House Arrest is Magic

“NOOO!”

Evan jolted up in bed in a cold sweat. He looked at his surroundings and realized that he wasn’t in the middle of a highway but in a bed far, far away from the slab of concrete that plagued him. He breathed heavily to calm himself from the fearful terror. He shockingly sighed and got up from the bed. Having the same nightmare within two days of each other was a new record for Evan. He walked to the door to get to the bathroom to get the sweat off but came to a roadblock that refused to open with a turn. He struggled with the knob thinking that it was simply stuck, but gave up and came to the conclusion that the door was locked.

“I guess that Twilight doesn’t truly trust me yet.” He mentally sighed as depression started setting in. he weighed his options as the floor made creaks and moans from the unintentional increase in weight.

“A wood door won’t stop me. So I guess I’ll just go for a walk.” He struggled to climb out the window and slowly made his way down to the ground. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to fly with the mood he was in so he was forced to slowly make his way around the tree.

Evan was making good progress. He was reaching for another branch and was halfway down to the street when the tree branch creaked. He froze in his reaching, hoping that it would not brake and have him fall. He waited a few seconds and mentally sighed in mild annoyance. He reached once more for the next bra-SNAP*

The branch gave way to the weight caused by Evan’s depression. He fell the last five feet with a gasp and slammed into the unforgiving ground. The pressure from the fall caused the air he had to collect to vacate his lungs like a man high tailing it out of a women’s restroom. His eyes grew in the slight crater he made in the ground as his mind panicked for the air he desperately needed. After what seemed like an eternity, his worries where silenced by a strained gasp as air returned to its natural place in his lungs. He rolled to his side as he coughed begrudgingly as the air he so desperately desired moments ago seeped from his mouth.

He continued to lay there wondering how it was that anything could continue to sleep through the racket he was making. When he could breath without gasps and wheezes he got to his feet.

“I hate how women and I have similarities in weight gain during depression.” He stated as he composed himself and walked with heavy footsteps, both literal and metaphorical.

He decided that since the town was very likely devoid of life, he could walk around and get an up close and personal look at the town. As he slowly moved through the streets he could see now that the houses where rather modest. The structures looked rather stable with cement and wood foundations, but the roofs where made of straw. He made a mental note to ask Twilight about that later. The houses where rather appealing despite their lack of affective roofing.

Continued walking aimlessly left to his thoughts.

“So, what to do now?”

“You could start a new life here.”

“That’s laughable how could I, a lone human, live amongst a civalization of talking multicolored ponies?”

“You got any better ideas? This is the only social interaction you’re most likely going to get out here.”

“… Well it still sounds ludicrous. I don’t even know where to start! They are terrified of me! Virtually every scary story I’ve heard of in this world is about or has a tie with humans. Not that I can even read the damn things.”

After looking through a few books in the library Evan found that even though the equines shared the same language as him, their writing was completely different. It varied from hieroglyphic, to a strange line like caricature system. Luckaly He had twilight to help him. “I mean it’s the biggest cliché in this world! From humans making zombies to apocalyptic humans. I’m surprised that daring doo has Quetzalcoatl instead of a human.”

“Well, that IS an action adventure book. But that is beside the point. Do you plan on hiding in Twilights library for the rest of your life?”

The man rolled his eyes at the thought. “THAT would be entertaining… but what if the ponies don’t accept me?”

“The others have their views but at least five of the seven are at least being willing to have a conversation with me. Besides what other reason do have for asking questions about their society.”

The human stopped in his tracks trying to answer that question but found none. It seemed that his subconscious was one step ahead of him.

“OK. So I assimilate. Hopefully things won’t get heated when it does happen.”

Evan lifted his head and noticed that he was standing in front of a fountain in the center of town. He would have noted the craftsmanship but was starting to get tiered again and decided to return to the library, since distracting himself had been a success. He turned to leave when a dark portal opened in the road ahead. Evan prepared himself (either to run or fight would be determined later) for what might emerge from the darkness. Evan was shocked to see a Pegasus Unicorn equine fade into view as the darkness dissipated. It was midnight blue in color, it’s mane and tail resembled the night sky in its depth and beauty, and its eyes a sea foam green that bored into his soul.

Evan realized this was the princess Luna that Twilight had talked about in their discussions. She gave him a glare that looked like the scientist was treading on thin ice. He relaxed slightly knowing that she wasn’t here to cause him grief but decided to use his mental awareness in case things went the wrong way… and with him, it was likely. He calmed his mind and focused on his senses, then expanded his mind to reach Luna. He decided that he should only sense her emotions because he thought that invading a persons thoughts where a major invasion of privacy. the down side to this was that sometimes emotions would seep through infecting his own mind and making him unable to stop using this ability until the effects wore off.

For this power the emotions of others where like noise. If he didn't keep the "emotional volume" down, the noise would overwhelm his mind. Making the emotion he was sensing a part of who he was eventually melding the others mind with his own. This could be vary dangerous because if the other was filled with an intense hatred for example, he would make enemies with that person rather quickly if not carful. However, what he felt coming from Princess Luna surprised him.

“Excitement?” he stupidly said out loud.

“What did you say?” the princess had cocked her head to the side at the human creatures comment.

“Oh! I mean I am excited to meet you princess.” He gave a respectful head bow.

“I see, well it seems that Twilight Sparkle has told you of us. But other then that letter she sent, we are unaware of who you are and where you came from.”

A brow rose from Evan’s face. “Wait… I thought that was sent to Celestia. How did you get it?”

“It was night, and all royal business comes to us while my sister slumbers.”

“Ah… so, you want to make sure that I wont hurt anypony? If you are you have no worries.”

“No, if you wanted to do harm you would have done so already.”

Evan felt a great twinge of sadness in the princess’s emotions but it was quickly replaced by excitement once more that she kept well hidden.

“So what are you here for? Other then the to marvel at my grate wit and charm.” He gave a friendly smile, which she returned.

Her smile quickly faded and she grew serious. “We are here to give you a warning that you must swear to keep under any circumstance. If not, then we will imprison you, until your days are done.”

Evan was could tell from her resolved feelings that this was no bluff and a bit of fear threatened to pull his heart into his stomach. His only reply was “And that is?”

“To never be seen outside the library again by anypony that doesn’t know of your existence already. If you can promise that, then you can remain there.”

Evan was confused beyond belief. Why would he need to hide if he wanted no harm? As he was thinking of the ridiculousness of having to stay in the library for the rest of his life and how impossible it would be he felt something come from the princess that he thought would never come from a godlike being such as herself. It was fear he felt, and he could even see it in the fringes of her eyes as she looked at him failing to suppress what looked like pleading. She seemed desperate for him to except.

He groaned inwardly “…she’s giving me the puppy dog eyes! I can’t STAND the puppy dog eyes!”

“I’ll do as you say princess but answer me this one question. Why are you so adamant to keep my existence a secret?”

She gave a straight face as she said, “We think it best you don’t know. Farewell human.”

Before Evan could ask another question the princess of the night summoned another portal taking her far from him.

Evan groaned and brought a palm to cover his face. He retracted his mental awareness and continued to think as his thoughts escaped his mouth. “More fear. Is it me she fears?” he yawned and stretched as he looked up into the purple sky.

“Wait… purple?” he looked to what he knew was east and saw that indeed the sun was beginning to rise.

“I’ve been out that long! I need to get out of here before someone sees me.”

As if the world liked to make voiced fears a reality he heard a door creak from his left. He turned his head to see a mint green pony with a white and turquoise mane and tail in what looked like a green robe, staring at him with yellow eyes the same hew of his own. Both where frozen in place and just stared each other down for what seemed like hours. Evan finally gained the courage to move and took a hesitant step down the road, which warranted no reaction from the pony. He took another and still no reaction. As a third was made he noticed that its eyes didn’t follow him and he sprinted strait for the library hoping that he wasn’t being followed.

Two weeks later-

“I know why, but why wont she let me go outside AT ALL!” Evan fumed, standing on a pedestal completely still.

“Well, you did break your promise to princess Luna 10 seconds after making it.” Replied a white unicorn as she inserted another holding pin into the suite the human was posing for.

“How is that MY fault?! It couldn’t be helped. It doesn’t help that Lyra is obsessed with finding me now and visits the library constantly.”

Evan had learned the pony’s name to be Lyra, and as luck would have it she was the only human conspiracy theorist in town. She thought that all the things ponies had where derived from human ingenuity and also being one of the few ponies to not think of humans as wholly evil. It made some sense to Evan but the mint green terror made multiple trips to the Library daily and every time she was alone she searched for anything that might involve a human inhabitant. It was a regular occurrence for Evan to hide and it had gotten to the point that he started “making himself invisible” every time she came instead of hiding outright. He sighed inwardly as he remembered disappearing right as twilight turned her head at the interloper’s door knock and was able to convince twilight that he was just that good at hiding.

“She really needs to find a hobby.”

Not even looking up from her work Rarity replied, “you are her hobby darling. She is actually a rather skilled lyre player.”

“Then a new one. I mean I had to BEG Twilight to let me leave the library, and no offence, but teleporting from the library to your boutique is not what I had in mind.” Evan shuttered as the feeling of being teleported returned to his mind. It was as if he was being stretched and folded like taffy then remolded in the shop.

The idea of magic was a laughable idea to Evan but after conducting some tests with twilight he finally came to a conclusion that he was comfortable with.

He didn’t have sufficient enough equipment to work with.

“I understand darling, but you mustn’t fault her for it. She means well though sometimes misguided and I have been just begging for her to send you my way so I could make you some more cloths.”

Evan looked down and frowned Rarity and Fluttershy had been really good therapy for him. They listened more then talked and he felt he took them for granted. In return for listening to his worries he would give them massages which they thuraly enjoyed. “I swear I’ll find a way to pay you for all the cloths. You must be spending a fortune on me with all the cloths you made and my size included.”

“Think nothing of it darling. Those fingers of yours are payment enough, Fluttershy and I don’t even go to the spa for anything but hooficures anymore.”

“But I still don’t think that it compensates for the fact that your making me a suit that nopony will ever see.”

“Nonsense. I enjoy it! I’ll have no more of this talk of paying me back.”

The man shook his head. If its one thing he learned in his life is that when a woman makes up her mind, you go with the flow or risk torture and a gruesomely painful death. “Fine Rarity. You win.”

“Your certainly right that I win. Now turn and let me get a look at you.”

Evan turned and looked and himself in the mirror while doing so. He was surprised at Rarity’s craftsmanship of the suite. It was a black tie tuxedo with yellow sapphires for the buttons to accent his eyes. It was surprising to Evan that precious Gems where such a common occurrence that they could be used on cloths.

“Wow! You’ve outdone yourself! This is the best suit I’ve seen. And I’ve been to some ritzy places back on earth.”

“You flatter me darling. I’m glad you like them. Now take them off so that I can sew it.”

The human stepped off the platform to the dressing curtain and striped to his skivvies. The ponies never understood why Evan wore cloths all the time and he never said. They asked but he just replied with “because humans do” and left it at that. Twilight insisted one time and he told her bluntly, awkwardly, and in great detail why humans wore cloths. When she was asked by one of her friends she replied with “because humans do and that’s all you want to know.”

“So what is the word today?” Evan draped the suit over the curtain for Rarity to grab. She had always been a good source of gossip and news for him. He could probably name half the town with all she told him and it was vary entertaining

As the suite slid from view he heard Rarity’s pained voice. “I’ve actually heard some rather disturbing news today, a guard informed me just before you arrived that diamond dogs have been acting up and foalnaping ponies.”

Evan gasped “really why?”

“Well, I was taken once and they where using me to mine gems for them, but that was a while ago. The rumors now are much more terrifying then when it happened to me, they where rather hospitable despite not letting me go. Now they are more brutish and animalistic it seems from all the rumors of torture that are going on. The royal guard has been trying to rescue them but hasn’t come up with a successful plan yet. I’m actually quite worried for Sweetie Bell.”

Evan made the couscous decision then and there that somehow he would save those pore ponies. The human rubbed his chin after finishing slipping on his pants and stepped out of the Curtin. “I see what you mean. How did you escape?”

Rarity smiled “lets just say that I was a little to much for them to handle.”

Evan laughed at her comment and froze when he realized something. “… What’s a diamond dog?”

The white unicorn giggled at Evan’s unintentional ignorance and gave a short explanation of their features before leaving to sew her new masterpiece. Evan was left alone in the living room to let his mind wonder. Unfortunately it wondered back to his first frustrating topic.

“She won’t let me get any fresh air at all. I need a walk around from time to time otherwise I’m liable to do something stupid.” Evan smirked at the plan that was formulating in his mind.

“You know what? What kind of boredom would life be filled with if you didn’t do something stupid now and then?”

The human snuck up to Rarity’s room where she was working away on his new duds and saw that she would be busy with them for quite a while. He snuck back down to the mane lobby to the front door and let out a long breath while grabbing the doorknob.

“I don’t know if I can hide from that many ponies but that is the thrill of it all I guess. Avoid large groups and I should be fine… Hopefully.”

He expanded his mind as far as he could to make sure the cost was clear. When all was clear he smiled, “now I’ll have that walk.” He said out loud because he could not be heard and turned the knob of freedom.

Evan was enjoying his walk to an extreme degree. He watched as the different ponies walked by his hiding places, unaware of his presence and the human couldn’t help but cause some havoc. He watched as he would mess with the equines by altering their sight so things that they where holding just minutes before where gone or invisible. It was something that he was able to do when concentrating hard on a single individual. He hadn't the concentration to mess with more then one though. It was the time of his life that made him almost loose the ability to make things invisible for being to happy.

His last victim was left extremely confused as to how his money bag disappeared from the counter as he franticly searched for it only to see it back on the counter again as he and the shop keeper got in an argument over it. As they argued he felt he needed to get away because they might suspect foul play and start looking for the pony messing with them. He snuck off from his hiding place and lucky there was not any pony on the streets on the other side of the ally. He found it weird that not many ponies were on the streets but as it made him capable of moving around easier he didn’t curse his luck. When he reached the edge of town was where he was able to calm down and he was able to resume his outdoor excursion. His mind stretched out far once again and an unnatural feeling to this land of ponies entered into it.

He turned toward the source of the disturbance and found that he was facing a forest. According to Twilight, the woods where called Whitetail wood. He felt compassion for this creature whatever it was going through. He sighed at himself for what he felt he needed to do.

“Could be a predator for all I know.” He grumbled as he stomped into the woods.

Whitetail wood was actually much more tame then the feral of Everfree. It was peaceful and beautiful which was good for his currant mood; having felt obligated to enter it. It was as if elves lived in this wood and only those who meant it harm were in danger.

He walked rather deep into the wood towards the panicked and pained emotions. It wouldn’t be long before-

*Sniffle

The noise came from above in the trees farther up. It sounded sentient so he probed the mind a little further.

“Why did I come here by myself? I’m such an idiot.”

“Well, it’s sentient. Lets get a better look at what I’m dealing with.” He snuck up to the noise that resided in the trees. As he got closer to the tree he could see a flash of orange. The man smiled when he realized what he was worried over. He positioned himself behind the opposite side of the tree so the little ball that curled on a branch above could not see him. "This little filly is going to freak if she sees me and I can't help her if she starts fliping out."

"Well, she can't see you now why not talk to her now?"

"Because if I did then she might not open up with me being a stranger and all. I need to find a way to comfort her in a way that would be like comforting herself..."

...

"I have an Idea but Its risky. However, I think that it will pan out well enough if it works."

The human thought of all the ways this could go wrong and how he could end up in a predicament that would garner far to many questions. Then he thought "Eh, why not. it's not the worst decision I've made today."

The scientist entered deeper into the young ones mind and with a calm voice Evan said through her mind “Hay kid, why are you crying?”

Rustling could be heard above. “W-who’s there?” the young raspy female voice came.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here to help. Tell me why you’re crying.”

“I’m NOT crying!”

“Then what are you doing in the tree?”

The young one shuffled before answering, “well…” "maybe I should tell him that it's just comfy up here. Wait, how is something talking in my head?"

“Lets just say that I'm your conscience and I'm here to help, also the truth please." The newly proclaimed conscience's chuckle reverberated in the little orange filly's mind "It may be obvious by now but ill know if your lying.”

She grumbled under her breath as Evan silently chuckled beneath her.

“I’m stuck,” she said, spiting the words out.

“Why don’t you just fly down? You’re a pegasus arrant you?”

She became silent and the human was slammed with the weight of her depression. He tried to withdraw from her to lessen the effects but that wave of emotion was too much for him to avoid as it engulfed his mind. He felt everything she felt and all her emotion poured into him like an ocean of water. His plan on helping this filly had failed miserably as he fumbled on avoiding this posable eventuality. He could already feel the effects of what had happened as his legs started to shake from the increase in the pull of gravity. The tree groaned from its own weight as he hoped that the young girl would not fall from it though he knew that she felt the effects. He had no choice but to either remain until she felt better or leave and wait for the effects wore off. And leaving would probably make things worse especially with the route he had gone in helping her. So, being the chivalrous man he was he chose not abandon a little girl in need.

“Ah, you can’t,” he stated sagely.

"Why am I so heavy?" she said with a shaky voice.

“Uh, it is because of the enormous weight you carry on you’re shoulders kid. Tell me what happened.” The human thought it was cheesy but it was the only thing that might work, hey, if this world has magic then who would question a symbolic metaphor made literal.

“Why do you care? And if you're my conscience, then why don't you know what I'm upset about?”

The human sighed inwardly before answering her. “Because, I haven’t been around for that long to know what happened. I know that you’re in pain, and when your in pain, I'm in pain. I want us both to be happy and the only way for us both to be healed is for you to tell me.”

Silence came from above until she said, “it’s a long story.”

Evan sat and wanted the gesture to speak for itself but settled with “we’ve got the time.”

She sighed heavily and all was silent. Evan thought she wouldn’t share her story. But as he was about to encourage her she began.

“When I was just a foal, my parents and I where moving from our home to Ponyvill. They were told that the skies over Ponyvill were clear. They didn’t intend for the clouds in the Everfree to be so hectic.” She sniffed as tears started to drip from above and she was silent once more.

“Please continue,” Evan said, his own tears falling.

She was able to suppress the sobs as she continued. “The storm came from nowhere. The strong down drafts and up drafts where too much to resist, and we were tossed by the wind. when they found us I was on top of my parents. My parents protected me from the fall, b-but… b-b-“ Evan had heard enough. During the story he knew that she needed to be held because he needed to be held. So, he swiftly climbed the tree to be able reach her. He pulled the pony from the branch from which she gasped and he stuffed her in his sweatshirt. Finally he got a good look at her. Her violet eyes that where swollen from tears where wide from surprise and her mane and tail sticky with sap.

Evan guessed that he wasn’t too far from how the little filly looked as he had shared her emotions and turmoil with her. The human smiled with tears streaming down his face.

“It’s alright kiddo. Now your wounds will heal.” the thought was said out loud as the filly recognized the voice that she heard in her head.

The orange filly’s eyes watered up and she sobbed into his chest. Evan held her close calming the misery of the foal in his arms to end. They remained this way until night fell and they drifted to sleep.

Author's Note

Well this was fun. Hope that you liked the drawing done by yours truly and put into Photoshop. Well this was fun and I hope that I can continue doing better. :) See you next week!