yeah, sure. Are you alright?"

"I was able to cast the spell, but... I don't know if I'll be joining you."

"What do you mean?"

"I need to stay here so Star Song and I can work on the spell you need. Getting you home was a priority. I don't even know if I have enough energy to join you right now."

"So you're... staying?"

She nodded.

"What do I tell Celestia?"

"Tell her that I apologize for my tardiness. And that it won't be long until I am able to return."

"I'll make sure she knows, Twilight." I turned to the portal. "Time to go home."

Ah, I could've thought of something better to say.

Author's Note

Apologizing wouldn't mean anything at this point. It took a while again. It's gonna take a while next time. I've had a lot on my mind, very little of it important.

Whenever I write a part without Celestia in it, I start getting anxious. Don't know what that says about me. lol. I like writing about Star Song though. I liked exploring new possibilities.

I'm still playing Dead by Daylight. Really really love that game. I got max level for all killers and survivors and maxed out the points again before the event ended. I ended up getting the Doctor with shards and leveled him up. Come join me some time. lol.

If you're still here either you enjoy it or you're just stubborn. Either way, thanks for reading. I hope I'll be able to continue entertaining you.

Again, if you wanna talk to me, play games with me, or shoot me in the back of the head two times, go ahead and do so. Contact info is on my profile page. plz. I need people to game with. lol