Destiny Sparkle

Chapters

The Mare in the Maelstrom
Infection at Dawn
Page One
Putting Two Together
Blink of the Eye
Storming Out
Secret Lives and Suspicious Minds
Last Minute Changes
A Light in the Dark
The Meetup Before Friendship
Going Back Over
Solution to Solitude
Cures for Many a Thing
Restoring in Remembrance Pt. 1
Restoring in Remembrance Pt. 2
Standing Up Straight

The Mare in the Maelstrom

It all started on the night of the big storm.

At the end of the road, the loneliest street in town, stood the house that I've lived in since I was young. The house has belonged to my family since it was built five generations ago, but now it was nearly empty. My parents died a few years back, leaving me the sole resident of the large 3-storey building with its dull-white paint job. I don't have to pay rent because my great-great-grandfather bought the house a long time ago, even though my work on the town's construction team pays nicely.

I was sitting in the armchair in the living room, a book in my lap. Three months ago, my grandfather had given me the book as he lay on his deathbed in the hospital. I'll never forget the way he spoke to me that day. "There's something I want you to have," he whispered to me during his last moments. He reached inside his bedside table and pulled out a medium sized book. The brown leather cover was adorned with elaborate patterns of a golden substance. My grandfather handed me the book and explained, "Our family has always believed in the supernatural. This book contains some of our world's most ancient secrets." I opened the book slowly, only to find that the few pages inside were crowded with illegible writing. I tried to make sense of them but couldn't understand anything. "What does it say?" I asked him. Grandfather smiled and said, "These were written long ago, by whom we don't know, but know this: one day it will all become clear." This was a start but, still confused, I asked "Why are there so few pages?" His answer was just as mysterious as the previous one, "So more is discovered, so more will appear." He coughed several times, lay back and closed his eyes. "Keep it safe. I feel that you will be the one to unlock its secrets. Be strong and never stop believing."

Those were the last words he ever said.

Now, sitting at home with the book open in front of me, I'm beginning to wonder if my family had been duped into believing there was something special in this world, a magical force we couldn't detect. It all seemed like a load of kid's fairy tales.

Look who's talking about kid's stuff. Who am I kidding.

I am a brony. You don't need me to explain what that is, otherwise you wouldn't be listening to my story. Living my life alone has made the Way-to-Equestria desire all the more powerful for me. What else did this world have to offer me? I had no family left, I was barely known to the townspeople and was not very good at making friends. One would think that a man who watches a show about friendship would have no trouble with that, but it was just something I had no experience in.

The storm was not helping.

The weather forecaster had announced the strangest occurrence ever: a combination downpour, blizzard and hurricane would rage across the country for a week before petering out. It was the third day of said bizarre weather, and the house was holding up surprisingly well, despite its old age. The trees outside bent from the strength of the wind, electrical wires rocking back and forth while their supporting poles creaked against the gale. I had gotten used to the troublesome noises that the storm outside generated after the first two days of El Niño-grade weather. But tonight the atmosphere introduced us to a natural instance it had left behind.

Lightning.

It may not sound so bad at first, but you need to understand exactly what it was. It wasn't just lightning. It was every type of lightning known to mankind. Cloud-to-ground, ball lightning, dark lightning, there were even reports of sightings of a superbolt that lit up the dark skies for tens of miles around. Every time a bolt struck it heated up the air, generating a sonic shock wave with a sound ranging between sharp cracks and low rumbles.

I laid the old brown book on the coffee table, got up from my armchair and looked out the window. The rain was coming down in buckets, flooding the streets and forcing the sewers to expel its foul fluids. Cars that were parked outside were subjected to the harsh weather while some vehicles actually rolled across the street horizontally under the force of the winds.

As I continued to stare at the rain, freezing snow came down and joined the condensed water, resulting in large ice crystals descending from the heavens. The road was too flooded and dirty to freeze, so the only thing the storm iced over was the sidewalk, coating the pavement in clear ice.

Lightning began to strike again, chasing away the darkness for mere moments before fading. Thunder filled the air and drowned out the hard pattering of the rain and the light, clinking sound of ice on brick. I was beginning to wonder if a storm this big would ever truly dissipate or would it continue to rage on, filling the streets with megaliters of water, coating the sidewalks in layers of ice and filling the skies with the flash of lightning and the roar of thunder.

I was just about to turn away from the window when a bolt of lightning struck again, right outside my house, destroying a tree that it had used as a conductor. The tree went up in flames and the rain put it out before the trunk even hit the ground. But the weirdest part of the strike was the flash. It wasn't white or a pale yellow like flashes of lightning are supposed to be. It was mulberry.

The storm had my attention now. Lightning giving off flashes of mulberry light? Unbelievable. But it happened. I pressed my face against the window to see better. The tree lay in the road, charred branches floating in the swamped street. Another car was blown across the submerged asphalt by the gale. But all this became unimportant when I saw the purple unicorn mare who was thrashing in the road.

My eyes went wide. I blinked several times and slapped myself before returning my gaze to the outside. Nope, she was still there, and in trouble. The rain must have caught her off-guard, she stumbled blindly from one side of the road to the other, shouting and screaming above the booming of the thunder and shrill whistling of the wind. Her mane and tail whipped back and forth in the wind, hindering any movement she attempted.

I could hear her yelling, crying out for help. "Hello? Is anypony there?" Ignoring the rain, she galloped to one side of the street, called out, and then rushed over to the other side. Sleet rained down on her as she called out for her friends. "Spike? Rainbow? Applejack?" She turned to one house, then another, then another. "Rarity? Fluttershy? Pinkie?" She faced my house, eyes contributing to the already-flooded area, her voice rising above the sonority of the storm. "Somepony?! Anypony?! HELP!!!!"

My heart was racing, each beat louder than the one before. My mind attempted to come up with a logical explanation, but my train of thought was destroyed by another bolt of lightning which lit up the dark street, Twilight's miserable face appearing in great, unnecessary detail in the flash. I couldn't take it anymore. I ran over to my door as fast as I could, unlocked the door and wrenched it open. The light from my house flooded the wooden porch and illuminated the road. Twilight's head immediately turned in my direction.

"Come in, quick!" I called out to her. She didn't hesitate. She galloped as fast as she could towards my house. I shifted to the left and she dashed inside. I slammed the door behind us, locking it with the bolt as well as the key. Hurrying into the living room I found Twilight, dripping and shivering in obvious discomfort. Her eyes were wide with fear and surprise, her wet body shaking from the cold. I wouldn't last a sentence against such a sight. I went to the kitchen and opened one of the drawers where the towels are kept, pulling out a large, purple one. Taking it back to the living room, I unfurled the towel and draped it over the shivering mare. She wrapped it closer around herself, trying to dry her soaked body.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully. Her voice was rather hoarse, probably from all the shouting she did as well as being out in the storm.

"You're welcome," I said softly, sliding back into my armchair without taking my eyes off of her. It was incredible. Here, right in front of me, was a living, breathing talking purple unicorn, and not just any unicorn: Twilight Sparkle, one of the main characters of My little Pony Friendship is Magic. It didn't seem possible, but the fact that she was shivering in front of me brought me back to reality.

"You feeling any better?" I asked gently.

She nodded. "If you didn't show up and offer me shelter, I probably wouldn't have lasted out there." Even I shuddered at the thought. Still, it didn't answer the question that intrigued me the most.

"How did you get here?"

Standing up, Twilight thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not quite sure. I was working on a spell in the library, while a storm raged outside. All my friends were there, sheltering from the weather that had caught us all by surprise. It's the pegasi's job, you see, to handle the weather, but this storm wasn't their doing. It was a horribly strong thunderstorm, rain pouring, wind blowing and snow falling. I figured that if my friends would be spending the night I may as well entertain them. So I pulled out one of my books and found something interesting: a climate-control spell. I thought that it would be able to detect the origin of the storm and maybe even help wear it out. My friends shuffled backwards to give me maximum space, Spike with a quill and parchment, ready to record every step of the spell. I started to cast the spell, just like the book said, when a bolt of lightning struck the magical lightning rod that protected the library. After that, it was all just flashing lights. The next thing I knew I was outside your house, another full-blown storm raging around me."

I whistled audibly. "That's quite something." Twilight started shivering again. The sight was heart-melting. I got up slowly and bent down beside her, gathering the mare in my arms. She didn't struggle, seeming more curious than concerned, as I carried her over to the fireplace. Settling her down beside the empty hearth, I grabbed several small logs and lobbed them into the pile of ashes. I reached up for a matchbox on the mantle and struck a match against its side, dropping the ignited stick into the fireplace. The flame caught on to the logs and a fire roared into being. I sat down beside the burning fireplace, while Twilight shifted closer to the warmth of the flames.

"Thanks again," Twilight said quietly. She looked deep into the fire and I watched the flames reflected in her violet eyes. I reached up for the book on the coffee table and held it in front of the firelight. The brown tome caught Twilight's attention.

"What's that book?" she asked inquisitively.

"It was given to me by my grandfather three months ago." I told her about my grandfather's last words and my family's tradition concerning the book. Twilight was a great listener. She followed every word I said and didn't interrupt. When I finished, she asked "Could I have a look inside?"

"Sure." I held out the brown tome and it was surrounded by a light magenta glow. The book lifted itself out of my hand and hovered over to Twilight, where it landed I front of her and opened itself. Twilight bent over the pages, scrunching her nose as she tried to decipher the strange script. After several minutes of staring and flipping she looked up at me. "I can't understand anything," she declared.

I nodded. "That makes two of us. I've done tons of research but this doesn't appear to be any script from my world, not even Japanese, which is considered the hardest of all scripts to learn."

Twilight carefully closed the book, gazing at the golden designs on the cover. "Well, maybe one day you'll discover what it says," she said positively.

"It'd be nice to solve it with a friend," I said, almost wistfully. The truth is, I didn't have many friends. The neighbors mainly kept to themselves and on the work force I was just another employee, Working the machinery, dragging buckets of cement and bags of sand to keep my home in working condition. Having a friend around would be great for me.

Twilight yawned and covered her mouth with a hoof, but not before I caught sight of this and glanced at the clock on the mantle. It was nearly eleven at night, but the storm was not weakening. In fact it just seemed to be getting stronger every hour.

Twilight listened to the rain splatter against the window. "We should probably get some sleep. Do you have anywhere I could stay?"

"The couch behind you should do the trick." I got up from the floor and went over to the couch in question. I removed the cushions and, grabbing a handle at the side, flipped the upholstery outwards, revealing a medium sized bed, perfect for a three-foot pony. I ran upstairs and snagged a pillow, blanket and bedsheets before returning to the living room. In no time at all, a nice cozy bed was set up beside the still-burning fireplace.

Twilight looked at the bed and then at me. "You mean I could sleep here?" she asked.

"Of course. I'd have to be heartless to turn you out into the street in this weather, and even if it wasn't storming I'd offer you a place to stay."

Smiling, Twilight ran up and gave me a hug. I didn't expect that to happen, but I embraced her in return. We wrapped up the moment and Twilight asked me how long she could stay.

"Obviously, until the storm blows out, but if you want, you can stay here as long as you wish." I showed her where the bathroom was, as well as the water in the fridge and cups she could use. Needless to say, she was all set for the night. Twilight climbed into the sofa bed and I turned off the light, leaving the dying fire to cast it's soft light over the living room. I picked up my grandfather's book and placed it back on the coffee table. Turning around, I found Twilight watching me, a smile on her face. Looking at her cute expression left me with a smile as well.

I bent down over her and whispered into her ear. "Goodnight, Twilight."

Her eyes filled with astonishment, but anything she wanted to say was pushed aside, and she simply answered, "Goodnight, and thanks for everything."

Still smiling, I made my way to the staircase, stopping only to look back at my guest. She was still watching, her purple eyes fixed on me. The sight of my smile must've put her at ease, because she then closed her eyes, turned over and and began to produce light breathing sounds, hopefully a sign she was sleeping blissfully.

My smile widened with every breath the unicorn took. It was the most peaceful sound I'd heard in a long time: the sound of trust, not being worried of danger befalling you knowing that there's someone there watching over you. I never thought that it would happen with me.

I trekked up the stairs and went into my room. It wasn't very big, but that didn't bother me. It had what I needed: a bed, closet, desk, computer, shelves. I had everything. Except for someone to share it with.

I lay down on my bed and listened to the wind blowing through the trees, thinking about the past day's events. There was now a purple unicorn sleeping in my living room with no idea of how she ended up here. We would have to look into that together tomorrow. These facts wound through my head and eventually lead me to sleep.

I hadn't slept so well in months.

Infection at Dawn

The next morning I awoke to the sound of rain beating against my window.

It wasn't the worst way to be woken up, considering the fact that the weather's been responsible for waking me up for half a week already, but it gets somewhat annoying when you can't turn off the sound with a smash of a snooze button.

I rolled out of bed and fell onto the floor, hard. That wasn't supposed to happen. I climbed to my feet and rubbed my head on the point of impact. That was going to leave a mark. I trudged over to the window and looked out upon the city. Over night, things had gone from bad to worse. The street was flooded up to the sidewalk, water spilling out onto the interlocking bricks. The few remaining cars had either been shoved up against each other or knocked over. A large green dumpster lay on its side, for all its weight it couldn't hold up against the harsh wind that raged through the night.

The sight was very depressing. It must've been the fourteenth time that particular thought crossed my mind, but it still wasn't positive. A storm like this wasn't good for anything: it didn't help farmers grow their produce, it merely drowned them to the point where the crops can't be tended; it prevented people from going out to work, shutting down every mode of transportation one way or another; families couldn't go outside and spend time together, children couldn't run around and play, friends couldn't go and visit each other. It was an extremely dispiriting time.

My thoughts wandered to the events of the previous evening. The lightning and thunder, the appearance of Twilight Sparkle on my street, the talk we had by the fire. Some part of me kept repeating that it was all a dream, a fantasy that built itself from my love of watching ponies, but the rest of my mind insisted that I go with the flow, ignore the voice of reason and its attempt to destroy what little joy I had left in my life. I brushed the mental argument away, along with its split decisions, and opened my closet. I've been responsible for my own wardrobe for years and found myself taking advantage of this, purchasing clothes that I found pleasing rather than ones that were socially acceptable. Wondering what Twilight's reaction would be to it, I donned a pair of dark-blue trousers and a dark-red shirt with the Elements of Harmony on them arranged in a circle. It was one of the only pieces of pony merchandise I owned and the day I made the purchase was still clear in my memory.

Once I'd finished dressing, I left my room and started down the stairs. Even before I reached the bottom I heard soft sleeping sounds coming from the living room, so I crept over and peered over the couch. Well, that's settled the argument. The sofa bed was still set up and a sleeping purple unicorn was still in it, emitting soft, cute breathing sounds as she slept on. My face split into a wide smile. Twilight just looked so adorable asleep, my heart was melting at the sight.

The seven o'clock chime of the grandfather clock was almost entirely drowned out by the hail. The only reason I did notice was thanks to the vibration that the clock sent through the floor when it struck seven. Deciding that I was hungry wasn't a hard decision to make, so I made my way to the kitchen and began breaking out the ingredients. I hadn't felt so lively in months, and certainly not enough to make a warm breakfast. Soon enough though, the smell of fresh pancakes filled the house while I flipped the round pieces of batter in the frying pan. I secretly hoped that ponies ate pancakes, but since I know they eat cupcakes and other foods unsuitable for typical Earth equines, I imagined it was okay.

The sweet aroma of the finished pancakes must've been enticing, for Twilight stirred in her sleep and, ultimately, woke up. I could hear her climb out of bed as I laid the table for two. I stepped back to admire my work, Twilight clopped over to my side. I looked down at her and found her looking up at me with her bright purple eyes.

"Good morning," I said to her softly.

"Morning" she replied, rubbing her eyes. She walked over to the table and looked at the breakfast I had set up. "Table for two?" she asked with a slight smile.

"Of course," I said, pulling out one of the chairs. Twilight climbed into it, making herself comfortable on the padded seat. I pushed her chair in and sat down in the chair opposite her. Each of us had a plate, a set of cutlery and a cup. between us sat a pitcher of water, a bottle of syrup and a large plate stacked high with pancakes with a serving spatula at the side. Twilight started examining the tableware, clearly unsure about what she should be doing.

"Go ahead." I pushed the pancakes closer to her plate. "Take first."

"Thanks." Twilight looked at the pile of pancakes and closed her eyes. The spatula was surrounded by the magenta glow of her magic and slowly lifted itself into the air, its flat blade loaded with two pancakes. Opening her eyes, Twilight flipped the fried batter on to her plate and laid the spatula back into its place. Carefully levitating the knife and fork, she cut a small piece off the pancake and put it in her mouth, cutting up the rest of her pancakes while she chewed. By the look on her face, I could tell she was enjoying breakfast, so I picked up the spatula and served myself. With that, the meal started actively, the two of us alternating between serving to laughing at each others expressions and reactions. The mood was very light-hearted and I realized just how good it felt to spend some time with a new friend.

Halfway through the plate of pancakes, Twilight finally noticed my shirt. Her eyes widened and she let her fork drop onto the plate. "Are those what I think they are?" she asked warily.

"Most likely," was my casual response. Already her gaze was making me uneasy.

"How do you know about the Elements of Harmony?"

Snap. She's asking. Just like in the story that other guy wrote, except Twilight didn't find out by watching the show. Curiosity killed the cat. Her eyes slanted slightly as I gave her a blank look while secretly trying to come up with an answer for her.

Deciding that there was no point in hiding the truth from her, I asked, "Are you done eating?"

Her left eyebrow shot up when she heard my unexpected response. "I guess." We had, in fact, finished all the pancakes, so her only way out of that would have been to ask for more, which I would have had no problem with anyways.

I got up from my chair and walked over to the living room, Twilight following close behind. Gathering up the bedsheets, blanket and pillow that she used last night, I collapsed the sofa bed back into its original form, dropping the pile of bed items on to the couch. I gestured for Twilight to make herself comfy on the couch and grabbed the remote control, flicking the TV screen on before sitting down beside her.

Twilight was instantly fascinated by the sudden flash of the screen. "What is this?" she asked, pointing at the TV with her hoof.

"A television set," I explained. "We use it to share information and ideas with a lot of people at once. Sometimes, a group of people will get together and work to create a series, or program, consisting of one or many topics, usually presented in a manner that pleases a large audience."

"Wow, that's some pretty advanced technology. But I still don't see what that has to do with you knowing about the Elements."

"Hold on, I'm getting there." I turned on the power and was about to start looking for the channel I was after, only to find that there was no signal. Damn it, how could I forget the storm? Obviously, with all the turbulence and electrons permeating the sky, there was no way I'd get a connection. I turned my eyes on Twilight. The mare was getting a slightly impatient look and she was starting to fidget, her tail flicking side to side cutely. I thought for a moment and then remembered a purchase I had made just for such occasions.

"Wait here," I told Twilight as I jumped up from the couch and ran up to my room. There, sitting on a shelf between a box and some comic books: two season's worth of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episodes. I knew I wouldn't regret getting these. With the two 4-DVD packs in my hand, I ran back downstairs and plonked myself down in front of the TV. Twilight stared at me quizzically as I plucked a disk from the box and slid it into the DVD player. Settling down on the couch beside Twilight, I flicked the TV settings from cable to DVD player and the disk's menu flickered on the screen, the opening theme playing from the speakers.

Twilight stared at the bright screen, her eyes growing wider every passing second. With her mouth agape, she slowly turned her head towards me. I couldn't help but smile. She looks so cute when she's mystified. Using the remote control, I selected 'Play All' and the first episode started. I sat back and watched, remembering the day that I'd seen this for the first time. After a few more episodes I was in, although I never did attend any meet-ups. Twilight's face kept changing throughout the entire episode, sometimes shock, sometimes recollection and even delight and relief. For the most though, she seemed to be enjoying herself viewing the events of her first Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville from a different angle. That is until we got to the middle of the second episode.

The moment she saw the Elements of Harmony, her attitude towards the whole thing changed. She wore a blank look on her face and blinked very little. I tried to enjoy the rest of the episode but I couldn't help but wonder what Twilight was thinking. When the episode was over and the credits finished rolling, I turned the TV off and chanced a look at the purple unicorn sitting beside me on the couch. Her eyes were wide and a small frown sat below her nose, which looked slightly red. She slowly turned to face me and I knew I was in for an interesting conversation.

"How?" she whispered, almost inaudibly. "How could you possibly know so much about Equestria? And what is this thing?" she added, pointing first at the TV set and then at the DVD pack.

I stared into her eyes, watching the violet irises twitch ever so slightly in the bright light from the ceiling. I had actually been planning my explanatory speech while the show was playing, choosing what to tell her first and thinking about what she might ask. I just hoped the knowledge wouldn't cause any unpleasant effects to either of us.

"Are you ready for a history lesson, Twilight?" I asked her.

Her expression changed from one of concern to one of eagerness. I knew she wouldn't turn down a chance to learn, especially if said properly. "Yes, please."

"Okay." I got up from the couch and pulled the armchair in front of it, so that when I sat down, I was facing Twilight directly. She sat back down on the couch, wrapping her tail around her hooves like a cat. It was distracting in cute sort of way. "About 25 years ago, here in my world, a group of people got together and created a television series, a type of entertainment, based on a line of toys. It was popular among young girls, or fillies if you prefer, and went on for about eight years, often undergoing changes in the style during that time. They stopped making episodes for nearly two decades, but at the end of 2010, just about two years ago, the group rebooted the show featuring new animations, ideas and concepts. It was a huge success with the show's original audience of children, but then something amazing happened: men, grown-ups began watching the show. Long story short, adult males in our world are not expected to watch a show about colored ponies and the magic of friendship."

"That's silly," Twilight put in. I didn't expect her to interrupt, but she did a very good job of it. "Everypony should learn about friendship in any and every way possible."

"No argument here," I said, holding up my hands. "Nonetheless, that's how things work here and anyone who acts otherwise is considered mentally strange or weird. I am among those men who enjoy the show and its themes."

Twilight nodded. "That's nice to know and all, but it doesn't really answer my question."

"The way I understand it," I began again, "is that the group, Hasbro, envisioned their own version of Equestria, but had no idea that the magical world they were designing was already existing long before they'd started."

"They did a pretty accurate job, considering they based it off their own imagination," Twilight said, impressed.

"There we go. I'm thinking that maybe somepony or some other creature in Equestria cast a powerful spell that inspired Hasbro's staff to make Equestria the main setting for the show and secretly supplied their minds with the basic structure and design of your world."

Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That actually makes a lot of sense, and it answered my first question. But seriously now, what is that?"

Very persistent, I said to myself, following her hoof which was pointing once more at the DVDs. It's not that interesting, but she did ask and it's not like this is dangerous knowledge. "Compact disks, like these, were invented to hold large amounts of information on a very small space. These are a particular kind of disk made for viewing videos, but data can't be written or erased. Hasbro sells these in sets containing the events that have, apparently, taken place in Equestria."

"That seems accurate, although there's not much evidence to prove it. I suppose we could try—" Twilight's words were lost as she suddenly coughed violently.

"Are you okay?" I asked her concernedly.

She cleared her throat. "I'm fine. I just feel a little—" She began coughing again, her entire form shaking every time she exhaled. "You know," she groaned. "Maybe I'm not as well as I thought."

I placed my hand against Twilight's forehead. It felt hot, warmer than it probably should have been. I got up from my armchair, went into the kitchen and pulled a digital thermometer out of a drawer full of assorted items. After carefully washing the instrument, I returned to the sitting room, hoping the thermometer would work for the magical equine who needed it. Twilight wasn't the least bit surprised when I asked her to open her mouth and did so obligingly. I placed the thermometer under her tongue and waited.

"Whah do 'oo fink i' is?" Twilight managed to say around the thermometer.

"Shh, not with your mouth full." Wow. I sound like a parent chiding a kid. Never did that before. The thermometer beeped, so I slipped it out of Twilight's mouth and looked at the number display on the screen. 38.3°C! That must have been high! No wonder Twilight wasn't feeling good.

"What's my temperature?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

It took me a while before I managed to get the words out. "Thirty-eight point eight." A look of uneasiness appeared on the mare's face, her eyes growing wide with alarm. "How bad is that?" I asked her.

"Above my normal, that's for sure." Clopping her hooves together nervously, Twilight looked down at herself, as if trying to examine her own body for symptoms. We didn't have to wait long. Without warning, Twilight retched loudly and a stream of purple vomit was expelled from her mouth and splattered onto the floor. Her face was a slightly paler shade of mulberry then it was originally.

"Urgh, I haven't done that in a while," Twilight moaned, staring down at the pool of violet sick.

"That's it," I announced. "You're going to bed." I gathered up the ill unicorn in my arms and started up the stairs. She hacked several times as I made my way to the second floor. I took her straight to my room, threw back the blanket and laid her down in my bed. She smiled warmly as I tucked her in. "There, that should help."

Twilight shuddered. I could hear a loud gurgling coming from her stomach. I dashed out of the bedroom and into the hall, grabbing a dull blue basin that was sitting in the corner. I ran back into my room, whereupon I shoved the container in front of Twilight just as she disgorged another load of stomach contents.

"I have a really, really strong desire to start collecting that stuff," I confessed.

"Don't let me stop you," Twilight chuckled. "I obviously don't need it. At least my body thinks so."

"That still doesn't tell us what you've come down with. You've definitely got a bad case of something, but it seems a lot worse than just a common cold. Maybe the flu?"

Twilight lay back and stared at the ceiling. She began listing her symptoms. "Temperature above average, violent coughing and persistent vomiting. There are several possibilities. I just hope it's not..." Her voice drifted off.

"What, Twilight?" I asked her. "What do you think it is?"

Her answer was barely audible. "It might be pneighmonia."

I resisted the urge to laugh. Pneighmonia? Very clever. I mean, I already knew that in Equestria ponies can get cutie pox, feather flu and hay fever, so why shouldn't they have their own type of pneumonia? Not that it's a good thing, pneumonia is horrible, not to mention deadly. Pneumonia has killed its fair share of people in the world although there have been improvements in medical service over time.

"Is it really bad, Twilight?" I asked her, laying the basin on the floor by the bed.

"If it's not treated, then yes." She wiped her muzzle with the back of a forehoof. "I seem to be in an early stage, nothing serious as of yet."

"Well, make yourself comfortable. There's a shelf full of books over there," I pointed at the wooden plank attached to the wall. "You can reach them, right?"

Twilight looked at the bookshelf and concentrated. Her horn glowed and a book hovered off the shelf, enveloped in a magic aura. Twilight gently brought it down to the bed and lowered it down in front of her. "My magic is working okay. What are you going to do now?"

"First, I'm going to clean up the mess downstairs." I saw Twilight flush slightly. "Not that it's your fault," I quickly added. "You're ill and can't help it."

Twilight looked down at the book before her and opened it up. "Thank you for being so understanding. I'm so glad I ended up with someone as caring as you." With another coughing fit and a turn of her head, she heaved another quart of brightly-colored vomit into the basin by the bed. "Being sick isn't fun," she muttered, turning over.

"Take it easy," I said, patting the unicorn through the covers. "No disease lasts forever. In fact, right after I finish cleaning up I'll go see what I can do to help cure you." That's what I said out loud, but in my heart I secretly worried about what might happen to my new friend should I be unable to help her.

Taking the book in her hooves, Twilight began to read. "I hope you come up with something."

Me too, Twilight, I thought wistfully. Me too.

Page One

I left Twilight to her reading, emptying the basin into a bag on my way out of the bedroom. Once I got downstairs, I left the bag of puke on the floor and descended into the basement. Down here, below ground level, the storm was a lot less noticeable, even though the wind could still be heard. I turned on the light and quickly scanned the room, finally finding what I was after: a medium-sized clear plastic oil drum. Perfect for storing a large amount of stuff you wanted to look at without having to open the container. Hoisting the transparent drum onto my shoulder, I carried it back upstairs and plonked it beside the couch with a loud clang. Armed with a mop head and dustpan, I started gathering up Twilight's upchuck from the living room and dumping it into the drum, where it made an oddly pleasant splattering sound when it hit the bottom.

After I had collected most of the violet sick and put the covered container in the corner of the room, I went and picked up the phone, about to dial. All I could hear was static. Shoot, not the phone lines too! As I listened to the dead line I began to wonder: who would I even call had the phone been working? The hospital? A vet? Would they be able to get here in the storm? Would they know how to treat Twilight? Would they treat Twilight? All these questions swirled around inside my head, making it impossible to choose. Looking out the window at the rain that's been bucketing since the beginning of the week. It would be almost impossible for anyone to get here, on foot or by car, with the rain striking like bullets against the windshield and the wind threatening to blow the vehicle over.

Jamming the down phone into its cradle, I walked over to the front door. I could hear the wind whistling through the trees in my yard, the rain splashing against the pavement, the occasional clap of thunder following a flash of lighting. The storm had not let up even the tiniest bit since this morning. I opened the door, the wind almost slamming it in my face, the rain soaking me within seconds. Slamming the door I fell to the floor, gasping for breath. With no way for anyone with medical practice to get here, what could I do to help Twilight?

Despairing and drenched, I grabbed the plastic drum of Twilight's tossed cookies and went back upstairs to my room where Twilight was. When I stepped through the door, I couldn't tell who was the odder-looking creature or who was giving the other the stranger look: the sick purple unicorn pony under the covers or me, the soaking wet human in the doorway. Twilight had obviously finished the first book, as there was a pile of them on my desk. I glanced at the floor beside the bed. The blue basin was almost overflowing. Adding what was in the basin to the contents of the drum, I realized that Twilight had basically thrown up more than what her stomach could hold. She caught me glancing at the basin, the drum and herself and knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Magic," we both said in unison, and then started laughing. It was strange, making light of the situation as it were, but it sure felt good to laugh with a friend. I flicked the lid off the drum and poured the basin full of purple vomit into it, rather enjoying the sound of sick sloshing inside the plastic container.

After putting the lid back on, I decided I may as well explain our position. "My phone's not working so I can't call a doctor or a specialist. I'm sorry Twilight."

"That's okay," she said calmly. "I know how much you're worried about my condition and that you want to help, and I admire that. I was beginning to wonder whether or not the doctors here would even know what to do with me."

"Yeah," I admitted. "That crossed my mind too."

"Actually, I've been meaning to tell you something."

I pulled my swivel chair out from under the desk, wheeled it over to the bed and sat down in it. "What's going on?"

"It's my illness," Twilight said. "My cold. At least, it might have been a cold. After I finished the first three books, my chest started hurting."

I leaned in over her, carefully placing my hand against her skin. "You mean here?" I asked, pushing lightly. Twilight groaned and whimpered as if she were been squashed beneath a heavy bookshelf. I pulled back quickly to avoid causing her any further unnecessary pain.

Twilight sniffed. Her eyes were watering. "Yes, right there."

"No way is this a plain old cold," I muttered. "What else can it be?"

Pushing her book away, Twilight looked me in the eye. "There is a chance that it's—" With another loud gurgle and a tilt of her head, Twilight hurled another volume of mulberry-colored sick into the basin, almost spilling over its rim. A single glance at the contents of the basin confirmed the fact that part of Twilight's disease was being affected by her magic, increasing the contents of her stomach so she would always have something to heave.

"This is getting tiring," Twilight murmured sadly as I dumped the latest deposit of sick into the drum. The large cylindrical container was almost a third of the way full.

"I know." What else could I say? I know how it felt to be sick and to throw up every minute, so at least I wasn't lying. "What were you trying to say before?"

"I'm sure of it now," Twilight declared, her tone one of despair. "It's pneighmonia."

Damn it. I was afraid of that. Looking at the purple mare's symptoms made me realize that it really couldn't be anything but pneumonia, or pneighmonia in Twilight's case. "Is it anything like pneumonia?" I asked, trying to stay hopeful.

"What's that?"

"Put simply, an infection of the lungs by bacteria or viruses. So far, your symptoms match it perfectly."

"It sounds just like pneighmonia," Twilight concluded.

"Maybe it is. After all, we share different names and terms for a lot of things. It would make sense that diseases would also be named differently." Looking back on what I just said, I felt compelled to check Twilight's health and symptoms once more. "Do you mind if I check you?" I asked gently, hoping she wouldn't take offense.

Her answer surprised me almost as much as her materialization the previous evening. "Go ahead," she said, pushing the bed covers off. Her underside was a slightly lighter shade of mulberry than the rest of her coat. "Don't worry," she added reassuringly.

Bending down beside the bed, I placed my hands against Twilight's chest. I could feel her heart beating beneath my fingers, thumping quickly then slowly in an almost uncertain pattern. I continued my examination, carefully running my hands over Twilight's short soft fur, checking different parts of her body for more symptoms that could help us out. Thank G-d I took that online beginner's medical course, otherwise I would have had no idea what I was doing Sweat was pouring out of her skin, but she was shaking with cold. Another coughing fit revealed green and yellow mucus and as the examination went on Twilight grew more and more exhausted. The more I examined her, the more I began to realize just how bad her condition was.

I put my hand up against Twilight's forehead. It was even hotter than before! Now I was really distressed. Not only were her symptoms pointing towards one single possibility but they were reaching an even more critical level. I didn't know how to tell Twilight this, but apparently my indecisive expression gave me away.

"It's bad, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "Every possible symptom of pneumonia. Or pneighmonia, if you prefer." I turned away from the bed. trying not to let Twilight see my distressed face, but once more she caught me. I felt her hoof touch me on the shoulder and I broke down right then and there, tears free-falling down my cheeks, the sound of my sobs echoing off the walls of the small bedroom. I swung around slowly, preparing myself for whatever the unicorn mare had in mind. What I found myself looking at melted my heart. Not a frown or scowl, just a calm warm smile.

"It's not your fault," the pony at the other end of that smile said. "Stop blaming yourself. We just can't help it. Everypony gets sick sometimes."

"Not with pneighmonia," I mumbled. "And it's not just that. You've barely been here a day and your symptoms just keep getting worse."

Twilight thought about that for a minute. "Now that you mention it, you're right. I really have been feeling a lot worse since I was out in the storm the other night." She gasped as she realized what she had just said.

"It must have been the storm," I said. "You must have caught something, possibly when you materialized in the street, and the weather only made it worse."

Twilight nodded, then upchucked into the basin. She shook her head and said, "When you put it that way, everything makes sense. I'd like to see Pinkie try and pull that off."

I picked up the book she had been reading. It was 'When Worlds Collide'. I remember reading that book back in high school. I hated it. The very idea of an apocalypse and the world ending in any way was very disturbing for me. Whenever I'd see an apocalypse-related article or story, whether online or in the store, I'd either pass by without a second glance or shoot an ugly look at it. I can understand why Twilight would be interested in at least giving the book a try, being from another world and all, but I definitely wouldn't have suggested she read it if all she wanted to do was learn about my world.

I handed Twilight the book. "I'll go get the thermometer," I told her before backing out the door. As I walked down the stairs, I heard the retching sound of cookie tossing, an instant giveaway that Twilight had just heaved again. I hurried over to the couch, were the thermometer lay after I had l dropped it when I took Twilight to my room. As I picked it up, my eyes wandered over to the coffee table, upon which lay the old book my grandfather had given me. Of all the things in my house, of all the things I owned, it was the only item which couldn't help Twilight in any way. That bothered me. I should be able to use everything I had to cure her, but that book just lay there, being nothing more than old.

Shaking my head angrily, I went back upstairs with the thermometer in my hand. I walked into my bedroom and almost dropped the thermometer in alarm. In less than two minutes, my new friend had gone from bad to worse. The oil drum of Twilight's puke had risen past the halfway point, purple drops on the floor suggesting that she had magicked her last haul directly into the container. She was breathing with great difficulty, her breath coming up in short sudden bursts. 'When Worlds Collide' lay opened and upside down on the floor, probably the only thing that wouldn't be missed.

I bent down quickly over the bed. "Twilight, are you okay?" I asked, fearing the worst.

Twilight rolled her head over so that she was looking directly at me. "I wish I could tell you that," she said softly, "but that would be lying."

Without a word, I held up the thermometer and stuck it under her tongue. She didn't even bother speaking while we waited for the device to beep. When it did, I pulled it out of Twilight's mouth and checked the digital readout. 41.1°C! Impossible! Her temperature had risen nearly three degrees within half an hour! That was bad.

Twilight looked at me concernedly, her fatigue clearly visible on her face. "How bad is it?" she asked weakly.

It seemed like forever before I opened my mouth. "Forty-one point one."

The unicorn in my bed sighed dismally. "I'm not going to make it, am I?"

"Don't talk like that, Twilight," I scolded her, softly but seriously. "As long as you're under my roof, I won't let this stupid disease beat you." I spoke my heart out, my words full of truth and meaning, yet a part of me knew this was unavoidable. Listening to the wind as it raged on outside, I knew that we'd never be able to get help in time. Twilight's time in this world, or any, would soon come to an end.

Twilight reached with her hoof, groping around helplessly for my hand. Not wanting her to overexert herself, I positioned my hand directly in front of her. Sighing gratefully, she grasped it and squeezed gently. "I'm just feel so bad for my friends," she whispered, tears starting to roll down her face. "They'll never know what happened to me, what happened after the flash. I'm sure they're all worried sick."

Stroking the back of her hoof, I whispered back to her fiercely, "You're going to be okay." My face was streaked with tears. Twilight looked me in the eye and smiled again. How did she do that? She knows I'm trying to comfort her as best I can, but she had already accepted her fate, as if she knew it was coming to her ahead of time.

"You've done so much for me," Twilight said softly. "There's only one more thing I'd like that you can probably help me with."

I leaned in close, her voice had become barely a whisper. "Yes?"

"I'd like to see the book your grandfather gave you. One more time."

My eyes widened. In her last moments, she wanted to read a book? And not just any book, but one that was completely indecipherable. We both knew that neither of us could read it, so why would she want to try again? But as I sat there, looking at the sick, dying mare in my bed, my heart melted again and my mind was made up.

Releasing her hoof, I stood up slowly. "Are you still there?" Twilight asked. She seemed to be confused. Another symptom that usually only occurred among older people. Trembling with fear, I hurried down the stairs again and dashed for the coffee table where the ancient book sat, as useless as ever. I picked up the book, staring at its brown cover with its gold adornment, my temper rising. For five generations, my family guarded this book and for what? Its few pages were crowded with a 3-year old's scribbles and locked in a fancy hardcover. I had half a mind to fling it out the window and into the pouring rain and fierce gale were it belonged, but I couldn't bring myself to defy Twilight's final wish, so I grabbed the book, almost violently, and went back upstairs to my room.

Twilight perked up when she hear me reenter the room and once more kneel beside the bed. "You're there, aren't you?" she asked uncertainly.

Swallowing, I replied as softly as I could. "Yes, I'm here. I won't leave you, Twilight. Not if the storm itself ripped the roof off my house"

She nodded, then leaned her head back against the pillows. "Let's hope that never happens," she chuckled, and then lurched forwards suddenly and began another coughing fit, green and yellow mucus spraying onto the sheets but that didn't matter.

After her coughing had subsided, I laid the book on the bed, my hand spread out over the cover. "Here it is," I said quietly.

Twilight felt around for it, almost blindly, but she managed to find it, her hoof settled atop my hand. All at once, a green glow emitted from inside the book, eerie light flooding out from between the pages. We both pulled back, gasping at the unexpected spectacle. "What's going on?" I asked Twilight.

"I honestly don't know," she called back. She sounded a lot stronger than she did before. "But it feels like magic."

Magic. The mystical energy that people build their dreams upon. The supernatural force that people use to fuel their imagination. I never believed that I would witness a phenomenon like this one, even with the knowledge of Equestria's existence and Twilight's lying sick in my bed. The book lifted itself into the air and opened, flooding the room with a light so bright me and Twilight were forced to cover our eyes. When the light had dimmed sufficiently, we lowered our eyes and found the book hovering directly in front of my face.

"What's happening?" Twilight asked me. Her voice definitely sounded stronger.

"The writing," I murmured. "It's moving." Indeed, the previously unreadable writings had become legible script, real words forming from the black-ink gibberish. Entire paragraphs assembled themselves on the formerly disordered pages. When the last letter had moved into place, I found myself looking at a neat, hand-written text. "It's some sort of introductory verse. Very beautiful."

"Please read it," begged Twilight. Her sudden burst of strength had apparently petered out. I cleared my throat and recited the verses.

You've guarded me for generations
But disappointing were your expectations
Instead of secrets of magic and power
A tome so blank it made you sour

No longer shall my pages stay bare
Thanks to the two of you out there
Together, you are something more than you knew
A powerful, trusting confident crew

But now, I say that's enough out of me
You're in need of a healing remedy
The first page holds a spell to heal grievous wounds
As well as diseases which would mark you doomed

Listen well now, for there's yet more to know
To keep your life's fire warm, bright and aglow
With each crisis or hazard on the road before you
A new spell will appear and fill on through

One more thing to say and you'll be set
Keep hidden my secrets from every threat
For in the world outside, people fight for control
And thus make world peace an impossible goal

I have said my piece and wish it to be kept
Don't let me down, please do accept
My secrets will help you on your way
To, hopefully, have a brighter day

I stared into space, dumbfounded. Who wrote this? How did they make it so the book was unreadable? Was it referring to me and Twilight when it said 'together'? How did it end up with my family? When did it come to us? I turned my gaze on Twilight, who was looking as weak as she had previously before the book's revealing.

She leaned forward and tapped the open book with her hoof. "From what the verse says, maybe we should find that spell." She coughed and fell back against her pillow.

Please, oh please hold on, Twilight. My hands shaking, I turned to the next page, which at first had been blank but was now covered from top to bottom in clear English. My heart picked up the pace as I read the title of the page: Ultimate Recovery Spell. I looked at Twilight over the top of the book. Her eyelids fluttered and her breathing was rapid and shallow. I hope this works was all I could think of as I read the text beneath the page title.

To banish the illness and end the disease
One must first find the point where she feels most at ease
Once there, you must hold both hoof and hand together
To help heal the pony who feels under the weather

Your other hand now must stand over her heart
Lest your connection should fall apart
Channel her magic through her entire frame
To thrash any invader who would set her aflame

Finally, to mark the contamination's end
You must utter the words of a true, true friend

Wow. Not even Shakespeare could mess with this guy when it comes to writing. It seemed pretty straightforward: find out where Twilight feels at peace the most and hold her hoof there, put my other hand over her heart, get her magic to every part of her body to wipe out the germs and utter the words of a true, true friend.

Wait, what? What the hell does that mean? I looked at the last sentence in the spell. Yep, it definitely says that. Damn it, now what? The only true friend of Twilight's would be her friends and neighbors back in Equestria. Argh, this is just infuriating! We got so close and then whatever hope we had fell to pieces.

"What's up?" Twilight asked me, lifting her head. "Is everything okay?"

How does she do that? Asking me if everything is okay when she's lying in bed with pneighmonia? She really is an amazing pony. I was so lucky to have spent time with her. Wait, spent time with her.

That's it! The book clearly implied that one of the subjects of the spell had to be human, otherwise it wouldn't use the word 'hand'. Did the book judge friendship according to the patient or the healer? If it was the latter then we were good to go. Heck, I can't imagine letting someone stay overnight in my house without considering them my friend, which was kind of hard for me to go along with, taking into account that I didn't really have that many friends. But if it was a true friend of the patient, then I don't know what to do. I mean, I've been friends with Twilight for barely half a day. Does she consider me to be her friend? Someone who she barely knew?

A vibration in the book brought me out of my stupor. Twilight was tapping the open book as hard as she could, which in her condition wasn't very hard at all. "Well, what's it say?" she asked, her voice so quiet it was difficult to hear.

"Everything's here," I told her, "except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"The final step is 'the words of a true, true friend' which unfortunately, we don't have here."

"What do you mean?" Twilight inquired. "There's you."

Bam. There they were; the words I was waiting for. She just confirmed our friendship. I have a friend were the words going through my head as I looked Twilight in the eye. Her eyelids fell over her optical organs, her front hooves slipping down the sides of her blanket-covered body. I grasped her left hoof. It was cold.

"No no no no!" I muttered, flinging the book onto my chair, kneeling on the floor and bending over the still mare. With her hoof in my hand, I guided our joined appendages over her motionless body. What part of Twilight makes her feel calm and safe? I wondered, examining her quadrupedal form. As my eyes wandered to her head, it hit me.

Of course! Her horn! A unicorn's horn was a channeling organ, with which they directed the flow of magic that resided within them. It would make sense that it was where Twilight felt most at ease. Steering her hoof with my hand, I settled the two atop Twilight's horn. The blunt, pointed horn glowed magenta beneath our appendages.

Twilight blinked once and managed to hold her eyes open. "This is part of the spell, right?" she asked faintly.

I nodded slowly. "This is the first step. The next one is placing my hand over your heart."

She twisted and rolled her way out of the sheets so that only her back legs were covered. "Then what?"

"After step 2, you're going to have to channel your magic all through your body. Can you do that?"

One look at her face told me we were in trouble. She clearly didn't think she would be able to get her magic running throughout her system in time. That won't do. I've gone too far for her to give up now. Bending down low towards Twilight face, I whispered to her, "You can do it. Don't doubt yourself. Your pneighmonia has left you weak, but it doesn't control your magic. You are your own arcane master. Don't give in to your condition. We can do this, together."

Twilight looked at me, her purple eyes dimmer than they had been before. She swallowed, took a deep breath and focused. Her body began to emit a low humming sound as she let her magic spread out beneath her skin, hopefully wiping out the germs and viruses.

Okay, time for step 3. I laid my other hand over Twilight's heart. Previously, it had been beating very slowly, but now it was pumping oxygen at a furious pace. I could feel Twilight's power coursing through her veins in the form of both blood and magic, the two fluids streaming along their respective paths to get to where they were needed.

"Good, good, you're doing great!" I told Twilight encouragingly. Things were going just fine and we had nearly completed the spell. Now all she needed was the words of a true friend. That friend was me.

What do I have to say? Could it be anything or did it have to be something really specific? Oh man, this sucks. What do I do? Should I ask Twilight? Would that deny the effects of my words? Come on, pull yourself together! You can do this, just think about what makes you Twilight's friend; what symbolizes the friendship between us. Looking back on it, what did symbolize our friendship? We've know each other for barely a day, we had nothing to show for it.

No, there is something, I reasoned with myself. We may have only known each other for a short while, but we were already connected before we'd even met, just like Twilight's connection with the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I'd always felt a sort of bond with Twilight ever since I started watching the show, as if I knew the two of us were destined to meet. And then it happened, Fate and Destiny pulling on the strings, effectively isolating her in my world, away from her pony friends, forced to find shelter with me.

But she managed to cope with all the new ways that things worked here, even adapting her eating habits. She treated me like a friend she had known for more than just half a day, and I felt the same way about her. I knew what I had to say. The same words that were repeated every time I'd sit down and watch the show. With her hoof and my right hand on her horn, my left hand over her heart and unicorn magic flowing through her body, I bent down beside Twilight's head and whispered into her ear:

"My little pony: do you know you are my very best friend?"

Twilight's eyes shot open, blinding white light flooding out of them. Her body began to rise from the bed, but I held her down with my hands still in place, determined not to let go until she was completely cured. She hovered a foot above the covers, her mane flowing in the air, sparks flying from beneath our contact on her horn.

And then came the screaming. Twilight opened her mouth and let loose with the most horrible, eardrum-shattering heart-breaking sound I ever heard. It crawled in through my ears and filled my soul with feelings of guilt, as if I were the one causing her pain.

No, said a voice inside my head. You're not the one hurting her. You're the one who's helping her and don't you forget it. That small voice convinced me. Focusing all my willpower, I bent over Twilight's floating prostrate form, refusing to let it rise another inch. I gazed into her shining eyes, stubbornly resisting the blinding glare.

"I'm not giving up on you Twilight!" I shouted over the low but loud humming that filled the room. "You're too important. You brought happiness and joy into my life when I thought my existence would continue sad and empty. But then you came and everything changed for the better!"

The expression on the mare's face changed to one of deep thought, the glowing eyes kind of ruining the image. I held my gaze, refusing to blink even once. Twilight stared back at me, a weak smile appearing on her face. Slowly, that smile grew bigger until it dominated the lower part of her muzzle. She levitated into an upright position, her back hooves floating just a few inches above the bed. I still had my hands over her heart and horn, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Why do these all-powerful recovery spells take so long to end? It seemed to last forever but finally Twilight's eyes opened wide and a even brighter flash of light filled the room, forcing me to let go of Twilight and fall to the floor. The flash was followed by an exploding sound, not unlike the lightning and thunder from the storm outside.

I don't know how long I lay on the floor, my eyes squeezed shut and my hands over my ears, but when I finally felt it was safe I got up, brushing the dust off my shirt. Thankfully, none of the magical phenomenon had damaged anything in my room. Wait, is Twilight okay? Hoping, praying and wishing, I turned around.

What I saw launched my heart into a peak-joy mode. Twilight lay on the bed, stirring as if from a good night's sleep. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then noticed me. Her smile was warm and reassuring, her eyes sparkling and full of life. Her coat was a healthy shade of purple just like it was before.

I walked towards the bed, my heart pounding, my mind racing. Twilight looked up at me, blinking in the light from the ceiling. I sat down on the end of the bed, never taking my eyes off of the unicorn pony. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. Twilight shimmied over to my side, putting a forehoof on my leg.

"Thank you," she said, and then threw her hooves around my waist in a crushing hug, her strength restored.

I returned the gesture, wrapping my arms around the small equine. I could feel her tears soaking through my Elements shirt, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered was that Twilight was cured and saved from an almost-inescapable demise. "You're welcome," I whispered back to her, stroking her soft mane as she nuzzled me gently.

She glanced over my shoulder at my family's book, eyeing the brown and gold cover. She levitated it over to us and lightly tapped me on the back with it. We released our hold on each other and looked at the book floating inside Twilight's magic aura. "The spell you used to cure me is in here, right?" she asked, lowering the book down between us.

"Yeah, but I didn't cast any spell. I'm just a human."

"Well I certainly didn't cast it, I was too sick. All I did was channel the magic necessary to fuel it." She put a hoof against my chest. "You're the one who guided and weaved the spell. It was your words that completed it. There's no other explanation."

I thought about this for a minute. Could I have cast the Ultimate Recovery Spell? I didn't have any magic powers, not that I knew of anyway, and yet Twilight had a point. She couldn't have done it, her pneighmonia would've throw it off, and the book clearly said there had to be another person to help cast the spell. The more I thought about it, the more it began to make sense.

I opened the book and showed Twilight the spell. She looked at the beautifully written script and announced, "I've never seen a spell like this before. I wonder who wrote it."

"It doesn't say," I told her, turning back to the introductory page, "and my family never told me where they got it."

"Oh well. It seems to be a very powerful spellbook and according to this, every time we run into a problem or disaster of sorts, another spell will appear to help us. That is some pretty advanced magic."

I closed the book, running my hand over the intricate gold design on the brown cover. "Now that we know what the book does, we should probably give it a name, a title."

Twilight nodded. Being a librarian, she obviously understood the importance of a book having a title. "Okay. What should we call it?"

"Let's bothtry and think of something." We both fell back onto the bed and began to think. I came up with the first idea. "How about the 'Sorcerer's Guide to Magic in Reality'?"

Twilight gave me a weak WTF look. "I see two problems with that name: one, it's a mouthful. Two, we don't know whether or not the book's spells will only work here in your world."

"You're right, sorry." Back to thinking.

Twilight came up with the next one. "Maybe the 'PonyTome'?"

Now it was my turn to contort my face. "Not really. It doesn't cover the book's subject for one, and secondly, as you pointed out, it seems to work for humans too, although we have no innate magic."

"Good point," Twilight said, rotating her body so that her head was hanging off the bed, increasing the flow of blood to her brain.

I picked up my head and looked at the upside-down mare. "You know, that's probably not good for you."

She angled her head slightly so she could keep eye-contact while she talked. "On the contrary, it's even safe. One second without blood flow can cause brain damage."

"Too much blood flow can make you light-headed," I retorted

Twilight rolled back upright, pouting slightly. "Isn't it annoying when your friend disagrees?" she asked me. "Especially when they're right?"

"Yeah, it happens. I've seen a lot of things and that occurs way too much." Hold up, seen a lot of things? That's it! There must be something out of all the things I know, the TV series, movies and stories, something that could help me come up with a name for the magical book that lay between me and Twilight. And then it hit me. A great idea, an outstanding brilliant idea. I just hoped Twilight thought so too.

"How about the 'Equinomicon'?"

Stars appeared to twinkle in the unicorn's purple eyes when she heard the name I'd chosen . Her mouth opened, slowly widening until it was hanging loosely and aimlessly. She leaned in close and grabbed the front of my shirt with her hooves. "That's one of the most amazing, extraordinary, remarkable book titles I've ever heard!" she shouted excitedly.

I felt like my eyes would roll out of my head and onto the floor if Twilight kept shaking me. "I know right?" I replied, trying to calm her down.

But there was no stopping her. She hopped of the bed and began galloping around my room, laughing and shooting off magical sparks from her horn. I let her continue her energetic activity, befitting of Pinkie Pie, for several minutes, allowing her to enjoy her newly returned strength. She had been lying in bed ill ever since earlier this morning and had just recovered with the help of a new and powerful spell, so why shouldn't she be happy? Watching Twilight prance around made me feel good too, knowing that I had helped her recover from a horrible case of pneighmonia.

Finally, Twilight finished her race around the room and came to a stop in front of me. "Well, now that I'm better, what are we going to do now?"

Oh, right. I hadn't even thought about that. "What do you want to do?" I asked her, fully prepared for anything.

Twilight was about to answer when her stomach rumbled loudly. The growling emitting from her tummy almost caused me to explode with laughter. I couldn't help it, it just seemed hilarious! As it so happened, I couldn't hold back everything and a light chuckle escaped my lips. Twilight looked up at me and pouted. "It's not funny! I'm hungry."

I stifled another snicker and took a deep breath. "That makes sense, considering it's lunchtime," I said, checking my watch.

"Can we go have a bite to eat?" asked Twilight, rubbing her empty tummy. Dang, she's so cute.

"Yeah, of course. Think of it as a 'Get Better Soon/Welcome Back'-type lunch." Wow, that was well-phrased. Least it seems to have done the trick. Twilight was back to her usual chipper self. I glanced over at the half-full plastic oil drum of Twilight's vomit. "I think I'll put that in the corner downstairs. What do you think, Twilight?"

The purple mare trotted over to the transparent container. She looked inside at the violet fluids sloshing around. "This is putting me off my lunch," she said, holding a hoof against her stomach.

I hoisted the drum onto my back, hoping the sight of her stomach contents wouldn't cause her to fall ill again. "I'll take this, you carry the Equinomicon," I called to her, already outside on the landing. Twilight wrapped the newly entitled book in a magenta aura and hovered it down the stairs after me, following from behind, humming a familiar tune.

Putting Two Together

Once we got back down to the first floor, I carried the sick drum over to the corner and plonked it down against the wall. There, I said to myself. The first memorabilia of my time with Twilight Sparkle. I glanced at Twilight, who levitated the magic book onto the coffee table. She glanced at the book and then nudged it to the left.

"I'm a bit of a neat freak," she admitted when she saw me watching her.

"I know." Leading her to the kitchen, I opened the fridge and grabbed a handful of fruits and vegetables, snagging two large bowl on my way past the cupboard. "I'm thinking we should go with a fresher lunch, taking into account you just magically recovered from a case of pneighmonia."

"Okay, I'm good with that." Twilight gazed at the various plants laid out on the counter. She opened the silverware drawer and magicked a knife out. "Can I help?" she asked, carelessly levitating the blade through the air.

I lifted up my serving spoon and blocked the knife as it spun past my head. "Only if you can defeat ME! En Garde, Sparklehorse!"

Smirking, Twilight grabbed a pot with her magic and placed it on her head to use as a helmet, slotting a grater over her horn for protection. "This kitchen shall be my kingdom!" she cried out in a booming voice. "You shall not live to see the end of this storm."

Grabbing a pot lid for a shield, I crouched down and launched myself at the metal-clad unicorn. "CHAAAAAARGE!"

She parried my first strike with the handle of her knife and rolled sideways, her makeshift armor clanging against the floor. Twilight activated her magic and launched a peanut-butter jar at me. Picking up my shield, I knocked the flying jar aside and charged at the pony, waving my spoon like a mace. I brought my weapon down on Twilight's head, only for her helmet to take the impact. She immediately gained an advantage, me being so close, and head-butted me in the chest, forcing me onto the floor. I flung both my spoon and shield at the fast-approaching equine and then started tossing random items within my reach, but she parried everything I threw at her. Finally, weaponless and exhausted, I lay on the floor to await my punishment.

The armored unicorn walked slowly over to wear I lay. She held a rolling pin against my chest. "Do you surrender?" she demanded, lifting her helmet slightly.

Grinning wickedly I replied, "Yeah right!" With her defenses down, I knocked the utensil out of her magic field and threw myself against her, pinning her to the ground. "How about you? Give up?"

"No, of course not!" She didn't sound very sure though.

"I thought you might say that." I immediately sent my fingers to work, tickling every part of Twilight I thought to be sensitive. Laughing, giggling and screaming for mercy, she rolled around on the floor, her motion limited by my holding her down. After several minutes of unrelenting tickling, Twilight, her tears of merriment soaking the floor, managed to calm down just long enough for a counter-attack. Twisting into a new position, she sent her tail up my shirt and swished it across my chest, effectively swapping positions with me as the assailant. Although she had gained the upper hand—or hoof as it were—I was still on the offensive, running my fingers over her while she rammed her tail up and down my shirt.

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of cackling, shrieking and tickling, we had both depleted our energy and lay on the floor, tongues hanging out aimlessly as we tried to regain oxygen. I was the first to resurface, panting heavily. By the time Twilight had recovered from the attack, I had already gathered up the dishes and utensils we had used in the fight and deposited them in the sink, they needed to be washed after what they've been through. Twilight looked at the mound of dishes in the sink. "Who's going to wash all these?" she asked, glancing hungrily at the fruits and vegetable we had left on the counter.

I picked up an apple and a carrot. Thankfully, they were still fresh. "That all depends," I replied. "What do you want to do?"

Twilight thought for a minute, then said, "How about I start making lunch, you start with the dishes, then halfway through the job we switch. What do you think?"

"Alright, but let's get to work. It's already quarter to two. If we want to eat while it's still technically lunchtime, we have to start now."

With that, we each went our separate ways. I took my place over by the sink and Twilight beside a chopping board. Thankfully, I had more than enough kitchenware even though we had used a lot of them during our spar. We both got to work, me washing the dishes and Twilight making lunch. True to her word, the minute Twilight noticed that the mountain of dishes had been reduced by half, she announced it was time to switch. With the tap still running and the knife quivering inside the watermelon, we rushed to each others stations and resumed the task the other had left. We talked and joked as we worked, often shooting our resources at one another so that the counter was totally soaked and the sink and faucet ringed in seeds

Within ten minutes we had finished. The drainer was full of clean, drying dishes while the table was covered with plates of apples, watermelons, carrots, cherries, tomatoes and cucumbers. Once more, I brought out two plates and cups, but this time gave up on the silverware. Fruits and vegetable were more like finger food anyway.

Twilight was already in her chair, sniffing the food appreciatively. "We've outdone ourselves. I really didn't know I was any good at preparing food or washing dishes."

"You learn something new every day," I told her, sliding into my seat.

"That's true," she said, levitating a few apples onto her plate, "but sometime I wish those things wouldn't come up as surprises."

I reached over for a couple of cherries and began popping the stones out. "What fun would that be if nothing was surprising anymore? I bet Pinkie Pie would find that a crime."

"She probably would, being the energetic pony she is," laughed Twilight.

Our meal continued until half past two, dragged out with all our conversing. We must have talked more than we ate. What was even more surprising was how much we managed to pack away. By the time lunch was over, every plate had been either scraped or licked clean. Twilight's mane was matted with seeds, evidence of her violent scarfing. I myself had tomato juice all over my hands from the arm-hoof wrestle we had over the last of the ground-based fruit. I didn't think she would get so possessive of one single tomato. After we collected all the dishes into the sink and cleaned ourselves up a bit, we went to the living room to continue our previous discussion.

"Okay Twilight," I said, flicking a stray cherry stone off my sleeve. "Where were we?"

She smiled. "I don't really remember," Twilight admitted, shaking her head. "Since I can't recall what we were talking about earlier, let's talk about something else."

"What?"

"All of this." She gestured to the room we were in, the furniture, the kitchen, the house, the weather, everything around us. "If I'm going to be staying here I'm going to have to learn all I can about your world."

I nodded. "Makes sense. Alrighty then, let's begin with something basic." I reached out and picked up the phone, cradle and all. "I imagine you don't know what this is, am I right?"

Twilight scratched her head. "I'm pretty they have those in Manehatten and Baltimare. They're used to have conversations with ponies in other places. Why they would use those instead of letters I'll never know."

Manehetten and Baltimare, eh? Hasbro would probably never do that. Too bad. Putting the phone down in its place, I picked up the TV remote and handed it to her. "You already know what a TV is but now it's time to teach you how to use it."

"Oooh," Twilight breathed in anticipation. She carefully held the remote with her magic. "Wow, that's a whole lot of buttons. How did you ever learn what each one means."

"Years of practice, Twily," I said with a smile.

"Twily." She uttered the nickname fondly. "That's what my brother Shining Armor always called me. Ever since we were little and even now." She glanced at the Season 2 DVD box, where Shining Armor and Cadance were standing to the left of the logo. She picked up the box and stared longingly at the ponies on the front. "I've only been gone for a day but it feels like forever."

Note to self: avoid bringing up friends and family back in Equestria. Current touchy subject. "I know how you feel. Ever since my parents died, I've avoided trying to make connections with anyone in town. I just haven't been able to bring myself to talk with, well, anyone. It just seems so hard."

I put my head in my hands. Being open and honest felt good, but it was making me cry. "You're lucky, Twilight. You have friends that will always be there for you, but me, I'm alone. There's no one in this world who'd be there for me." By this time tears were seeping through my fingers. Talking to Twilight had unlocked my feelings and was now allowing me to speak my heart and mind. But it was horribly depressing.

I felt Twilight's hoof on my arm, gently pulling it down. I removed my hands to find Twilight staring up at me, her eyes welling up with tears too. "We've both had our share of hard times. That's what lets us understand each other's pains and losses, but that also means that we can comfort each other whenever we feel lonely. It's a discomfort, but a gift at the same time: the gift of understanding."

I held her hooves in my hands. "Thank you, Twilight. You've helped me out of a traumatic mess just now."

"No, you've helped me," she insisted. Lighting her horn, she picked up the DVD box again and sighed serenely. "Tell you what. From now on, neither of us will bring up our lost friends and family without a fair amount of warning, okay?"

I wiped my tears on the back of my sleeve. "Would a big flashy sign with the words 'Warning: Emotional Outburst!' do the trick?"

Twilight chuckled. "That would be a bit excessive. Maybe we could just do a gentle tap and a few words."

"Deal."

Smiling, Twilight rolled onto her back, her head resting on my leg. "Good. Now how about you teach me how to use a remote," she said, waving it around with her magic. I stared down at the purple mare's face, my eyes traveling downwards until I caught sight of her stomach. Her soft, furry underside seemed to be beckoning to me, calling for attention. And I felt more than happy to give it.

Carefully, I lowered my hand and hovered it an inch over her stomach. Twilight's eyes followed my finger as it descended and came in contact with her lower side. I moved the tip of my finger up and down her soft fur, feeling her heartbeat beneath her skin. Twilight looked up at me. "What are you do—" Whatever she was going to say was lost as her brain registered my touch. "Mmmmm," Twilight hummed in response. "That feels nice."

Her words reassured me of my actions and I added my other fingers, my stroking gentle. Twilight was giggling now, rolling slightly from side to side as I swirled my fingers over her stomach. "Oooooh," she gasped. "This is great!"

Now I was truly motivated. Lowering my palm beside my fingers, I recruited my other hand to help with the job. Together I sent them to work, gently massaging the unicorn's underside in a warm, affectionate way. By now Twilight was squirming with delight, she almost fell off the couch with her wild movements, but her stomach remained where I needed it: within reach. "Aaaaaah!" she sighed audibly, her back hooves bucking the air, her front legs curled in front of her. "What do you call this?"

"Belly rubs!" I yelled gleefully, wrapping one arm underneath the pony and reeled her in, still rubbing her belly with my other hand. Twilight was squealing with joy, rolling the top of her head under my chin, her horn rocking back and forth in front of my face but I didn't care. All I wanted was to sit there and rub Twilight's belly, feeling her soft fur beneath my fingers as my hand raced up and down her stomach, listening to her sweet voice complimenting my work.

I lifted her into the air and lay down on the couch, dropping her on top of me so that I could resume my stroking at a slower pace. Twilight closed her eyes and hummed softly. "Mmmmm... This feels really wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it," I whispered into her ear. "It was always one of the things I wanted to try but never could." My strokes became long, gentle movements, my fingers running through her soft belly fur, relaxing her. Twilight's light breathing and her chest rising and falling beneath my hands soothed me in return. Together we lay there, keeping each other happy and content. I could imagine the two of us spending the rest of our lives like this, me rubbing Twilight's belly as she lay on top of me, her sweet voice uttering words of comfort forever more. Just the two of us...

BOOOOOOOOM

A flash of light followed by the familiar rumbling of thunder snapped me out of my happy moment. Both me and Twilight shot bolt upright, our eyes following the short-lived flash to the window. I slid off the couch and hurried to the window.

"Wait for me!" Twilight cried, leaping onto my back. Her head and front hooves hooked onto my shoulder, resulting in her dangling behind my back. I stopped and turned my head to find her muzzle mere centimeters from my face. She smiled apologetically and I continued towards the window, stopped in front of it and looked out.

Yep. Still storming. We were having so much fun, we'd forgotten the weather outside was still horrible.

Twilight leaned forward and glued her face to the window, staring gloomily at the rain pouring down. "It looks like it'll never stop, doesn't it," she muttered.

"Yeah, it does seem that way," I replied, my breath fogging up the cold surface. Together we stared out the window, watching the wind blow at the few trees we could see through the unnatural afternoon darkness. At one point Twilight, still perched on my shoulder, levitated a pencil from the table and, with the eraser, started to draw on the misty window. I was slightly taken aback when I realized what she was drawing.

It was a fog-sketch of five ponies and a dragon, all huddled around an empty space. The detail on each of the images was so great they looked real. Twilight raised the pencil eraser and touched the empty space between the characters but stopped there. I looked at her face and was surprised and startled to find tears in her eyes. She leaned in close to the window, her eyes trained on the picture of her friends back in Equestria, her tears sliding down her muzzle onto the cold surface, where they were joined by drops of moisture from the edges of her sketch. "Do you think they're doing okay?" Twilight whispered, her ears sticking out horizontally in a sad way.

I put my finger on the clear, fogged-up patch beside Twilight's picture and began to draw. My drawing skills are acceptable. At least when I draw humans and anthros, they don't look deformed. "They're probably fine. Aside from going out of their minds with worry about you, I'm sure they're doing rationally well." I put the finishing touches on my picture: a human crouching beside a unicorn with sparks coming out of her horn.

Twilight looked at my picture, then at hers, then at the empty spot between them. "Would you want to go to Equestria?"

"What makes you ask that?" I replied.

"It's the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about it," she told me, smiling sympathetically.

I'm not sure what she means by 'eyes sparkle', but there's no hiding the truth from this mare. Nodding, I said "Okay, you got me. My greatest desire is to live in Equestria, to see your home with my own eyes."

"Why?"

"What more does this world have to offer me?" I turned away from the rain-pelted window, Twilight swaying from my shoulder. "My family has passed away, I have no friends and I live alone. Equestria just seems like a better place, a place where I can start over."

"You're forgetting the cons," Twilight reminded. "Sure, Equestria is rather peaceful and Ponyville is a nice place to live, but every now and then something goes wrong. Some old entity with an unfinished rule or a grudge, a troublemaker or two, that kind of stuff. But I guess you already knew that, right?"

I glanced sideways at the unicorn. "Fair point. I never really pegged all those happenings, villains and criminals as little more than inconveniences. I'd just look past them, knowing full well you and the other ponies wouldn't fall to them and let us down."

"Aww, thanks."

I bent down and Twilight clambered off my back. The two of us returned to the window. The rain was now falling in the other direction. Twilight reared up on her hind legs and put her front hooves on the window sill. "Must be quite a storm going on back home, huh?" she wondered.

"It'd be crazy if this storm and the one in Equestria were one and the same," I replied. I put my hand on the ledge, as inconspicuously as possible, beside her hoof.

"It could be like that, couldn't it?"

I shrugged. "If a bolt of lightning could bring you to my world, I'm ready to believe anything."

Twilight turned her attention back to the window, carefully examining both pictures. The frost was beginning to evaporate and the sketches were fading. "You know, they both kinda look like their missing something."

I was silent for a few moments as I assessed the two drawings. "Each other," I said quietly.

Nodding, Twilight fixed her gaze on the empty section between our pictures. Her horn glowed, her eyes screwed shut in concentration, a steady stream of magenta sparks flew out the end and onto the cold pane. The flow stemmed out in both directions, making the pictures glow brightly until I couldn't look at them, although it seemed that they were both curling into the middle, slipping sideways on the foggy surface. Twilight grunted, sending another bigger wave of sparks through her horn, causing the entire window to shine like the sun. I covered my face, shielding Twilight's closed eyes with my other hand so that she wouldn't be blinded if she opened them.

When the light began to dim, I dropped my hands and Twilight opened her eyes. What a sight! Both of our pictures were now merged together, the dragon and the five ponies in an embrace around the unicorn and the human. Together they looked complete, each side perfecting the other. I leaned in close to the window; the lines of the drawing didn't look like condensation. "What just happened?" I asked Twilight.

"I'm not really sure," she replied solemnly. "I just did what felt right," Twilight leaned her head against my thigh and stared up at her work.

I raised a finger and touched the picture. It felt dry. Cold from the weather outside, but dry. I put my hand against the window and wiped it diagonally across the image. Nothing. It stayed whole and beautiful. I stepped back in amazement. Twilight had used her magic to make our combined drawing permanent, like etched glass. Outside the rain beat against the window and inside the moisture began to gather and slide but the picture remained shiny and beautiful.

"What do you think?" Twilight asked, looking up at me with big, hopeful eyes.

"What do I think?" I repeated. "I think that somepony deserves this!" I swopped down and gathered the unicorn in my arms, squeezing her affectionately. I stood up and held her tight, one arm around the pony's waist, the other supporting her legs, hugging her the whole time. Twilight's shocked face was priceless. She just lay there in my arms, her expression bewildered. I carried her over to the couch and sat down. Twilight uncurled herself from her slightly squashed position and stretched out on my lap. She looked up at me unblinking, her expression baffled but somewhat grateful at the same time.

"What?" I asked Twilight, still smiling.

She craned her neck and reached up with her hoof, her expression now mildly surprised. My eyes crossed as I struggled to keep the solitary hoof in my sight. All at once, the hoof pressed forwards and bumped me on the nose.

"BOOP!"

Twilight fell back into my lap, grinning broadly. It took me a full ten seconds to realize what had happened before I burst out laughing. Of course. Pony nose-boop was one of my favorite gestures of affection, along with hugs and belly rubs. Twilight chuckled. "Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?"

I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. "No. I sure didn't."

"So," she continued, reaching down and picking the remote up with her hooves, "could you teach me how to use the TV now? No more interruptions?"

I grasped the other end of the remote and slowly tugged it out of her grip. "Yes. And step #1: the TV doesn't turn itself on." I pointed to the large button below the screen. "The one thing the 'remote control' can't do is switch on the screen, still the only part of watching television that has to be done manually."

Twilight squinted at the power button, several feet away from where we sat. "I can understand why you don't like it. if you'd just settled down from a hard day's work to enjoy some entertainment, the last thing you'd want to do is get up from the couch."

"Exactly."

"So why get up at all?" Twilight levitated the remote out of my hand, floated it over to the TV set and with careful precision, prodded the power button, switching the screen on. She looked up at me smugly. "What next?"

Still trying to get over the overwhelming shock of seeing someone turn on the TV without getting up, I grabbed the Season 2 DVD box. "You pick a disk to put in the machine. It helps if you open the slot first," I added, pointing to the Eject button on the remote.

Twilight carefully jabbed the button and the DVD slot popped out. I handed her the open Season 2 box and she levitated the first disk out, floated it over to the slot and fitted it into the drive. "Okay," she said, scanning the remote buttons, "so what do I press now?"

"The Play button looks like an arrowhead pointing right," I told her. "See if you can figure it out."

It took next to no time, after debating between the Fast Forward and Record buttons, for Twilight to find the right one. The moment she pressed it, the DVD drive slid back into the machine and it started to load. Once more the disk's menu was on the screen, only this time Twilight was staring at it like your supposed to, now that she was used to the spectacle. I selected Play All again and we sat together, watching Discord's brief reign of chaos and the many other events of the second season. Every now and then, either me or Twilight would ask the other a question about why somepony did a certain action, what would the other have done in their place, why Pinkie Pie is so random and many others. It was during 'The Mysterious Mare Do Well', at the point where Rainbow Dash busted the dam, when Twilight broke the couch-potato silence.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

Pausing the TV, I stared at her quizzically. Looking down, I saw her hind legs crossed, the universal sign for a full bladder. "You know where it is," I said, waving over the couch towards the always-lit room. "You do know how to use it, right?"

"Of course I do!" She rolled her eyes, smiling.... With anticipation? "We care about personal hygiene and we have bathrooms, according to 'The Last Roundup', which got everything right as everything else has been so far."

"True that. Okay, but hurry. I don't like pausing."

"Yay!" Twilight cried, whether with happiness or relief I couldn't tell. She leapt off the couch and trotted briskly towards the bathroom, shut the door behind her and locked it. I was sure there was more to this break than merely emptying one's tank. So, my regard for privacy arguing with my natural curiosity, I got up from the couch, crept over to the bathroom and crouched down beside the door. I wasn't surprised to hear Twilight talking to herself.

"Mirror's too high for a pony, obviously since humans are a lot taller than we are, but the sink is reachable. Bowl's kind of big too, shouldn't be a problem though. Wall design is perfect for in-room entertainment, plenty of sprawling patters to follow." She seemed to be examining every item in the bathroom, even the tiles. I was all set to facehoof when I heard a soft 'Oooh' and the sharp ringing of two ceramic objects, the seat and the bowl, making sudden contact, followed by the smooth squeaking of something sliding along the seat. My slight concerns ended when I heard Twilight's sighs of relief and the soft tinkling of liquid striking liquids.

Well, I guess she was telling the truth after all. Getting to my feet, I heard Twilight slide of the toilet and something slammed down on top of the button, starting the flush mechanism. With the sound of the rushing faucet behind me, I hurried back over to the couch, working on my casual inconspicuous look. The door clicked open and Twilight stepped out of the bathroom, humming contentedly. She cantered back to the couch and resumed her reclining position. I looked down at her and she smiled up at me. My eavesdropping had left me exceptionally aware of the mare with her head on my knees

"Um, why aren't we continuing?" Twilight asked after we'd stared at each other for two straight minutes.

I raised my eyes and shook my head. What made me keep my eyes trained on her like that? One of these days I'm going to have research that, but for now I'd better do what she says. I started the TV again and we wasted the rest of our stormy afternoon watching the second season of MLP, changing disks when we reached the end of each one. There were a great many moments were we both burst out laughing, other times when we were shocked silent and even a few where we were holding onto each other for comfort.

By the time A Canterlot Wedding was over and the end theme played once last time, it was already eleven o'clock. My eyelids felt heavy and Twilight was yawning. Outside the weather was still buckets of rain and blasts of wind, sometimes accompanied by lightning and thunder. I turned the DVD off and opened the drive so Twilight could levitate the disk out. I felt a deep sense of satisfaction, having just watched the entire second season in one afternoon. To me, it seemed like a feat worthy of celebration.

Stretching, I got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. I opened the freezer and rummaged around, looking for.... Yes! There's still one left. "Hey Twilight!" I called into the living room.

"Yeah?" she replied sleepily, carefully popping the 4th disk back into the box.

"How d'you feel about pizza for dinner?"

Her head popped up from behind the couch, her eyes sparkling, all traces of fatigue suddenly gone. "Yes yes yes yes yes pleeeease!" she cried, leaping over the couch and hopping enthusiastically around me.

"Alright alright, settle down." I pulled the pizza out of the freezer, unwrapped it and put it on a tray. Turning on the oven, I led Twilight back to the table to wait for the oven to heat up sufficiently. We played Scrabble and Bananagrams to pass the time, Twilight destroying me in the latter thanks to her quick magicking the pieces faster than my fingers could manipulate my own. Once the oven had heated up, I showed Twilight how to put the pizza in and set the timer. She was grateful for the experience. However, instead of starting another round of Bananagrams, Twilight turned her attention back to the living room, cast her levitation spell and floated the Equinomicon off the coffee table and onto the dining table between us.

"I think we should make this our next topic," Twilight said, giving the cover a light flick.

Frowning, I replied, "I already told you Twilight: I don't know where my family got the book. I've got nothing I can tell you about the Equinomicon which you don't already know." I skirted around the table and crouched down on Twilight's side so we could both read. I flipped the cover to the page with the introductory verse. "And I wouldn't be surprised if the place it was printed in, if it was printed at all, was not mentioned in the back of the book."

"Good idea!" Twilight cried excitedly, turning the entire book over to the back cover. We looked but there was no information of any kind, not even a date. Twilight's face fell. "Bummer."

"Well," I said, trying not to make her any more disappointed, "I can't say I'm not surprised. The Equinomicon isn't exactly a great conversation partner. Whether it'll share its origins with us, now or ever, I don't know."

Twilight cheered up a bit. She flipped back to the Ultimate Recovery Spell page. "When do you think the Equinomicon will give us another spell?"

"Who knows? Besides, do we really want more problems in our life that require magical solutions?"

"You mean like a burning pizza?" Twilight offered, sniffing the air.

Burning pizza? I took a whiff of the aroma escaping from the oven and laughed. "It's not burning Twilight," I chuckled. "It's ready!"

The purple unicorn leapt out of her chair and knocked it over with unexpected excitement. "Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!"

I grabbed Twilight around the middle and lifted her up, her hooves galloping in the air. "Yeesh, calm down Twily. You're acting like Pinkie Pie! Here, use your magic to get it out."

Twilight pulled out the pizza, her magic the perfect substitute for gloved hands, and plonked it on the stove top. I put her down and cut the pie down the middle, laid each half on a plate and took them to the table. We ate in cheerful silence, due to our mouths being full of flat, tomato-sauced, cheese-coated bread. After we'd finished our meal we found ourselves on the couch once more, the Equinomicon back on the coffee table. It was a while before either of us spoke. And it wasn't me.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Twilight said.

"Being alone?" She noticed that in a hurry. "It's not the most exciting thing ever. Cheer disappears and colors just seem to fade as if your world was deharmonzied. I've been at it for too long."

"Do you wish it could be different?" she asked, staring adorably at me with her large purple eyes.

"It is different now," I said, wrapping an arm around her. "In one of the best ways possible."

She smiled and snuggled up against me. We sat there for a minute, for two, for ten, simply enjoying each other's warmth and presence. It was blissful, just the two of us on the couch, listening to the storm rage outside while it was calm and cozy inside. A shame the peaceful spell was broken by the large grandfather clock that, being rather old and several minutes behind, started to chime only now. The dull bong echoed throughout my near-empty home, ringing in our ears and bringing us back to reality.

"The clock is right," I said retiringly. "It's time for bed."

Twilight yawned and slid of the couch. "Yeah, there really is no point in staying up so late. Not yet anyway," she added with a grin.

Grinning back, I got up from the couch and unfolded it again, revealing the sofa bed Twilight slept on the previous night, complete with the pillow and sheets. I watched her climb into bed and wriggle under the covers, her head and hooves sticking out of the top in that irresistibly cute way.

I bent down and sat on the edge of the makeshift bed. "Good night Twilight."

Her reaction was beyond unexpected. Like a whip, she shot up out of bed, kissed me on the cheek and sank back under the blanket before my mind registered what happened. I looked down at her, my mouth slightly agape. Twilight was blushing, but her smile was broad. "Good night," she said quietly, laying her head down and closing her eyes.

Carefully so as not to disturb her, I rose up from the bed and walked towards the stairs, just like I did last night. I turned to see if Twilight was watching me, like she did before, but found her still lying down. She had already fallen asleep, her light breathing the only sound I can hear. Once more, I found myself feeling happy. Just like all those years ago.

I dragged myself up the stairs to my room, changed my clothes and the sheets, which were probably contaminated from Twilight's illness, and climbed into bed. My mind began to replay all the things that happened that day: Twilight's contracting pneighmonia, discovering the Equinomicon, our picture on the window. It all seemed like a beautiful memory, too good to be true. But there was no denying it this time. I knew it was all real.

Equestria...... Ponies...... Magic...... Twilight......

Light filtered into my room through a crack in the door. That's funny. I thought I closed it. Sitting up, I squinted into the darkness at the strip of light. "Who's there?" I called out.

The door squeaked open several inches and Twilight appeared in the doorway. She looked tired. Her blanket was draped over her back and her pillow nestled on her head like a crown. Her mouth was set in a sad frown. "I can't sleep," she said quietly.

I stared back at her blankly This is the kind of situation you read about or watch. I was never faced with this sort of problem before now so I had no idea how to solve it. Except maybe—

"You wanna sleep with me tonight?"

A smile began to tug in the corner of her mouth as she slowly crept into my room. I shifted under my covers, clearing half of my bed with the blankets still covering the mattress. Twilight climbed up beside me, plonked her pillow down on top of mine and lay down beside me, curling up beneath her own blanket. She turned her head to look at me and I returned her gaze.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome."

She inched over and snuggled up against me, the thin sheets the only thing separating us. Almost without thinking, I pulled my arm out from behind my head and laid it protectively on top of the mare's blanket. I pulled Twilight closer and cuddled her. She sighed peacefully at my side and was soon fast asleep. I felt myself drifting off, her small warm body making me feel cozy and safe in return. This was heaven. A real dream come true. Only one thing could make me feel better. But, so Twilight won't wake up—

Buck you, Reality. I've got a pony sleeping in my bed.

Author's Note

Do you have any idea how hard it is to describe belly rubs?
I'm probably one of the only bronies to do it. And it wasn't easy!
Still, I like how it came out. Hope you do too.

Blink of the Eye

Waking up with a pony in your bed is a good way to start your day.

I woke up to find Twilight snoozing with my hand held between her hooves and sunlight streaming through my window. That's weird. The clouds should be hiding the sunlight. Not that I'm complaining but... I peered through the dim room towards the tipped shutters, where a ray of light was merrily lighting up the interior.

With Twilight on top of me, I couldn't go over there and check it out, so I carefully slipped out from underneath her, leaving the purple pony asleep on my bed and me free to go about my business. Item #1: investigate unexpected ray of sunlight during giant state-wide hurricane. I went over to the window. The light was warm and bright, I'd forgotten how it felt over the last few days. Not being able to contain myself, I slid the window open and looked outside. I gasped.

Nothing. No rain, no wind, just a clear blue sky. Wait, not quite. Craning my neck I did a full 180, which is all you can see from that particular window, and had a good look around. All around us was an enormous wall of clouds, shifting snaky tornadoes and solid-looking mile-high curtains of vapor. All around us, the house, the neighborhood, the city, those rings of white clouds stood tall, reaching for the sky.

What is this? I wondered. The storm still looks like it's still happening, just not in here. I wiped my hand over my forehead. For some reason, it was hot and I was sweating. So I stuck my head back inside and shut the window.

Opening my wardrobe and pulling out a fresh set of clothes, I glanced over at Twilight, who was still asleep. I am not going to wake her up, I told myself sternly, pulling my clothes on. I'll wait for her to wake up by herself. In the meantime, I'll go make breakfast.

I hurried downstairs. Through the window with our magically-printed picture I could see the yard and my heart sank. All the bushes and flowers were flat or uprooted, every tree was bare. My mother had worked so hard on them, tending to each and every plant, watering, pruning and arranging until the garden was a floral heaven. The garden, which was once clean and beautiful, now resembled a wasted hell. All my mother's work was wiped out like so much dead weeds.

There was something else that caught my eye though. Looking past the fence, I got a good look at some of the other houses on my street: They were all battered, patches of shingles missing from the roof, pavement bricks tossed out of the path, crooked gates and bent railings everywhere. It was depressing to look at the ruined homes so I was grateful when the sound of the upstairs bathroom door slamming shut, marking Twilight's awakening, brought me back to my senses. I turned away from the window and started on breakfast, deciding to go with a simple bowl of cereal.

Twilight appeared on the stairs as I was bringing down the bowls and spoons. She must've forgotten to look in the mirror on her trip to the bathroom because she had serious bedmane, the whole thing sticking up all over the place just like in Bridle Gossip. I tried to control myself and not stare at her mane as she walked past me towards the table.

"Morning," she yawned, climbing nonchalantly into her chair. Her head promptly made contact with the tabletop and snoring began to emit through the surface.

"You're lucky your cereal wasn't there," I said, sidling up next to her and placing a bowl in front of her. When she didn't react I attempted to rouse her, first by gently stoking her mane, then lightly poking her back then slapping her softly on the cheek. None of them worked. Sighing, I had no choice but to resort to my new technique: reaching down and gently rubbing her soft belly.

Effects were immediate. Not only did she wake up but she did so slowly, her head rising from the table, her mouth stretched into a big silly smile, her entire form shuddering from my contact, humming the whole time until she was sitting upright. Her eyes opened and she instinctively placed her hooves on the table to steady herself.

Twilight looked up at me. Her stomach rose and fell beneath my fingers. "Sorry about that," she said, blushing slightly.

"No problem," I told her reassuringly, walking around the table and settling in my own seat. "We both seem to enjoy it." We ate our breakfast in silence before bringing up the day's topic.

"I noticed it's quieter today," Twilight remarked, pushing away her bowl.

I nodded in agreement. "I looked out the window earlier and saw the strangest thing: the storm now seems to have surrounded us instead of raging beside and around us."

Twilight's eyes sparkled, the way I've noticed they do when she perceives something fascinating. "You mean the hurricane is circling us?" she asked, leaning forwards and putting her head on her hooves.

"Yeah, I guess that's what it was."

Jumping out of her chair, Twilight zoomed over to the window and looked out. When she saw the garden her face fell, but the minute she looked beyond at the countryside, her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. She rushed back over to me and yelled excitedly, "We're inside the eye of the storm! The very center of the hurricane!" She ran towards the door and started unlocking it.

I got out of my seat and joined her at the door. She was having quite a time wrestling the key in the lock, with her hooves for some reason. "I know a lot about weather Twilight, but I've never heard of the eye of a storm. What is it? Here, let me get that for you."

"Thanks. Anyway, the eye is the part of the cyclone where the barometric pressures are lowest," she explained while I unlocked the door. "Since the whole storm is positively spinning, the middle ends up being sort of hollow as well as round, hence the eye."

I pushed the door open and we went outside. If seeing the ruined garden from the inside was depressing, then being in it was downright heartbreaking. Standing amongst the dead shrubs and looking around at the bare trees, I felt the emptiness that was inside me before Twilight appeared. That bleak feeling of loneliness brought back by the loss of one of my mother's final marks upon the world.

Twilight looked at me, then followed my gaze. "Oh. I'm sorry. It must have been really beautiful before."

"Yes it was," I replied. "I can still remember what it looked like then."

She trotted over to the fence and leaned up against it. "Hey!" she called, waving a hoof over the fence at the street. "Come look at this!"

I ran over to her, across the dry lawn, and looked at where she was pointing. The houses along the road were even more beaten-up in person, each one looking as though it was attacked by a convoy of bulldozers and steam-shovels. Potholes filled the road and what few cars were around were either overturned or falling apart. The great green dumpster was now upright and full of water.

"I do hope they all have insurance," Twilight said with a nervous grin.

Chuckling at her comment, I turned back towards the house when I noticed something. "Twilight, look."

Twilight turned about-face and looked up too. "Wow."

My house was whole. Not a dent, not a scratch, not a smear on the paint job. It looked as new and perfect as the day my father had last cleaned it up, maybe even more so. It was unbelievable. My house was the only one on the street which showed no storm damage of any kind, not counting the garden.

I squinted at the corner of the street. I could only imagine what the rest of the town looks like: wrecked homes, yards torn up, public areas destroyed. Me and the other members of the construction team would have our work cut out when the storm was through, fixing up what looked like everything.

"That storm must've been having a blast," I said with a grin.

Twilight looked up at me. "Well, let's hope it doesn't get too carried away," she replied, the corners of her mouth turning up as she spoke, "or we'll all be gone with the wind."

We both started chuckling. Several kilometers away, a bolt of lightning flashed at the very edge of the calm eye, just inside the clouds. I slumped up against the fence and slipped down so that I was now level with Twilight's head. "An idea just struck me," I chortled, my sides beginning to hurt.

"Only because your head was up in the clouds!" Twilight joked. She fell on her back and we both started laughing. It felt good to share a laugh with a friend. I began to realize exactly what I've been missing out since my life took a turn for the worst. I almost forgot the hardships I've been through.

I reached forward and pulled the giggling pony into my lap. She stopped laughing and stared up at me, each of us wearing a smile. We sat at the edge of my mother's ruined garden, inside the eye of the storm, enjoying ourselves without a care in the world. But deep down, something told me it was only temporary.

"Tell me more about the eye," I asked of Twilight.

"Sure." She curled up in my lap and pointed at the huge clouds and swirling tornadoes in the distance. "That's the eyewall. Right in there is where the storms are strongest. We must've slept through it last night, but it was most likely rocking the house."

"I'm glad we were sleeping at the time," I muttered gratefully.

"Me too. It was probably very frighting." Twilight shuddered at the thought. "Unlike the low temperature that you usually get inside the hurricane, the eye is considerably warmer than the area would normally be due to warm air being pushed inside from every direction by cold air."

"That explains why it's so hot in the eye."

"Don't worry," Twilight said in a comforting manner. "In a few hours, the eye will have moved with the rest of the storm and the wind and rain will be back." She was silent for a moment as she realized what she said. "Ooh, that's not good."

I began to climb to my feet and Twilight jumped off. "We need to get ready if the storm's coming back," I declared, frowning at the slowly-revolving eyewall. We started back to the house. "I imagine it'll be at least another three days of crummy weather, endless gales and barrels of rain." I opened the door and Twilight trotted in ahead of me, heading straight for the couch. I followed and sat down beside her, my mind still focused on the fact that soon we would be back in the storm. That's when the radio crackled on.

"....thisshig rrrerrk...... winds still blowing at speeds well over 200........ meteorologists worldwide are clueless as to when the storm will end ........... everyone is asked to stay in their homes until further notice...... click tssssssssss......." The radio had shut itself off.

I groaned and sank down on the couch. Even the professionals had no idea when the hurricane would die out. It could be a few days, a week, hell maybe even a month for all we knew! I'd be stuck indoors the second we were outside the eye and back in the cyclone. All alone in my house with Twilight.

Who was being awfully quiet.

Twilight was actually staring at the radio, her eyes wide in amazement. She's probably never seen a radio before. Hasbro's certainly never shown us one. "What is that thing?" she asked suspiciously.

Oops. I didn't tell her about radios. I'm such a dumbbolt. So I launched into an explanation of radios and signals and, with Twilight's knowledge of the eye, why we haven't heard anything until now.

"So it's like a telephone only for a lot of people at once," Twilight summed up.

"Anyone who's tuned in," I confirmed. I unconsciously reached over and started scratching Twilight behind the ear. Her entire body relaxed and she slipped into my lap again, humming contentedly with her eyes closed.

"Should we be worried?" she asked, turning over and giving me access to her underside.

I started rubbing her warm belly again. It helped calm me down as much as it calmed Twilight. "I don't know. Honestly, I stopped worrying about things like this ever since I was alone. Nothing along the lines of 'living' really seemed to matter anymore."

"But what about Equestria? And other fans of the show, of Equestria? Don't they matter?" She sounded upset, like she wasn't happy with the way I was thinking. "What about starting your family anew? Surely that must matter to you."

Looking into her deep purple eyes, I struggled for an answer but none came. It was simply too distracting, some sad part of my mind still is disbelief concerning Twilight and the rest of me attempting to ignore the inevitable continuation of the possibly endless storm. With a groan, I gently slid Twilight off of me and walked over to the window. I stared through the stained image on the glass and out towards the eyewall. Tall, thin cyclones spun along the perimeter of the eye, a windy barrier against anyone who'd try to get out. Twilight joined me by the window, her face concerned but still stubbornly expectant.

"What's important to you?" she asked again.

I looked out at my mother's dead garden, at the fence my dad painted just a year ago. Turning around, I examined the contents of my home with a sense of realization. All around me were memories of my family: framed portraits and photographs, items they'd made and left behind, signs of great accomplishments and, probably most valuable of all, the family tree, going all the way up to my great-great grandfather, the first master of the house. All at once I felt revitalized. I remembered that life meant something and it shouldn't be wasted mourning uselessly. Twilight was right. One way or another, I would make my parents proud and start the family again. It would take time and effort, but I'm sure of one thing: My Little Pony has made everything easier.

Twilight managed to catch my wandering attention with a wave of her hoof. "Well?" she asked once more with a hint of worry.

I knelt down beside her. "You're right Twilight. Everything is falling into place now. The things I care about are fitting together like a puzzle of fate. I can't run away from the world anymore. I swear that I will try to become like other bronies and hopefully find some with whom I could share my feelings and thought on Equestria. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," I finished, holding my hand over my eye

The purple unicorn smiled at me. "I like what I hear. Nice touch on the Pinkie promise."

"It's one of those things you commit yourself to the first time you hear it." Grinning, I wrapped my arms around her in a tight embrace which she returned with outstretched hooves. She nuzzled my chest and I stroked her mane, feeling a new kind of joy and comfort. We separated and returned to the couch, only then realizing we lacked something. Something important. And it was I who pointed it out.

"Now what?"

"Well," Twilight began, "according to the radio announcer, this storm is unlike anything human meteorologists have ever seen and, to be honest, I don't remember a storm like this one ever occurring in Equestrian history. So we can hypothesize that this hurricane was not brought around by any natural means."

"No way it was Discord," I said immediately. The Equestrian chaos spirit always gave me the creeps. "He's under rock and key."

"No, it definitely wasn't Discord," Twilight agreed. "But It may have been some other creature unknown to Hasbro and thus unknown to you and anyone else here. There's a lot more than just draconequui and changelings when it comes to magical creatures in Equestria."

"Well I'm stumped. What do you think it is?"

Twilight clopped her hooves on the couch. "I'm not sure, but it may have been windigos. They were known to cause extreme blizzards and suchlike back when Equestria was first discovered."

Ah yes, the windigos. The defeat of the winter spirits and the founding of Equestria started the ponies' version of Christmas, Hearth's Warming Eve. Celebrated for different reasons than one of the world's most popular holidays, the Heart Carol the ponies sang during the episode is sometimes considered to be a real brony anthem. "Their power sort of matches the disaster," I said, looking out the window at the twisters again, "but there's just one problem: there aren't any windigos in this world as far as I know."

"Maybe they were created by something in your world then," Twilight suggested. "I don't know much about their past up until Hearth's Warming Eve, but we both know they feed off fighting and hatred. Did any humans get into a fight or something?"

I gave Twilight a humored look. How little she knew, it hurt to think about it. Oh well, better late than never. "Twilight, this may sound unbelievable but we humans are probably the most violent, evil and unforgiving race on the planet and, quite possibly, the universe."

Twilight gasped, her hooves clapped over her muzzle in shock. "I know it doesn't seem possible to you, you've known very little war but on Earth, large-scale quarrels and squabbles are numerous. State-wide battles are declared over the stupidest things, fights over our dwindling resources reducing our numbers. We are, without a doubt, the biggest threat to the planet."

The look Twilight gave me then was one of realization and horror. "If everything you said is true," she said with a twinge of fear, "if hatred and war are so common, then it's very likely that windgos have spawned."

"You really think there are giant, hate-hungry, storm-bringing horse-spirit-monsters flying around the country, and they're the ones behind the hurricane?"

"I'm here," Twilight said plainly, tapping my arm. "It's not unlikely that some windigos were created from these wars you've mentioned." Her expression became sad. "Is it really true though? Have humans really been fighting?"

I nodded. "A long time ago, there was a battle known as World War One. Nations and states all over the planet separated into two forces, which spent the next couple years in constant battle. The war ended with over sixteen million deaths, ranking World War One among the deadliest conflicts ever, only for it and all other past wars' death toll records to be shattered by World War Two." Twilight gasped in horror again. I sighed. "Twilight, if you don't want to hear anymore about this stuff, I completely underst—"

"No!" she yelled. Her reaction was quite unexpected. She quickly regained her composure. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to hearing about such big disasters. Please go on."

"Okay, I will. So World War Two rolled in and the world suffered its worst drop in population ever, over 2.5%." Twilight's expression of horror reached its peak. I'd never seen her or anypony else make a face so horrified in the show. "I'm still not sure if the world has ever fully recovered from the war. Some people are still shaken and the ones who were around at the time sometimes refuse to talk about their experiences."

Twilight plopped herself down on my lap and stared up at the ceiling in disbelief. "So much war," she mumbled, pawing the air in front of my nose. "So much hate. We ponies wouldn't last a month if we fought as much as you said humans do. I'm beginning to think that it really is windigos who're creating the storm. Their feeding off of the hate and resent left in the air from all the wars."

Great, I was afraid of that. If Twilight comes up with a theory or guess, I feel safer going along with her. "Is there anything we can do about them?" I asked, absent-mindedly running my fingers through her mane.

Twilight closed her eyes, enjoying the brushing. "Before Equestria was discovered, the three tribe leaders' assistants and advisers managed to eliminate the windigos with the Fire of Friendship." She stopped and opened her eyes. "But I don't know how we could possibly recreate that ancient piece of magic. Clover the Clever himself never fully understood it." She sighed and leaned back, gesturing with her hoof to continue my stroking.

I let my eyes travel around the room as I brushed Twilight's mane with my bare hands. Finally they rested upon the coffee table, upon which lay the Equinomicon. A thought came to me. "Couldn't we use a spell from the Equinomicon?" I asked Twilight, pointing at the book.

Twilight wrapped the tome in her levitation aura and floated it over. "I don't think we'll find anything in here," she said, flipping through the introductory page and the Ultimate Recovery Spell. "The rest of the book is still just gibberish and hooey."

"Bummer. We could've really used some outside help to deal with some outside forces."

"Windigos are pretty 'outside'," Twilight agreed, "but whatever's hidden in the Equinomicon is probably 'farther out' than anything either of us has ever encountered."

I nodded. "Without a doubt."

Twilight groaned. "I hate not being able to do anything about this!" she grumbled. "I'm so used to using the magic of friendship to solve the problems that I keep running into, but I can't fight the windigos with just my own magic. In fact, I don't know if I could fight windigos with my unicorn magic. I don't know any spells that would work on them, and I have no idea how to conjure the Fire of Friendship."

"It's at times like this when we have no choice but to wait for help," I said quietly. "Although, there's one thing you can always say that may very well help us out of this mess."

"What?" Twilight asked, looking up at me curiously. I grinned.

"Please."

As if it were just waiting for me to ask, the Equinomicon started to glow. My smile grew wider as Twilight stared at the book in disbelief, her mouth hanging open. "You've got to be kidding," she mumbled.

I started laughing. "Don't question it!" I roared, pulling her into an upright position on my lap. Twilight put her front hooves down before her to balance herself as I scooped up the Equinomicon and held it in front of us. The book flipped itself open to the scribbled-on-looking page directly opposite the Ultimate Recovery Spell.

"Shh," Twilight whispered excitedly, tapping the book. "The letter are moving!"

"I know, I know!" Sure enough, as it had yesterday, the previously illegible script was reorganizing itself into readable sentences.

Hello again, friends. The time has arrived
I am glad for us all that you have both survived
But that's enough suffering for the entire world
It's time to put an end to this-

Storming Out

BOOM!

The attention Twilight and I were giving the Equinomicon vanished as the house shook to its foundations. We fell to the floor, the book landing on my head with a thump. I scanned the room for the cause of the sudden tremor, although I knew whatever caused it wasn't likely indoors. "What was that?" I asked Twilight, not bothering to hide the fear in my voice.

Twilight gulped, her eyes trained on the window. "We were right. It is windigos." She raised a shaky hoof and pointed outside.

I turned my gaze to the window and almost fainted. Right outside, hovering with its long pale horse-face inches from the thick window, was a windigo. Its body was encased in cloudstuff and barely-visible gusts of wind. I couldn't hear it but judging by its open mouth, it was whinnying. "Mother of Celestia," I whispered, Twilight's ear close to my mouth. "That's disturbing."

"You think so?" She raised an eyebrow at me but then looked at my head. "Steven, the Equinomicon!"

I was about to reach up and pull the book off my head, which had started shaking on its own accord, when I realized something. I turned my eyes on Twilight, regarding the slightly panicked unicorn with a mixed sense of surprise and satisfaction. Twilight looked back at me confused. "Why're you just sitting there, Steven?" she asked. "Did I say something funny? Is there something on my face?"

I didn't reply. I merely stared back at her, Twilight's face the sole item in my field of vision. The Equinomicon vibrated on my head but I ignored it. Even the sound of the windigo howling at the window were suddenly muted. All because I'd realized something Twilight had just done. Something new. Something........ good.

"You used my name."

Twilight shied back a bit as if she'd been lightly shoved. "Yeah," she admitted, looking slightly confused. "What about it?"

"It's just that you never used my name before," I reminded her.

She walked around me and started pushing me to my feet from behind, using her magic to help. "Well, I felt bad, you know, after staying with you for two nights and not knowing your name, so I tried everything I could to find out but I was sick in the morning and we spent the rest of the day talking about Equestria and how it affects you guys and I completely forgot to ask who you were." She sounded disappointed with herself. "Guess my friendship studies didn't help me here."

I nodded, squatting so I wouldn't have to raise my voice too much over the windigo din. "Makes sense, but how did you find out my name without me telling you what it was?"

Twilight pointed to the wall. "While you were gathering your thoughts, I saw your family tree. It didn't take me long to figure out where you were on it," she said with a smile. Damn, that cute smile. It needs to stay on her face where I can see it.

Turning my head, I beamed at my family tree. Who'd have thought a record of relatives would be so helpful to a guest. "Well done Twilight," I said proudly. "I'm not sure I would've told you my name even if you'd have asked."

She shrugged. "That's what you say, but I don't think so." Twilight picked up the Equinomicon and laid it open in my lap. "Oh," she said, speechless.

"O-kaaaay," I muttered.

Screw it
Just get outside to the windigos

Apparently, the book had more than just pretty words up its spine. Not bothering to argue, me and Twilight hurried out the door with the Equinomicon tucked under my arm. We stepped out into the ruined garden. The wind was blowing hard and the crumbling shrubbery turned to dust before our eyes, whipping into the air. Of the windigos themselves there was no sign.

"What do we do now?" Twilight asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

I bent down and opened the book so we could both see. The previous charming lines had disappeared and in their place were new sentences, much like the ones from the other pages.

Windigos. Creatures of cold and hate
They bring about an aggressive, freezing fate
In the land of Equestria, so long ago
The Fire of Friendship dealt them a blow

But here, the Fire will be hard to find
For humans have left friendship behind
So much hate, mistrust, evil and war
(This news must have shaken you to the core)

The only way to relight the Fire
In this time which is so dire
You must find others who share your ideals
Your thoughts, behaviors, passions and feels

Together, united, in sync and en masse
Call upon a magic to bring peace that will last
From the windigos, this world you must protect
Before changing the feelings of mankind yet

To better help clean up this cold hateful mess
A secret inside will aid in your success
If the foundations of the spell are laid out just right
Help will come and assist you in the fight

——————————————————

The windigos are upon us now
It's up to the you, I've told you how
Now quick, begin and cast the spell
And save us from this stormy hell

I read the passage over, trying to understand what the Equinomicon was telling us. Twilight had her eyes glued to the page, equally baffled. She looked up at me. "I hope we can pull this off," she said nervously. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this spell requires more than just the two of us."

"Let's hope that's not it then," I said worriedly. But her concern were understandable. In the show it took three ponies, one unicorn, one pegasus and one earth pony, who managed to overcome their differences and ignite the Fire of Friendship. We were attempting to pull of the same feat with one unicorn learned in the magic of friendship and one guy who had no friends up until a few days ago: me. It didn't look very promising

"We have to try." Putting the book down on a mound of dust that may have once been a flowering shrub, I read the spell again. "We need to stand together to get this thing going."

Twilight still looked anxious. "I don't know if our combined strength will be enough to fuel the spell," she muttered, putting her head down in defeat. Her eyes were getting wet. "I just don't know."

I sidled up beside her and put my arm around Twilight's neck, cuddling her until she looked up. "If we don't try, we'll never know," I told her quietly. "The book says that if we can start the spell, something's gonna help us. If we want that help, we need to help ourselves first."

Twilight blinked a few times, then looked up at the overly-overcast sky. "Okay then," she said, brushing a partly-formed tear from her eye. "Let's try it."

She stationed herself on one side of the book while I kneeled opposite her. Reaching out across the Equinomicon, I reached for her front hooves and grasped them. Together we sat in my ruined yard while the storm of the century raged around us in the distance. We sat there for a minute or two before we realized.... nothing was happening.

"Why's it not working?"

Twilight and I looked around, but the weather was exactly the same, although there were still no windigos, which was strange because there was one right outside the window not five minutes ago.

Twilight slumped. "We're not strong enough. The magic of friendship is too weak here to ignite the Fire within us. It's all over." Tears began to roll down her cheeks and, without asking (and without objection on my part), she threw her hooves around me in a comfort hug. I returned the gesture, gently squeezing the crying unicorn. I had to agree with her: things were looking quite hopeless. What I saw next didn't help either.

The windigo flew in from the back of the house, its ghost-like body waving behind it. It was lacking necessary facial parts, but I was positive it was smiling. Its eyes glinted evilly. Like a gust of wind, it flew around the two of us, whinnying and snorting. Finally it stopped in front of my face, staring at me with its lustrous eyes. I glared back at the winter spirit with contempt. It was then when I realized just how much I really hated them.

Arching its head back, the windigo whinnied loudly and its call echoed across the neighborhood. I can only imagine what the other humans were thinking right then and there: the end of the world was upon them. Close enough. The windigo turned its head towards the eyewall and I felt compelled to follow its gaze. What I saw freaked me out more than I already was.

Three more windigos were hovering beside the eyewall. Their gaseous bodies should have been sucked out of the eye and into the hurricane, but some Equestrian magic of sorts was holding them together. The trio of equine winter spirits raised their heads when they heard the call of their brethren. They began to fly in and out of the eyewall, back and forth through the cloudy walls. Lightning began to flash every five seconds, filling the air with the crash of thunder.

All the noise in the distance managed to rouse Twilight from her sobs. She pulled her head up and turned in the direction of the noise. Her eyes went wide as I'd ever seen them. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped. She squirmed in my arms as though she were trying to get as close to me as possible and out of sight. "What are they doing?"

I watched the horse wraiths fly back and forth, breaking through the windy barrier again and again. Then it hit me.

"They're breaking the eye open."

The conclusion we both came to at that moment was alarming. The windigos were trying to form a crack in the breezy eyewall. Such a thing could never occur naturally and may very well cause the hurricane to fill up inside the eye and start its forming all over. But by then, anything inside the previous eye will have suffered the brunt of the hurricane.

"We can't let them do that!" Twilight yelped. "If they break open the eye, everypony—sorry, everybody—will get hurt!"

"Or worse," I added in an undertone. "We have to stop them."

Twilight shivered. "We tried to use the spell, but it didn't work."

"Let's try again," I said, looking down at the frightened unicorn in my arms. "We have to stop the windigos. Otherwise, it's all over. I'll never get the chance to make some friends and you'll never get back to Equestria."

My words had an affect on Twilight. She looked up at me, her eyes were still wet but her expression was now calm. "You're right. We have to stop them." She lit her horn and picked up the Equinomicon with her magic, floating it over so we could both read it. "I'm not sure what we did wrong. We did exactly what the Equinomicon said."

I read the spell over, trying to look for something we missed. "This world is consumed by hate and doubt. We have to show that there is some love and trust left here."

"Hugs are good for that kind of thing," Twilight said, sounding more like a Care Bear than the little pony she was. "Should we try it?"

"It's not like we didn't before," I reminded, "but maybe it'll be different this time."

Twilight nodded in agreement. She drew nearer and wrapped her hooves around my chest. My arms encircled her furry coat and I lifted her off the ground, her back hooves still in the air as though she were standing on some unseen platform. She nuzzled me with her nose and I cuddled her like before, but there seemed to be a difference this time. We knew that only with our friendship could we fight the windigos. Only together would we prevail.

A pleasant warmth began to well up inside of me. I lifted my head from Twilight's mane and saw a brilliant purple aura surrounding us. It was radiating from our chests. Twilight turned her head and saw it too.

"It's working!" she cheered.

The windigo nearest us noticed the glow. It flew at us like a missile but glanced off the aura as though it were titanium. The winter spirit whinnied angrily and flew off towards the eyewall. It snorted at its kin, who turned to face us. Even from that distance, we could feel their glares.

I looked around, but so far nothing other than our aura had appeared. "We're still missing something," I whispered to Twilight.

Twilight smiled reassuringly at me. "The Equinomicon said that once we've started the spell, we'll get some help." She didn't look very worried at all. It put me at ease. Just a bit.

Then the eyewall got busted.

In a torrent of opposing air currents, three spindly tornadoes separated from the eyewall and went spinning across the land, sucking up leftover debris from the hurricane and sending them into the air. The windigos looked smugly at the destruction that began to seep back into the area.

"Dammit!" I yelled, the tornadoes' ruckus making it hard to hear myself. "They've done it now!"

"Steven, look!" Twilight hollered, pointing over my shoulder.

I spun around, still holding my friend, and looked over my fence and into the city. A pillar of light had shot up from inside the town. A tall, gleaming shaft of orange light, very much like the Elements' rainbow beam only a single color. It rose into the air until it towered over the tallest buildings.

"What is that?" I asked Twilight, excitement building up inside me.

Twilight looked proud. "Whatever it is, it's magic! The magic of friendship!"

"Seriously?" I said, disbelieving but relieved. "How is there friendship magic here?"

"I don't know," Twilight admitted, "but if it is, we can use it. I think that might be the assistance we need."

I looked again at the column of orange magic. "Okay. How do we get it here?"

"Oh." Twilight's face fell. "Didn't think about that."

Lucky for her, she didn't have to because right then the magic shaft arced over the town and streamed towards us, its tail end still somewhere in the city. The top of the orange strip of light swirled around us, adding its vibrant color to our aura. I could feel the positive energy it radiated as it merged with our spell.

"Well," I said plainly. "I guess that answers my question."

"Yep," Twilight agreed.

The windigos saw the purple-and-orange light surrounding us and made a beeline in our direction. They flew at us and waved their cerulean hooves, but they couldn't get through our magic barrier. Instead, they began to fly around us in circles. Ice began to build at the base of our shield, slowly rising.

I pointed this out to Twilight, still holding on to her vigorously, refusing to break our connection for fear of ending the spell. "They're trying to freeze us, just like they did with the tribe leaders and their assistants."

"I know, I know," Twilight said, sounding a little concerned. "Even with the other bit of magic, it's obviously not enough to summon the Fire of Friendship. And since I don't know where it came from, I don't know how we could find more before our bodies are frozen inside our shield."

"Wait," I said. "When you and the other ponies used the Elements of Harmony, they would each project a beam of light to form a rainbow, each beam the color of your coats."

Twilight nodded. "Yes."

Tightening my grip so as not to drop her, I turned my whole body towards town so that both of us could see without moving too much. The orange shaft of energy was still streaming from its unknown origin point. "If there's someone in town who is generating an orange beam of magic, most likely Applejack's element of honesty, that person has got to feel the same way as we do. There may very well be four others like that representing the other four Elements."

Twilight smiled broadly. "You know, that makes sense!" She looked out at the city. Leaves and bits of paper were beginning to fly in the gusts from the slowly-nearing tornadoes and rapid spins of the windigos. "But do you really think that there are more people who feel and think the same as us?"

"It's very possible Twilight. And I hope so."

"Me too."

The windigos' ice had risen a foot-and-a-half from the base of our magic barrier. Twilight squinted through a cloud of dust that rolled over the street. "Here comes another one, Steven!" she yelled excitedly

I looked to the left of the orange shaft and saw a shining pale-yellow light pillar erupt from a different neighborhood. It rose into the air then shot down towards me and Twilight, circling us and adding its bright color to our already vibrant spell. Our eyes were just getting used to the bright addition to the purple and orange that made up our spell when three more shafts of magic soared up from various parts of town, one pink, one white and the last one a light cerulean. They shot up and over the houses and buildings and hurtled down towards us, forcing the windigos to scatter as the three new shafts of magic merged with our shield.

Twilight jumped in my arms. "This is amazing!" she yelled over the humming of the magic bands flying around us. The five strips, orange, yellow, pink, white and blue spun on the surface of our purple dome-like shield. The windigos continued to beat at the barrier with no luck. I could feel the energy of the spell and even managed to decipher the different feelings coming from each addition: sincerity, compassion, mirth, benevolence and devotion.

I lifted Twilight and looked her in the eye. "Are we almost there?" I asked, unable to stop the grin sliding across my face.

"I have no idea!" Twilight announced gleefully. It was clear that she was consumed by the positive feeling the whole magical construct was giving off. "But if I had to make a guess, I'd say we're almost there."

I noticed the windigos' ice reaching the halfway point on our shield. Through it, I could barely make out my house or the street. "Should we be worried that the ice might encase us before the spell is complete?"

Twilight's smile slowly disappeared as she watched of five shafts of magic continue to pour themselves into the top of the dome. She looked at the ice as it inched past her eye-level. "No," she said, her voice wavering. "I'm pretty sure we'll have enough energy to summon the Fire before anything bad happens...."

The ice passed her horn-height, leaving just a foot of our shield exposed to the natural elements. Outside, more tornadoes disconnected from the eyewall and gales of wind burst from the rip. The windigos whinnied with glee as a breeze leaked into our spell and chilled the two of us. The five bands on the surface of our shield continued to encircle us but not quite as fast as before, and they appeared to be dimming. It looked as though the spell was failing.

Twilight shivered. "I don't know what to tell you, Steven," she said sadly, her grip weakening around my back. "There's only so much of our spell free of the windigos' ice. Even with the friendship magic from the other five, it's not enough to fight the hate your home world is pervaded with." And with that, she began to cry. Not like before. This time Twilight's cry was steeped with remorse. "I'm so sorry, Steven."

I held her with one arm and brushed my other hand through her mane in an attempt to calm her down. "It's not you fault, Twilight. Humans have a nature and it can't be expected to change to suit disasters." I closed my eyes and thought about the many wars that were fought over trivial matters. "They never have before."

"And now we're all going to suffer from it." We both turned our heads as the tornadoes began to dance at the edge of town, bare tree branches snapping off and stones rolling over the ground. The ice had almost entirely encased us. "I just hope the others will be fine. I can just imagine how worried they are."

The idea of Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike grieving over the loss of Twilight ignited something inside me. All at once, I felt that I couldn't give up and refused to surrendered myself to the icy fate creeping over us. A special warmth spread out over my chilled arms and heated up the inside of the dome. Twilight shuddered at the sudden change in temperature. "What is that?" she asked, her eyes searching desperately for the cause.

I stroked her soft mane and brought her close to my chest. "That," I said slowly, a smile flickering across my face, "is friendship."

I don't know what drove me but I bent over and kissed Twilight on the head, right beside her horn.

Any and all ice in my yard shattered spectacularly as our shield suddenly expanded outwards like a sonic wave, blowing the windigos out over the street. The second the wave of magic hit the tornadoes, they flickered and blew out like birthday candles. The breach in the hurricane began to seal up, cutting off the intense gale and bringing calm inside the eye. The five shafts of magic disconnected from their source and flowed up and out of the city, each one capped off at the end with a large notch in the beam. The shafts streamed around us, forming another larger barrier.

Twilight and I began to rise into the air, lifted off the ground by a magic other than the one we were commanding together. Finding the air beneath us solid, I kneeled so that we could face each other. Twilight looked at me, her large eyes bright with joy. "It's working," she said, putting a hoof on my knee. "I can feel the magic welling up inside of me."

"Is that what it is? And there was me thinking it was..... never mind."

We looked around at the windigos. They were flying towards us again, waving their hooves angrily. "The Fire sill hasn't ignited!" Twilight yelped.

"We got this far," I pointed out. "What more do we need to get it started?"

Twilight touched her chin thoughtfully. The windigos threw themselves against our new barrier. She smiled awkwardly. "I think I know what will finish the spell," she said quietly.

"Okay," I said, a bit intrigued by whatever had come to her mind. "What?"

Twilight reared up, closed her eyes, leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

I could feel her lips pressing against my cheek. My vision was taken up by her vivid face, but past that I could see a flash of bright pink and the temperature went up by several degrees, leaving me even warmer than before. Not wanting to stop Twilight's....... activity, for more reasons than one, I let my eyes turn upwards. Right above our heads, burning brightly as it did all those years ago in Equestria, was the Fire of Friendship.

"Twilight," I whispered. "We did it."

She slowly loosened her grip and sat down in front of me, the both of us still hovering. "It worked?" she said in surprise.

"Yep." I nodded and pointed up. "What made you think that kissing me would light the Fire?"

"Well," she said, slightly embarrassed, "you managed to activate the next stage of the spell with a kiss to me and I reasoned that since a kiss is a symbol of ultimate friendship between two individuals, I figured it might work the other way too." She wiped her hoof across her muzzle. "Although, it wasn't too bad for the first time."

"Hmm." We looked up at the burning, heart-shaped flame. A loud shriek caught our attention and we turned around. The windigos were breaking up in its bright light, literally being blown to bits by the magic of friendship. They howled and whinnied and roared like the storm, but they were finished. In a few moments, there wasn't a trace. The windigos were gone.

The aura me and Twilight were radiating began to fade and we slowly floated to the ground. I stood up and breathed in. The air smelled sweet, like a bed of fresh roses. The hole at the top of the eye showed clear skies that looked as though they were gradually becoming larger, which must've meant—

"The hurricane is dying out!" I yelled jubilantly.

Yes. After five long days of harsh winds, endless rain and chilling cold, the Category 5 cyclone was coming to an end. People can go back to their everyday lives, children can go back to school, and everyone would be able to see their friends again. There would be a lot of cleanup work for people like me, but life would soon be back to the way it was.

Except for mine.

I turned to look at the purple unicorn pony with whom I was sharing the garden. Her eyes were gleaming with joy, her smile the brightest thing in the yard, her mane shimmering in the bright, clear, unobstructed sunlight. Twilight was staring at the rapidly-changing climate with a look of fascination and exhilaration. She ran to the fence on the right side of the garden and watched the cyclone fade into sparse gusts of wind, then to the other side to do the same thing. It was quite the sight but she was treating it like she'd never get another chance to see such a spectacle (which was probably true).

I joined her at the left wall. "We're in the clear now," I told Twilight. "Soon everything will be just right again."

Twilight turned and looked up at me. Her face was still within the description I'd given. "Except for you," she said, still smiling.

"Yeah, I guess you're right" I agreed, scratching my head and mentally counting off the major differences. "My life is probably not gonna be as quite or lonely as it was before and—"

I didn't get any further because at that same moment Twilight leapt up, threw her hooves around my head and kissed me on the lips.

My instincts kicked in. I quickly wrapped my arms around her body to keep her upright and locked lips with Twilight. Her mouth felt warm against mine and her breath smelled sweeter than I'd imagined. My vision was entirely taken up with purple but I wasn't interested in seeing anything else at the moment. My mind went fuzzy and my heart was beating like there was no tomorrow which, because of the two of us, there would be. At that moment, only one thing mattered to me.

We relaxed our hold over each other and Twilight pulled her head back a few inches and opened her eyes. She looked content and just a little dazed. "That was..... really nice," she said with deliberate slowness.

"Three kisses in one day," I said with equal leisure. "And two of them weren't my own design."

"Only half of it," Twilight shot back cheekily.

Smiling broadly, I carried Twilight into the house, the sky clearing up behind and around us. Nothing inside the house had been upset despite the momentary increase in mad weather during the last few moments of the storm. Everything was in its correct place.

"Don't you think it's strange how your house came away from all this unscathed?" Twilight asked.

I leaned in and nuzzled her. "Not with a guardian angel in it," I replied.

We went into the kitchen and started breaking out more food than we would probably be able to eat, but we felt that this was a time to celebrate. Our early lunch was long and hearty, probably because we elected to sit beside each other instead of opposite. When lunch was over, we went to the couch and snuggled, whispering to one another the secrets of our world.

Only to be interrupted by the telephone.

Damn, how I jumped! After not hearing the phone for almost a week, I'd almost forgotten what it sounds like. Grunting about my being forced to leave Twilight alone for even a minute, I got up, walked to the windowsill and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Steve, old boy! It's good to hear your voice again."

My mind raced. It was the head of the construction team, Forrest Claymore. There were days when I wondered whether that was his real name. Wonder what he's phoning about, aside form the obvious. "Nice to hear you too, sir."

"Oh don't be so formal, Steven," he told me with a laugh. "We've known each other for years now and you're a loyal worker."

I turned towards the couch. Twilight was leaning over the top, her head resting on her hooves and a lazy smile over her face. Loyal, huh? More than you think, boss. "So," I said. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh you," Forrest chuckled. "Anyways, as you may have probably definitely noticed, that son-of-a-gun twister has gone and blown itself out."

Not exactly, but- "I saw, Forrest. Boy, did I see it."

"Well, the storm has caused considerable damage to the land, but what matters to us right now is the city. The streets are littered with everything from clouds of newspapers to fallen lampposts and insured citizens need repairs done on their homes. There's barely a building in town that doesn't need some kind of fixing."

Twilight twisted so that she was staring at me upside-down. I was having a hard time focusing on the conversation. My mind was elsewhere. "So I take it I'm on duty tomorrow?" I asked, eager to wrap up.

"You and the entire team, Stevie boy," Forrest said heavily. "And for a while too. The city's been trashed. The garbage disposal's gonna be working overtime and the electricians' wire stashes may be depleted before their work is over. Now is a good time not to be on the city council," he added in a humored tone.

"Yeah."

Twilight levitated a spoon from the table and tapped my shoulder with it. Her message was clear: Finish up over there. Pleeeease. I could almost feel her thoughts floating around in the air. Must be the magic. "Alright Forrest," I said, wresting the utensil from Twilight's enchanted grip with my other hand. "I'll see you tomorrow at nine, okay?"

"Good man," he said. "See you then, Steven. And welcome back to the way things were."

I hung up the phone, thinking about those last few words. The way things were? I doubt it. I walked back to the couch and was immediately pulled down onto it by Twilight, who was still looking unfocused.

"So," she said, leaning her head against my chest. "You gotta go back to work tomorrow?"

I frowned. "Twilight, I'm not going to converse with you in this state," I told her sternly.

Twilight merely smiled sheepishly. "What state?" she asked innocently.

Sighing, I picked up the Equinomicon and held it in front of her face, hoping that the sight of a book would snap her out of....... it. Twilight's eyes focused lazily on the brown cover and she dragged a hoof along its surface. "Pretty," she mumbled incoherently.

Great, she's out of it. What do I try now? Belly rubs? No, that will just make her sillier. Hugs? Maybe as a last resort. Another kiss? Hell no, not when trying to start a conversation. Then out of the blue, an idea came to me.

"Twilight, what's the square root of five hundred and forty-six?"

I don't know how that number popped into my head, possibly from my 12th grade math exam, but it worked. Twilight sat bolt upright, her eyes opened to normal, and she recited, "Twenty-three point three six six six four two eight nine one zero nine!" She then flopped back on top of me, awake and aware. She turned over and looked up at me. "Why'd you ask?"

Instead of replying, I wrapped an arm around Twilight and pulled her in for a hug. "Nothing really," I said calmly. "Now, you were asking a question."

"I was?" she said, perplexed. Then her face lit up. "Oh yes, I was!"

Good, she remembered the important bit. I'll appeal to her silly and childish—or is it foalish—side later. "You asked me what I would be doing tomorrow. As you may have overheard, my boss is getting the whole construction team together to help clean and fix up the town. I'm going to be gone most of the day for maybe the next week."

"Aww," Twilight sighed. "What does that mean for me? Could I come with you?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go wandering the streets."

"Why not?"

"Humans are ridiculous. If they see a creatures as special and unreal-looking as you, they'll probably lock you up for studying and experimenting."

Twilight shuddered. I realized that my voice was blunt and dead-serious. "Sorry," I said quickly, snuggling her.

"It's okay," she replied reassuringly, returning the hug. "I just wish we would have more time together."

I looked around my house. Forrest's phone call had brought to my attention just how little Twilight actually knew about my world. She wasn't prepared for it yet. "You're right. We still have what to talk about and I'm not going to sleep tonight until I know you can take care of yourself at home."

"Great!" Twilight exclaimed, clopping her hooves together. "What do I need to know first?"

Laying the Equinomicon on the table, I picked up the purple unicorn and carried her to my room. My computer was sitting dormant on the desk in the corner, as it had since the storm blew. The hurricane had knocked out the wireless, making it useless, but now the modem's lights were glowing merrily. Seating Twilight in the chair in front of the computer, I bent down and hit the power button. The monitor flashed on, going through the loading screens.

Twilight was captivated. "Ooooooh," she exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the computer. "What does this do?"

Secret Lives and Suspicious Minds

*Twilight POV*

"Sooo, giggle at the ghostly
Guffaw at the grossly—"

"Pfft. Pinkie, if you were real, I'd giggles at ghosts too."

"Hi!"

"AAH! AAH!"

Laughing, I clicked the mouse to pause the video. I couldn't help it. It presented Pinkie in the same way I knew she would handle such a situation. And watching that guy fall backwards wasn't too bad either.

I leaned back in my chair and sighed. Ever since the excitement from the storm had died down, people were doing their best to get back to their normal lives. Which meant Steven as well. As a member of the construction team, it was his job to help clean up and fix the damage that was caused during the storm. Every morning, we would have breakfast together, spend a few minutes on the couch, then he'd wish me a good day and leave the house to go work. Several hours later he would return with stories from the city, of the things he put up and took down while clearing the streets. After that came dinner, another cuddle and then bed.

At first, I thought that I'd be spending the time that Steven was out reading books and watching Hasbro's videos of Equestria. But right after he taught me how to use the TV, Steven introduced me to the computer. He taught me everything I needed to know: how to use it, how to access different programs and browsers, how to create my own files. It was amazing. Information of every imaginable kind was on the Internet and I loved it. One of the best parts were all the different websites for the bronies, by the bronies and starring the pony-loving bronies. They had stories written, art drawn, songs composed and videos filmed all about me and everypony else in Equestria. Some of it was surprisingly accurate and others, while not as accurate, were hilarious.

Although I could easily keep myself busy every day with the computer, I now had an empty hole inside of me, like something was missing most of the time. Whenever Steven would come home, the hole would instantly disappear like a cloudy sky under Rainbow Dash's supervision. It took me several days of thinking and research until I came to a rather startling conclusion.

I was lonesome.

Me, Twilight Sparkle, the star student of Princess Celestia, friend to five wonderful ponies, and the Element of Magic, lonesome. It was hard to believe. After all, I had tons of friends in Equestria, but ever since I'd arrived in Steven's world, I'd felt as though my connection to my friends was failing. I would reinforce my mind with thoughts of Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike and Rainbow Dash by going through the countless images of them online, cherishing each and every picture I ran into, but although I found forgetting them impossible and unwanted, my heart still felt empty.

I found out that I'd become dependent on Steven's friendship. When I told him about my feelings and findings one evening, he was more than happy to discuss them. With his hand brushing my mane in a relaxing manner, we concluded that even though I relied on his company to find joy in the moment, Steven would always be willing to stay by me. He even offered to not go to work for a few days but I turned it down, knowing that it would damage his lifestyle and mine. I really am fortunate to have come across such a good friend.

As I sat there scrolling through pony YouTube videos, I wondered exactly what made Steven choose to work at something as dirty and dull-sounding as construction.

*Steven POV*

"Watch your head, Steven!"

"Thanks, Rick! Hey Daniel, pass me those I-beams. And don't throw them this time!"

"Sure thing, Steve!"

I picked up the sturdy metal beams Daniel had dropped at my feet. Dusting my hands on my trousers, I looked around. The park was probably one of the places with the most weather damage done to it: trees uprooted, rivers mucked up with debris, bridges collapsed, benches bent and the bandstand and gazebo wrecked. Forrest had estimated about a week of effort from all the groups before the park could be open to the public again, but so far things were going smoothly. As we fixed up the gazebo's support beams and repaired the roof, I looked back on the fond memories I had of it with my parents and wondered whether I could make more of those.

"Oy, Steven! Snap out of it and get to work please! Thank you!"

Restless still? When will he learn some patience? That's Rick, sometimes called Ricky. He's a hard worker, good for getting a job done, but can never seem to wait around for more than ten seconds without flipping out. He isn't violent but he sure is loud. "Sorry, Rick. Just zoned out for a moment there."

"INCOMING!"

Rick and I both ducked as a mass of human and roofing tiles swung over our heads before landing smoothly on the gazebo's new floor. Daniel was the packhorse of the team. You could laden his back with anything, from equipment to materials, and he won't slack even if he's weighed down and his load drags behind him. His entries tended to be extraordinary and over the top, but he was in no way a joker. Whenever things got serious, Daniel would toughen up and get to work.

"Geez, Dan!" Rick shouted. "You should be more careful."

Daniel looked down at the roofing tiles he was lugging when he swung in on the support rope. They were all neatly stacked, not one out of place. "I am careful, Ricky," he said. "You're just edgy."

"You probably meant cautious," Rick corrected him.

"Did I say that?" Daniel asked naively. "Hey Steve, did I say that?"

I shook my head. Watching these two go at each other always put a smile on my face, no matter how in inappropriate that was. "He didn't say cautious, Rick. So he obviously didn't mean cautious."

"Bah. You're always siding with Dan."

"Only when I'm right," Daniel put in snidely. He started stuffing a trash bag with stone chips and broken planks. "Looking forward to getting back to watching TV?"

"As long as it's not that My Little Pony crap," Rick said in a surly manner. "It's taken a percentage of man down to a crummy level."

Oh darn. Rick doesn't like the show. In fact, judging by his tone, I'd say he greatly dislikes it. I'd have to watch my step now. He obviously doesn't think highly of bronies. Just thinking of how he'd react if he found out I was one gave me the willpower to shut up, as I have since the first day of work.

"Hey hey hey, take it slow with the show," Daniel criticized, pointing a blaming finger at Rick. "I'm guessing you don't watch it and probably never have. How do you know if it's garbage or disrespectful? Men watch things like the Powerpuff Girls and Kim Possible and whatnot, why do you only flip out about ponies?"

Rick squinted at him suspiciously. "Why are you defending a show for little girls?"

Daniel sighed and shook his head sympathetically. "There's always a reason to protect if there's no reason to hate." He put his hands on the ground and, with an astounding shift of weight, raised his legs above his head and kicked out at a bag of garbage, knocking it out of the gazebo and directly into the dumpster beside it.

I stared in amazement as Daniel righted himself, stood up and adjusted his hat. People don't just kick like that. In fact, no human kicks like that. I added up everything I knew about Daniel, which was hard because I never tried to talk to him about his personal life even though we spent so much time together at work. I had to end it with a hunch, but I was still quite sure of it

"Enough with the circus crap, Daniel," Rick scolded, shaking his head. He picked up a second garbage bag and threw it away normally. "You're not an animal."

Daniel walked past me and Rick with a smug smile on his face. "Shows how much he knows," he whispered so that only I could hear.

We picked up the shingles and climbed back onto the roof to put them into place. The sun was out, shining brightly through whatever trees were still standing. It was great to see it after so much time in the overcast darkness. Halfway through his pile however, Daniel spread himself out on the roof and looked up at the sky. "Ah, the sun," he muttered. "What are we without it?"

"Blind?" Rick offered.

"Yeah, that, but also hopeless and misguided. Without the sun, we wouldn't be here. She inspires us to do better and seek out the good in the world. Without her, life would be different from the way we know it." And with a flourish, Daniel rocked onto his knees, raised his arms to the heavens and declared, "We love you, Tia!"

I stopped. Stopped working, stopped moving, stopped brea.... No, I didn't stop breathing, but man did I stop. If I wasn't leaning against my shingles I would've fallen from the roof. My brain quickly replayed what Daniel had just said and confirmed it. He had used Princess Celestia's fan-nickname. Coincidence? Yeah right.

Rick's eyebrows got lost in his bangs. "Now I know you've lost it," he said, clapping a hand over Dan's shoulder. "Don't worry. I know you'll come back eventually."

"Of course, the moon's helpful too," Daniel continued, ignoring Rick's implied insult. "Reflecting Tia's light by night, she watches over us in our sleep too."

"Sounds creepy," Rick said dryly. Then he turned to me "What say you, Steven?"

I looked at Rick. He stared back at me, waiting for my reply, his arms crossed in front of his chest. When I turned towards Daniel, I found his face tinged with red. He looked embarrassed, as though he'd let loose a secret that should have remained hidden. I understood why: if Rick didn't like My Little Pony and found out that Daniel watches the show, things could get unpleasant. I had an idea of what to say, something that could end this mess before it got started, but it would be risky on my part and may not even work. But thinking about Twilight sitting at home and the reality of it all gave me the courage I needed to say it.

"I find it simply not safe for Woona."

Their reactions were surprisingly controlled. Rick gave me a 'what the hell' look and Daniel's eyes opened wide. He squinted at me, pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes and slowly turned around to get back to work, acting like nothing happened. I knew then that he'd gotten the message.

"You know what?" Rick announced suddenly. "I think you both got fried during the hurricane."

"If we're already talking about the hurricane," Daniel interrupted, "how about that weird light on the last day?"

Rick groaned. "And another guy who's geeking out about stupid fireworks."

"They weren't fireworks, Ricky," I said truthfully, knowing neither of them would have guessed anything close to it. "They were huge arcs of multicolored light."

"You saw them too?" Daniel asked, sounding just a bit surprised. I nodded in confirmation and he smiled gratefully.

"What's gotten into you guys?" Rick demanded, glancing back and forth between us. "Just two weeks ago, you were all sober and you.... Well, you've just gotten bouncier. Seriously, what were you guys doing during the storm?"

"Watching movies, writing stories, drawing pictures, composing music and sleeping," Daniel announced, throwing cracked shingles over his shoulder and into the dumpster below in time with his listing.

"More of the same," I said. But in my head, all I can think was, Not that you'd believe me, Rick, but my life has changed infinitely because of a certain somepony who you would probably pass over as a figment of your imagination. "Although I do feel different. I guess some things do change in our lives."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Soooo," Daniel said after an awkward and decently-lengthened silence. "What do you guys have planned for tonight?"

"I'm gonna hang out with some friends and watch a match or two," Rick replied. "Pizza, chips, soda and games all night."

I shuddered. For some reason, the thought of a bunch of people in one house with food, drink and TV gave me the chills. I don't think I could've pulled off something like that and attending such an event was out of the question. But then Dan spoke up, "You really should find more constructive things to do, Ricky. Too much mucking around isn't so good for you."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna be doing tonight?" Rick shot back.

Daniel shrugged. "Get together with some friends and talk," he said quietly.

"There, you see? The exact same f**king thing."

I don't like cursing. It's excessive, pointless and, like drugs, only makes you want to do it more. Yet people use it almost every day, in any sentence. When I became a brony, one of the first things which I found appealed to me most were 'ponified' swears and slang, words like plot, clop and Mother of Celestia. They made for a much better alternative than the original words and although I've only used them recently in conversation with Twilight, I've always dreamed of saying it to someone else.

"Most would prefer you said 'buck' instead," I informed, my head turned away but my eyes focused.

Outside of Rick's field of vision, Daniel's smile shone like the sun as he beamed with enough strength to challenge Pinkie Pie. His fingers were curled into an obvious hoof just waiting to be bumped, but he held himself back, knowing that he couldn't just reveal himself. Once more, he nodded in understanding. Rick gave me another confused look, this one mixed with some rage. "Quit it," he mumbled. "I don't know what you're playing at, but stop it right now. Don't go making up words."

Who's making up words? I argued inwardly. Half the words used as insults and cussing were pure and simple until they were developed into what they are today by people like you. My thoughts were vicious, but they felt justified. Who was Rick to tell me how to speak when his own tongue was soiled by verbal filth? I was about to say this to him out loud when I caught sight of Daniel. He was shaking his head, his smile diminished slightly. He was hiding his joy.

Afterwards, he mouthed at me. I blinked my eyes at him, the most discreet sign I could come up with. "Aaaaaaand cut!" Daniel shouted. "Okay people, that's a wrap." Rick jumped at the sudden explosion of sound, but Daniel just kept going. "These tiles ain't gonna lay themselves. Let's get this show on the road!"

He leapt up and started setting the shingles into the roof. Smiling on the inside, I imitated him. Together we worked, two hidden fans with a secret to share. Rick stared at us for a minute before shrugging awkwardly and getting back to work himself. Nothing else weird happened after that and the day's work went smoothly. A short while later, we'd finished repairing the roof. Forrest gave us our pay and told us to be ready for tomorrow, when we would finish fixing the gazebo.

"Well, see ya round folks!" Rick called as he started off home. "I've got stuff to catch up on."

"See you tomorrow!" Daniel and I replied, waving farewell.

We exited the park and stood side by side on the sidewalk. Daniel glanced around warily, pulled out a pocket notebook and scribbled something on it. He then tore out the paper, folded it in half and handed it to me. I was confused "What's this?"

Daniel smiled genuinely. "Open it up when you're ready," he said mysteriously. "See ya 'round, sugarcube." Then he tipped his hat, spun around and headed down the street with a hop, skip and jump.

I looked at the folded note in my hand. Should I read it now or wait till I get home? It was tempting to open the note, but I decided it would be nicer if Twilight was there with me when I read it. So, with cheer in my heart and curiosity on the brain, I hurried home as fast as I could, taking satisfaction in seeing people going about their daily business as they should be allowed to.

Last Minute Changes

*Twilight POV*

When Steven came back, I realized just how crazy I was for company. The moment I heard the key in the lock, I jumped out of my chair and dashed for the door, colliding with Steven's legs and throwing him off balance. He stumbled inside and spun around until we crashed onto the couch.

"I'm still not used to that," Steven said, laying himself flat on the couch and lifting me on top of him. "You really need to choose a less energetic greeting."

"Never," I replied cheekily, nuzzling his hand. "So, had a nice day?"

Steven started scratching my ear. "Well, it was interesting."

"More than the last few days?" I closed my eyes and sighed peacefully.

"Just a bit." He moved from ear-scratching to cuddling. "One of my workmates was being openly negative towards Equestria and the show, coming up with some of the dumbest reasons I've ever heard."

"What, that bronies aren't real men and are ruining the Internet?" I offered.

"Spot on. Have you been reading YouTube comments?"

"They're not always mean and nasty." I shifted under Steven's arm. "But they really have no other reason to hate us other than being different."

"That's always been the case with humans, Twilight. We can never let change into our lives."

"Mmm. It is depressing sometimes." This conversation was getting depressing. I decided to try and brighten it up a bit. "Did anything nice happen today to make up for your workmate's bad-mouthing?"

"Yes, now that you mention it. I discovered that another of my workmates is a brony."

"Really?" I asked excitedly, rolling over. "What's he like? Who's his favorite pony?"

"We didn't get too deep into conversation about that because of the other guy," Steven explained. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. "He gave me this before we parted ways."

"What is it?"

"I decided not to look until you were with me,"

I nuzzled him and shifted into a position where we could both see the paper. "That was thoughtful of you. So are we gonna read it now?"

"Of course." After making sure I was comfortable, Steven held up the paper and slowly unfolded it. Inside was a message written in hasty but legible writing.

Greetings, herdmate.
Tonight, there's a meetup with the other bronies in town. We're going to talk, eat and share experiences of life and our favorite little ponies There aren't many of us but we hope you can make a change, both for us and yourself. If you accept this invitation, please come to Golden Oak, Flower Ponies when the clock strikes A Dog and Pony Show.
Look forward to seeing you
Iron Buck /)

"Kind of mysterious," I commented. "Some of it makes no sense."

"Which part?" Steven asked curiously.

I activated my magic and highlighted several words with my purple aura. "Golden Oak, Flower Ponies when the clock strikes A Dog and Pony Show. That's about as confusing as Pinkie Sense, and we both know how impossible it is to understand Pinkie Sense."

Steven smiled sweetly and stroked my mane. "The difference is that you're willing to believe in Pinkie Sense, even though you can't explain it. I think Daniel's using code in case somebody got the note from me."

"Then if it is code, what does it mean?" I asked eagerly. "Come on, Steven! I hate not knowing things."

He pointed at the glowing words. "'Golden Oak' is a reference to the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville. So that means the location of the meetup is either in a place with the words golden or oak—"

"Or it's in a library," I finished.

"That's a possibility too." Steven indicated the next codewords. "'Flower Ponies' most likely means something to do with flowers, maybe a shop or a garden."

I nodded in understanding. "Then what about 'A Dog and Pony Show'? I can't make heads or tails out of it."

Steven stared at the indicated words. He frowned as he thought of an answer. It was clear he was just as confused as I was. Then he cried out, "Of course!"

"What?" I asked with a start.

"Look, look! 'When the clock strikes A Dog and Pony Show'. That must mean the time of the meetup." He paused for a minute. I was silent as well. "But what time could it mean? Five or six o'clock , the number of dresses for Sapphire Shores?

"I know this one!" I cheered, clopping my hooves together. I got up from the couch and sat down in the computer chair. By the time Steven came over, I'd already opened up a browser. With quick reflexes, I typed up the episode name and pointed at one of the search results.

"Seven o'clock, PM," I announced, flourishing a hoof at the screen. "Or, in Daniel's code, episode 19."

Steven nodded, a smirk crossing his face. "Very admirable, Twilight," he complimented, ruffling my mane. Then he mused, "So the meetup is at seven," He carefully lifted me up, sat down in the chair and seated me in his lap. Then he took control and started tapping away on the keyboard. "Here's a map of town. If we translated Daniel's code correctly, the meetup is either in a library—"

"Or a place with golden or oak in its name," I added.

"Exactly." Steven zoomed in on the map. "There are several possibilities. We've got the public library, the jewelers or Oak Street."

"Which one has a flower garden in it?" I asked, peering at the map as though trying to find one.

Steven chuckled. "You're not going to see it from there." He clicked on the library and blew up an image on the screen. "The library has gardens outside, but now that I'm looking at it, I don't think that this is gonna be the place."

"I guess it makes sense," I said, nodding in agreement and leaning back against Steven's chest.

I felt his chin rub against my mane as he bent his head. Am I distracting him? "Scratch that then," Steven said, turning his attention back to the screen. All I could think was, Yep, definitely. "What do you think the chances are that the meetup will be held in the jewelers?"

"One in one thousand years of Nightmare Moon's banishment," I replied smugly. "Nopony holds meetings in jewelery stores, it's far too suspicious. And they probably don't have flowers either."

"Unless they're ruby-crafted roses," Steven put in, double clicking on the last option. "Oak Street. Home of the town's movie theater, a restaurant—"

"And a flower shop."

I looked up in time to meet Steven's downward gaze. It seemed too obvious now that the answer was staring us in the face. "The meetup's in a flower shop?" I said incredulously.

"So it would seem." Steven studied the map of the area. "Tonight, seven o'clock, in the flower shop. Sounds like it's gonna be a blast."

"Yes, I'm sure it will be."

Steven picked me up and turned me around so that I would be facing him. "Twilight, is there something wrong?" he asked. His face was full of concern.

I wiped a half-formed tear from my eye. "Wh-why would you thinks so?"

"Well, you've got your hooves folded and your ears flopped down." He raised his hand and cupped my right ear, which was indeed turned downwards. "What's the matter?"

All at once, my feelings burst out. "It's not fair!" I wailed, throwing my muzzle into Steven's chest, my tears soaking through his shirt. "Ever since the end of the storm, I've been stuck inside, locked away from the sun. Now I'm going to spend another evening on my own, which will be even worse because I'll be alone for longer than usual, and you're going to be out making new friends!" This world was making me feel bad. First it took me from my pony friends, now it's taking my only human companion away from me.

"Twilight," Steven said gently, pulling his arms around me in a tight embrace, "if it really bothers you so much that I'll be gone, then I just won't go. I know how much you've become dependent on companionship."

"No!" I objected. "You can't do that. You need to go out and make friends. I have lots of friends, you need some too." I said this out loud, but inside I felt bad for lying. I wanted Steven home with me. I wanted him for myself. Was I being selfish? A bit. But my loneliness had only one cure and that was Steven.

"I'm not going to leave you alone if it will distress you," Steven promised. "Even for one evening."

"No, you need to go," I repeated stubbornly, pushing my head against his chest. "I'll be fine. I'll just be on my own for a bit longer." I looked up at Steven. His mouth was a sad frown and his smaller human eyes were a bit wet themselves. I could feel him tighten his hold around me, almost as if he was the one refusing to part. "I just wish there was a way you could go and that we would still be together."

"I want that too, Twilight. I really do." Steven lowered his head into my mane. I could feel tears, warm and wet, slipping through and down my neck. He really wanted to be with me, but at the same time, he had to leave. The dilemma must have been assaulting his mind as he strove to make the right decision. I may have felt that being with Steven was the right thing, but in my heart I knew what was to come. And it wasn't in my favor.

We sat there, Steven in the chair and me in his lap, our tears flowing steadily in sync. All I could see through my salty vision was Steven and, quite honestly, I couldn't care about anything else other than him at the moment. Then, as if from the end of a long tunnel, I heard Steven's voice.

"Twilight, look."

I didn't want to look. I didn't want to stop the stream. I didn't even want to make sure it wasn't dangerous, but Steven's voice compelled me to do so. I raised my head and peered through my wet eyes, following Steven's gaze to the coffee table where the Equinomicon sat, looking as old and powerful and shimmery-green as ever.

Yes, shimmery-green as ever. The ancient book was glowing again. We both knew what that meant. The meetup ahead momentarily forgotten, I scrambled out of Steven's lap and we hurried onto the couch, grabbing the book as we went.

"Come on, come on!" I squealed excitedly, pushing the book into Steven's hands. "Let's see what it's going to say."

"Alright alright, hold your horses." He put the book between us and opened it up on the page that was giving off the light. The indecipherable writing was lining up into sentences to form a new spell.

Hiding, to begin with, was never any fun
That's the way things are when you're on the run
But events have changed and with the change in the weather
You must go meet all your new friends together

To keep your pony friend hidden in clear sight
No ancient words do you need to recite
Now I'll list the items that you will need
So please pay attention and onward read

A base idea was rooted right inside our hearts
The episode 'Bridle Gossip' is a good place to start
Show an image that matches, and when they're combined
The picture will build itself up in your mind

It isn't yet time to sit down on your plot
The final ingredient, believe it or not,
Is a cookie. Just put it alongside the rest
Join them with magic and give it your best

Really, this spell is straightforward enough
Easier still will be finding the stuff
The real trick in the end is not to doubt
For this little pony spell is sure to help you out

This time, I was sure the Equinomicon was being silly. Was it expecting us to use an episode as an element in a spell? I almost closed the book but stopped myself when I read the last lines again. Not to doubt. The Equinomicon had expected disbelief and had given a warning, a suggestion really. Only if we believed would the spell work.

"Weird," I muttered, running a hoof over the words. "Using a cookie in a spell?"

"The cookie's the thing you find weird?" Steven asked me, smirking lopsidedly. "I'm still confused as to what form of the episode it wants us to use and how. Do we need to play it on the TV? Check it on the Internet?"

"I think we should play it," I said after a moment. "But then it says 'show an image that matches'. What does that mean?"

"Most likely, fan art of Bridle Gossip. We should go see what we can find."

"You go search, I'll turn on the TV."

So we separated to work on the spell. Steven sat down at the computer to find somepony's picture of Bridle Gossip and I put the second Season 1 DVD into the machine and skipped to the ninth episode. "Okay, I'm ready!" I called, already watching myself and Spike walk through Ponyville, commenting on the weather. "How about you, Steven?"

"Um. Well I-I think it could... Maybe..." came his stuttering reply.

What's the matter with him? I trotted over and looked at the computer. The screen displayed a picture of Apple Teeny, Applejack's Poison Joke form, astride her sister Apple Bloom. It wasn't an amazing eye-popping piece of art, but it was certainly something the artist should be proud of.

"I don't know," Steven admitted. "This is probably the most symbolic thing that came from Bridle Gossip. Of course, that's just my opinion, but Applejack sure did get the brunt of the Poison Joke."

"She sure did," I agreed, "but she managed to make up for her small size big time."

"Mmm hmm. So the TV's ready for the spell?"

"Yep. All we need now is the cookie."

A long silence followed my words as we both turned mechanically towards the kitchen. We exchanged glances, grinned and shouted.

"I'LL GET IT!"

The race to the cookie jar was intense. Steven literally got the first big step. I tripped up his longer stride and rushed forwards, but he got a hold of my tail. Then Steven made the mistake of pulling me back and I felt my flank connect with his head as we tumbled back into the couch. After some more scuffling, I ended up on Steven's shoulder in the kitchen, the cookie jar sitting before us, almost waiting to have its contents removed.

"We really need to stop getting excited like this," Steven stated.

"Yeah."

He unscrewed the lid and I pulled out a large-ish chocolate chip cookie. We went back to the living room, put the cookie on the table and moved the couch so it wouldn't be in the way. I picked up the Equinomicon and reviewed the spell. "Bridle Gossip switched on, Apple Teeny in clear sight and one chocolate-chip cookie. I think we're ready to start."

Steven looked around at the odd triangle of spell components. "This all seems kind of fishy, but we'll need to trust the Equinomicon on this if we want it to work. Just like it says in the book."

"I love following instructions."

"Uh, Twilight? Are you okay?"

I blinked and shook my head. Steven was looking at me concernedly. Apparently, I'd zoned out while fantasizing over going through detailed information. "I'm alright, just a short daydream." I spread my legs in preparation for the casting. "Let's do this."

Steven nodded and stepped back. The episode playing on the TV had reached the following morning, when my friends and I discovered the afflictions induced by the Poison Joke. We don't know what this spell does, but we're about to find out. Focusing my mind, I allowed my magic to spill out through my horn. It pooled over my head like a flat round purple cloud.

Four glowing tendrils leaked out of my disk of accumulated power. One reached out and touched the TV, making the whole set glow. The second wrapped itself around the computer, both case and monitor. A third snaked away and infused the cookie. But the biggest surprise was the fourth, which casually floated over and encircled Steven. I almost cut off my magic flow when I saw it, but Steven shook his head.

"It's not hurting me," he said. His voice sounded a bit muffled through the magic permeating the air. "Just keep going!"

I nodded. My power continued to blossom from my horn and the air grew warmer. The tendrils grew longer and thicker, the circle overhead glowing brighter. I felt myself rise into the air, my own magic giving me a lift. The lights became so bright, I had to close my eyes and continue on my instinct. Then the sound of Equestrian magic drowned out everything and I blacked out.

"Twilight? Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank Luna."

Steven's voice was the first thing I heard when I came to. The first thing I felt was something like a bucket poking me in the side. A smell hit me, the smell of chocolate-chip cookies. The surface I was lying on felt cold and barely familiar. Then I opened my eyes.

Everything was blurry at first. The ground was a light-pale brown and several large capped cylinders were lying next to me, each one connected to a roundish chunk of the same color. A large sun-like object hung above my head, not shedding light as I thought it should have. The TV was still playing Bridle Gossip, now at the part where me and my friends were running into the Everfree after Apple Teeny and Apple Bloom. The computer monitor was in the same state, displaying the fan-art of the two Apple sisters. When I looked around for Steven and couldn't find him, I started to panic.

"Steven, where are you?" I called out, turning about.

"I'm right here Twilight," came Steven's voice from the sun-thing. One of the cylinders pointed to my right. "But you might want to look more carefully."

I turned my head. A few feet away was a circular dark-brown block dotted with even darker-brown studs. That's where the aroma was coming from. I walked over to the block and inspected it. It had a strong consistency and held itself well together until I hit it, at which point a piece crumbled off.

I poked one of the studs and it caved in, becoming sticky at my touch. I pulled away and noticed the stud had left a smear on my hoof. Cautiously, I smelt it. Smells like chocolate. I gave the smear an attentive lick. It is chocolate. And then it hit me.

I peered up at the sun-like object and slowly it came into focus. But what I saw was hard to believe. "S-s-steven?"

"Shh." The cylinders rose up from the ground and curled around my back, the same way Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash would've wrapped their wings around me. They were warm and comforting. "I know things must look frightening from your perspective, but you need to stay calm."

'Frightening from my perspective' was right. As I gazed about, I realized just how different my view had become. The ground beneath me was in fact the dining table. The sun-like object was Steven's head, and his right hand was draped over my back. All around me, everything was bigger. The kitchen counter was high as an Everfree cliff. The stairs went up and up like Canterlot's mountain. That was quite the spell we cast.

The spell. The little pony spell, playing Bridle Gossip, displaying Apple Teeny. It all made sense now. The Equinomicon had given us a shrink spell, the best way to hide something in clear sight. Using the shrink spell, I'd be able to accompany Steven to his meetup. Better yet, I'll be able to go with him wherever he goes. Suddenly, any previous fear I had was replaced by joy and amazement.

"WOOHOO!" I cheered, prancing around the table and leaping over Steven's fingers. This is great! Now I won't have to stay home whenever Steven goes out to work or shop. We could be together all day! I activated my magic and, with some effort, lifted the Equinomicon off the couch and dropped it on the table beside me. "What a spell!"

"Yep, what a spell," Steven agreed, running his fingers over the words. "It worked alright."

I jumped onto his hand and squeezed his index finger. "Now I can go with you to the meetup and see what your new friends are like."

"I'll enjoy that. But what about afterwards, when you want to return to your normal size?"

I was sort of expecting him to worry, and rightfully so. But I'd actually thought that part through earlier. "I'd think it's obvious that to reverse a Poison Joke-based spell, one would need to use the same remedy we used back in Ponyville: take a bubble bath." I looked over my shoulder at the open Equinomicon. "Isn't that right?"

The book glowed again, almost smugly, and a few more sentences appeared.

True enough, I will assure
To this spell, the remedy's a natural cure
A plain bubble bath, no herbs required
For when short stature leaves you tired

Steven leaned over me and nodded. "That's my worries gone."

"Great. We should get ready to...." The smell of the cookie suddenly grew intoxicating. I could almost see the tasty scent in the air. As if in a trance, I stepped towards the cookie and stopped several inches from it.

"Twilight," Steven asked, lowering his head onto the table beside me, "what are you doing?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I bent down like a feline preparing to pounce. My tail waved in the air, brushing against Steven's nose. Then, without warning, I leapt at the cookie and gripped it with all four of my hooves. But I'd miscalculated my weight and momentum and the whole cookie tipped and fell on top of me.

Steven was up and on me in an instant. "That was not the most calming experienced I've ever had," he declared as he dragged me out from under the cookie. "You should be more careful when your this size."

"I know, but it's just so exciting, exploring the world at a different angle." I looked at the cookie between my hooves. Aside from being bigger than me, it was still a chocolate-chip cookie. I looked up at Steven, who glared down at me suspiciously. Then, with a mighty jaw stretch, I opened my mouth as wide as it would go and—

"Nom."

In the short but beautiful while that I'd known him, I've never seen Steven fall so hard. The moment I bit down on the cookie, the corners of his mouth shot up, he rolled out of his chair and crashed onto the floor.

"Steven!" I dropped the cookie and sped to the table, skittering to a stop at the edge. Steven lay on the floor a foot away, smiling simply. His hand twitched. Looking down, I found that the distance was a bit far in my current form. Doesn't matter. I'll have to take a Leap of Faith again. Steven might be hurt. I backed up a foot, raced to the table edge and jumped. I closed my eyes so whatever happened happened, but then I was falling, falling, screaming, landing.

Landing, bouncing, stopping. Safe.

I opened my eyes. I'd landed on Steven's chest, which was rising and falling beneath me, indicating that he was breathing at the least. Carefully so that I wouldn't fall off, I trotted up Steven's prostrate form and onto his forehead. He was still smiling gently, but his eyes were closed.

"Steven," I said quietly. He didn't respond. "No, duh." Of course he didn't hear. My voice must be quieter and his ear was just below me. I'd have to speak louder if I wanted to be heard. I took a deep breath and shouted as loud as I could.

"STEVEN!"

Click. His eyelashes made an audible noise as he blinked once, then rolled his eyes towards me. "Hey Twi," he said lazily. "What'cha doin' up there?"

"Making sure you're okay," I replied, relived that he was. I went on. "What was that all about? I took a bite of cookie and you drop like a rock."

"Oh, that." Steven sat up and I slipped off his face and into his waiting palm. "Brony artists often depict people and ponies reacting to varying forms of adorableness," he explained as he carried me back to the table. "Munching cookie ponies have taken their toll on the fans."

"I'll bet. Hopefully I'll be able to eat it some more without you getting a heart attack." I walked back to the cookie and held it up. A small piece was missing form the outside where I'd bitten. "This will probably last me the evening," I said, after looking the cookie over. "Could you get me a bag lined with something soft?"

"Wait there," Steven told me, as though I had another choice. "I'll be right back." He got up and ran up the stairs, returning moments later with a sapphire-blue backpack and a small pillow, which he dropped on the table. "These should do nicely."

I knocked the backpack onto its side with my magic and took a look inside. To me, it was like a huge blue cave, definitely spacious enough for me to hang around in. The pillow was incredibly soft, so soft that I almost fell asleep when I tested it. Steven watched me with his big little human eyes, making sure I didn't get myself into trouble with the stuffing or the zipper. He brought me a bottle cap and a jar lid full of water. We put these, the pillow and the cookie into the backpack and I tried it out. It was perfect.

"I could stay in here for hours," I sighed peacefully. "Although having a few books wouldn't hurt."

"Not tonight, Twilight," Steven said, reaching in and pulling me out of the backpack. "Tonight, we befriend." He checked the time. "We've got half an hour before we should leave to get to the flower shop in time. What do you want to do?"

I wasted no time in my answer. "Disproportionate cuddles!" I teleported onto the top of the couch. Steven spun around and took a running leap over my head, landing softly on the sofa. With a happy cry, I jumped down onto his stomach, curling up against his arm. Steven cupped one hand over me, closing in any warmth and leaving me with a safe feeling.

"It's not quite the same as our usual snuggle time," I commented. "I guess being small does have its deprivations."

"Hmm." Steven was listening, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. He nudged me into a sitting position, my back against his left hand, and brought up his right to my chest.

"Uh Steven? What are you doing?"

He didn't reply. He was focused on something else. I felt his fingers tightened around me, restraining my movement. Now I was concerned. I called out his name, but each time I was ignored. Steven raised his right index finger and gently pushed it into my chest. Then, he moved his finger up and down, slowly but firmly.

I fell apart. When Steven would rub my belly with his hand, I'd drift off and act dazed. But when he rubbed my miniature stomach with a single finger, I was out of control. I realized why he'd strengthened his grip around me. The moment he started rubbing my belly, I bucked and squirmed like Rarity's cat Opal on bath day. But I enjoyed every second of it.

"Heh, heh, heh," Steven chuckled impassively, even though his smile betrayed his unbridled glee.

"Uuuuuh," I mumbled in reply, incoherent in my current state. "Mmmmmmmmmm."

Steven stopped for a moment and sat up, still holding me. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked, sounding just the slightest bit concerned.

"Are you crazy?" I flopped my head up straight and stared at him blearily. I pointed a hoof at my chest. "More."

Not seeming at all bothered by this, Steven resumed his work. With each rub, he sighed and shivered happily. And with each rub, I grew more and more content. I felt like we could stay this way forever. We held this position for a minute or two, but then Steven pulled me up towards his head. "You really enjoyed that, didn't you?" he whispered.

"You bet." I sat up, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm lucky to have a friend like you, Steven."

"I feel the same way, Twilight."

Steven put me down on the couch, pulled his legs up to his chest and folded his arms around me. I got up and seated myself against his chest. "We've got some time left," he whispered, his warm breath washing over me. "Is there anything else you wanted to do?"

"Mmph?" I mumbled, snuggling closer. "No, I'm good. Let's just... This isn't killing time, is it?"

"I certainly wouldn't call it that. What we're doing is very useful."

"Mmm hmm."

A long silence followed. A long, blissful silence, which Steven had no choice but to end. "You know we have to go in about fifteen minutes."

"Yeah."

"Right."

"No point wasting said fifteen minutes on something that can be done later, right?"

"Right..... See you on Harsh Reality Street in fifteen minutes, Twilight."

"In the Dark Cruel World, fourteen minutes...... See you there, Steven."

Author's Note

WHY DO I HAVE TO WRITE IN A WAY THAT MAKES THE CHAPTERS SO FRICKIN' LOOOOOOOOOOOONG?!

A Light in the Dark

*Steven POV*

We emerged from our warm peaceful corner of heaven and prepared for the evening. Twilight went back and forth, trying to figure out the most comfortable position inside the backpack while I grabbed a few pretzels for the journey. I rushed upstairs, changed into my Elements of Harmony shirt and we were set.

"Are you ready to go?" Twilight asked me, poking her head out of the bag.

I nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be.

Twilight clopped her hooves. "Great. Then let's get to it. Button down the hatches!" She ducked down into the backpack and zipped it closed with her magic. All I could do was grin and shake my head.

I shouldered the backpack, being careful not to tilt it too much, turned off the lights and walked to the door. I put my hand on the door handle, but stopped myself from pushing it open. I was about to set out and do something I'd never done before. This will be a whole new experience for me. Going out to meet people who think like I do.... It's likely to be interesting.

"Steven!" Twilight's muffled voice called out. The backpack unzipped and my little pony friend poked her head out, adorable and curious as ever. "What's taking so long? You only need to open the door."

I gently stroked Twilight's head with my finger. "Just contemplating the night ahead," I replied. "I'm not used to trying new things, especially not ones concerning other people."

"Then it'll be good for you," Twilight insisted. "Think back to my first visit to Ponyville. I didn't like meeting new ponies and making friends, but that's because I'd never given it a chance. Trust me, it'll feel weird at first, but you'll warm up to it eventually."

"I sure hope your right." I stared again at the door, standing still for a while before reaching down and grabbing the door handle. "You might want to get back inside, Twilight," I said to the purple mare. "If it's okay to come out, I'll tell you."

"Right. Good luck." She waved and jumped back down, closing the zipper behind her.

When I was sure Twilight was safely inside my backpack, I turned the handle and opened the door. The evening air was lovely, a bit damp but cool and serene. I stepped outside, locked the door behind me and set off up the street. From the traffic circle, I began to follow the directions to the flower shop that Twilight and I had printed out, traversing neighborhoods and crossing road junctions as I crossed the city. Along the way, I saw people going about their normal lives as they always did, with the only difference being the hour, the hour when they closed up stores and companies and went home to their families after a day of work.

Man, do I miss it. The average life of the average person. Inside, I knew I didn't truly want to live like the masses did, but at the same time I missed the good old days when my family was all together. It seemed like so long ago now.

My thoughts eventually led to my slowing down and stopping under a streetlamp. The blub at the top flickered weakly so it cast less light then the other streetlamps. I leaned against the lamppost and put a hand against the cold metal, allowing my thoughts to consume me. I knew living in the past wasn't good for me, but sometimes I just gave in and let my heart handle it.

Twilight must have noticed me stopping because she poked me through the backpack and opened the zipper just a bit. "What's wrong now, Steven?" she called up.

"Nothing, Twilight." Knowing the risks, I reached over my shoulder and picked the purple pony out of my bag, holding her in my cupped hand. "Just thinking."

"You're always doing that," she chuckled, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her legs. "Now come on. Let's hear it."

"It's nothing you haven't heard out of me before," I began, sliding down against the lamppost until I was sitting on the sidewalk beneath it." I held Twilight close to my chest, being careful not to squash her. "Just thinking about how different my life is from everyone else."

"Mmm, that's a good thing, isn't it?" Twilight said, snuggling up against me.

"When I'm not thinking about the bad things, yeah."

"Then why dwell on the past?"

I stroked Twilight's mane with a finger, enjoying the feeling of the soft diminutive strands. "We had some good times, my family and I. Looking back hurts, but it also rejuvenates me when I think about the here and now, seeing how much they cared about me and gave me all they could."

Twilight shivered as a breeze blew through the street. She curled up in my palm and I closed my fingers over her back. "This world seems like a cold, sinister place a lot of the time," she muttered sadly. "I keep reading about catastrophes around the world, some natural disasters and others caused by humans, and I just keep wishing I knew..."

"Knew what?" I asked gently.

"Wish I knew why these things happened. Natural causes I can understand for the most, but the reason people would harm their fellow humans escapes me. Entire wars were started and rivers of blood were split, all because some person got upset for practically nothing. This kind of thing was so rare in Equestria."

"Changelings attack much?"

"Not in my lifetime. I only encountered them when they attacked Canterlot during the wedding." Twilight looked up at the flickering streetlamp. "This lamp is a good example of how I feel about it. When I'm content and my hopes are high for things, it suddenly all goes out and I can barely get back to how I was before."

The light sparked again, this time staying off for longer. "The darkness is just so cold," Twilight whispered. I had to hold her up so I could hear her. "Sometimes I just wish the lights would go back on, then I would feel better."

I stroked the shivering pony in my hand. Her tone had become so miserable it was heartbreaking. I looked around, but there was no one in sight. The streetlamp flashed back on, but as quickly as it began glowed it dimmed again, the bulb blowing out altogether and leaving the street much darker than before. It was then that I understood how Twilight felt, the example she made of the light ironically making everything clear. With one hand holding my special friend and the other flat against the metal pole, I wished as hard as I could that I could make Twilight feel better.

Then I felt it. A strange tingling in my fingers. I looked at my hands and was shocked to find them both glowing: a soft white light that emitted from my fingertips. Twilight noticed this too, and she pushed herself onto my wrist to put some distance between herself and the light. "Steven, what's going on?" she asked, her concern evident.

"I'd like to know that myself," I answered honestly. The light spread all across my hands, glowing like hundred-watt bulbs. I stood up, hoping no one was watching from their windows. Beneath my right hand, the one against the lamppost, I felt the metal grow hot. Not unbearable hot, but warmer than it should have been on this cool night. I could feel something buzzing inside the pole, causing the whole thing to vibrate. Then, all at once, the buzzing stopped and the bulb at the top began to glow with new life, giving off more light than any other lamp on the street.

Twilight and I stared up at the large bulb in awe. "What just happened?" I asked aloud.

"The bulb's working again," Twilight murmured, "but it had blown out just a minute ago. This doesn't make sense; it's scientifically impossible."

A thought struck me. I held Twilight in front of my face. "If it's not scientifically possible, then that must mean it's—"

"Magic!" Twilight finished for me. She started to pace my palm back and forth. "But I wasn't trying to cast an illuminating spell and my horn didn't light up either."

"I felt something strange in my hands when they were glowing," I informed, staring at my other hand. "Maybe that had something to do with it."

Twilight hopped up and down in my hand. "I'm telling you Steven, you've got magic! And you can use it to reactivate lightbulbs!"

"Great, I've always wanted to be a lamplighter," I muttered, remembering my high-school history lessons. Still, Twilight's enthusiastic insisting did further reinforce the possibility in my mind. After we got over the pneighmonia incident, the prospect of having magic gnawed at me whenever I was out at work. Now, after seeing a dead bulb spark back to life, things were becoming less irrational and more real. But there was still something that escaped me: how was this magic activated?

I sat there pondering and it wasn't until Twilight got up from my wristwatch did the time make itself known. "It's five minutes to seven!" she shrieked, her voice just louder than that of a kitten and six times more adorable. "We're gonna be late!"

I tightened my grip around her and leapt to my feet. "We'll discuss how it works later when we get home," I declared. "Get in the bag and hold on tight. I'll be running the rest of the way."

Twilight teleported onto the bag. "I'll do my best." She slipped inside and closed the zipper. When I was sure Twilight was ready, I shot down the street as fast as I could, leaving the streetlamp shining like the day it was installed. I ran through bright streets, up dim boulevards and across roundabouts, leaping over even the smallest crack or piece of garbage.

Finally, the flower shop came into view, by which time I was panting heavily. I checked my watch: 16:59. Not bad. Hopefully I wasn't too early, that could be embarrassing.

I looked at the flower shop. It was a smallish place with two floors. Arrangements and bouquets of flowers were visible through the glass window and as I drew closer, my nose picked up the scent of rose, jasmine and tens of other plants I couldn't recognize, but dang they smelt good together.

Twilight poked her head out of the backpack and looked over my shoulder at the store. "Looks normal," she commented, sizing the place up, which was quite a task for her. Then she took a whiff and sighed. "Oh ho ho. Now that smells good."

I nodded, taking in the fragrance. It had been a while since I'd inhaled something so sweet-smelling. I couldn't even remember the last time I did. Hopefully, this evening will be one I'll never forget. And that goes for the smell too.

"You wanna stay out here for a bit longer or should we go inside?" I asked Twilight.

My purple friend leaned out of the bag and put her head on her hooves. "It probably smells better inside. Let's go in."

Nodding again, I started towards the door of the flower shop. I looked at the 'Closed' sign hanging from the inside. "Hard to tell we're really wanted," I muttered, jabbing a thumb at the door. "This could be misleading."

"I'm sure it's just to keep out customers," Twilight suggested. "It is late for selling flowers."

"How would you know when it's late to sell flowers?"

"A guess. Most likely around the same time as everything else."

"Can't argue with you there." I peered through the see-through door, trying to find any sign of people, but all I could see was a dark interior: the dim shapes of plants in pots, a counter, gardening supplies on a shelf... and a crack of light on the floor in the corner.

"There's light in there," I said. "And where there's light, there's usually people using it."

"So.... should we knock?" Twilight asked.

"Better than shouting out to them." I raised a fist and knocked on the door, tapping the same way I did at home to tell Twilight that I was back. After a few seconds, I heard a chair screech and the sound of footsteps. The ray of light on the floor momentarily disappeared as something inside the shop moved towards the door.

"Twilight, get down," I whispered to her.

She slipped inside the backpack, holding onto the opening with a hoof to get her last words out. "Okay. Enjoy!"

"You too."

Twilight closed the backpack just as something dark, probably a person, appeared in the doorway. I could barely see it through the door, but I could tell it was a few inches taller than me. Then there was a knock from the inside and a voice called out.

Author's Note

Did I just cliffhanger? :twilightsmile:
Don't worry guys. The next chapter will follow soon. This was actually supposed to be part of it, but that would have made the chapter long, something which I'm trying to avoid and failing epically at.

The Meetup Before Friendship

"Business or friend?"

The voice was deep, definitely male, but calm and composed. The few people I was friendly with and saw on a regular basis were either happy, suspicious, or bored. This was the kind of voice a librarian used. I thought about the question the person just asked, taking a moment before answering.

"Friend," I replied, feeling and sounding just a bit unsure.

The doorknob jiggled and the door swung inwards, causing a strong flowery scent to wash over me. Even in the light of the streetlamps, the person behind the door was still hidden in the shadows of the flower shop. His eyes glanced up and down the road before resting on me. "Come on in," he said in a hushed voice.

I walked inside, just enough so that the person behind the door could close it. I could see where the light was coming from. The person walked around me and started towards the source, so I followed him. We turned a corner and a welcoming sight met my eyes.

The room we entered was brightly lit, the bulbs shedding multicolored light for reasons I'd need to find out later. Flowers and vines hung on the walls, their scent making me the slightest bit lightheaded. The middle of the room was taken up by a round table with six chairs around it, four of them already taken up by people, all around the same age of twenty plus.

Sitting closest to where I was standing was a woman with long wavy hair. She was wearing a white dress with purple highlights and a necklace with three blue diamonds. Next to her was a man, healthy in appearance and joyful in expression, dressed in a policeman's uniform with two badge, one a standard cop's badge and the second consisting of a trio of balloons. Further down was a smaller girl wearing a cropped shirt, shorts and a cap with blue wings on the sides. Fourth, and probably who I was most pleased to see, was Daniel. He was wearing the same clothes he had on at work, but his hat now had three red apples pinned onto it. The man who opened the florists' door for me took the empty seat between Daniel and the small girl. Now that he was in the light, I could see he was wearing a bright yellow shirt with three familiar pink butterflies on it. Also, he was noticeably the tallest person in the room.

When Daniel saw me, his face split into a wide smile. "Look who decided to show up!" he said happily. "Come in, come in, sit down."

I slowly walked around the table to the remaining seat between Daniel and the girl in the white dress. She looked at me and smiled. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," I echoed, sitting down and carefully sliding my backpack between my legs, hoping Twilight wasn't too jostled as she settled in for an evening of eavesdropping. I looked around the table, but everyone was looking back at me, which was quite overwhelming as I wasn't used to such attention within a small room. I decided to say something.

"Um.... hi."

A long silence followed. Daniel watched me, his smile never wavering, but the other people just stared. Then the policeman balled up his fists and started rapping his knuckles against each other, each time creating a very sharp crack. "Nice move, bud," he praised. "It takes a lot of cupcakes to get the first words out at your first meetup."

"Aw, who're you kidding?" the girl with the cap objected, giving the cop a friendly punch. "When you first came, you pranced in like a schoolfilly, throwing confetti balloons all over the place."

The policeman made a scrunchy face. "Those were good confetti balloons."

"Guys, take it slow," the tall man scolded coolly. "We have a new arrival. Show a little control."

The girl and the cop exchanged raised eyebrows, but nodded and settled down. The big guy sighed and turned to Daniel. "Take it away, Iron."

"Thanks, Tranq," Daniel said. He laced his fingers together and looked around the table. "Well, here we are again. I actually thought we'd never get another chance to come together like this, what with the storm raging, but that incredible astonishing event is behind us. Now we can resume our gatherings and talk about that which connects us all. But before we go on, introductions."

Daniel waved a hand at me. "We have a new member. Our encounter was a fleeting one, kept secret right under the nose of our fandom's foe. But thanks to our highly-developed meme-system, we managed to understand each other through a series of signs. And now, presentations." Daniel flourished with his hat. "Welcome, everypony. My name's Iron Buck. My favorite pony is Applejack."

The tall man in the yellow shirt spoke next. "Tranquil Touch. Fluttershy is my favorite."

"Rainbow Sprint, that's me," the small girl declared. "Dashie is my favorite pony."

The policeman pulled out a long tube from under the table. "I'm Cobalt Quiche," he said with a grin, pulling on a trigger and blasting a cloud of confetti from the tube. "Pinkie Pie is the pony for me."

"I'm Pachy Sandra," the woman to my right announced, "sometimes called Pachy-san. Top of my list is Rarity."

Then all eyes were on me again, everybody watching me expectantly. I didn't know what to say. A nudge at my feet alerted me to the fact that my backpack was poking me. Twilight must have realized I was speechless and used her most subtle way of communication to encourage me. That was all I needed, so I quickly thought about what was expected of me.

They'd each recited a name, followed by that of their favorite pony. The first name must be the title they use in the fandom. My mind raced as I strove to find a name that I would've used had I ever been more involved in the community before now, but nothing came to me. Something to do with my work? No, that's stupid. And there isn't really anything I'm particularly good at or like. Well, except for Twilight.

Twilight. Of course! The one thing that made me stand out from other people. The sole reason I am who I am today. The pony who gave me something to live for. It was she who made me special. My fandom identity was clear to me now.

"Sparkle. Steven Sparkle. Twilight is my little pony."

The stares didn't stop. The assembled people still gazed at me, but Daniel, or rather Iron Buck, had let his eyebrows dive under the brim of his hat, his smile unwavering which looked strange with his surprised expression. Then the tall man, Tranquil Touch, started clapping his hands, slowly joined by Iron, Pachy Sandra and Rainbow Sprint. Cobalt Quiche also applauded, once again rapping his knuckles together.

"Well done," Tranquil commemorated, smiling gently. "I can only imagine what made you choose that name for yourself."

"I assure you," I said, "it's quite within imagination." And also, apparently, within reason.

"Welcome to the herd, Steven!" Rainbow Sprint cheered, reaching across the table, grabbing my hand and alternating between shaking and brohoofing. "When I joined up, I was so excited. I mean, finding bronies just like me is fun and nice and all, but there were already three of them in town, I couldn't believe it. Rainbow Dash is my favorite of the Mane Six so I called myself after her. Of course, 'Rainbow Sprint' isn't my real name, but it's just so much fun to use whenever I can. I was even thinking of changing the name tag I wear at work, but I'd have to ask my boss about that then—"

"Sprinty, stop!" Cobalt yelled, glaring at the ceiling. "Jabbering aimlessly is supposed to be my job."

"Doh, but you're too busy making stuff to chatterbox," Rainbow Sprint insisted, throwing herself onto Cobalt.

Iron Buck (dang, it still feels weird thinking off him like that) leaned back in his chair. "Whenever you two are ready, we'll get back to the meeting."

"It's not a meeting, it's a meetup," Rainbow and Cobalt argued in unison.

"You'll have to excuse them," Pachy whispered to me while the two bronies separated. "They try to get into character as much as possible, so much in fact that they're sometimes hard to control."

"That's okay," I replied.

When things had calmed down sufficiently, Iron spoke to me again. "Now that you know who everypony is, I guess we should tell you about ourselves."

"That would be nice, and I already know what you do, Iron. We both work on the town's construction team. That's how we first met up."

"Mm hmm," Iron said with a nod

Pachy Sandra was next. "I work right here, in this flower shop. I've been at it for quite a while, before Friendship is Magic came to my attention."

"I run a veterinary clinic," Tranquil said. "Kind of appropriate for a Fluttershy fan. Cobalt is part of the town's police force, but he makes stuff in his spare time. And Rainbow Sprint currently has a job in a department store, rushing about and jumping all over the place when off duty." He spread his arms out. "We're all living normal happy lives."

"We sure are," I agreed, feeling Twilight nudge me through the backpack.

"Those stupid internet parasprites," Cobalt grumbled suddenly. "They spend all their time sitting at their computers badmouthing us, being hypocritical smartflank plotholes. And then people wonder why we're so distant."

Cobalt had caught me by surprise with this random statement of his. Not because he was a brony after Pinkie's heart, but what struck me was him bringing it up when we were discussing our daily lives. Through the internet, bronies have been depicted as lazy slobs, human embarrassments or even pedophiles. For some bronies, this hits hard and they either turn away to mope or start rethinking their purpose in life. But the vast majority of the herd stands strong before these despicable people who would flood YouTube comment sections with barrages of insults and shoot rude remarks at every opportunity; another aspect of the fandom that inspired me.

When Cobalt had announced his thoughts, all the other bronies looked at him worriedly and started exchanging nervous glances. Cobalt just sat there, fingering his two badges and muttering under his breath. He was beginning to remind me of myself a few weeks ago. I couldn't stand seeing one of my new friends looking so down, so I thought hard for a solution.

"What we do shouldn't affect them, Cobalt. But even so, they turn to see what's so upbeat and all they see is deviation. Some people just can't accept what's different then them, so they treat us differently. They don't look for the truth and reality of things, nor do they care for it. A handful of people occasionally stepped out of the masses to ask how it really worked, but were overshadowed by the endless hail of darkness."

"But in spite of the world's hate, we've endured everything they've thrown at us, still watching, still creating, still existing. Nothing they say or do will ever wipe out the fandom. When our companions suffer, we step forward and help them. If one of our fellows is assaulted, we comfort him. If a brony hits the old artist's block and seeks inspiration, someone will always bring forth an idea. We bronies live to spread joy and happiness, wanting the whole world to see just how great life can be. We're not going to fade away just because some people don't like us. What's more, all the times we go through their attacks and bigotry only makes our will to pony stronger."

The moment I started speaking, Cobalt lifted his head and listened intently, never turning away. The other bronies listened too, nodding in agreement with each statement I made. When I had finished, Cobalt perked up and smiled. But man did he smile! Until that day, I didn't think it was humanly possible to blind someone with your smile, but Cobalt proved otherwise. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination playing tricks on me, raw talent and practice or a blessing, but that was a smile I could bask in.

"Thanks, Steven," Cobalt said warmly, upbeat as before. "This keeps happening to me. I let the intentional wrongdoing of these.... people get the better of me, and I take on one of Pinkie's aspects, one I'd rather avoid. Thanks for picking me up."

I could only smile back at this. It was so gratifying. "You're welcome, Cobalt."

"I'm glad everything's all right now," Iron said, the rest of the gang muttering in affirmation. "If no one else minds, I'd like to bring up some things that happened during the cyclone. I'm sure we all have what to share with each other after being locked up in the middle of a typhoon right at the end."

"I had some weird stuff going down at my place," Rainbow commented.

"You mean aside from the wind and rain blowing people's houses apart?" Cobalt inquired.

Rainbow looked about blankly. "That's just it. My house was in one piece. Every other building on my block was wrecked, but my home was completely intact."

I almost jumped when I heard what Rainbow Sprint said. Her house wasn't damaged by the storm? That sounded just like what happened with my place. Could it be true?

"Funny you should say that," Cobalt said, "because that's the same thing that happened to my house. That is to say, nothing."

Tranquil scratched his chin. "Strange, very strange. Both my house and my clinic were in top condition too."

"Same with my house," Iron commented.

"As you would have noticed were it not dark outside, my own little shop is perfect as the day I moved in," Pachy finished.

I looked around the table. Every one of my new acquaintances was deep in thought, and rightfully so. With this information, the events that had transpired became all the more mysterious for me. They would only know that their homes and establishments had survived the maelstrom without so much as a scratch, but I knew better. Something protected their houses, and mine too.

"Steven?"

"Hmm... uh, what?" I'd drifted off in my thoughts and almost didn't notice Iron Buck trying to get my attention.

"What about your house?" he asked. "Did it get blown away by the hurricane?"

"No."

Iron spun his hat around his head. "So all of our homes and workplaces miraculously survived the storm. As a member of the town's construction team, I can report that almost every building in town needed at least some kind of repair after the typhoon ended. Of course I'm grateful for it, as I'm sure we all are, but how can it be that only our homes made it through unscathed?"

"Maybe it had something to do with that weird light I saw," Pachy Sandra announced.

All heads, including my own, turned to face the pegasister. "What weird light?" I asked curiously.

"Right before the storm started to peter out, I saw a white light appear over my house," Pachy explained to us. "It was so bright. I wasn't used to such a glow after a week of dimly-lit overcast skies."

I could only imagine what Twilight was thinking down in her backpack and how she was reacting to it. This surprised me even more than the unscathed house news. The only thing that made it even more shocking was when Daniel said, "Well, what do you know. I had something orange glowing over my place too, about the same time."

"There was some blue stuff over my head when the typhoon died down," Rainbow Sprint informed.

"I saw a bright yellow light swirling in the air above me right about then," Tranquil said.

"Me too," Cobalt put in, "only mine was pink."

"I had a light around my place as well, a purple one," I said without missing a beat, deciding to try and head the conversation this time. "If I understood everypony correctly, then we all had a bright light appear nearby just before the end of the hurricane. Pachy might be on to something. Maybe those lights had something to do with the storm miraculously subsiding."

Iron Buck nodded, plausibly impressed by my analysis. "If so, where did they come from? I doubt they were aircraft or birds."

"Maybe they were, y'know, final flashes marking the end of the storm," Rainbow offered.

"That's just the kind of thing a youngster would say, Sprinty," Tranquil chuckled, picking Rainbow's cap off her head and ruffling the girl's hair. "But seriously now, what in this world could explain what we saw?"

Exactly, Tranquil. In this world. I knew I couldn't tell them the truth, but I had to give them something. "Maybe... just maybe... it might have been a manifestation of our friendship. A foreshadowing of our inevitable gathering. Six lights, six of us."

"Do you think the colors of the lights hold significance, Steven?" Pachy asked. "Aside from apparently representing each of our favorite characters."

I know they hold significance, I thought vigorously, but there are some things in this world that can't become common knowledge. Just yet. "Aside from our choice of best pony? I don't know, Pachy."

"Maybe we're just over-analyzing this," Tranquil decided. "Whatever the case may be, we each saw a colored light that remarkably resembled each of our favorite ponies that may or may not symbolize something. Perhaps we could shelve the light business until we better understand it on our own? So we might be able to discuss something else."

Cobalt whistled. "Tranquil!" he said in a humored tone. "Since when do you turn down a challenge?"

"I'm not turning down nothing," Tranquil promised, staring wide-eyed at Cobalt. "There are just some other things that I really, really want to talk about. Namely, ponies."

Everybody, everypony, laughed at this. I could even feel Twilight's backpack vibrating slightly, giving away that the secret seventh member had seen the humor in that last statement. "I don't know what the big hurry is," Cobalt said, leaning back in his chair. "We've got all night. It's not as though the lights are gonna go out."

Something told me he shouldn't have said that.

With a loud popping sound, all the lights in Pachy Sandra's shop went out, plunging us all into darkness. All the bright glows that made the room feel magical were extinguished. The only source of light came from the next room, where moonlight trickled in through the display window in the storefront.

"Oh, come on!" Cobalt shouted from across the table. "This never happens in real life!"

"Welcome to our world," Tranquil chuckled. Aside from Cobalt, everypony else was reacting quite calmly to the sudden blackout, although from the way the backpack was wriggling, I could tell Twilight was worried about how the night would continue.

"Has this been happening often, Pachy?" Iron asked from my left.

I felt a swath of hair brush my face. Pachy must be shaking her head. "No. In fact, that's the first time I've ever had bulbs burn out at all. They were fine when Cobalt installed them."

"Cobalt installed the colorful lights?" I inquired, mildly surprised. "They're really pretty."

"Yeah, they were one of his first inventions," Rainbow Sprint piped up opposite me. "Also, that confetti launcher you saw earlier? His work. When Cobalt's not on duty or watching the show, he makes stuff."

"It's my dream to replicate the creations of Pinkie Pie," Cobalt said wishfully. "The confetti launcher was an adaptation of the party cannon, a hand-held version of it. Among the things I want to make are Pinkie's flying machine and her Welcome Wagon, from Griffon the Brush Off and A Friend in Deed respectively."

"Sounds awesome." No, really, what else could I say?

But Cobalt wasn't finished. "Another thing I've been working on was the fandom-inspired 'friendship cannon'. It's still only an idea, but I was hoping to create a laser-based weapon that could change intensity, so that it could either shoot a pretty shaft of light or an intense beam of any color."

"If he manages to do that, he could sell his idea to the military and make a bundle off it," Rainbow Sprint said.

"I dunno, Sprint," Cobalt said with a sigh. "I don't think I want anything I make to be used as a killing device."

"If that's the case, what would be the point of a powerful laser?" I had to ask.

"You do know there are other uses for lasers," Tranquil announced. "They're used in cosmetics, surgery, construction. The list goes on."

"We don't use lasers in our construction," Iron pointed out. "We mostly use over-sized equipment for moving big things up or knocking them down."

I nodded, despite nopony being able to see me. "That we do. But I respect Cobalt's choice. If he wants to keep his inventions safe and away from the warzone, that's fine with me."

"Same here!" three voices called out in unison.

Across the table, Cobalt sniffed. "Thanks guys. I'm glad you understand."

"Me too," Pachy said, "and not that I'm not thrilled by Cobalt's creations, but in case you somehow haven't noticed, we're still in the dark."

"Literally, metaphorically or ponily?" Rainbow asked.

"Ponil..... Oh, very clever, Sprint. Really witty."

"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit."

"Why don't you try lighting the room instead?" Tranquil suggested, the screeching of a chair giving away the fact that he'd stood up. "Then we could continue with the meetup."

"We could always go on like this," Cobalt mused. "It'd be sort of black and grim, but we could still do it."

"Nopony wants to discuss bright and colorful ponies in the dark, Cobalt," Iron Buck declared. He sounded upset. Now that I thought about it, every one of my new friends was sounding down. With the lights out, they'd find it difficult to talk about that which made their lives bright and happy. This only made me depressed too, so I did something risky: I put my head under the table and opened Twilight's backpack.

The first thing I saw was light; a strong, purple glow that filled the backpack and almost forcefully streamed out. I silently hoped none of the other bronies noticed the flash that escaped. When my eyes got used to the bright light, I looked down at the backpack's sole occupant. Twilight was stretched out on the padding, smiling up at me but with concern in her eyes.

Hey Steven! she mouthed as emphatically as she could.

Hey, Twi, I mouthed back. You've probably heard the situation.

Blackout, yeah. Twilight stroked her chin. Little adorkable thing. I could come out and light up the rest of—

"No," I whispered, momentarily forgetting to be silent. I waited a moment until I was sure the others hadn't heard. It's not time. This is only our first night with them.

Twilight's ears flopped down. You're right. But she brightened immediately. Steven, use your magic!

I don't know, Twilight, I mouthed with a frown. I'm still not sure how to work it.

Just imagine what you want to do, Twilight explained, gesturing with her hooves to help. If you think about reactivating the bulbs, that should make it work. It might also help to think about the special things in your life. That's what I sometimes do when my magic is slow to start.

I took a moment to take in what Twilight told me. Okay, I'll try that. Thanks.

See you soon!

I picked up my head and quickly zipped the bag close. I resurfaced at the table just in time to rejoin a debate in the dark. "—but that wouldn't have happened if he didn't hold the dude's arms behind his back," Cobalt was saying.

"The arrests you make just keep getting more and more interesting," Tranquil muttered.

"Mm hmm," Rainbow exclaimed.

Iron was the first to notice my return and, in extension, my respite. "Welcome back, Steven. Enjoyed your breather?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. Sorry about that, I just needed some time to think."

"Understandable," Pachy said from my right. "So, do you have any idea what we should do next?"

I struggled for the right words before saying them. "Maybe. But I was thinking we should wait a while longer."

Pachy slammed the tabletop, making us all jump. "You heard the brony. Continue!"

Cobalt got right into it. "Allyouhavetodoistakeacupofflour,addittothemix!Nowjusttakealittlesomethingsweetnotsour, abitofsaltjustapinch!Bakingthesetreatsissuchacinch,addateaspoonofvanilla!Addalittlemoreandyoucounttofour,andyounevergetyourfillof...Cupcakes!Sosweetandtasty!Cupcakes!Don'tbetoohasty!Cupcakes!CupcakescupcakesCUPCAKES!"

Crash!

Rainbow and Tranquil burst out laughing before Cobalt even hit the floor. Their laughter was so intoxicating it got Pachy, Iron and Cobalt chuckling along with them. If I hadn't been so focused on Twilight's plan, I'd have fallen in with them.

Okay, Steven. You've got this. Just hone your thoughts like Twilight said. I took a deep breath, trying for the first time in my life to push out laughter, just for a while. Filling my mind with my goal, I managed to mentally push out all the sound in the room, focusing solely on the burned-out bulbs above us. Then, remembering the way they shone before, I ducked my hands under the table out of sight and curled them into fists.

The buzzing started; first soft and quiet, but slowly growing louder. Peeking under the table, I saw light glint from between my fingers. I'd managed to activate the magic again. Now all I had to do was use it. I turned my head up towards the busted bulbs and tried to direct the energy in my hands into them.

And nothing.

Dammit. What am I not doing right? I had to do this fast, preferably before the others had calmed down. I thought back to the lamppost incident, trying to remember how I'd activated the magic then. When I first got the tingling feeling earlier, I was wishing that I could lift Twilight's spirits after she'd shared her thoughts. That's when it came to me. Now I know what to do.

I relaxed, rejecting sound and focusing on my goal, but this time I thought of something else as well: who I was doing it for. In my mind, I imagined all six of us sitting together in the light of the multicolored lamps. Around the table my new friends were laughing, blissfully unaware of what I was trying to do for them. When this thought crossed my mind, I found that I preferred things this way.

Then it happened. A rush of energy flowed into my arms, causing the light at my fingertips to brighten. Before it became noticeable, I mentally jabbed the power in my hands towards the ceiling, hopefully directing it at the bulbs. I heard Cobalt say "Wuh?" but quickly forgot it as the bulbs powered up, once again filling the room with their multicolored light and revealing the awed faces of my friends staring up at the ceiling.

I too looked up. The lightbulbs above us (of which there were six) were glowing merrily, their uniquely-hued glows shining down on us. I peeked under the table at my hands. The white light had disappeared and I could feel the hum of energy fade away, but it was there and it was real. Twilight's probably ecstatic, I thought, glancing down at her backpack. My magic just became a topic for the next half week. I brought my attention back to tabletop-level, where things were livening up a bit after that grim period.

"Woohoo!" Cobalt shrieked. "This party has re-started!" He pulled out his confetti launcher and fired off a round of streamers.

Rainbow Sprint leapt onto Tranquil and threw her arms around him, much to the brony's surprise and evident awkwardness. Pachy was smiling in relief. Iron stared up at the lights, never taking his eyes off of them. "The bulbs were burned out a minute ago," he muttered dazedly. "Now they're working again. Guys, what happened?"

"I dunno," Rainbow said with a shrug.

"Me neither," Pachy commented.

"Nothing here," Cobalt added.

Tranquil looked over at me and for a second, I wondered if he knew the truth. But then he asked, "Steven, do you have any idea what this is?"

I took a breath through my nostrils. "There could be any number of reasons," I said, the words flowing smoothly out of my mouth. "Maybe they were only flickering, or even more unlikely somebody came in and replaced the bulbs with new ones, but I doubt it. Sometimes there are things in the world that just don't make sense, and we just have to roll with it."

"Unless it was a terrorist who planted the bulbs and they're set to explode the next time somepony laughs," Cobalt said, aiming his confetti launcher at the lights.

"Now now, Cobalt," Iron said soothingly as Tranquil gently poked the weapon's barrel downwards. "Be realistic. As much as that's possible," he added when he saw the hysterical look Cobalt was giving him, "a terrorist would have to be extremely bored and bored of himself to attack the likes of us."

"Yeah, " Tranquil agreed. "What would a terrorist want with a couple of fan boys and girls?"

Cobalt looked like he was about to reply, but pulled back and lowered his confetti launcher. "Guess you're right. Still, it is nice to have the lights back on."

Pachy and Rainbow nodded. "Mm hmm."

"Yep," I said. Tranquil hummed contentedly.

Iron Buck smiled. "Great. Now that everypony's back to their normal happy selves, it's time to bring out the refreshments." He got up from his chair, picked up an ice chest that was sitting in the corner and plopped it on the table. "Some bronies may have been fantasizing ever since The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 aired, but you all probably weren't that crazy about the thought. And now that this is here, you never will be."

"What, where, why, huh?" Cobalt blurted.

"C'mon, Iron!" Rainbow Sprint grumbled. "What's in the box?"

"Imported." Iron turned the cooler around and flipped the lid off. He reached inside and pulled out a large jug full of amber liquid as well as six glasses. He moved the empty ice chest off the table and sat back down. "Anypony wanna take a guess?" he asked, tapping the jug.

Nopony spoke. Probably because all five of us had our eyes trained on the single pitcher sitting on the table. Before any of us could say something, Pachy jumped out of her seat and rushed into the shop, returning moments later with a tray of—

"Cider and cupcakes!" Rainbow Sprint squealed, rocking back and forth in her seat.

Excitement gripped the rest of us. Tranquil smiled appreciatively, but Cobalt shot two more rounds of confetti before returning his attention to the food and drink. Iron took a whiff of the aroma coming off Pachy Sandra's cupcakes and chuckled. "You know us too well, Pachy. Now we've got a balanced meal."

"Wherever did you get apple cider, Iron?" Pachy asked, handing out plates to all of us.

Iron started pouring cider into the glasses and passing them around. "My relatives own a farm out in the country, and yes, it includes an apple orchard. They've been living there long before Friendship is Magic, maybe even before MLP started. I gotta ask them about it sometime."

"So are they bronies too and do they regularly send you jugs of cider?" Cobalt asked just before digging into his plate of fresh baked goods.

"Only when I ask for some. I introduced them to the show a few months ago and they've taken to the fandom heartily. A clean, beautiful addition to the herd."

"'at's goo'," Rainbow said through a mouthful of cupcakes. She downed it with a swig of cider and continued. "Maybe you could introduce us."

"Idea with merit, Sprinty. Hey Steven, what's the holdup?"

"Huh?" I looked back at Iron, realizing that I'd been staring blankly at the cupcake Pachy and placed in front of me. It was quite pretty, as far as food goes, coated with purple icing and topped with a familiar pink star. Pachy does know me too well, and I've only known her for one evening. "Just admiring Pachy's handiwork."

"Hoofiwork," Cobalt hissed to Rainbow, at which the pegasister grinned and shook her head.

"Well, admire it properly and eat it."

Shaking my head, I picked up the cupcake and took a bite. A smile pulled itself across my face. "These are amazing." But I know somepony who would enjoy it more. "Pachy, could I have some cupcakes to take home with me?"

The pegasister florist beamed. "Absolutely." She pushed several cupcakes over to me along with some plastic wrap. "You take them and enjoy them."

"Thanks." I took the cupcakes and plastic wrap and bent under the table again. After carefully wrapping all but one of the cupcakes, I opened the bag and peered inside. Hey Twilight, I mouthed, once the unicorn had noticed me.

Twilight waved. Hi Steven! Then she saw the cupcakes. Her eyes went wide with anticipation. Ooooh. Are those what I think they are?

Yep. I've got some for home and one for you right now. I lowered the cupcakes inside the backpack, one unwrapped, the others packed. Enjoy.

Eeeeeee! Twilight lifted the cupcake, which was almost as big as she was, inside a levitation field, and promptly dropped it on her head. I waited until she poked her head out of the top... bottom of the cupcake. She looked up at me gleefully. What?

I shook my head and chuckled inwardly. You silly pony. Eat up.

Yum!

I sat up and closed the bag, leaving Twilight alone to spend some quality time with her dessert. At the table, Tranquil and Rainbow were talking to Iron about the cider and Cobalt was aimlessly stacking cupcakes as Pachy threw them at him. When he saw me, Iron was quick to draw me into the conversation. "What do you think of the cider, Steven?" he asked, pushing a glass towards me.

I picked up the cold glass in my hand and took a sip. The cider was cool and sweet, the familiar apple flavor bringing back good memories. Feeling a sudden urge, I quickly drained the glass and plonked it back down on the table with a content groan.

"Good stuff, Iron," I complimented. Then I pointed a finger at Rainbow Sprint and smiled smugly. "I downed it in ten seconds flat."

Rainbow grinned back. "Don't get too excited." She tapped the side of her glass. "Non-alcoholic."

"It's the only way to go," Tranquil remarked.

"Safe and steady," Pachy added.

"Pointless comment," Cobalt finished.

Iron clapped his hands in approval, then took the floor. "Now that we're all fed and watered (several of us snorted at that), how's about we live up to our fan-names and discuss A Canterlot Wedding?"

A mix of outbursts followed Iron's innocent query, among them excited gasps, human squees and chants of 'Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes'. What followed was an amazing discussion full of likes, dislikes, opinions, theories, cider, ships, stories and fan-art concerning the last two episodes of Season 2.

I loved every minute of it.

From Iron and Cobalt arguing over Chrysalis's being the best villain to Rainbow and Pachy's fangirling over the wedding ceremony being the first of its kind in the show, I experienced the brony fandom like never before. We reviewed the episodes on Pachy's computer and traded thoughts. Fortunately, I'd gotten the real story literally from the horse's mouth. Twilight had given me a full account of the events that transpired during the period of the Season 2 finale and I presented them to the others as personal theories, which were sometimes accepted and sometimes argued over.

Aside from that, we also sang along to some of the fan-made music and Cobalt showed us his latest artwork, depicting himself in FiM style fighting the changelings alongside Pinkie Pie. As I participated in more of the action, I realized how much I enjoyed interacting and just being with other bronies. Twilight was right: having friends to spend time with is a great thing, and that was without her pompously poking me through the backpack.

Finally, after a serious but levelheaded debate over what happened to the changelings, Tranquil announced, "It's been an awesome evening, great being with you guys again, but I really gotta get home."

I checked my watch: 21:48. We'd been talking and playing and laughing for almost three hours and I was only feeling fatigued now. "Guess it's time to wrap up for tonight," I said.

"Sure is," Iron agreed, "especially since we've got to go back to the park tomorrow to finish the gazebo."

"Flowers to arrange."

"Lawbreakers to track."

"Shelves to stock."

"Patients to treat."

Once my friends had finished listing their various tasks of tomorrow, I stood up. "If we are finishing for now, I just want to tell you all how much better you just made my life in a few hours. Until now, I'd kept my pony pastimes to myself, away from the eyes of the public, which included the rest of the herd. But after tonight, I'm ready to take on full-time participation in our awesome fandom. From here on out, it's out of the closet and into the crusading for me."

Iron immediately started applauding, clapping his hands as hard as he could. Pachy and the others quickly joined in, Cobalt doing his knuckle-striking. From under the table, I felt Twilight's backpack roll into my foot as the zipper opened, giving me a bird's-eye view of the purple pony inside it clapping along with the bronies. The praise they gave me filled my heart with pleasure and satisfaction, leaving me feeling accomplished. All I could do was smile warmly in reply.

When the last of the applause had died down, my new friends all stood up and gathered their stuff. Tranquil and Cobalt helped Pachy take things through the shop and into her kitchen while Rainbow, Iron and I hung back. "It'll be nice seeing you around town sometime, Steven," Rainbow Sprint said.

"Be nice seeing you too, Sprint," I replied, carefully lifting Twilight's bag from the floor. Once everything had been tidied up, we all gathered on the shop's doorstep. Pachy Sandra stood in the doorway and we each gave her a farewell brohoof, Sprint giving her a hug. "Goodnight, everypony," Pachy said.

"May Luna protect your dreams," Tranquil wished upon us.

"Gotta gallop!" Rainbow whooped, zipping down the street, only to turn around and call out, "G'night, guys!"

Cobalt shook his head and sighed. "Better get after her, in case she hits something. Good thing my house is in the same general direction." He gave me and Iron a brohoof and set off after Rainbow.

Tranquil came forward and put a hand on my shoulder. "Be strong, Sparkle. Don't let hate consume you." He clapped Iron on the back and headed down the street, humming Find a Pet audibly.

Pachy watched as the tall brony disappeared into the darkness. "You guys have a good week, you hear?" she said to us.

"You got it, Pachy," Iron replied.

"We'll do our best," I said, adjusting Twilight's backpack.

"Tonight was great," Pachy breathed, looking up at the star-filled sky. "It's a beautiful world we live in, as long as we keep it that way. Friendship is Magic has helped me appreciate even the bad things in life, so even when disaster strikes, I can stay composed and keep up what I do."

"An achievement to be proud of," I remarked.

Iron nodded in agreement. "Quite."

"You guys are awesome." Pachy brohoofed us both. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Pachy."

The Rarity pegasister closed the door to her shop and Iron and I left. We walked through the town together, cherishing the silence of dusk. We stopped under the streetlamp that, unknown to Iron Buck, I'd magicked back into full power with Twilight's guidance. Unsurprisingly, it was still aglow.

"Some night, eh?" Iron said.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. It was really great."

"Eyuup. Maybe next time we'll be able to discuss some past pony affairs, now that the wedding's been thoroughly analyzed."

"Maybe." I looked up at the bright lightbulb above, thoughts swirling in my head like the epic hurricane that had raged across the country. Talking with Iron and the other bronies left me with less time to think my words through than I was used to. "There's just so much I missed out during the time I was hiding myself. I may have told everypony else that I'm ready to be more active, but in all honesty I don't know if I can. I feel like I'm behind."

Iron put an arm around my shoulder. "Hey. Let me tell you something, Steven. You may be behind. You may be antisocial. Heck, you might even be confused. But that's why we're here: to help you get used to spending time with others. To get you more involved in the brony community. To make you feel welcome. That's one of the responsibilities of a brony: helping fellow herdmates feel like they belong. Because they do, whether they be straight, gay, lesbian, furry or anything that doesn't come to mind right now."

I smiled. Iron's words made me proud of myself, but it was more how he said it than what it was he said. The way he spoke demonstrated a great deal of benevolence, but it was clear that he was earnest too. I wouldn't expect anything less from a dedicated Applejack brony.

"Thanks, Iron." Judging by the way Twilight was prodding my backside, I had somewhere to be. "Sorry I can't stick around any longer, but I really gotta get home."

"Alrighty then." Iron turned on his heels, then spun back around. "Oh, almost forgot!" He reached into his own backpack and produced a clear bottle of apple cider. "I want you to have this. Take it home, enjoy it for some time."

I took the bottle from him and held it in my hands. Cool and clear, just like the cider he'd served earlier. "Thanks a bunch, Iron." I know just what to do with this.

"My pleasure. Well, see you tomorrow." He held up his hand palm down and balled it up. "Brohoof?"

I raised my fist and knocked it into his, beaming proudly. "Brohoof."

Our fists clanked together. Then I remember something that had piqued my interest all during the meetup. "Iron—"

"Steven, you can still call me by my real name if it's easier for you."

I stared at my friend, feeling happy that I could think of him as nothing less than that. "Cobalt kept doing something with his knuckles. What was that?"

Daniel chuckled. "Seasons 1, episode eight, Twilight claps her hooves together in anticipation of her first slumber party. Some bronies have come to call this particular action 'clopping', which had stirred up some confusion at the time. But Cobalt doesn't care about people's twisted view of things and happily imitates the ponies' applause. But don't try it just—"

Clack! "Ooh!"

"—just yet. Yeah, Cobalt's done it so many times, his knuckles are strong and can take the impact. But the rest of us aren't nearly as immersed in it as he is so we're not quite ready."

I flapped my stinging fingers. "Yeah, I get it."

Daniel laughed and gently squeezed my hands. "You take care now. Goodnight, Steven."

"Godnight, Daniel."

Iron Buck set off down the street for his home. I watched him turn a corner, and all I could think about was the past three hours I spent with my new friends. "Make new friends," I muttered, "but keep the old."

Prod prod. "And judging by that, I'd say the 'old' friend wants to go home." I shrugged, just enough so that I was sure Twilight felt it. "Very well, we're going home. Just get yourself ready for a ton of snuggling and an intense bath. We'll have to get all that icing off of you."

The entire backpack shivered at my words, betraying Twilight's enthusiasm. Guess there's no point delaying any further. With a well-spent evening behind me, I headed on home with my little pony, happily thinking on the endless input and thoughts we'd have to trade with each other over a late-night cup of cider.

Author's Note

Sorry for the distinct lack of Twilight, but pony secrets must remain secret ponies

Going Back Over

*Twilight POV*

Steven hurried back home, but I wish he would've walked faster. I was so excited I could barely stay quiet inside the backpack. The talks, the sounds, the friendships! It was too much for me to keep bottled up. The similarities I found between my friends in Equestria and the five friends Steven had made that night were unbelievable. And all I could do was bounce up and down in place to express myself.

When I heard the click of the housekey in the door, I quickly jumped up and pulled down the bag's zipper, not even waiting for Steven to put it down before leaping out and onto the table. "That was the best night ever!" I cried joyfully, dancing around the table.

Steven hung up the backpack and pulled out the jug of cider I'd been sharing space with. "Best night of your time here, you mean. We both know you've had better nights in Equestria."

I sat down. "Well, maybe...."

"Maybe nothing." Steven put the jug in the fridge, pulled up a chair and sat down opposite me. "Nothing more than a night of friendship."

"Exactly. That was indeed a night full of friendship."

Steven and I just sat there, staring at each other in silence. Occasionally his gaze would drift, focusing on some far-off invisible object before returning and focusing on me. Although I'm not sure how I could have interested him more than.... whatever it was he kept seeing; just an out-of-place little purple pony.

Then again, that was the kind of thing Steven loved.

"So what did you think of the other bronies?" Steven asked, lacing his fingers in front of his face.

"Ohmygosh, Steven, they were amazing! Their playfulness, carefree nature, undeniable compassion. It was all there." I pranced about the table, unable to sit still, which was unlike me but I didn't care. And neither did Steven, if his peaceful smile was anything to judge by. Finally, I leapt up into the crook of Steven's arm and wriggled into the folds of his sleeve.

Steven grabbed me by the scruff and put me back on the table. For a brief moment, I was worried I'd done something wrong. But Steven's smile told me otherwise. "Come on, Twilight. I'm refusing to do anything, least of all cuddle you, when you're covered in crumbs and icing." He held out his hand to me. "So let's get you washed and clean."

I jumped into Steven's open palm without hesitation. I could just imagine what this was going to be like: warm water, bubbly soap suds, Steven's gentle fingers carefully dripping the water over me...

"Let's do this!"

From the table we went upstairs to the bathroom and for a second I was afraid Steven would try to bathe me in the tub; not such a great idea for a tiny pony. But then he turned and put me down on the sink. I looked down at the drain below, happy that it was there and keeping me from possibly tumbling down the pipe.

Steven bent down, picked up a bowl from the floor, and fitted it into the sink basin. "Think this'll do?" he asked, pointing at the bowl.

I made a calculated jump into the bowl and paced around the inside of it. It reached over my head at its rim and was roughly the size of a small pool for me, but it would do fine as long as it wasn't filled to the top.

"It should work okay," I told Steven, secretly eager to get everything started.

"Okay then." Steven picked me up and put me back on the sink. He then turned the tap on, letting water flow into the bowl. He put his fingers under the running water. "Do you like your baths cold, warm or hot?"

"Warm, please." That's how I'd been doing it since before I came to this world.

Steven and I waited a minute, then when steam started to rise from the water in the bowl he put his fingers back under the tap. "It's warm now, but that's just me." He held out his wet fingers towards me. "See if you like it."

Nodding, I raised a hoof and dipped it into the thin layer of water coating Steven's fingers. It was cold. There's not enough water on his finger for me to feel the temperature properly. I'm not going to be able to test the water unless....

"Wooo!"

With a joyful cry, I leapt over Steven's hand and splashed into the bowl in the sink. I found the water temperature pleasant: not too hot and not too cold. Just the way I liked it. "This is great!" I cried out, splashing in the water like a filly.

Steven sighed. "I'm so glad." He turned his back to me and grabbed a washcloth from the bathtub. "Now let's get things going."

I sat down in the running water as Steven held the washcloth under the faucet, then moved it towards me. He gently placed it against my back and slowly moved the cloth back and forth. The water soaked through my coat and left me feeling heavy, but the warmth emanating from what felt like everything in my vicinity made me ignore the sinking feeling.

"Okay, Twilight," Steven said, lifting the washcloth over my head. "I've gotten the icing out of your back. I'm going to try and get the stuff out from your mane so hold still please."

The cloth descended in between my ears, wrapped around Steven's index finger. With the same effort and care one would utilize when handling a newborn foal was how he handled that cloth, brushing it through my sticky wet mane and fringe. The caressing feeling felt so good, so relaxing, so....

"Twilight?"

"Mmm?"

"Why did you roll onto your back?"

I opened my eyes, not even noticing I'd closed them. I was indeed lying on my back in the water, looking up at Steven with his puzzled expression. His hand with the washcloth was in the water an inch to my left, lacking a target. For now.

"Sorry, Steven," I apologized, smiling nervously up at him. "I guess I kind of, heh heh, umm...." Wow, this is getting embarrassing.

Steven blinked slowly, then his mouth stretched into a smile. "That's all right. Your tummy needed washing anyway."

The washcloth rose from the water, trails of droplets leaking out of the lowest edges, and drifted over to me. I felt the drops trickled onto my belly, warm and wet. They tickled a bit, but were nothing compared to what I felt when Steven let the washcloth touch my underside and slowly brushed it back and forth through my soft stomach fur.

My concentration vanished as the amazing feeling of the washcloth rubbing my belly filled my tiny being, pushing away all other thoughts. As Steven scrubbed my tummy, I wiggled and rolled about, splashing the water with my hooves and flank. However softly Steven was trying to clean me up, I was not making it easier for him.

Finally, he gave up. "Right. That's it."

The washcloth went up and I came back to myself, quite disappointed. "Wha? Bu-bu-but-"

"No, Twilight," he said gently but firmly, leaning his hands on the sink. "I have no problem with you enjoying your bath, but your wriggling is making this much harder then it has to be."

I bowed my head and my ears flopped. "You're right, Steven," I said, trying not to feel down as I knew that's not what he wanted. "I can't really help it; belly rubs just feel so good."

Steven looked away as a thoughtful look crossed his face. "There is something we can still try. It'll let me clean you up and not complicate things when you move around."

"Really?" I practically cheered, leaping to my hooves with a splash. "What, what, what?

The next thing I knew, Steven's other hand descended upon me, four leg-sized fingers wrapping around my barrel and a thumb sitting across my belly alongside my left front and hind legs. It was a restraining but surprisingly comfortable position, for me anyway.

"Are you okay with this?" Steven asked. His eyes moved down from my face and stared almost hungrily at my stomach.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Okay." Steven held up the cloth and brought it directly beneath my rump. He wrapped the tip of the cloth around my dock and squeezed just enough that it soaked everything through. He then dragged the cloth through my tail, combing out the now-damp pieces of cupcake and icing stuck between the hairs.

"Coming along nicely," Steven said upon reaching the end of my tail. He brought the cloth back up to my dock and started down again. "You doing okay, Twilight?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Going... going great. Feels really great." I flicked my tail and it slipped out of Steven's washcloth grip.

"Hey hey, hold still!" Steven made a grab for my tail. "I still need that."

I flipped my tail back into his hand and giggled. "Sorry."

"Hmph." Steven started brushing out my tail again, though he was unable to hide the amused smile on his face. Or maybe he just wasn't trying. "I'm beginning to think you're causing trouble just so this will drag on for as long as possible."

"You think?"

"I'm thinking that. What I know is that I'm done with your tail."

Steven softened his grip. I sat up in his hand and looked down at my tail. Gone were the crumby pieces of cupcake. I swished my tail upwards and grabbed it, feeling the clean silkiness I was so familiar with. "It looks beautiful," I murmured in awe, brushing my hoof through the strands. "Thank you, Steven."

"It was my pleasure," he replied.

"So...." I let my tail down and looked up at Steven. "Am I clean?"

"No. All we did was remove the mess from your tail." He carefully put me back in the bowl, where the water level rose above my flank. "Now we're actually going to wash you. With soap." Steven reached over with the washcloth, held it underneath the liquid soap dispenser on the sink and pushed down the top. He soaked the soapy washcloth under the running tap, then began to lower it towards my head.

"Close your eyes, Twilight," he said in my ear. "The last thing I want is you reeling in soap-stinging pain."

"Oh, right." I put my hooves over my face and, for good measure, cast a screen of magic over my eyes. "I'm ready."

The first drop of water gave away the inevitable approach of the soaped-up washcloth. I tensed a bit as the wet cloth touched my back, but I quickly relaxed. Steven scrubbed my back, soap bubbles rapidly forming and spilling over my shoulders into my lap. Any remaining specks of cupcake were instantly washed out of my coat as the warm water drenched me. I sat as still as possible, focusing all my attention on maintaining the magical barrier protecting my eyes.

Which proved to be very difficult with the only human I know practically bathing me.

The feeling was there. Hidden in the background, but still there. For the most I felt relieved that I was getting the sponging I deserved, but somewhere in the back of my mind I felt somewhat embarrassed to be bathed by somepony else. The feeling was made especially noticeable as it was a male who was hosing me down, doing so carefully but nonetheless a male.

No, I reasoned with myself. Steven is my friend he, and would never have offered to wash me if he was thinking of it like I am. Maybe he feels just as flustered. I looked up at Steven, who pulled the washcloth out of the way and gazed back at me. His expression was calm and content as he gently scrubbed my back, without a trace of fear or unease.

Wonder what's got him so calm, I wondered briefly. Must be me.

Finished with my back, Steven reached around with the washcloth and started rubbing my belly with it. It tickled with all the bubbles rolling down my chest and I shuddered. With my magic screen still active, I opened my eyes and watched Steven's hand move up and down my chest, effectively removing all dirt and making me feel incredible.

The last thing Steven cleaned were my hooves. Oh sweet Celestia, it was intense. He wrapped the washcloth around his finger and gently poked the underside of my right hind hoof. A feeling much like an electric shock rushed up my leg and left my brain all numb, so it didn't matter that Steven was washing my other hooves. I was already miles away.

"Okay, Twilight. I'm done scrubbing."

Then, all too soon, it was over. The heavenly feeling faded, leaving nothing but the warm water on my back. I opened my eyes and found myself being steered in Steven's grip towards the running tap. Then I was under it. What felt like bucket after bucket of water came pouring down on my head, each second leaving me more and more drenched. The forceful artificial waterfall washed all the soap suds out of my coat.

"Wow," I muttered half dreamily as the water gushed out over me. "This feels great."

I heard Steven exclaiming in agreement, followed by a short gasp. "Steven?" I called up, turning my head and trying to see through the torrent. "What's the matter?"

Once I'd finally gotten my head out from under the crashing water, I looked up at Steven. He was watching me concernedly, his brow furrowed above his eyes. His eyes were focused on me in wonder, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. That's probably how he looked when he first saw me in the street during the hurricane. But why would he have that look in his eyes now?

"Twilight," Steven asked slowly, "are you feeling all right?"

"Yes." I turned about and examined my bath bowl. When I got in, I remember it being a few inches over my head. But now the rim was at my eye level and, as I watched, slowly getting lower.

No, the rim's not getting lower. I'm getting bigger!

And so I was. After using the shrink spell, I was approximately four inches tall. Now I was at least a foot and still growing. My head bumped against the tap opening and, in a split second, sprayed water everywhere.

"Aaaaah!" I yelled, squirming out from underneath the faucet and leaning out of the bowl. "Steven, help!"

My friend was at my side in an instant. Steven lifted me out of the bowl easily, as I was only around cat-size, his hands clamped around my barrel, and carefully dropped me into the empty bathtub. I stood up and looked over the top of the tub at Steven, who was kneeling beside it and watching me intensely.

"So," he said in quiet voice, folding his arms on the rim. "The Equinomicon's reverse spell is working."

I looked around the bathtub, comparing the top to myself. For some reason, I had stopped growing. "Steven, what happened? Did the reverse spell stop?"

Steven leaned further in. "Yeah. You do still look smaller."

"I'm certainly not my original size." I sat up and put a hoof on his arm. "Did we do something wrong?"

"No. We stopped it too early. The spell goes on a plain bubble bath, no herbs required. You've still got soap suds in your mane, Twilight."

I ran a hoof through my fringe and found that there was indeed foam still up there. "Okay then." I unhooked the shower head from its perch above us and offered it to Steven. "So will you be able to get the rest out?"

Steven smiled and took the shower head from my levitation aura. He switched the setting to its softest and turned on the water. A gently spray drizzled out of the nozzle and swept over me. The feeling was just as amazing as all the ones I felt while bathing in the sink. I sighed blissfully as the water washed away the last of the soap.

"This is amazing....."

"Good news, Twilight," Steven said, putting his hand under the nozzle. "You're reaching your full size."

I looked around. Yes, everything looked all right, just as it should from my normal height. "Looks like the Equinomicon did right by us," I stated, getting up on my back legs to get out of the bath. But I overlooked the wet basin and slipped back inside, banging my head against the bottom.

"Ow!"

A flash of pain struck me as I slid prone into the wet tub. Almost instantly, I felt a soft warm surface gather underneath me and lift me out of the bathtub. I looked up at Steven's concerned face as he carried me out of the bathroom and into his bedroom.

"Are you feeling okay, Twilight?" he asked gently as he sat me down on the bed, along with the towel he'd picked me up with. He laid his hand against the back of my head "That was quite a blow you took to the noggin. Is your horn hurt or something?"

I felt a slight sting at his touch, but nothing else. "I think it's fine, Steven."

Steven nodded and dropped his hand, reaching instead for a spare towel. With me sitting on the first to catch dropping water, he started to dry me off, starting with my mane. He wiped the towel back and forth through my sapphire blue mop, removing all the moisture and leaving my mane shining.

Aaaaaah. This is great. What a friend.

After my mane was done, Steven started to ruffle my coat dry. Any time the hairs stuck up, he would focus only on that small patch and work it until he flattened it down. Once he had finished rubbing my hooves and belly dry, Steven ran the towel through my tail. When my tail was finished and brushed right, we went downstairs and Steven retrieved Iron's cider bottle from the fridge. I grabbed two cups and we sat down beside one another on the couch, each sporting a glass of cool cider.

I drank from my cup and sighed. "Mmm. This tastes almost as good as the Apple Family's cider."

"Really?" Steven inquired. He took a swig from his own glass. "Wow, this stuff is good!"

"I love this. It's like a little piece of home."

"Does it make you homesick?"

"Not really," I replied sincerely. "It brings back memories of walking through the orchard, talking to Applejack, helping her and the family beat the Flim Flam brothers."

"That was one heck of a showdown," Steven commented, draining his glass. "Aah. Good stuff. I'm going to thank Daniel next time I see him."

"That'll be tomorrow, won't it?"

"Yep."

I leaned my head into Steven's lap and looked up at him, my cider floating to my left. "Could I come with you to work tomorrow?"

Steven looked away uncomfortably. "I don't know, Twilight. Even with the new spell, I don't think it would be safe to take you to the construction site. Maybe even more so. All those big, heavy pieces of junk; you'd get hurt easily, forget about being seen."

Looking into his eyes, I tried to imagine the hazards at a human construction site, exerting my mind further to see how dangerous it would be at a small size. The image was not so pleasant.

"You're right. Maybe we should save the spell for more pleasant trips."

"And in the meantime, you'll stay at home?" Steven asked, a hopeful, concerned tone in his voice.

"Reading books, watching TV, raiding the fridge for lunch and looking up terms on the Internet."

Steven looked at me, his expression fascinated. "Really? Terms like what? Try using something you learned in a sentence about today."

A challenge. That's what it was. A smarty, know-it-all, egghead challenge. I wasn't about to back down from this. I took a drink from my glass as I mentally went through all the different concepts I'd learned thanks to the Internet, trying to pick out when to best describe tonight. Finally, a close match came to mind.

"Steven, on this night, I've got to say we've really seen the elephant."

The look my friend gave me then was so twisted, so confused, I almost spilled my drink laughing. Steven's eyebrows flew so high up, they made his eyes look like Owlowiscious'. His moth was a blank frown, his nose scrunched to one side, but his eyes told me everything: what is this outlandish, impossible phrase this silly pony has cooked up?

But instead, he simply said, "What does that mean, Twilight, 'to see the elephant'?"

I was happy for an opportunity to explain. "The phrase has roots way back in your late fifteen-hundreds, and was mostly used for when people gained international or worldly experience. One source is from when people were traveling on trails and hoped to see elephants, which were a rare sight and always an awesome one. " I stopped when I realized something. "I'd like to see a real elephant. Equestria has a lot of amazing fauna, but your world has so many more."

Steven wrapped his arm around me and hugged me close. "Twilight, I promise that one day, I'll take you to see an elephant."

I decided the best way to express my thanks then was in a physical manner. To be accurate, a hug. "Boy, I hope I got all my facts right. It would be a bummer if everything I told you was incorrect and I failed your challenge."

"You're getting way too into this," Steven decided, accepting the hug heartily. I finished off my cider and floated our empty glasses to the sink. "It's getting late, though. You should go to bed."

I looked up at him and pouted. "But Mom, I'm not sleepy." After saying that, I promptly gave a loud yawn.

Steven lowered me onto the floor and gave my flank a gentle push towards the stairs. "Come on, Twilight. Go get ready. If you're done fast, I'll tell you a story."

The prospect of a story before bed got me going. I managed to get through all my bedtime preparations in just under ten minutes, which for me was really speeding it up. When I got back downstairs, I found Steven sitting on my sofa-bed, clicking the remote and changing the channel by the second.

I sat down on my bed beside him. "Looking for something particular, Steven?"

He jumped to Nat Geo Wild, which currently had on a documentary about a variety of hoofed animals with horns. "If I was, it wouldn't be something that can get you home, unfortunately," he said with a tinge of regret.

"Oh, don't beat yourself up about it, Steven," I said encouragingly, putting my head in his lap. "You took me in during a storm, offered me shelter, and protected me from the world in the best way you could. Don't try and find me a way back to Equestria like this."

Steven switched off the TV. "You seem to be comfortable here. Of course, you'll want to find a way back eventually."

"Hmm..." My voice trailed off as I contemplated this. "Well, I'm okay right now. Sure, I'll want to get home some time in the future, but I feel like now isn't the time. All I'm worried about are my friends. If it's really been almost a month now, they must be out of their minds. The Princesses have probably sent out scouts all across Equestria. My family's probably distraught..." I felt my eyes beginning to water.

"Shhh," Steven insisted, brushing his fingers through my mane. "We will find a way, Twilight. One way or another, it'll come to pass and you'll be able to return home. But for now, you should sleep."

Brushing the barely-formed tears from my eyes, I leapt up and hugged Steven. My hooves didn't quite reach all the way around, but I didn't care. Steven held me close and hummed the show's theme right into my ear. The familiar and surprisingly heartwarming tune soon calmed me down and I sat back down on the bed. Steven scratched me behind the ear, leaving me purring with pleasure.

"Yeah, that's great," I muttered, rolling onto my back.

After a bit more scratching, Steven insisted I get into bed. I got under the covers and Steven kissed me on my forehead before getting up and turning off the lights. I turned towards him. "Steven?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for everything. Especially tonight."

He looked a bit surprised. "Why tonight especially?"

"Because tonight, you reminded me of how reluctant I was to accept friends into my life. You think you're no good at it, but Steven, you're better at making friends than I first was. You're going to go far with your new friends, I can feel it."

Even in the dark room, I could still make out Steven's smile.

"I certainly hope so. Goodnight, Twilight."

"Goodnight, Steven."

I watched my human friend climb the stairs and then turned over, looking into the dying flames in the fireplace as I let my mind wander. Surely what I said was true, right? I was definitely stubborn at first when it came to making friends and turned them down every time, but Steven? Just as he did with me, so did he do with the bronies. Friendship is certainly his cup of tea. No wonder I get along with him so well.

My head started to feel heavy. Thinking after hours really made me sleepy. With any luck, tomorrow would bring more great things. I closed my eyes as scenes I thought up from the inside of Steven's backpack reappeared in my mind and slowly lulled me to sleep.

Solution to Solitude

I woke up the morning after the meetup like I did on any other, going through my usual preparations for a day of work, but fate had others things planned. Once I was all through getting ready, I started downstairs and reached for the light switch, but realized all too late that I'd overreached and stumbled against the table.

"Damn," I grunted through my teeth. I splayed my hand on the tabletop and pushed myself up. This day is not starting out as well as I'd hoped.

Then I looked over to the couch and any discomfort I had evaporated like water.

Twilight was asleep on the sofa bed, making her cute sleeping noises. The sheets had partly slipped off her upper body, which strangely made her appear even cuter. Her mane was all flat and built-up in a colorful show of bed-hair. Every so often, her ears would twitch in a captivating manner that made me want to reach over and scratch them.

It was not easy for me to resist picking Twilight up and cuddling her, which would leave her both awake and surprised, so I forced myself instead to tuck her in. As I pulled the sheets back over her, Twilight rolled over in her sleep and smiled unconsciously. It warmed my heart immensely.

She'll likely be asleep until I go out, I figured, remembering how tired she was the other night. I went to the kitchen and started gathering my things for work. As I took a bag of milk from the fridge for breakfast purposes, I realized I hadn't turned on the light when I came downstairs.

What they hey? I put my hand against the wall and felt around for the light switch, flicking it on. The kitchen filled with light. "That's better," I said quietly, not wanting to wake up Twilight. As I ate breakfast, my attention was drawn to the kitchen light. It was really nothing special, just a long florescent lamp, but for some reason it felt annoyingly bright this morning.

"Wish I could just lower the wattage a bit, maybe dim it down," I muttered, pushing my bowl aside. I sat down at the table again, my bag packed and ready for work. But all I could do was look up at the white bulb, almost defiantly. My fingers drummed on the table, just hard enough to be felt, as I wrestled for understanding. Then I recalled the previous evening, and in my mind flashed the image of a lamppost, at first dim then slowly glowing brightly.

Oh yeah. My first act of magic. I held my hand up and examined my fingers, remembering the strange glow it gave off yesterday. I glanced over at Twilight, still sleeping and ever adorable. Twilight believes I have magic. Maybe I should give it a try.

Squinting up at the bothersome bulb, I brought my lower arms together on the table and held my palms facing up towards the ceiling. Last night, the magic reacted to my wishing I could comfort Twilight in the dark, which could mean that it's also connected to her somehow. Then again... I curled my fingers inwards and focused as hard as I could on the lightbulb above. At first, all I felt was a headache, but slowly the tingling feeling began to creep up my arms and into my hands, followed by the faint white aura.

Wow. It feels so.... warm. The glow from my hands seemed to fill my whole body, chasing away the morning chill. I drew a mental line between my glowing palms and the bulb. The light it gave off suddenly dimmed a bit, no longer brightening the kitchen counters and the lounge with its usually glare. I had successfully lowered the wattage of the bulb with magic.

I held up my hand. The glow started to fade until my palm was normal and no longer shining. So I really can use magic. At first, I couldn't believe it myself, but the excitement began to build in no time. Oh, the possibilities! What a human could do with magic.

What can I do with magic?

So far, I had displayed a knack for boosting power and decreasing it as well. The power I'd shown was probably a variant of Twilight's own supernatural energy, but still magic. If that's the case, I should be able to do other things with it.

My eyes settled on the sleeping unicorn and memories of her lifting objects in her own purple aura came to mind. Twilight does a great deal of levitation, and quite effortlessly too. I wonder how hard it really is.

I focused my attention on my empty cereal bowl. I held up my hands palms down and pointed my joined fingers at it, trying to see in my mind the image of a floating bowl. Sure enough, I felt a rush of energy in my arms and the bowl rose steadily into the air, surrounded by a milky white aura like my hands.

Sweet.

Standing up, I carefully followed my bowl as I floated it over to the counter and into the sink. After filling it with water, I drifted over to the armchair and sat down, regarding my slumbering friend while deep in thought. Everything is pointing to my being able to preform any magic that an Equestrian unicorn is capable of. Obviously, I'll have to keep it out of sight of people or there'll be a lot of questions. At this thought, I sighed. So much secrecy.

Twilight snuffled in her sleep and smiled unconsciously. That brought a smile to my own face. But it's so worth it. Twilight, magic and Equestria itself are worth keeping hidden. Oh, so worth it.

The ticking of the clock brought me out of my blissful thinking session. Guess I should be off. Don't want to be late for work. As I got up from the couch, I glanced back down at Twilight, all curled up under her sheets. Smiling shamelessly, I bent down over her and kissed her cheek.

"Sleep tight, Twi," I whispered.

She snuggled further under the covers almost in response. Her smile, if anything, only grew bigger, as did my own. That settles her for the rest of the morning. Hope she'll find what to do while I'm out. I rose up and walked to the door, before looking back and remembering that my bag was still on the table.

I chuckled quietly. "Not a very promising start." Holding my fingers together, I pointed my hand at the bag and focused. Both my hand and bag became wrapped in the magical aura. I made a curled gesture with my fingers and the bag floated off the table and into my outstretched hand.

"I'm getting better at this," I said, shouldering my bag and unlocking the door. As I slipped out, I took one last glance at Twilight, sleeping soundly on the sofa bed. "I wonder what she'll say when I tell her." I shook my head and chuckled again. No point thinking ahead. I may know some of Twilight's behaviors from the show, but she is by no means predictable.

With a flick of my finger, I turned off the lights in the house, closed the door and made my way to the park.

*Twilight POV*

Waking up in the morning was never a challenge for me. At least, never back in Equestria. Here in Steven's world was quite another story.

That morning, the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed. It was just so warm and cozy under my sheets, but outside of its warmth.... ugh. Even with just my horn jutting out, I could feel the chilly morning air in the house. And it was not inviting.

"Uhhhh.... Steven?"

I waited for two whole minutes before coming to the conclusion that I was alone in the house. Aw man. That means no morning cuddles. Feeling quite miffed, I wormed my way to the foot of my bed and peeped out at the flameless fireplace.

"That's no good," I murmured groggily. I aimed my horn at the coal-filled hearth and shot off a couple of sparks into it. A flame burst out of the coals, followed by another. A few sparks later, there was a roaring fire spilling its warmth into the cold house.

"Aaaaah." I wriggled out of my sheets and slid off my bed to sit in front of the fire, letting the heat wrap around me. "That's much better."

While I warmed my icy hooves, I looked out the window. The sun had already risen completely into view, but it was still cold inside. Steven was probably already at work, lifting loads of bricks and sand in the frigid air. Thinking of my only friend in this world brought me instant comfort, but the moment I thought of Steven, I felt a strange tingling feeling on my cheek.

What was that? I placing a hoof against my face. The sensation faded away, but it had definitely been there. It felt familiar. And warm, too. Maybe some sort of after-effect of something, but what? My eyes were drawn to the stairs and I suddenly imagined Steven standing over me, protective yet still friendly.

It does remind me a bit of that kiss we shared in the hurricane, I figured, laying my hooves on my knees. Did Steven come over before he left and.... I giggled at my sudden realization. Oh, that silly brony.

With the mystery solved and my body sufficiently warmed, I got up and headed for the kitchen. I'd gotten the hang of getting my own breakfast, after carefully going through Steven's supplies and listing them, of course. How does he manage to remember how many eggs he has without a list? I pondered, levitating a spoon and bowl from the cupboard and milk from the fridge. It boggles the mind, it does.

As I helped myself to cereal and ate my breakfast, I remember the day after the hurricane, when Steven told me the rules and guidelines that I should follow while staying in the house....

"You've got your own toothbrush now, so you should be fine on that. Feel free to take anything from the fridge or the pantry, just don't try to stuff yourself like you were on the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration."

I objected to that, very much. "Aww, you take all the fun out of eating!"

He had laughed at this. "That sounds like something Pinkie would say. Also, I know ponies don't normally wear clothes but, if it gets chilly, you're welcome to take two pairs from my sock drawer."

"Sock drawer? Where'd you bring that up from?"

"Ummm... Nothing. I, uh, just figured socks would work with hooves, y'know."

Back then, I couldn't understand the relevance of socks. Now I knew differently. Ponies wearing socks was another fad in the brony community, and fan art of it was in droves. I bet he was waiting for a chilly day that would send me running for his woolen footwear accessories. But not today.

I cleared away my bowl and sat down on my bed, watching the flames leap back and forth behind the grate. There were exactly 9 hours, 13 minutes and 57 seconds until Steven returned home from work, when we would tell each other about our day's activities while snuggling up on the couch. Oh, just thinking about it made me feel warm and fuzzy!

BUT in order for Snuggle Time to be a success, I would need something to tell Steven. For the past few days, I'd become engrossed in the computer, the Internet and its ever-increasing uses, but today I was hoping for something else. Something to get me away from that captivating device. The only question was what to replace it with.

I immediately turned to the nearest bookshelf. There was no doubt in my mind that I could spend many blissful hours, even days, just reading all the books in Steven's house, but for some reason I just didn't feel like reading.

'Don't feel like reading?' What is with me today?

Shaking my head, I continued to look around the room until my eyes settled on the TV. Once, I had turned on the set and flitted through the channels, until I found the National Geographic channel. It became one of my favorites almost instantly; a wellspring of knowledge from the world I was in, perfect for a newcomer as myself. When the facts they gave got too confusing and moved too fast for me, I'd use the computer to research the topics they discussed. Though whenever I'd start describing what I learned on TV, Steven's eyes would glaze over. Seriously, some people just can't take a little education

As I got up to look for the remote, I noticed a shelf beside the TV set that was loaded with boxes like the ones that housed the Friendship is Magic DVDs. I moved around to get a better look at them. The covers bore all manner of oddly-dressed humans and creatures as strange as those in Equestria.

Are these all TV shows? I pulled out one box and read the title: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. On the cover were two hands, sort of reaching out for each other with a full moon behind them and a.... a bike. Yeah, a bike, flying in front of the moon.

This must be a movie, I guessed, recalling more from Steven's TV talk. I studied E.T. for a minute, then looked back at the shelf of DVDs. All at once, excitement began to build inside of me. I've got it! I'll watch the movies and makes notes on them. Then I'll share my observations with Steven for Snuggle Time!

This plan brought me much joy and I skipped around the room several times before realizing what I was doing. "No point wasting another moment," I declared, running over to the supply cabinet and pulled out several sheets of A4 paper and a pen. It had taken a while for me to get used to the fact that humans have self-inking writing utensils. To me, the pen was a marvel.

"Okay, okay, okay," I muttered, spreading my note papers over the coffee table. I kept a respectful distance from the Equinomicon. The beautiful old tome wasn't glowing like it was last night, but I couldn't help but gaze in awe whenever I caught sight of it and thoughts of its previous actions popped up in my mind.

We've already got three spells from it so far: the Ultimate Recovery Spell, the Fire of Friendship and the shrink spell. After giving us all that, I'd understand if the Equinomicon were taking a break from sharing its secrets. Maybe one day, Steven and I will find an explanation for its power.

Mentally pushing the Equinomicon aside, I grabbed E.T. and several other movies from the rack. I levitated the remote and turned on the TV set, changing the settings so I could play the DVDs. "Time to learn," I said happily, popping the E.T. DVD into the machine.

Little did I know that I was about to learn exactly why too much TV can be bad for you.

*Steven POV*

What a day! I would never have expected that.

While the overall work itself was dirty and tedious as per usual, Daniel juiced up our lunch break when he pulled out a set of speakers and started a party right there in the finished gazebo. Us construction workers were the first to enjoy its shade and I was glad that the park's pavilion structure was finally back in business.

I walked through my front door, still humming the songs we danced to. At first, I didn't notice the lack of response that usually accompanied my return home, I was so happy. But when I saw the purple horn tip poking up from the other side of the couch, I let the grin spread across my face as I strode over.

Twilight was sitting on the couch, wearing a controlled and guarded expression. It wasn't one I've never seen before, but it was a first for her. On the coffee table were papers covered in quickly-written sentences, but I gave little attention to them. Twilight always had mine in full.

"Hey there, bookius equus."

Twilight flicked her head up in my direction and stared. "No books for me today, Steven. I spent the whole day watching movies."

I let a surprised look cross my face. "My Little Couch Potato. That would rake in attention."

Her head flopped to one side like a puppet with its strings cut. I was becoming concerned, Twilight's lack of energy making me edgy. I slipped around the couch and sat down beside her. "What's up, Twilight?" I asked gently.

"Nothing."

"Come on." I slipped an arm around Twilight and held her close. "I was out all day working and finished the gazebo. What have you been watching?"

Twilight's horn glowed and a paper flew up from the table. "Nothing special," she mumbled, her eyes trained on the paper.

Worry gnawed at me like a rabid beaver. Twilight's normal reaction to my return home was energetic and usually knocked me off my feet. Literally. I couldn't begin to think why she was so dull and sluggish today. I lowered my head beside hers and read the paper she was levitating: Relatable. Likened abilities, though not completely; loneliness, telekinesis, plant affecting, rainbows :), Past death situation. Possible return. Parallel further?

None of this made any sense to me, not even the smiley face. It seemed to be spur-of-the-moment notes, ones you could only understand in context. Context which I wasn't familiar with. What was Twilight watching?

I turned my gaze onto the other jottings. Among them were notes similar to the first page, including Away from their home, at least they're together. I may not have understood what was going on but the more I read, the more concerned I became. “Twilight," I said slowly, thoughts becoming words, "what have you been watching?"

"Just... movies." Almost begrudgingly, Twilight magicked several DVDs and held them up. Among the ones I recognized at once were E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Smurfs and Enchanted. At once, I remembered something they all had in common: the characters were forced away from their kind, friends and family one way or another in and had to spend time in a land they were not familiar with.

That must be why Twilight's all pooped out, I realized with dread. She's feeling the weight of her situation, being separated from Equestria, and the loneliness of being away from her friends. What in our two worlds gave Twilight the idea of watching these movies that were hitting so close to home?

"Well..... um....." I struggled for something to say, anything that could pull Twilight out of the dumps. "Oh, did I tell you what I was up to this morning?"

Twilight showed some interest at this, if her eyes brightening and opening fully were anything to judge by. "What happened? Did someone come early in the morning to visit you? Was I seen?!"

"No no, nothing like that." I raised my palm toward the paper Twilight was still levitating and curled my fingers, exerting my own will over the sheet and sending it drifting back down onto the table, shrouded in a white glow. "I was practicing earlier."

Huge purple eyes grew even wider as Twilight watched her notes descend upon the rest. She looked at me with a beautiful, dazzling smile. Her smile. "It's developing!" she squealed delightedly, closely examining my glowing hand. "It's really pale, like a foal's magic. Maybe it'll get its own shade as it comes in more." She looked into my eyes carefully. "I'm thinking yours will be lapis or azure."

"Why, because my eyes are blue?" I closed my fist and the glow brightened around it. I could feel the energy gather in my hand, warming it up.

Twilight nuzzled my glowing fist. "Yeah, that's usually how it works. Since you don't have a cutie mark and it's either that or the eyes which the magic draws its color from, I'm guessing it'll be blue."

We stared at the white aura surrounding my palm, some of it spreading up my arm as allowed the energy to flow. I realized that the prolonged ebb and was making my arm vibrate like an itch, which left me feeling irritated. I cut the power rushing through me and the glow faded, Twilight's smile disappearing with it.

"Oh..." she said in a small voice. The quiet she exhibited upon my return had come back.

"Twilight, are you okay?" I pressed gently. "You're not usually like this. What happened?"

"Steven...." Her eyes fell upon the papers and her eyes suddenly filled with anxiety. "It's my loneliness spells, Steven. Not the magic kind, the feeling. Like the way I acted when you came home from work yesterday."

"I still find it hard to believe that all happened just yesterday."

"I know, right? Anyway, the magic you've started to exhibit just reminds me of the magic I've wielded together with my fr—" She let the words die in her throat.

"Twilight?"

She didn't respond at once. Twilight instead reached over and manually picked up another sheet of paper. Among its scribbles, this one read Forced through against will, power followed through, song, eventual reuniting, maybe? I was getting the gist of things now and I sure as hell hoped this wouldn't be a repeat of yesterday's loneliness confession.

"I guess... it all just seems unfair," Twilight finally said. "All the characters in those movies were separated from their friends and family and sent to strange worlds so different from their own, but ultimately they returned to their home worlds." She shifted herself in her laying-down position over my legs, a comfortable state for the both of us. "I'm some parts envious and the rest sad on the matter. In one version at least, the characters were transported away as a group from their kind, numbering in six. Just seeing that, it leaves me feeling so... alone."

Alone. Of course it would. Six was the number that Twilight and her friends totaled at. Together, they made up the Elements of Harmony and would use its immense magic to counter the evils of Equestria. To watch a group of six beings — blue, rather than pastel-colored — navigate the cruel human world. It likely did a little more than hit home.

“You’re not without friends here, Twilight,” I said, brushing my fingers through her mane and down her back. I felt the tension in her body vanish beneath my touch. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you or any of my friends.”

“Mmm.....” Twilight shivered happily from my brushing her, but when she spoke her sad tone was still there. “I just wish I had some constant companionship. You’re an awesome friend, Steven, even I know that, and you do your best to keep me content. But I’ve started having moments where I just need an old familiar face to look at, or to feel a flat warm hoof in my own.”

Twilight leaned her head against my chest and I could almost feel her thoughts swirling before me. I now had all the facts straight. The only question remaining was what to do with it all. It was clear to me now that Twilight needed a different kind of friend, an equine kind, but the problem was how to come by one. Earth had ponies, but even I knew their hooves were hard and much like human toenails, not the soft and slightly furry hooves of Equestrian ponies. That would hardly suffice.

Where on Earth could one come by an equine like that? I turned this question over in my head several times like food on a spit, until a grilled answer came to me. The place one comes by any and all things of that manner.

Easing Twilight off my legs, I got up and checked my wallet. Everything I found concerning my bank total was looking positive, my constant income keeping things in check. Thank goodness for my paycheck. Forrest is indeed generous, an employer after Rarity’s charitable soul. More importantly, though, was the wad of bills that would be a lot more than not missed.

Twilight watched me dully as I pocketed the money and sat back down, bringing over the Equinomicon as I fell onto the couch. “Did I miss something?”

It hurt me to see her so unexcited. Twilight was usually so bouncy to the point that it could pick me up easily. But I had an idea forming and was sure it would work. “Twilight, we’re going on a little trip.”

“A trip?”

“Yeah. I’m going into town for some shopping and I want you to come with me. For that, we need some spellwork going.” I tapped the Equinomicon pointedly.

Twilight’s eyes slowly returned to a normal state, her face more blank then bored. She leapt up from the couch and booted up the computer. Over the top of the chair, I watched her open our digital image gallery, quickly zeroing on the picture we were after: an upside-down Rainbow Dash with a twiggy bit in her mouth, the reins being held by the miniature Applejack sitting astride her belly.

“Last time, we did it with the TV. Think this’ll work okay?”

“Should do fine.” I held up my arm toward the kitchen, starting up my own magic. A white-shrouded cookie zoomed out of the jar and into my hand. “We’ve got everything now. Are you ready?”

"Almost." Twilight took a chair by the table and the Equinomicon from me, flipping it open to the shrink spell. She put a hoof on the page and looked up at me slowly. “What’s going on, Steven?” she asked, her curiosity overriding her loneliness. “You never ask me along for grocery trips. And that’s more than enough money for a week’s worth of milk and cookies.”

“We’re not going grocery shopping, Twi,” I told her, placing the cookie on the table. “We’ve got a different target today.”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Are you trying to surprise me?” she asked with just a hint of surfacing amusement.

I leaned in close and put a finger against Twilight’s muzzle, gently booping her. “I am going to surprise you.”

A small grin spread across Twilight’s previously grim face. She looked back into the Equinomicon and a raspberry pink aura emitted from her horn, slowly unraveling and connecting the spell elements.

The flash of light I’ve become used to seeing followed soon after, filling my vision. Already, I was turning on my heels to go prepare the lined bag we used for the meetup. By the time I had returned to the table, the light had faded and Twilight was on the table, a couple inches tall and happily munching a cookie several grams heavier than her.

“Come on, Twilight. Eat that and you’ll get a tummy ache."

Crunch. “Wha washat, Shteven?” she managed through a mouthful of cookie.

Shaking my head and chuckling, I closed the Equinomicon and scooped Twilight and her cookie into the bag. I made for the door but stopped to flick my finger in the direction of the light switch. With a small flash, the switch flipped down and the lights went out.

“Perfect.” I reached for the door handle, all set to leave, but all at once a wave of exhaustion washed over me, as though I had been walking around all day carrying heavy things. Which I actually had, but I had never felt this tired afterwards.

Twilight noticed my stance change and poked out of the bag. “Steven, are you all right?”

“I… I think so.” I pressed my hand against the door and breathed several times. The exhaustion seemed to be fading. “I just feel kinda tired all of a sudden.”

I awaited Twilight’s response, and a good thing I did too. “Magic depletion can sometimes leave us tired and gasping for air,” she explained. “A unicorn who uses more magic than she has readily available can risk losing consciousness. You’ve only just unlocked your magic, Steven. It’ll be a while before you can use more of it without feeling tired afterwards.”

It made sense what Twilight was saying. Magic was just like energy and, like energy, it can be used up. Obviously since I was an absolute novice, I could only use a little magic at a time. “Okay, I get it now. That and I feel better.”

Twilight patted my shoulder with her tiny hoof. “That’s good. Now let’s go before your surprise loses its promise.”

“Right, going. I just hope for my sake that there aren’t any dying streetlamps that need powering up.”

It was meant as a joke and was well received. Twilight giggled in her impossibly adorable manner and I got caught up in her mirthful display. We calmed down hurriedly and each made clear our paths, Twilight back down into the bag and I out the door.

Please, I said inwardly, directing my thoughts at whoever was behind all events leading to this moment, if happiness is truly an achievement, let it be within my grasp. Let this be the solution to her solitude.

Author's Note

Questions, comments, notes, anything.

Cures for Many a Thing

I trudged up my street and took the main road into town. The sun beat down intensely, as if eager to shed as much light as possible now that Twilight was somewhat in the open. The work day was ending and parents were walking their kids home from school, asking about how their day went, not so unlike the way Twilight would inquire about my work day.

Which she didn’t today, which is partly why we’re out here to begin with.

Increasing my pace, I sped up the streets and around the corners, hoping to reach my goal and return home before nightfall. I stopped though, almost instinctively, outside a building I vaguely recognized. What helped me the most in identifying it were the sounds coming from within: a cacophony of barks, meows, tweets, squeaks and a couple others.

“The veterinary clinic.”

That it was. Personally, I never had reason to go inside, having never owned a pet before. Yet for some reason, today I felt more than curious to enter and see what it was like. Is it some aftereffect of my magic, being more inclined towards animals?

I dismissed this thought quickly as I heard footsteps coming from the other side of the clinic door. I took a step back, allowing a tall, familiar figure to exit the clinic, whereupon he looked up at the sun and inhaled deeply. It was Tranquil Touch, one of the bronies from last night’s meetup.

Wearing his yellow shirt patterned with pink butterflies.

The sight was so extraordinary in my eyes, so freaking amazing; I could only look on as Tranquil took several deep breaths and some intensely focused blinks. Then I noticed the white scrubs and stethoscope around his neck. He said he runs a veterinary clinic, and here he is outside of the local one. There remained only one thing now.

“Celestia smiles upon you.”

Tranquil looked up with a lazy smile of his own. He eyes brightened when he saw who it was that gave him such a blessing. “Steven! Good afternoon.” He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Out for a walk?”

“Not quite,” I replied, carefully readjusting the shoulder straps on Twilight’s back. “Got a shopping trip planned. It’s been a while since I saw some of the town.”

“Ah, that’s good too.” Tranquil wrung his hands together. “You know, I don’t recall you ever visiting the clinic.”

“I never had someone in need of extensive animal care.” Until recently.

The other brony raised an eyebrow at this. “Well, if you’ve got time, why don’t you come on in and see what goes on? I was just getting some air before a vaccine procedure. You could join and watch, to see what I do.”

I gave a hurried glance at the sun, its light beaming down on us and displaying our medium-length shadows. I was hoping to go to the store, get the things for Twilight and hurry right back. Detouring at the vet’s was not quite what I had in mind.

But Tranquil’s a friend, some colorful part of me declared. You only know so much about him from the meetup, and here he is offering you a chance to see his profession. What kind of a friend would turn down a friendly offer?

One who has somewhere else to be, another part of me insisted.

What would Twilight say?

That one little sentence silenced the other voice inside, and I thought on it too. Twilight was very caring, even concerned, about my social life, to the point where she’d stay at home alone where we would normally spend the evening together. Were she beside me now, I could imagine her practically pulling me in after Tranquil.

“I guess I can change my schedule a bit.”

Tranquil beamed and I half expected a squee to sound. “Brilliant!” He looked up at the sun once more, then opened the clinic door. “Come on in.”

I stepped past my tall friend and entered the clinic. Like a hospital, it was white and clean. Patients sat with their owners on seats arranged against the wall. I saw two dogs, several cages of rabbits and gerbils, an eclectus parrot and a snake. Upon sighting the serpent, I gripped my bag tightly. If old Slinky there tries anything, I will flatten his neck into a cobra hood.

The walls were decorated with all sorts of inspiring animal posters, but one of them blew me away. It was a poster of Fluttershy surrounded by her animal friends, with the words Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you on it.

That’s a brave choice of décor right there, I decided. Indeed, I’d always thought that displaying your pony pride was risky, as a passer-by could easily be of the sort who has no problem poking fun and scorning. But Tranquil had it, bright and obvious, right at work, and he seemed fine.

“Come on, Steven,” Tranquil called from the other end of the waiting room. “We’re just about to begin.”

I followed my herdmate into the next room. This one resembled a dentist’s office, with a table instead of the chair. On said table sat a tortoise with a half foot-long shell. A young, concerned-looking girl stood beside it, stroking the reptile’s head.

“Doctor, is Salmonella going to be okay?” the girl asked Tranquil when we walked in.

The tortoise’s name is Salmonella?! That word only rang a bell for me because I remembering hearing it when I once visited a petting zoo years ago; Salmonella is a type of food poisoning. She either doesn’t know what it means or it’s an ironic pun.

“She’ll be fine, Grace. She just needs a fluid injection,” Tranquil told her.

Grace nodded, then looked at me. “Who is he, Doctor?”

“Don’t worry. He’s a friend of mine.” Once he was sure Grace had understood, Tranquil turned to me and said, “Salmonella here is suffering from ‘Runny nose syndrome’. I’ve had a look at her and prescribed an appropriate antibiotic drop for her that has to be instilled in each of the nostrils daily. I had Grace come here with Salmonella so I might demonstrate how she can administer the drops herself over the next few weeks. Hopefully, it’ll work.”

“Wow,” I exclaimed from the side. “That’s surprisingly amazing and informative.”

“That’s my job.” Tranquil pulled out a bottle and a clear dropper. He heaved an inclined triangle structure of wood onto the table, and then gently lifted Salmonella onto it, securing her legs so that the tortoise didn’t slip.

“She has to be in this position so that the drop will go in well,” Tranquil explained. He slid two fingers on the sides of Salmonella’s neck to keep her from pulling in her head. “Now come closer, Grace. This is the important part.”

Grace drew nearer, as did I, and Tranquil filled the dropper with a small amount of the bottle’s contents. With a steady hand, he pushed his pinky underneath Salmonella’s jaw, held the end of the dropper over her snout and gently squeezed, releasing a small shower over the nostrils.

“Now she can breathe that all in,” Tranquil said, still holding the tortoise in place. He held the position for a minute more, then let Salmonella off the wood structure and back onto the table, where she flexed her sturdy tortoise legs comfortably.

“She looks better already,” Grace said happily, fondly stroking the tortoise’s shell.

“Don’t let’s get ahead of ourselves,” Tranquil cautioned her, gently lifting Salmonella into a large cardboard box lined with newspaper. He put the antibiotic in a bag and gave it to Grace. “Let’s do it for the two weeks. I’m highly confident it’ll work, though.”

“Thank you, Doctor!”

Tranquil smiled. “It was my pleasure.”

A minute later, Tranquil and I stood outside the clinic, watching as Grace met up with her mother and loaded Salmonella's box into their car. I couldn’t help but notice the super, beyond-average content look Tranquil was wearing, and it wasn’t just his shirt. He seemed to genuinely gain pleasure and joy from helping to cure and take care of other people’s pets. It was admirable.

“Your job is pretty awesome," I said, watching the car drive off.

Tranquil took a deep breathe. “Yeah. It wasn’t always like that, though. It took me a long time to get where I am. My parents didn’t even want me to be a veterinarian; they wanted me to be a lawyer. But my heart cried out for the various sounds of the animal kingdom, the touch of fur and scales, and the happy faces of owners.

“I had already started small when MLP came into my life by chance, when a patient’s young owner came in holding a Fluttershy doll for comfort. Later, I looked up what little I knew and chanced upon the miracle that sealed my career. Since then, my profession has become a joy. Nothing makes me feel happier than helping another person with their pets.”

Tranquil’s short but sweet backstory left me feeling warm and happy to know him. His was a scenario out of a fanfiction: trying to find a place in the world and getting assistance in the form of technicolor talking horses. Here was a man who found his way thanks to the show. That would have practically earned him a cutie mark.

“So, Steven, what did you think?”

What? The question was unexpected, not to mention rather vague, and my answer was slow to come. “Well, you… your work is very good and, um uh… you’ve got tasteful interior design.”

“Oh yeah.” Tranquil grinned good naturedly. “On a bad day, I may spend a minute shivering in fear of what some stranger might do should he set eyes upon Fluttershy. Every other day, I have no regrets and feel pride at my decision, at my stating the support and love I have for the show openly.”

“It really is inspiring,” I said earnestly. “All the things you do, bringing your own corner of Equestria into your everyday life.”

“'Own corner of Equestria'?” Tranquil mused. “The way you put it, it seems so…. so right. I wonder how true we can make it.”

My own corner is somewhat more lively than any other brony’s could possibly ever be. Speaking of which… “It was great seeing you at work, Tranquil, but I’ve got an errand to run now.”

“Of course. Sorry for keeping you in for so long.”

“That’s what friends are for, right? Hearing them out when they ask for your attention and fulfilling their least wishes.”

“Most of that sounds right to me,” Tranquil said with a nod.

Looks like I’m getting friendship figured out. Wonderful. “Keep it up, Tranquil.” I held up my fist expectantly.

Tranquil replied, bumping his own fist against mine. “Stay strong, Steven. If ever one of us is in need, we will all come together in harmony, guided by the magic of friendship.”

I nodded sincerely to this. “The magic of friendship.”

With that, I returned to the road and Tranquil reentered the clinic, accompanied by several dog barks. That small section of the day had left me with many new thoughts, thoughts that needed to be shared and discussed. So, after a quick scan of the immediate vicinity, I ducked into the park, sat down behind the dense shrubbery and laid the backpack in my lap.

Twilight must have sensed what was going on and figured out my intentions. The moment I lowered the bag, the zipper slid open and my friend poked her miniature head out, looking very smug.

“Soooo,” she warbled, laying her head on her hoof, “how was it?”

“You know, when you say it, one would think it was more than just seeing a new friend.”

She giggled at that. “So how was it?”

I took the time to construct a proper answer. “It was…. different. I've never bumped into a friend before, at least not a proper one. The experience, it’s leaving me feeling….”

“More complete?”

“Yeah.”

“Well then.” Twilight shuffled her hooves on the zipper flap. “This brief encounter is sure to add to your character. You’re gaining social experience, Steven, and you’re sure to get a lot more. It’s a good thing, healthy even.”

“Social experience.” I looked up at the sky, the sun starting to sink in the distance. “Even being with a friend — especially a new friend —for a short time, it’s making me confident. I've always had trouble approaching new people, but I’m beginning to feel surer of myself.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Twilight said, gesticulating with a dramatic wave.

Several seconds of silence passed, the two of us just sitting there. Unable to control myself, I put a finger underneath Twilight’s tiny chin and gave a gentle rub. Twilight shivered under my touch, almost losing her grip on the backpack flap. As I scratched her chin, she wormed her way out of the bag and lay down on top of it, leaving her B-spot exposed.

My fingers descended on the little purple pony belly and slowly moved back and forth in the now familiar motion. Twilight wriggled and sighed, her voice not as loud as it would have been due to her diminutive size. She smiled lazily and looked up at me with her large bright eyes.

“Come on, Steven. Where are we going?”

“Uh uh uh,” I teased, swirling my finger over her legs in a tickling manner. “No spoilers.”

Twilight pouted, her face transforming into the classic mask of adorable sadness. But I saw right through the act.

“No.” I booped her gently.

Throwing her hooves in the air, Twilight blew mane out of her eyes and grinned. “Let’s get this over with. I bet you don’t even have a surprise.”

“How much money did you have in Equestria again?” I asked, giving her a sneaky sideways look.

Her cheery expression was swapped for a seductive one. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” With that, Twilight dove back into the bag. A decent amount of snickering floated up out of it.

Maybe later, then. Zipping the bag closed, I shouldered it and returned to the road, partly hoping the rest of this trip would remain uneventful. Though how I thought I could truly wish for such a thing when there was a unicorn in my backpack, I didn’t know.

The Lootbox was pretty much like any other toy store, with everything from cars and trucks to dolls and figurines to video and board games. The whole place was designed in a pirate theme and though it seemed odd to some folks, it was a great place for last-minute gifts and good deals, even some exotic merchandise.

As I stepped through the sliding doors into the Lootbox, I recalled something like a triggered memory. I’d been here before with my parents, eager to find anything in the latest action figure wave. Back then, I went straight for the action figures. But today, my target was in the 'pink' zone.

From the entrance, I walked past the counter and into the brightly-stocked aisle, flanked by shelves flooded with Barbies and princesses. Keeping my head straight, I rolled my eyes back and forth, hoping to find my quarry.

Halfway down, I struck pirate gold. Rows of brushables, a herd of Funko figures, small bundles of blindbags and even a set of costume ears sat huddled together in the middle of the 'girly' aisle. I grinned at the sight of the merchandise, but inside I knew these wouldn’t do the trick.

What I need is something that resembles them as much as possible, using every craft skill in the book to give a lifelike homey feeling. I let out a sigh. These won’t do at all.

“Welcome to the Lootbox. Can I help you?”

Judging by my shaking backpack, I wasn’t the only one surprised. For the second time that day, I turned to find myself staring at a familiar face. Young, eager and garbed in the Lootbox hat and vest, Rainbow Sprint stood beside me with one arm hanging and the other on her hip, her eyes half-lidded in semi-boredom.

“I didn’t know you worked at the Lootbox, Sprint,” I said, deciding to forego a normal introduction, feeling we were well-acquainted enough forever. “Life of an athlete, I would think.”

Rainbow looked around the building, her expression never changing. “Yeah, well, until scientists come up with a way to A) Make the weather industry less boring, and B) Make it possible to control weather, I’m going to play my cards behind the desk.”

She was, of course, referencing Rainbow Dash’s career in the Equestrian weather industry, where the pegasus had a job in making Ponyville’s weather. As Sprint said, fans inclined to the 20% cooler main character would have a hard time living like their favorite pony until science said so. “I suppose so. But why the Lootbox?”

“Hey, MLP was originally all about selling stuff. It’s appropriate.”

Hard logic. Can’t argue there. “Sure is.” I gazed once more at the plastic figurines. “You can probably guess why I’m here.”

“You want a pony,” Rainbow Sprint said instantly.

Already have one, I thought to myself. Aloud, I confirmed, “Yes. I've decided I’m ready and looking for a pony, but of the plushie variety. I can’t seem to find what I’m looking for, though.”

Rainbow listened, her eyes straying between me and the shelves. “I can understand your concern. Funkos aren’t really something you wanna cuddle up with in bed, neither in feel nor shape.”

As mentioned above, I’ve got cuddling down. “Does the Lootbox not have what I’m after?” I inquired, putting a little attitude in my voice.

“The Lootbox has everything,” Rainbow Sprint guaranteed, picking up on my tone and replying with equal glee. “Short of pets, that is. Thing is you have to know where to look.”

Sprint turned on a leg and walked down the aisle to the far end. I followed her, quickly realizing that even without an athletic career, Rainbow managed to live up to her favorite pony: her stride was perfect and far outstripped my own speed-walking.

At the end of the aisle were shelves bearing plush toys, and the ones nearest the our aisle were loaded with ponies: two and a half inch Pinkies on keychains; six inch Raritys and Applejacks with glittery hair; and ten inch Doctors and Fluttershys dominated the shelves, all sizes tending to revolve around the Mane Six but occasionally showing background and side characters.

I let my gaze wander over the heavenly stable of plush ponies. I’d never seen so many in one place in person and the fact that they were all here astounded me. My little connection to the world had left me fearful that some people acted almost as if they were at war with bronies and would harass us violently should we meet face to face. Yet this soft corner of the Lootbox stood like a shrine, promising peace to us horse lovers.

However pleasing this is to my sentimentality, it won’t do for Twilight. They lack the pure shape and expression of the characters, the thing that for some is one of the reasons they watch the show. These mass-produced plushies are all about the money, not caring about the thoughts and feelings that go with the character. What Twilight needs are perfect, flawless, one hundred percent plushie replicas, albeit at a manageable size. Otherwise, it’ll be all for naught.

“So,” Rainbow Sprint said, “have you made your choice? Maybe a bookhorse or three? I know how Twilight is your favorite.”

I shook my head slowly. “Sorry, Sprint. These ponies won’t do it. They’re either stocky, spindly or derpy, no offense to the muffin mare. I need something… something more alive, something more accurate.”

“I need fan work.”

Rainbow studied my serious expression, looking up and down unnecessarily. She was silent for a minute, then raised a halting finger. “Wait right there.”

She turned away from me, walked halfway down the end aisle and spun through the staff door. I waited until she returned, her arms laden with technicolor miracles. In her arms she held the entire main cast, consisting of Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and even Spike. One glance told me that this was what I was after. These were the solution to my friend Twilight’s solitude.

“These were a butt to get a hold of,” Sprint declared, laying them on a table usually used for displaying Lego sets. “They’re the very finest of semi-massed produced plushies. The way I understood it, a team of plush makers work together on these, their combined efforts letting them increase production and, biggest and most welcome surprise of all, lower prices.”

I reached over and picked up the Twilight plushie, checking it all over. The detail was amazing and the proportions accurate. The scale was maybe two-fifths the size of the real Twilight, and was incredibly soft. I went through the cast one by one, taking pleasure in finding no problems to my mind. The Spike plush even had a slight plastic feel to it, giving it the top texture of reptile scales but still keeping it soft.

“It’s amazing.”

Rainbow Sprint smiled. “Do you think this is what you were looking for the whole time?”

I nodded. “Yes. Yes, this is it.”

“Then let’s check in and check you out.”

Together, Sprint and I carried the seven plushies to the counter, where their barcodes were scanned and prices added up. “Aren’t you a clever one?” Sprint said comically as she swiped Pinkie Pie under the scanner. “In buying all these plushies, you get the Harmony discount!”

She typed something up and I watched the price drop. I was amazed by the new total. “Who made that a thing?” I asked.

“My boss, after I did a little convincing. He liked the idea.” Then Rainbow leaned over the counter and whispered, “I think he might be one of us, just secretly. He knows I am, though.”

“Gotcha.” I looked at the price again and pulled out the money I’d brought along, selecting the appropriate bills while Sprint bagged the plushies. “Thanks for all the help, Rainbow.”

“It’s my job,” she replied modestly, a trait which I was surprised and glad to hear. “By the way, I got a text from Tranquil some time before you arrived. Said you had stopped by the clinic earlier.”

I placed the bills on the table. “That was fast,” I said simply.

“Big news, brony,” she replied, taking the money and placing it in the till. “You’re the newest horse person on the scene and we’re going to follow your every move until you’re trotting with the rest of us.”

“I’m not sure if I want such a watchful eye, nor do I know what stride you’re talking about. Just whatever you do, don’t let it get in the way of your own life.”

Rainbow chuckled as she slammed the till closed. “Yeah yeah, don’t you worry your pretty flank about it, I’m just joshing you.”

One can never tell with a Dash fan, I thought all-too quickly.

I took the bulging bags, making sure my own pack was straight, and looked once more over the counter at my friend. “Thank you, Sprint. For all your help.”

“Always a pleasure to help a friend,” she replied, leaning up against the counter in a familiarly equine way. Sprint held up a fist. “Brohoof?”

“Brohoof.”

Bump

With a smile mirrored on Sprint’s face, I walked out of the Lootbox with my arms full of bagged pony and dragon plushies. My heart beat with joy as I walked home, the sun already setting beyond the horizon as I did.

Twilight, I hope you like them as much as I do.

“That was intense!”

Twilight’s shout was muffled by the zipped-shut backpack. I quickly put down the Lootbox bags and put the backpack on the table. The zipper flew over its path, guided by a purple glow, and my lavender bestie made a flying leap out of the pocket and straight onto my shoulder, making a perfect landing.

“Two bronies in one day,” she declared, continuing from her previous statement. “What were the chances?”

“A good five in six-hundred thousand,” I offered, going to the fridge and getting us both water. With a straw for Twilight’s glass, we sat down at the table and recuperated from the shopping trip, though Twilight’s smile never dipped even as she drank.

“I can’t see Rainbow Dash working in a store,” Twilight said, after taking a careful sip.

“But Fluttershy would make a wonderful and willing vet,” I responded.

“Mmm. There’s just such an uncanny resemblance between the six of us and you bronies: Iron Buck is hard-working, Tranquil works well with animals and Sprint….” Twilight brow furrowed as she struggled to continue. “Sprint, she….. um….”

“Likes helping her friends?” I offered.

Twilight shrugged. “Don’t we all?”

I drained my glass. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to make a perfect likenesses chart for us all eventually. You clearly enjoyed the trip, though.”

A dreamy look stole across the tiny unicorn’s face. “Time spent with your friends should be treasured and remembered, especially in your case, Steven. After going so long with nopony as your side, you’ve become secluded and somber. You made a big step, encountering Tranquil and Sprint today.”

“It did feel good,” I admitted, putting away the glasses even though Twilight had barely drunk half of hers. “More so, I hope the trip spells good as much for you as it did for me.”

Twilight caught on instantly. “So what did you get?” she asked, running over and pushing up against my arm. “Tell me, tell me!”

I gave her a gentle pat on the back. “You’ll see, but first you’re going to take a bath. You’ll appreciate it more when you’re normal size, and—“ I ran a finger through the inside of the bag and pulled out a great many crumbs “—you should get all that cookie out of your coat. It’s like you weren’t even trying to eat it.”

A pink blush appeared on her face as Twilight looked away, her smile rather mischievous. “Race you!” In a flash of purple, Twilight disappeared from the tabletop and reappeared at the bottom of the stairs. From there, she teleported up the stairs and out of sight.

Chuckling, I followed her up and ran her a bath. Ten warm and soapy minutes later we were sitting on my bed, Twilight back to her normal four-foot height and wrapped in a towel. Her excited expression hadn’t changed all through her bath.

“I’m done!” she sang out, shedding the towel from her head, revealing a glossy damp mane. I felt the usual urge to touch it. “So are you gonna show it to me now?”

Reaching up, I gave her right ear a scratch, to which she succumbed quickly and lay prone in my lap, humming contentedly. “You’ll see it,” I told her gently, taking up the hairbrush and running it through her mane. “I promise. Patience is a virtue, Twilight.”

“I know, Steven, I know. It’s just…. I’m so excited. All your hinting has left me excited and more curious then I ever remember being. I haven’t the slightest inkling what you got and you refuse to give me a hint. I could only hear so much from inside the backpack while you were in whichever store it was.”

I couldn’t help but grin at Twilight’s convincing talk, but no convincing was necessary now. “It’s okay, Twilight. The secrets are done.” Her tail brushed to human perfection, I put down the brush and picked her up in my arms like one would any medium-sized animal, albeit a slightly heavier and much smarter one. “Let’s go see.”

Sniggering like a little girl, Twilight snuggled up against me while I carried her downstairs. I put her down on the sofa bed and had her cover her eyes while I retrieved the bags. I sat down opposite her with the bags at my feet, ready to start to surprise.

I reached into the bag and pulled out all the plushies except for the Twilight one. “Are you ready?” I asked her.

“Mhm.”

“Come look.”

Twilight lowered her hooves from her eyes and I watched as her pupils and irises widened to immense sizes. Even as her eyes returned to normal moments later, her mouth remained a small, happy line as she gazed longingly and lovingly at the six soft replicas between us.

With shaky hooves, Twilight reached out and picked up the Spike plushie. She looked at his spines and tail, examined his texture with increasing emotion, finally bringing it close to her heart and hugging Spike. She proceeded thus until all six plushies of her friends were in her embrace, the heart-melting sight reminiscent of a mother and her children.

While Twilight’s attention was given up to the bulk of my purchase, I pulled out the plushie of her and sat it on my knee, one arm over its stitched back. I waited until Twilight reopened her eyes and looked at me, her expression thankful beyond what I knew.

“I don’t want you to ever be alone, Twilight. And you’re not. I only hope that these will be able to make up, at least in part, for the hours I have to spend out. If you don’t think it’ll help, I can—”

Whatever I had planned to say, which was going to be horribly improvised, was pushed aside as Twilight leaped over the seven plushies and landed on my chest, pinning me down on the bed. Her muzzle was barely an inch from my face and I could feel her heavy breathing. The tiniest drops of moisture glinted in the corners of her eyes.

“Stop talking, pony boy.”

And she forced her lips against mine.

The feeling was peculiarly similar to that which I felt in the eye of the storm weeks ago, in which we shared a trio of kisses. Yet the contact shared by our lips at that moment was so strong, I was sure the Fire of Friendship would ignite itself overhead.

We held the kiss, the two of us lying down on the bed together, and I started to realize something from it all. For as long as we’ve been together I’ve treated Twilight like a friend and semi-permanent houseguest, whereas she had started out as shy and careful while she tried to make sense of her surroundings. And around me, when not under the effects of a belly rub or some other touch, she had always been curious and friendly.

But now, now she was different, whether for good or bad remained unseen. Because now, Twilight had developed new feelings toward me, more than just affection for a friend or host: they were feelings of attraction, of romance.

Uh uh. I’m not ready to be shipped.

Though as the jokester notion passed me by, I stopped and gave this revelation serious thought. With Twilight’s new feelings, would her expectations of me change as well? Would she expect me to return the affection, maybe feel the same attraction as she? But these thoughts merely provoked new questions.

Could I love her back? Did I love her in that sense? Would a relationship between us work? What would it be like to love, to really love a pony?

Shut up and enjoy the kiss, stupid, a part of me piped up, the part which I seem to recall turning down Tranquil’s invitation.

I was enjoying the kiss but I would always wonder why, no matter what a voice told me. So with the thoughts of possible love temporarily shelved, I returned my attention to snogging the unicorn on top of me.

Eventually, the strength of our connection faded as we slowly pulled apart. I kept one hand behind Twilight’s head and the other over her hoof, gripping it fervently. Her expression was comparable to the face she made when getting rubbed, but with more control.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes somewhat glazed over.

I nodded, ever so slowly. “Always.”

We eased ourselves up from our shared prone position. Twilight reached over and picked up the Spike plush. “I really do appreciate this, Steven,” she said, her voice hiding nothing. “Sure, it’ll never replace my friends in flesh and blood, but these plushies, along with your motives… those are sure to sooth my solitude.”

“I’m glad.”

Twilight smiled wide, then she craned her neck over the bed to find the last, unintroduced plush at its foot. “Steven, what’s that?”

She must have not seen it when she tackle-snogged me. Grinning sheepishly, I reached down and pulled up the purple unicorn plush. Twilight’s eyes grew again as she beheld it. “I thought if I was already getting the rest of them, I may as well get the full set,” I explained, holding the plush between us. “And a good thing too. Sprint somehow convinced her boss getting all seven lets you buy it at a discount.”

“A wise individual might see that as suggesting ‘friendship costs nothing’,” Twilight said.

“I guess so. Or, at the very least, cost less.”

Twilight proceeded to examine her plush form intently. “It’s a good likeness,” she informed, “though I’m still not sure why you got it. I can hardly see a discount be the reason, especially as you likely never heard about it beforehand.”

She’s got me there. Guess there’s no point denying further. “A number of us fans have at least one plushie, which some take to bed with them. The idea appealed to me so I figured it was time I joined that branch.”

“Aww.” Twilight shuffled over and hugged me, squeezing the purple doll between us. “You could always ask me to join you. I wouldn’t mind sharing a bed, on a cold night maybe.”

Does she not know stranger privacy, or is infatuation doing Tartarus with her brain? I comforted myself with that stupid question, returning Twilight’s hug, but I knew that she was being earnest. She would come into my bed if I had asked….

“It’s been a long day,” I muttered, my shoulders slumping forward as I relinquished my hold on Twilight. “You may have gotten your fractioned weight carried around, but I’ve been lugging blocks of stone and piles of planks all over a building site and am in need of a rest.”

Twilight nodded in understanding. “I’ll make dinner?”

“Sure.”

The rest of the evening proceeded as normal. Well, as normal as one could be when spent with a purple unicorn sorceress. After several hours of food, TV and cuddling, Twilight began showing her habitual signs of exhaustion: big gaping pony yawns. I was quick to deliver the verdict.

“Bed.”

The sleep order was met with no resistance, perhaps even with excitement. Twilight rushed off to prepare herself for the night and was already under the covers by the time I had finished brushing. She bundled up her six plushie friends on either side of her, a content expression on her face.

“Think you’ll sleep well tonight?” I asked gently, easing myself onto the bed.

Twilight nodded. “Mhm. And tomorrow will be easier on me too. I just know it.” She gave Applejack a little squeeze.

“I know it will.”

As I started tucking her in, Twilight looked at the flickering fireplace, then said, “Steven, sing something for me please.”

I could hardly understand where this was coming from. Perhaps her still-small knowledge of my world made her feel younger than she was, seeing me as a parent in this scenario. Or maybe she just wanted to be sung to sleep that night. Whatever the reason though, I would certainly oblige.

What remained was to choose a song to sing for Twilight. My voice was average in the music department, nothing special and not awful, but I never really managed to pick a preferred tune or even genre. Surely, something to do with Equestria or the show could work, but what? The opening theme was hardly lullaby material, and the only canon lullaby was too short and the longer version too loud.

I found that I would do well to compose something new. Something meaningful and peaceful. And so, in a voice as gently as I could muster, I let my heart sing its song.

What a wonderful thing, what a wonderful sight
When friends come together and don’t ever fight
They hug and they play, they sing and they shout
And that’s what MLPFIM’s abo-ou-out

Friendship is peace, and friendship’s the way
Pursuers of friendship seek peace every day
They always are quick to forget and forgive
And that’s how all ponies and people should live.

I didn’t consider it to be great work or something awesome, but Twilight’s eyes sparkled with pleasure as she heard it. Her ears flicked and I was sure I felt her tail swish beneath the covers. She looked to be in absolute bliss at my song. Her head tilted back and forth as I repeated the second part.

When I finished, she looked up at me with her huge eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, holding up her hooves for a hug. I complied, leaning over and embracing my little pony friend. We remained in that position, relaxed and happy. When I pulled away, Twilight sank beneath her sheets, buried between cuddly versions of her friends.

I actually felt my heart beat out of order.

With a hand over my chest, I dragged myself upstairs and lay down in my bed, aimlessly scanning the familiar dark ceiling until I remembered the newest addition to my room.

I held the purple plush over my chest. In the dark, I could barely make out the differences between it and Twilight, which left me feeling content. Turning on my side, I held the unicorn doll close to me and let exhaustion reel me out of the waking world and into a restful slumber.

Author's Note

Properly introducing two characters in one chapter. Must be a personal record or something.

I find myself having two questions for any of you reading this. Firstly is whose perspective you prefer hearing chapters told from: Steven's or Twilight's.
The other question concerns a slight case of writer's block. I have ideas; I just don't know which to bring next. Perhaps you could offer a suggestion and I'll pull something out of it.

Restoring in Remembrance Pt. 1

I am not a morning pony. At least, not in this world.

This particular morning, I felt like a sack of rotten apples, despite having been surrounded by soft plush forms of my friends all night. When I woke up, I immediately turned over, only to fall out of bed and smack onto the carpeted living room floor. I looked up blearily at my bed and made an angry face, knowing that had I had fingers like Steven, I probably would have made a rude gesture at it. Not a good start to the day.

Since I was already up, I decided to get on with things. I dragged myself to the table and climbed into a chair. A bowl, spoon and a box of cereal were already on the table, put there by Steven last night. Activating my magic, I opened the fridge and retrieved the milk carton while simultaneously turning the box upside down and drowning my bowl in cereal.

My bowl filled, I tipped the carton over and spilled the milk onto the cereal mountain, giving little thought to why the milk was orange this morning. For all I knew, it was a variant like chocolate or coffee. Humans have weird taste in milk.

I ate my breakfast in weary silence, making silent excuses for everything that felt off about my cereal that morning. I don’t recall it ever being that tangy, but I was too tired to care.

When I’d finished scooping up the last cereal pieces from the table, I put my bowl in the sink and went to the couch. After a few minutes of stillness and blinking, my eyes strayed to the grandfather clock and strained to read the time.

Ten twenty-one!

Any exhaustion I felt evaporated like ice in the Badlands. It was already late in the morning and Steven had probably gone to work by now. Heart pounding, I teleported from the couch all the way upstairs and bucked open Steven’s bedroom door, only to find his bed empty and neatly made.

Meadow muffins!

A made bed and an empty house means that Steven’s already gone out to work. While the thought of being alone wasn’t nearly as bothersome as before, Steven’s absence in the morning still spelled trouble; it meant no morning talks by the fireplace, no cuddles and–

No bellyrubs.

That last one hit me hard. Were I anything like Rarity, I would have pulled the couch right over to where I stood and promptly fainted on it. As it was, my pout felt pretty taut. This is going to be a crummy day, I thought to myself. Already, the morning is a dump. Then I heard the singing.

Five days of endless storming, harsh weather, wind and rain
But right out of reality, someone to end its reign
A scholar, hue of purple, magic under her control
and combined with the will to read and write down any scroll

Forget ice in the Badlands. All my previous stacked feelings took leave like Rainbow Dash during cider season. Following the direction the familiar-yet-new song came from, I located the door leading to the backyard of the house. A key was stuck into the door’s keyhole, turned and unlocked.

As I put my hoof on the handle of the back door, I remembered another of the things Steven had instructed me about. “If you find the need for some fresh air and the window’s not doing it well enough, take the back door in the living room. It leads to the backyard.”

“Isn’t that still outside?” I had replied, though hopeful it could still work out. “Couldn’t I be seen?”

“The backyard is fenced and walled in, higher than in front. Also, since we’re on the edge of town, the likelihood of someone passing by and seeing you is a good thousand-to-one.”

The numbers hadn’t reassured me at the time, as there was always that one that could lead to my being discovered. But it was quickly determined to be a silly estimation and that the reality was that the wall would have to be broken or scaled to get in.

My mind settled, I opened the door and looked out. The backyard was about twice the size of the front yard and even though the hurricane had ended weeks ago, the plants hadn’t managed to renew their probable former lushness: bushes stood as little more than stripped roots; trees hung with bare branches; clumps of small shoots sprung up where once might have been beautiful flowers.

And in the center of it all was Steven, digging at the ground with a trowel.

That was really all I needed. My legs carried me over the yard as fast as my heart would let them, and I threw myself onto Steven’s back. “HEY YOU!” I sang out as we pitched forward into the dirt.

“Oof!” Steven landed flat on his front, his face planting itself in a patch of new grass. He blew a few blades out of his face. “Morning, yourself.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

I teleported unnecessarily off Steven’s back beside him, and waited impatiently for him to get back on his knees. His face was bright and cheerful, although a little dirty from his fall just now. Overall, it was Steven, but he was out of place.

“Steven, what are you doing home?” I asked the obvious question. “You’re usually at work by now; I… I was worried I’d missed you.”

He gave me an amused look. “Twilight, it’s the weekend.”

“The….. the weekend?”

“Yeah, the weekend,” Steven repeated. “That time when I don’t go to work and we get to stay home all day.”

I let the information sink in, allowed the realization to settle. All that time getting worked up was for nothing. Steven was still around, not at work, and most likely ready to spend the whole day with me.

Best news all morning.

Glomp

“Oof!”

Steven grunted again as he want sprawling into the dirt, this time with me on his chest. I brought my face close to his. “Next time, don’t let me get worked up like that. I genuinely worried.”

“Okay, okay, sorry,” he said, holding up his palms. “I’ll do better next time, alright?”

I gave a short nod, my muzzle almost touching his nose. “All right.”

“Great. And, uh, I don’t mean to be rude but why does your breath smell like orange?”

“Huh?” I did the classic breath-test and found that mine did indeed smell like fresh citrus. “I don’t know. I didn’t have orange juice this morning; just cereal with milk.”

“Did you?”

I replayed the morning, thinking back to my trance-like breakfast. The details of the milk carton escaped me and I didn’t remember seeing that cow on the side. I ran my tongue all over my mouth, coming away from my teeth with teeny tiny transparent pieces of citrus, and then let it sink in.

“I, um uh…. I may have gotten a little bit mixed up after just waking up,” I said embarrassedly, rubbing my leg.

Steven’s mouth tilted into a coy curve. “Hope it tasted good.”

“A little tangy, to be honest.”

“At least that’s breakfast out of the way. Now we can get to work.”

He picked up his trowel and went back to attacking the ground. I was quick to inquire. “What are you doing?”

“Digging a hole in the garden. I have a plan in mind for today involving it.”

“But…” I leaned up on his back and put my head on his shoulder. “We didn’t have our morning cuddles yet.”

Steven lifted his head and smiled. “Tell you what, Twilight: I’ll tell you my plan while we have our morning cuddles right now.”

“Yes!” I leapt around and pronked back into the house. Steven followed and closed the back door, joining me on the couch. I waited for him to sit down and draped myself over his legs when he did, using my magic to pull over some of my plushies to cuddle with us. Steven ran his fingers gently through my mane, and then he started to explain.

“My mom was a big fan of nature and its beauty. She prided herself on beautifying every aspect of her surroundings that she could. This ultimately led to her part-time gardening job. The plants just grew from there, literally.

“Of all the gardens Mom worked on, hers was undoubtedly the best. She gave it her all wherever she worked, of course, but when it came to her own turf it was like magic. Plants flourished and bloomed in every natural color, trees bore their fruit in great quantities and the shrubbery was solid. The garden was heaven.”

“Your mom sounds like a really hard worker,” I said.

“She was, and so careful in it too.” Steven slid his hand up my neck and started scratching my ear, earning an appreciative sigh from me. “When I looked out the window after the hurricane and saw the garden in its apocalyptic state, a part of me seemed torn; the part of me that misses them, now and forever.”

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. What Steven was describing was so far beyond my studies and I had no experience in it. I couldn’t begin to fathom how he felt. But after all we've been through together, I knew he wasn’t a person who was letting it rip him apart, to be forever alone and cold. “The garden is like a monument, then.”

Steven smiled. “That’s certainly how I think of it as; her last gift to me. I tended to the garden, as Mom had before me, keeping it clean and fresh. The hurricane blew all that away and now I seek to recreate what once was: my mom’s last garden.”

I looked at Steven with admiration. His reverence for his parents was greater than I could comprehend and absolutely blew me over. Although they were no longer with him, he held them in the highest regard and sought to preserve their memory in the best way he knows.

“That’s it, then.”

“It? That’s a fair bit more than just it, Steven,” I retorted. “You’re looking to remake what was all for the memory of someone you love.” I was careful with my words, concerned that I might unbalance a hidden feeling. “That’s about as great a choice as can be made.”

“Speaking of which, I should probably get back to it.”

It took me a few seconds to get what Steven was hinting at but when I did, I went ballistic. All this time, through all my personal needing, I had been preventing Steven from rebuilding the monument to his mother. In my frantic fit, I activated my magic and teleported myself and Steven back into the yard. For me, it was as normal as scratching your ear or wiping your nose, but Steven reacted quite differently.

Plop

Falling backwards was an action I was used to dealing with so I was quick to respond, moving myself underneath Steven as he toppled over. He was a bit heavy so I quickly let him down on the grass. His expression was dumbfounded and awestruck.

“We just teleported…”

Oh man, I hope he’s not disconcerted. I gave him a non-too-hard slap on the cheek. “Steven, are you okay?”

He was still for a moment, then nodded. “Just…. just got surprised by it,” he muttered, looking down at his hand. “I’m wondering if the reason I was able to teleport with you at all is because I have magic of my own.”

“Never had a problem like that before,” I replied.

“Maybe I’ll be able to teleport by myself one day.”

I had to laugh. “After a lot of practice. Now, don’t we have a memorial to replant?”

“Yes, yes we do.” Steven led me to a hidden compartment in the backyard wall. Inside were different gardening tools, including spades, rakes and watering cans. “We have all the tools we need, but we’re missing the most important thing: plants and seeds to grow. My mom always had her own on hand, but….. it all declined since her passing.”

“Then we just have to get new plants and seeds, and maybe some fertilizer too,” I said, suggesting with what little I knew about gardening. “Do you know where we could get all that?”

“I know,” Steven answered, his face split into a smile, “and so do you.”

I took a minute and was soon smiling right along with him. “Pachy Sandra!” Of course, the female fellow-fan florist. she was sure to have all that and more! But then a new problem crossed my mind. “How will you get everything here, Steven? Pachy’s shop isn't exactly a hop, skip and a jump away.”

Steven looked back at the house, smiling. “I’ve got a plan in mind for that, too.”

“So we’re all set then?”

“Mostly, but I had another idea: while I go and get the plants and such, you could already start digging the holes for everything. Would you be okay with that?”

“Would I?!” It felt silly Steven would even think I wouldn’t! “You just tell me where you want what, how wide and how deep, and it’ll be done before you get home.”

My human friend beamed and ruffled my mane. “Thank you, Twilight. You’re the best friend I’ve got here.”

“If by ‘here’ you mean the house, you may as well add ‘only’ too,” I said happily, pronking after Steven with a spade handy. Then came fifteen minutes of discussion and decision, in which Steven explained to me his wishes and instructed me in the art of beginner’s gardening. In all he told me, I found nothing that I could tweak and make better; Steven was so adept and sure on the matter.

“That should be everything,” he said at last. Indeed, the yard looked ready to be worked, with X’s of varying size marking the places where holes were to be dug. “I know you’ll be okay.”

“You know me well enough,” I guaranteed, resting the spade against my shoulder like a pro. “I’ll take care of the digging; you just go put your plan for getting all the seedlings and plants here into action.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight; I’ve confidence in the plan.”

I followed Steven into the house and, after he had retrieved his wallet, escorted him to the door and wished him luck. As he passed the boundaries of the front yard, he set off at an easy run up the street and into town.

I should have plenty of time to dig out all those holes before he gets back, I figured. But I’m not going to procrastinate; I’ll do the digging first and if there’s time left over, then I’ll have some fun.

So after making sure the front door was locked, I returned to the back garden and set to work. Wielding spades and shovels with my magic as I would books, I broke into the crust of the earth and scraped out the soil within the marked spots, pitching the dirt over my shoulder into a heap in the middle of the yard. I grabbed the old dead plants and ripped them out of the ground with my magic, tossing them into a separate pile. As I worked, I sang a continuation of the parody Steven had been singing earlier.

It’s time for us to recreate all the things that once were
A monument to withstand time, just like it was before
My friend needs help, there’s much to do, better do all I can
Fortunately, I’m the right pony to lend a helping hand

"Or hoof. You understand."

Garden Dig Up, Garden Dig Up
Holes for every plant and seed
Garden Dig Up, Garden Dig Up
Steven's words, I shall heed
By example, he does lead

Changing the words to the Winter Wrap Up song felt funny, but fun too. Now I understood why fans did it. With the parody in the making, I continued to dig, dig and dig out the marked spots. After finishing two thirds of the job, the repeated actions were beginning to tire me out so I took a break, resting on the mound of soil I'd dug up.

"What a beautiful day," I murmured to myself. And it was: the sun was shining, the few clouds rolled across the sky and a gentle breeze blew about the loosest of debris. I could feel the soft cool dirt beneath me get stuck to my back and my mane, but I didn't care. My only interest was completing my duty of hole digging before Steven returned.

And, maybe, noticing the tree.

It was really only out of the absolute corner of my eye that I caught sight of it but, hooves down, it was there. Nothing special, really: like all the other trees, it had been stripped of all its leaves and/or fruit and looked quite sad. But for some reason, just the sight of the huge, bare, solitary plant made my head itch. I just wanted to let out all my magic, to hug the tree with all my inner might, to force it back into its chlorophyllic plumage.

What is with this tree? I wondered. Very few possibilities came to mind; heck, I only lived inside the Golden Oak Library so unless that old place had left some mark on me, this whole situation was just plain weird. What kind of a plant is it to make me so crazy?

Eventually, I found myself shelving the issue for when Steven came home, hoping that he would have at least one answer for me, instead deciding to return to my job. Time seemed to fly while I was absorbed in my work, but I felt my calculations to be accurate. Steven left approximately thirty-four minutes ago. In that much time, he could probably arrive at Pachy's shop and pick out all the different plants and flowers he wants for the garden. But I still don't know how he intends to bring it here.

Brrrrrrrrrrvvvvvvvvvvvvvmmm

Author's Note

Wonder how quick I can come out with more chapters if I cut them up

Restoring in Remembrance Pt. 2

A low rumbling sound reached my ears and I felt them prick up at it. The noise was coming from the other side of the house, from somewhere along the street. It was a sound I remember hearing from mine and Steven's few but memorable excursions; sounds that came from the streets and roads wherever we went.

Vrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmm

The sound got louder and louder. Already imagining what it was, I rushed back into the house, up the stairs and stood up against the corridor window. Looking down into the street, I could see a pickup truck parked right outside the house, its bed loaded with potted plants and an assortment of small pacakges. As I watched, Steven climbed out of the truck, followed by fellow fans Iron Buck and Pachy Sandra. I'd expected to see Pachy, since she was the florist who probably sold all the stuff in the truck, but Iron née Daniel was a nice, unanticipated surprise.

What's he doing here? I wondered as the three humans began unloading the truck and carrying the many supplies around the house to the dug-up backyard. They talked as they schlepped but I couldn't hear them very well, watching from the window as quiet as a mouse.

When they were done, Pachy and Iron piled back into the pickup, Steven standing on the curb and waving farewell as they drove off. Once the coast was clear and Steven started back to the yard, I hurried back downstairs and joined him. "Shopping go well?" I asked him.

"Immensely."

"I can see that." Looking around the backyard, it looked as though Steven had purchased Pachy's entire shop: tree seedlings and shrubs in pots, packets of seeds in long boxes, short vines supported on sticks and sacks of compost. "I take it you know where you want everything?"

"For certain." Steven knelt beside the many gardening goods all laid neatly in the middle of the yard. "The flowers and smaller shrubs will sit in the central holes, the bushes and medium plants will go in on the sides, and the vines and young trees will go at the back. It'll look fantastic when they're all grown."

Tree. That word sent a shiver down my spine. That tree. Immediately, I leaped up on Steven like Winona would on Applejack. "Steven, Steven, Steven, Steven," I clamored.

He was quick to give me his attention. "What? What's the matter, Twilight?"

I sat down and pointed a hoof at the enigma. "What's that tree?"

Steven looked up at the bare towering giant and a smile splayed out on his face. "That, Twilight, is my family's Aesculus hippocastanum, and it's been here at least since the house was built five generations ago. It's shaded a lot of social events, parties and the like; I've even enjoyed climbing it when I was younger. This species is also called the conker tree or horse-chestnut."

I could feel my mind rejoice at the first mystery being solved. But that still left a question: why did I feel strange towards the tree? Is it merely because it's called horse-chestnut? That's stupid. "So," I said, hoping to get away from the conundrum for a while, "are we ready to plant?"

"Absolutely." Steven bent over the box of seeds and began leafing through them. "Oh wow, I feel so young and childish right now. Look at all these: Bluebells, Hibiscus, Chrysanthemums, Peonies—"

"Did you say 'ponies'?" I interrupted, not fully believing my ears for a moment.

"No no, Twilight: 'Pee-a-nee'. It's a plant with large, colorful flowers. I've always wanted one."

"Not because it sounds ever-so slightly like 'ponies'?" I jested.

Steven picked out a seed packet. "Huh. Never thought of it like that, and no."

We fell into awkward silence after that, Steven unpacking the rest of the supplies and I moving them to their designated spots. As we worked, a thought came to me and I decided to voice it. "So, uh, Steven."

"Hm?"

"All these plants; they're different species and genera, from different places around the world. So unless plants in your world work differently, don't some of them need a particular kind of habitat and climate? Sure, a couple of these plants could grow in most places, but ones like the pansies don't do so well in hot weather. And don't hydrangeas require constant watering if they get too heated?"

"Good question, one to which the answer is firmly rooted in my home." Steven sat down cross-legged next to the dirt pile I had dug up. He motioned for me and I joined him, curling up on the mound beside him. "It wasn't for no reason my great-great-grandfather built the house all the way out here. Both the soil and air contain special qualities that promote the growth of all and any plant life. It benefits from the geography of the area being so diverse, with mountainous regions and the seashore not too far away."

For a seemingly non-magical world, it sure has a lot of strange things in it. "That sounds too good to be true," I said plainly.

"It sounds too good to be true, Twilight, because it is too good to be true. But I assure you, it's true."

"So the soil and air make for a perfect uni-climate?"

"That's right," Steven confirmed. "My mom had planted tons of different plants in her line of work and all of them flourished as they would in their preferred environment."

"Wow..." I glanced at the seedlings and packets, trying to imagine what the garden would like like in full bloom. "It is magical."

"Just a marvel of nature, really." Steven got onto his knees and and picked up a lilac shrub. "This will look great when it's in full bloom."

I walked to his side and looked at the small, adolescent plant. "Yeah, probably. But with my magic, I could make it grow in a heartbeat. Then we could bring back the garden really quick."

"No, Twilight."

"What?" I looked at Steven, shocked. "Why not? Don't you want your mom's garden back to how it was? I can bring it all back, instantly! I know I can!"

"I know you can too," Steven said, putting an arm around my shoulders, "but this garden is more than just a memory of my mother; it's a result of her diligent work. No matter the weather, be it sun, snow, wind or rain, she would kneel down among the plants and make sure they were content and healthy. That's what we're trying to recreate and as such, we will do it the same way she did, no offense to your magic abilities."

I wasn't offended, but I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to see exactly what the garden looked like in full bloom as soon as I'd thought. Ultimately, I was happy for Steven, happy he had clarified on what he wanted. "I'm happy if you're happy," I said, truly feeling that way, and Steven smiled. "Let's get to planting."

And so we spent the next three hours replanting Steven's backyard, seeking to return it to its former glory. I busied myself near the wall with the vines and small trees, coaxing them out of their plastic pots, while Steven inserted flower seeds and seedlings into the small holes I'd dug. Thanks to my accurate calculations, each plant had more than enough space for its roots and potting soil. We buried the plant roots and seeds with mixtures of compost and earth from the holes and sprinkled them with water. It was a lot of work but it was all straightforward, and fun to do together with Steven.

After a lunch break, we returned to the garden and cleaned up, putting away the tools and throwing away the empty plant packets. I had to admit the garden looked pretty cool, with its small plants and lumps of soil that marked the freshly-planted seeds. The vines clung to the frame against the wall and the tiny bushes stood sturdy in their packed holes. Overall, I felt our work was well done, except for one little thing.

"Steven, what about the horse-chestnut?"

He looked at me with a puzzled look. "What about it?"

"Will it grow new leaves and nuts eventually?"

Steven stared at the tree with its bare spindly branches. "I hope so. It was so nice to sit under its shade, the base always littered with fallen nuts. I'd end up gathering them up and carrying them around, throwing them at unsuspecting classmates as a joke, though I had to be careful not to actually hurt them."

"In magic school, I would sit under such trees, doing my best to ignore the other ponies who pelted each other with nuts. Sometimes they would hit me and I'd stare them down until they left me alone," I said, recalling the many afternoons where it would happened. "Once, I was so angry when I was interrupted from my levitation practice, I lifted all the nuts from the floor and dropped them on the other foals. They were fine, though."

"I guess there're still some similarities between our worlds we haven't compared yet," Steven noted.

"We're bound to find them all eventually," I insisted, leaning my head against his leg.

"Yep."

We stood there in front of the tree, looking up at its empty branches. I felt the same urge as before, the urge to use my magic and grow the tree back into its previous splendor, but with Steven there beside me I was reminded of his wish to tend the garden at its natural pace, just like his mother had.

Still, I wish I could show him, just for a moment...

"Twilight?"

"Hm?"

Steven fell down on one knee, holding his hand out. His lightly-glowing hand. "Teach me how to restore the horse-chestnut."

I felt my heartbeat quicken and my excitement exploded out of me, resulting in a small firework of sparks shooting from my horn. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. "Do you mean it? I thought you wanted to remake your mom's garden as she did."

"The tree's more than just my mom's. My grandfather and even his grandfather before him had a hand in it too. Like I said, it's been around for as long as the house, maybe even before that. My whole family has taken charge of tending the tree, pruning and watering it. Now, it's time for this generation to take care of her, in our way.

"So please, Twilight, teach me the magic of Equestria."

The prospect of teaching Steven drove me to prance in place, my body no longer able to contain the joy I felt. With a happy shout, I led him back inside and gave him a quick run-through on channeling magic into objects, particularly living organisms. We used a potted fern on the window sill as a test subject and after fifteen minutes, it grew rapidly under Steven's magic.

"Perfect!" I congratulated, hungrily eyeing the new frond.

"No way did I learn enough to make the old tree grow back," Steven guessed.

"No, but combined with my magic, it should be more than enough to do the job."

"Then let's try it."

We returned to the garden, not surprised at finding nothing to have changed, and directed our attention and energy to the tree. I took up my stance and raised my horn, while Steven moved one leg back and held out his arms. We called upon our magic, mine magenta and Steven's now a light blue, and released it into the tree. The colored tendrils sank into the trunk, revitalizing the tree. We continued to channel our magic into the horse-chestnut, sweat starting to appear on our faces, but it wasn't until several minutes had passed did progress make its appearance.

"Twilight, look!"

Steven's excited whisper drew my eyes up to the tree's branches. On the closest limb, a tiny green bud slipped out of the thin bark, slowly growing in size until it opened into a leaf. All along the branches, more buds appeared and grew, slowly covering the tree with a thin layer of green.

"It's working," I breathed, even more in awe of the sight than I'd originally expected. "It's working!"

Our flow of magic intensified. Leaves popped onto the tree like balloons at Pinkie's parties. Layer after layer of green began to hide the once-bare branches from our sight. Tiny nut-like seeds grew among the leaves, steadily growing into spiky-looking conkers. Within minutes, the old horse-chestnut had become a leafy titan, with a crown spread at least twenty feet. The sight was breathtaking and I felt my rump connect with the dirt as I sat down in awe.

Steven reacted quite differently. He stepped towards the tree, as though in a trance, and bowed his head against the trunk. After a moment, he leapt up suddenly and furiously began climbing, using lower branches to swing himself higher. I drew nearer to the trunk as he agilely climbed high into the tree's new growth, curious as to why he was doing it.

"What's up, Steven?"

Steven stopped climbing. Carefully, he inched himself onto a wider bough hanging above me, one hand rummaging through the leaves, and looked down with a huge grin on his face. "Me."

Woosh

"Waah!"

A quickly conjured barrier blocked the thrown chestnut before it could brain me. I squinted up into the tree to find Steven perched on the bough, one hand overflowing with conkers and the grin on his face wider than before.

"Don't you dare," I warned him.

"Can't resist. My childhood demands it."

Couldn't argue with that. I tensed up my legs and fired up my muscles as a barrage of newly-grown nuts rained down on me like hailstones. Steven had them coming at me at a rate of about one conker per 1.21 seconds, taking deadly accuracy in a blink and hurling the projectile. Fortunately, my life in Ponyville had led me to numerous occasions calling for running (as well as screaming) and I wasn't out of practice in the least. Before long, conkers littered the ground, I was out of breath and Steven was out of reachable ammo.

Panting, I called up to him. "Are you.... satisfied? Has your... childhood been... uh.... relived?"

"Hmmmm," Steven mused, dangling one arm from the wide bough upon which he was perched, like a large jungle cat. "Yes, I suppose." Gripping the thinner part of the bough, he swung himself over the side and leapt to the ground, landing hunched with a thump beside me. "Though I do believe any time spent with you will be worth reliving as well."

"Awwww." I hugged his leg as he stood up.

Steven ruffled my mane, his grin prominent. "Silliness aside, we're all done, Twilight. The garden's planted and the ancient horse chestnut has been restored to its full glory. The day's goal has been achieved and it looks great."

I looked around, finding it impossible to disagree. Plant life now painted the previously dead backyard, green stems and tiny mounds of dirt paving the way for a rainbow of flora. The tree was undoubtedly the grandest sight of them all, and more than a little useful with the shade it supplied. I felt super proud of Steven and myself, for together we had planted the beautiful garden that lay before us.

"Yes. The day's goal is complete."

Steven wiped his hands of the dirt and soil. "How about we celebrate with some couch time?"

I literally felt the excitement bloom inside me like a flower in the yard. With a cheer, I raced back into the house, Steven metaphorically on my tail, and scrambled on the sofa until we'd achieved our favorite position: Steven sitting up, me laying across his lap, mane brushed by hand. We sat there for a few minutes, the only movement being the rising and falling of our chests and Steven's soil-smelling hand running through my hair.

"So, Twilight," Steven finally said, "did you enjoy gardening, or did you just enjoy us gardening together."

"Mmm hmhm. Both."

"That's a pretty weaselly answer for you, Twilight."

I stuck out my tongue. "Tease."

"Tease, huh?"

I readied myself instantly at his words. It was a cliche I'd picked up on from watching cartoon shows; the repetition of words that sounded almost like accepting a dare, to be followed by just the meaning. I heightened my senses and watched carefully for any motion from Steven aside from his stroking my mane.

Nothing happened. Except for the brushing, of course; he'd have to keep his hand there to prevent me from noticing anything, if he was indeed trying to keep me from catching on. But the more I watched and waited, the more it seemed like time dragged on and Steven was doing nothing else besides brushing my mane. I couldn't understand it; had the TV lied to me?

Then I realized I wasn't resting on Steven's lap anymore. Rather, I was four feet above it, cradled in a silhouette of blue sparks, my mane being handled by a cluster of light particles. Reaction was immediate.

"WHOA!"

My legs cartwheeled round and round, but found no surface or friction to move me. The blue sparks held me up the air, supporting my body, while the cluster continued to stroke my mane just as Steven was a moment ago. Looking down, I saw a similar cluster of blue sparks dancing around Steven's hand; the same hand that had just been brushing my hair.

"Steven!"

"Yes?"

"That's .... a really good trick."

Steven smiled up at me. "I learned it from the best." He moved his hand like a scanner and slowly brought me back down to rest in his lap, though the magic brushing my hair continued.

"Don't be ridiculous. I didn't teach you that."

"You taught me the basics," he insisted, bending over and kissing the top of my head. "And as far as I can tell, the rest of magic is all feeling."

I swung my head around and glared at him. "I studied magic for years since I was a little filly. It most certainly isn't 'all feeling'!"

"Neither is this." Steven burrowed his left arm under me and flipped me onto my back. Like an overturned stretched-out hedgehog, my belly was unprotected and the predatory fingers struck. I was helpless in seconds, melting at Steven's touch as his hands rummaged through my soft fur, while his magic still brushed my mane.

"Uwaaaa....."

"That doesn't sound very scholarly at all," he commented.

I waved a hoof aimlessly overhead. "Mmmm.... can argue about the mechanics of magic later...."

"I'm not going to learn anything while I'm rubbing your belly, am I?"

"Mm mm."

We left it at that. There was nothing more to say and I was catatonic anyway, so we continued with our couch position, letting the rest of the day tick by. The only sounds were that of brushed hair and rubbed fur, with an occasional sigh or hum. Steven and I had been working most of that day and were enjoying our well-deserved rest.

After some time (I couldn't bother myself to look at the grandfather clock), I spoke up. "When I think about it, I guess magic is some part feeling."

"Hm?" Steven held me upright and re-positioned me so that I was sitting in his lap, whereupon he set about massaging my shoulders. "How does that fit in with your 'years of studying'?"

"It's both. Most unicorns use their magic for their respective talents, and their feelings and thoughts contribute to the resulting magic. For unicorns like me, who specialize in magic as a whole, studying different styles and spells lead us to a deeper understanding of magic and how to use it. You, Steven, as an individual who discovered magic recently, would have to feel to use it."

"So I was right."

"Yes, you were. Don't let it go to your head, though."

Steven put a hand on his scalp. "It's a nice noggin. Not nearly as nice as yours, but adequate for sure."

"Oh stop it," I said, giving him a nudge in the chest. Taking idioms and phrases seriously are one of the things that drive me crazy. I mean, somepony tries to get a message across and their conversation partner just goes stupid on them. But Steven was Steven and I wasn't about to hold grudges. Besides, I was getting hungry and the garden wasn't ready to be grazed. "Let's go eat."

"Want me to order a pizza?"

"Your world has deliveries too?" The small, less important similarities between mine and his just kept coming.

"That doesn't answer my question," Steven said with a wry smile.

"Yes."

A short while later (part of which I spent watching the delivery man on the doorstep from the shadows of the bedroom window), Steven and I were back on the couch, joined by a fresh pizza. The two of us enjoying the cheesy tomato flatbread reminded me of our first real dinner together, right after I had recovered from pneighmonia. I glanced sideways at the drum in the corner of the room, covered in a thin layer of dust and filled with a hardening broth of my own bile.

"Are you ever going to throw that out?" I asked, pointing at the drum. "I mean, I know what it meant to you at the time, but now that you have me here through and through..."

"Where would I put it, a radioactive dumpsite? That may be puke, Twilight, but it could very well be magical puke and could lead to unwanted outcomes."

"Heh, I guess so. I've watched enough TV to know that much."

Steven scratched my ear. "I'm sure will find something to do with it in the future, whether it's throwing it away somewhere safe or using it as a plot device. Who knows? It may just save us from the next magically-tampered natural disaster."

The mentioning of the windigo-induced hurricane sent my thoughts racing on the matter. How did the windigos get into this world? Did they get through it with me? Did I leave some sort of hole in Space that's letting in monsters from Equestria?

"Twilight?"

Steven's voice pulled me away from my thoughts. "Yes?"

"I know that look and I know what you're thinking. You can't worry about things like that now because we can't solve them; no one here can. We have no reason to assume you were responsible for drawing the windigos here. Maybe they were just born from all the hate in the world. It may be the first case of them ever existing here, but it's still a possibility."

That's my human friend; always trying to make me feel better. Works pretty well, too. "Thanks, Steven," I said, snuggling up against him. "But you do remember the five beams of light Iron, Pachy and the others saw."

"I've been thinking of those too," he admitted. "It seems too good to be true, but they're the only bronies I know of in town. And they match up with the other five Elements pretty darn well."

"They must have activated the lights, even without their knowing. They called upon the magic of friendship that exists between you all!"

Steven smiled warmly, as though enjoying the very thought. "So the five of them are the Elements of Harmony here? Iron for Honesty, Pachy on Generosity, Loyalty for Sprint, Laughter with Cobalt and Tranquil to Kindness. Who's Magic, then?"

"You," I said immediately.

"Ah, but I'm nothing to Magic without you," he replied, tickling my belly. "The two of us, together; that is the Element of Magic."

My ear twitched instinctively as his other hand rested beside it on my head. "Do you think so? Can two individuals share an Element of Harmony?"

"Fans have been coming up with theories about the Elements," Steven said, glancing sideways at the computer. "Though I don't see how anypony else could have had a go at them after Luna's banishment; they should have still been connected to Celestia and without her sister, they would be stuck halfway and unless Celestia was... 'removed', let's say, they wouldn't connect to anypony else."

"Did you just come up with that now?" I questioned.

Steven shrugged. "We all have our headcanons."

"Mmmm... Back to our new Elements, something must have come about that activated them here. The question is: what exactly activated them and set them on the windigos? How did their magic start?"

"A collective wish for the end of the storm, raising their resolve and boosting their Element trait, activating each respective Element to come aid us."

"Cliche."

"Cliches happen. But it could also have been an automatic response," Steven suggested, not deterred by my shooting down his first possibly-joke theory. "When you and your friends all got your cutie marks at the same time, Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom tied it all together. In our case, maybe it's going backwards; the magic collects itself into a rainbow instead of dispersing itself. A strangely-colored rainbow, but a rainbow nonetheless."

"Could be." I lifted my head, feeling serious and eager. "There's studying to be done on magic in this world. Sure, my magic and the windigos work as normal, but possible human magic working the opposite way from what I know is leaving questions unanswered."

Steven wrapped an arm around my body and pulled me closer. "Well, if anyone's gonna do it, it'll be you, Twilight."

With his other hand, he took another slice of pizza and held it in front of me. I gingerly took a bite from it, enjoying the feeling that came with being cared for and looked after as he had for so long now. I had come to like many things in the strange world I've been thrown into, but by-and-by the things I loved most were anything I took part in with Steven. Today we had replanted his mother's prized garden and started on the path to understanding the magic of friendship in this world, a subject which would certainly challenge us in the near future.

But with Steven watching over me, I was sure that I would be comfortable studying, living and learning in his world, however long it may be.

Author's Note

These things are really long. I need to find some way to shorten them

Standing Up Straight

Ever since Steven had introduced me to his computer, it had become one of my most trusty companions (after Steven, my plushies, the TV and the couch, of course). Since the Equinomicon offered so little information on its and all other magic I'd encountered, I decided to start compiling what I knew and drawing up assumptions and theories. Hopefully, with this collection of knowledge, we'd be better prepared for any anomalies that could very well strike out at us.

As it turned out, however, it didn't go over so well. Not that the information didn't make sense or add up; it did, all except for Steven's actually having magic, and that was the problem. Nothing in all that I'd encountered during my time in this world pointed to a logical explanation of Steven's magic. It could be like Pinkie Pie's 'Pinkie Sense', her sudden unexplainable body movements that could predict future occurrences. Maybe Steven simply had magic.

No, there has to be something else to it, I decided, tapping the desktop impatiently as I struggled to think of an answer. Do human wizards exist? I've read historical records of witches and soothsayers, but could they have basis in fact that point to modern-day events?

Trying with no success frustrates me. It tosses every effort made into the trash and mocks you for wasting time. I had lines of meaningless strung words on the computer document and pages of scribbles, and I still wasn't any closer to solving the magic mystery.

Oh well, enough of that. Let's have some fun.

Putting aside all my research, I opened up a separate window and started watching Inuyasha. Steven had introduced me to multiple cartoons and anime to help get through the lonely hours and I was already picking favorites. Inuyasha appealed to me in particular, as the lead characters often end up in each other's worlds and often had trouble reacting properly; scenarios I could easily relate to.

I had gotten through barely half of an episode when I heard a knock at the door. Steven was always telling me never to answer the door and ignore the bell, to keep my presence secret from the rest of the world. Besides, only Steven had any business being in the house and he had a key.

I ignored the beckon call and turned down the volume, to make it appear like no one was home, but a second later someone knocked again, thrice and louder. Normally, I'd have turned a deaf ear, but whoever it was followed up with an irritating rhythm buzzed out on the doorbell. What the buck? I thought violently. Whoever the heck that is, are you TRYING to tick me off?

I tapped the mouse repeatedly, ready to drown out any oncoming noises, but the seeker drummed a solo on the door that simply begged for trouble, and I had grown an attitude. That's it. Lifting an umbrella from the coat rack, I clomped to the door, ready to teach a good old fashioned lesson to the moron who'd gotten into his head that hammering on people's doors was a good idea. I turned the key with my magic, forgetting Steven's warnings in my rage, and wrenched the door open.

The doorstep was clear. Nobody around.

I held back, the emptiness clearing up my anger. What the hay? I tried to peer around the corner of the door without leaning out too much. to avoid being seen. Then I remembered that I had a large protruding horn.

Oop- SLAM!

"Aaaaaaaaha hahahahahaaha!"

My heart beat like a speeding steam engine. Just beyond the fence around the front of the house, some kids were peeking out at the door, laughing uproariously. It was then that I realized what they were trying to do and the thought that they had almost lured me into the open frightened me as much as any fatal disease.

Steven could not have come home any faster.

"You think they saw you?"

"I don't know, I don't!"

On top of not leaving the house, I spent the rest of the day wrapped up in a thick sheet and with a hefty pair of safety goggles on my face, to assure my identity remain hidden. It was certainly paranoia on my part, but after the shocking experience of that day, I was not willing to take any more chances, and no amount of anime was able to put my mind at ease.

"I shouldn't have lost my anger. I'm sorry."

"Knock, Knock, Ginger. In England, anyway," Steven explained. ""The prank goes by several names, probably depending on where you live. But that's all it is: a prank."

"A prank that can get you shot," I commented. Shortly after the failed healing of anime, I looked up reference to see if I was the only victim of this immature joke. The more I researched, however, the more distressed I became. Victims occasionally harmed the children pulling the prank, using firearms to take shots at the retreating hooligans. As I read, images of humans with oranges for heads sprung to mind, either making me grin evilly or shake my head to dismiss the thought.

"You have more self-control than that," Steven said, brushing my mane with his hands. "Even when you're angry."

"I should have done something," I insisted, panic building. "Maybe a mind spell? They could have seen me."

"And they probably would have dismissed it as a hat or accessory." Steven stroked me until I stopped shaking. "Let's proceed on the assumption that they don't know a real purple unicorn is living in this house."

I gave a nod and though I was no longer shaking, I was still very much shook up from the whole ordeal. Months of living together in secret had gotten me used to being a secret, and the possibility of being discovered became chilling, not thrilling, and that feeling in itself became heightened as time went on. All in all, my mental state was getting to a questionable point over being found out.

"This can't go on, Steven," I said with a sigh, my ears flopping down. "I don't want to be found, but I feel hiding won't work for much longer. I've been lucky these past few months, but luck runs out eventually."

"Your luck never ran out in Equestria," Steven remarked, patting my back in a final sort of way. "Probably because you didn't rely on luck."

"True friends make their own luck." I levitated a glass of juice off the table and took a long drink. "But back home I had a lot more friends. Here, I only have you. Not that there's anything wrong with that," I added quickly. "And you have your own magic; that really is saying something."

"Thank you." Steven pointed at another glass and, with a snap of his fingers, brought it up in his blue magic aura. "You're right though. This can't go on. You can't hide forever in this world; it never works in the movies and it certainly won't work in real life."

"But what can I do?" I complained. "No amount of clothes or makeup will fool any human into thinking I'm one of them, and I don't know any transformation spells that will work for that."

"Guess it's time to break out our old friend, Deus Ex Machina," Steven announced, grinning in spite of it all. A point of his finger brought the Equinomicon out of its hiding place, between Baby Beluga and Winnie the Pooh. My paranoia of being caught had even led me to hiding the magical tome, should someone break in.

"We're coming to it this time," I reminded him, calming at the sight of the book. "Will it even have something for us?"

"I don't think the Equinomicon works like that. It may have a personality of its own, but I think it is ready to give us the knowledge when we ask for it. In the past, it must have sensed your illness, loneliness and the windigos, and so it responded with an answer."

I nodded approvingly. "It makes sense when you put it that way, and I guess we won't know for sure until we try."

We settled back onto the couch and Steven set the book down on his lap. Reverently he turned the pages, showing first the Ultimate Recovery Spell, then the alternate Fire of Friendship, followed by the newest addition: the Little Pony Spell. Beyond that, the pages were still blank, but just looking at the three existing enchantments made me feel proud.

"Do you really think we'll ever find out where the Equinomicon came from?" I asked.

"I never managed to get an answer from my family, but the magic's started in my time so I feel there's a good chance I'll be the one to learn the truth." Steven's fingers drummed the first blank page. "I'm going to ask it now."

"Alright. Go for it."

Steven held the book up and stared at the pages. "Equinomicon, you who holds the secrets of magic, your aid and guidance is required again. The unicorn under my care can no longer be hidden from the world. Rather, she needs a way to hide within the world, and to be accepted among the people who inhabit it. So please, show us the way to accomplish our goals."

He sounded very impressive, respectful with a hint of commanding, even though the phrasing felt just slightly cheesy. I looked at the book, imagining what kind of faces it would be making if it had a face to begin with, waiting for a response. Mere seconds later, much to our surprise, the book gave off its familiar green glow and lifted itself out of Steven's hands to hover before us.

"You did it, Steven!" I whispered excitedly.

He put an arm around my shoulders. "The doing's not done, Twi. Let's watch."

The book turned vertically as though it were picking itself up and standing straight. It tilted down, making it appear like it was looking at us with those blank pages. Then the Equinomicon straightened again and the words began to appear:

A summons for me? What a pleasant surprise
To invite me on your own initiative, guys
Just remember: no matter what is called for
It'll be my pleasure to reply with an answer

You say a pony's in need of disguise
More in plain sight than when miniaturized?
My friends, I have here just what you need
But upon you will depend the spell's speed

To hide a pony among humans in view
Can be a lot simpler than the last few
Just keep it in mind what you're wanting to get
And channel your magic together a bit

As before, friendship is the key in a spell
Working together, and all will go well
So get right on to it, don't make it more strange
And here's hoping to a delightful new change

Ours eyes scanned the verses quickly, heads moving in sync as we read the lines together. "So I just need to think of what I want, we get the magic rolling and that's it?" I wondered aloud.

"It certainly looks to be that simple." Steven ran his finger under the third line of the third verse. "This one has the wording we need to focus on the most."

"Hm?" I reread the indicated line. "'Just keep it in mind what you're wanting to get'. Sounds straightforward enough. It looks to be transformation."

"More like transmogrification," Steven disputed. "I don't know, Twi. This seems like a biggie."

"I'm already facing a biggie, Steven. If I get caught, who knows what'll happen? Worst case scenario, a wormhole gets opened on both worlds and sucks everything we know and don't know into oblivion."

My human friend gave me a long studious look. I could practically hear his thoughts, working to come up with a retort to my moment of pessimism. Finally, he sighed and almost literally closed the book, which would likely have not befitted us with what we were about to do. "You're right, of course. It's the best option we have."

"Yes, yes it is." I looked at the line that was giving Steven trouble. "It seems clear enough. We just have to think of what we want to turn, sorry, what we want me to turn into."

"Do you know what you want us to turn you into?" Steven asked, though I was sure he knew the answer even as I said it.

"A human."

The Internet had given me countless examples for what ponies from Equestria would look like as humans or partially-transformed "anthros". "The spell will need a design choice in order to properly work," I declared. I teleported from the couch to the swivel chair before the computer, a lazy seven feet for something like teleportation, and flashed my hooves across the keyboard, bringing up numerous image databases as I searched for source material.

"Twilight?" Steven called over, getting up from the couch and starting toward the computer desk.

"Just a little longer, the ideas are rolling in!"

"Twilight."

I felt Steven's hands on my shoulders and his gaze on my head. The screen was covered in partly-maximized windows, each one displaying artwork from the Internet. Every image was of me, an artist's rendition of what I would look like as a human. But something about Steven's touch made me hesitate and halt my search. I turned my head up and looked him in the eye.

"What is it?"

His smile warmed my heart, as always, though what he had to say was of concern. "You shouldn't use someone else's ideas for this spell. It doesn't feel right, you know? Like downloading pirated movies and TV shows; you're using something for free for your own gain."

"But Steven, this is really important," I argued. "This can become life or death. Also, it's not like I'm gaining anything major from this."

"I know that when you say 'gaining', you mean monetarily. But I think there's more at stake than just gain, or lack-thereof; if you use someone else's idea for something that could become central to you, and at the same time not you at all. Whatever you use to fuel the artistic aspect of this spell, it needs to be yours."

After several seconds of nothing but silence and staring, my hoof found its way to the monitor's power button and the screen winked off, vanishing all my reference pieces and leaving me with a void. Some rational part of me agreed with Steven's uncommon explanation, but the rest of me was convinced of my lack of imagination to complete this task ahead. "Will you help me?"

Steven blinked unsurely, then narrowed his gaze to the computer. "Are you sure?"

"I don't think I've been surer of anything else in my life."

"I dunno, Twi. I'm almost as hesitant about this as I was with the computer. I mean, I guess I have an idea for what you'd look like, and—"

I didn't let him finish, knocking him to the floor with my exuberant jump to his chest. "Yes, I AM sure! And yes, you WILL help me and everything will go perfectly!" At that point, I was practically shaking him.

"Okay okay, I'll do it!" Steven's hands shot up and restrained me bodily, holding me close against him while he began to stroke my mane. "Just keep your cool, please. Getting nervous or overexcited can only spell trouble, so let's just proceed calm and collected-like, alright?"

"Yes. Of course. Can we please start?"

We took up positions. I stood in the center of the den carpet auspiciously, Steven standing just outside it, the Equinomicon propped up on the table for literary reference. Looking into his eyes, I could already see him concentrate and focus, though I could only imagine what was going through his mind. Something promising, my rational side ushered. It's all trust and friendship between the two of you.

Who KNOWS what's going on inside that pale brown head?! a rather loud and uncouth voice screamed out. For all we know, he's going to try and turn us into a—

"Twilight, are you ready?"

As always, Steven's voice pulled me back to reality. "Yes. Are you?"

"I've got a form in mind; I can practically see it on you now, you as it. I don't think I've ever seen anything so clearly in my mind either. I'm ready as well"

I nodded. "Then let's do this."

Steven knelt down in front of me. "Twilight, I'm no expert but I like to think I'm insightful on this. Transmogrification, as depicted, is not a simple thing. Bone growths, muscles, organs, your entire body is going to undergo the kind of changes that takes months, years, possibly even millions of years to happen. Something like that could be very, very painful."

"I know, Steven. I've thought it through and researched it as well. And yes, I know it could hurt a lot. But we've already agreed on this and we have to try, if only to know that we can. Trust me."

Hoof and hand met together, the two of us gripping tightly as we looked into each other's eyes. "I do."

"Then no more delays. Let's do this."

Resuming our positions, I activated my magic into a field of energy. The plan was for Steven to tap into my power with his, and use our combined magic to shape my body as he imagined. It followed in line with the Equinomicon's words as much as we understood, so there was no reason to think it wouldn't work.

Steven called upon his own magic, blue light filling his hands and slowly extending a long, snaky line that suckered onto my energy field. I could feel Steven's presence through it, his magic and feelings helping calm my slightly jumpy nerves.

Things were looking good so far.

"I can feel your magic," Steven called out, his voice sounding strange through the field. "It's trying to draw on my vision."

"Then let it flow. Let it happen."

My own voice seemed to echo within my magic field. A thread of my magic crept up Steven's blue tendril, while it spider-webbed its own color over my purple dome. Steven twisted his hands, weaving his magic through mine, shaping it to suit his master plan. The dual colored dome shimmered with a dozen shades of violet, indigo, cyan and mulberry.

"It's beautiful."

Steven smiled, then tugged. All at once, the dome began to collapse inwards. For a second, I panicked, but one look at Steven's determined face, as well as the constant reassuring feeling surging through our joint magic, calmed me right down as the magic field shrank even closer.

"Now."

The spell draped over me, tightening around my body like a latex glove. I could still see, but every part of me felt tightly bound by warm magic bandages. Steven's concentrated expression never wavered as I rose into the air, the tightness increasing with every passing second until it was almost suffocating.

Then came the change.

I imagine it was the change, because it was almost as Steven had described. My legs felt as though they were being pulled on a rack, slowly teasing them outwards beyond their limits. My body seemed to snap this way and that like an ever-bouncing rubber band. I had to screw up my face as I felt it shift like a shiver down my spine, in front. It wasn't as painful as expected, but it didn't tickle either.

On and on, the cycle went. Flashes of pain, blinding light, struggling to keep my cool with Steven's collected face in my subconscious. My hooves felt as though they were each being pulled in five separate directions. My ears were literally sliding down my head.

"It's working, it's working!"

Again came Steven's voice through the magic, further enforcing my confidence in the procedure despite all the aches coming from it. My legs started to throb like never before and my balance suddenly left me, causing my inevitable fall to the floor. I put my hooves down to break my fall, but felt a sudden weakness that made me collapse from there to the bottom. I barely felt the floor beneath me, though, possibly on account of the magic already tampering with my systems.

"TWILIGHT!"

My ears rang from the now-clear calling and I soon felt Steven's hands on me, and soon I was sitting upright. My head felt like it was spinning in six different directions, and the throbbing was still plentiful all over me. It took a moment focusing on Steven's face before I could see it clearly. It was full of concern.

"Twilight?"

"Um... yes, Steven?"

"First off, do you feel okay?"

I took a moment to take note of the various aches and pains still happening. "Just about a dozen various spots experiencing a dull throbbing, but other than that I'm fine."

"Good." Steven pulled back a bit and looked at me carefully, his gaze becoming steadily disapproving by the second. "This won't work. This isn't right!" He grabbed the Equinomicon and shouted at it. "This is no good!"

"Steven, calm down!" Getting up, I grabbed the book away from him. "Whatever went wrong, you can't blame the Equinomicon. It's just the messenger, after all, not the maker."

My only friend in this world stared at me, more specifically staring at the Equinomicon in my hands. Or hooves, really.

No, wait. Yes, hands.

I looked down at myself, down my pale purple forelimbs, at the magic book that I held. At the end of my familiar-colored appendages were body parts I was not acquainted with personally: hands. Gone were my flat-ended hooves, instead my forelimbs ended in the five-digit appendages that humans showed their dexterity off with in their everyday life, that primates and several other creatures had to grab, hold, point and an infinite number of other things.

And now I had hands.

"Steven.... what happened to my hooves?"

The setting sun cast a dark shadow over Steven's face, his eyes aimed at the floor. "Whatever happened... to the rest of you, Twilight."

At this, I gave in to the temptation. I got up from the floor and hurried to the mirror in the other room, instantly realizing many, many things: for one, I was tall enough now to see my entire body without craning my neck, as I'd had to previously.

Another, was how my body had transformed.

My new height was thanks to my new back legs, which were much longer now. My hands came at the end of arms taking the place of my forelegs, also longer, though not feeling as strong as my old legs were, possibly from not being used to support my weight. My entire torso was now that of a human female, though my skin color remained my own familiar purple pigmentation. Even my face, which had the small nose and mouth typical of humans, was a healthy shade of mulberry.

Unfortunately, none of that went well with the rest. My new legs ended in massive six-inch hooves, which would certainly not fit in any of Steven's boots. My pony ears stuck out at the top of my head, along with my horn. Even my tail was still around, swishing behind my new body as though nothing had happened.

"This won't help," Steven raged, gesticulating wildly between myself and the Equinomicon. "You're even more noticeable than ever. There's going to be almost no way to hide you now. No offence, but THIS IS USELESS!"

His despairing shouts drew me away from my reflection and I quickly made my way back to my friend. "Steven, please, calm down," I insisted, putting my new hands on his shoulders. "Panicking and shouting isn't going to help."

Steven's eyes bulged with the words I asked him not to speak, also coming out his mouth as deep raggedy breaths. Slowly, I managed to ease him onto the couch where he sat still, cupping his head in his hands. "It's just too much, Twi. After all that effort, and we're not even close."

"Don't say that. Look!" I lifted my leg in an attempt to show our progress, but misjudged and lost my balance, bringing me to the floor. I realize that I'm not as plush as I normally was, and the fall stung a bit on my new flank.

"Ooo..."

At least I got a grin out of Steven, though it didn't last. "Twilight, this won't serve as a disguise to hide you among us in this world," he said, lowering his hands and unveiling his sad smile. "You know that, right?"

He was right. My new appearance was certainly not close to human, better matched under the term "anthropomorphic". While it was truly a fascinating experience that would leave me much to consider, It would not serve the purpose we sought in this new spell, and left us essentially right where we had started.

"It's too bad, too," I admitted, sitting down next to Steven. My head was now almost level with his, and I could look him straight in the eye while seated beside him. "This feels incredible, being built upright, being taller, having hands." I couldn't help but wiggle my fingers experimentally.

"Heh." Steven grinned, then looked scornfully at the Equinomicon. "But why didn't it work all the way?" He picked up the open book and shouted at it. "What do I need to do to make it work?!"

I looked away, thinking it would be best for Steven to vent out all his anger before trying to talk more, but the silence that followed was so profound I had to look back. Steven was now looking at the open Equinomicon, staring wide-eyed at the pages of the spell we had just cast on my person.

"Steven? What is it?"

He looked up from the magical tome, staring off into the distance. "All I had to do was ask, huh...." he mumbled.

"What happened, Steven? What's it saying?"

He slowly turned to look at me, a small sympathetic smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He brought the Equinomicon towards me, lifted it up and turned it about so that the pages were open to me, and I looked in. There, near the bottom of the page upon which the transformation spell ended, in a shiny hand-written scrawl, were two words:

Help her

I lifted my gaze from the Equinomicon, looking straight into the eyes of the only person who knew of me in this world, my only friend here. I thought about everything we'd been through together, all the good and the bad, the ups and the downs, the hidden and the revealed, of us and between us. I thought about how we were connected through my home of Equestria, through its fictitious depiction in this world and my very being. Introspection brought a lot to mind, and it began to dawn on me just how close Steven and I had become. One look at his face told me very similar thoughts were going through his head.

"So," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper, not quite sure of an appropriate volume to use at such a time, "what are you going to do?"

Steven's expression became quizzical, but he glanced at the way I was, my anthropomorphic body that would stick out even at a fantasy convention. He slipped the Equinomicon onto the table, face-up with the new spell and the even newer words on display, and then his eyes drew even closer.

"Help you."

I didn't realize how close we were sitting until the distance had completely vanished, our lips coming together. At once, I recalled our previous kisses and how similar they all were, yet this one was different somehow. Was it because my lips were now human so they 'fit' better? I was certainly enjoying the contact they shared with Steven's, so maybe it was that.

But now was certainly different. Steven's arms came up behind my back, pulling me into a hug, bringing us closer. I slipped my new arms over his shoulders, linking them behind his neck. Being this close with our arms all interlocked, made me feel good, even better with the kissing. I could feel the warmth of Steven's body against my skin, the pleasant feeling of our kiss shared through our contact. My lips tingled with every passing second as he kept his glued to them.

I hope they didn't feel too fuzzy.

I closed my eyes, preferring to feel my way through this experience, and so much feeling there was to do. But even through my closed eyelids, I could make out a dull shine coming from somewhere. My curiosity urged powerfully, tempting me to open my eyes and see, but my mind was made up and my feelings prevailed, forcing my eyes shut even tighter. Steven and I held on to our passionate embrace a moment longer, before finally letting it fade.

"Mmmmm...." I allowed myself a moment to review what had just happened, the immediate memory only raking in the good feelings further. "That was the best."

"Yeah, it w—"

"Steven?"

Whatever my human friend was about to say suddenly petered off, and I finally allowed my eyes to open. His face gave things away again, as he looked me up and down in a state of awe, clearly not believing whatever it was he was seeing. "What is it now?"

My friend let his look of awe melt into a content smile. Steven pushed a hand mirror into my palm. "See for yourself."

I held up the small mirror and looked into it. The limited view I got of my face showed the skin as a light brown, a bit darker than Steven's own. Tilting up and to the sides revealed my horn and pony ears had vanished, and a pair of small round ears on the sides of my head instead. Holding the mirror at arm's length gave me a complete look at the changes I'd gotten to my body.

"Wow," was all I managed to get out. "It's all.... I've.... I',...."

"I'm of the opinion you better get a full look," Steven commented, looking away and pointing to the next room, and the mirror within.

Wordlessly, I leapt up and hurried over there, standing before the full-length mirror. What I saw in it blew my mind. Gone was the familiar shade of mulberry I associated so much with my body. Everything I saw was an orangish tan, from my hornless forehead and down to my five newly-formed round toes, on the end of my feet on the bottom of both legs. My hair had kept the old-mane look, which was about the only semblance to my old body I had left on me. Taking it all in, it looked as though someone had indeed taken my body, and humanized it, like so many people had with their pencils, styluses and mouse pointers.

"Oh."

Even that word barely escaped my lips. The entire situation was so new, so prodigious, I couldn't form the words to properly express my feelings. My new body was perfect, just what we'd set out to achieve; I was now the proud owner of a form that would be perfectly hidden among the rest of the people of this world. A human form.

"Twilight."

Steven appeared beside me in the mirror, and I could feel his careful breathing on my bare shoulders. He was just an inch or so taller than I was now, and our eyes met in the reflection. Feeling something against my new hand, I looked down in the mirror and saw Steven grasp mine in his, the warm feeling as good as with a hoof.

"You did it."

I brought my eyes back up to see something glinting in the mirror, and I saw there were tears in his eyes, tears that looked none too out of place when coupled with his happy smile. I felt myself smile too, watching it in the mirror and finding it quite pleasing to see.

"We did it."

Turning away from the mirror, I faced Steven, finding it kind of cool to be standing up straight in front of him, looking him in the eyes, on the same level. His smile grew wider and wider as we looked at each other, his grin becoming so contagious I couldn't help but beam back at him, and from there we dissolved into a fit of laughter, holding onto each other's shoulders as we laughed. We laughed at us, laughed at the world, laughed at our success. It was a victorious kind of laughter, different but surprisingly comforting.

"Aah, look at us," Steven gasped, stopping for a breath. He wiped the tears from his eyes, grinning uncontrollably at me. "Giggling like a couple of lunatics. Mad lunatics."

"Perhaps we are," I said, panting heavily. My lungs felt normal, though right now they were languished from laughing too hard. "Mad on affection."

"Is that what it is, Twilight? Do you really think it's... affection."

I hardened my gaze a little. "Steven, how many times have you kissed me?"

He looked at me awkwardly, the question a bit sudden and out of nowhere. "Three?"

"Good." I gave a short nod. "Now come kiss me once more."

Not even waiting for him, I took the initiative and went on the offensive, pushing myself up on my toes to reach my goal and planting my lips against his. He quickly cottoned on, and I felt his arms wrap around me once again, our bodies as close as they could be. The warmth of his embrace coupled with the incredible sensation of our oral contact left me feeling as though I were floating on the air, a feeling I was pretty well-acquainted with. I could sense Steven's happiness almost like an enchanted glow around us, mixed in with my own contentment at how well off we were together.

All in all, the experience felt magical.

Breaking apart, we looked into each other's eyes even as the rest of the world came back into view. Steven reached up with his hand and moved a lock of my mane—I'll probably start thinking of it just as "hair" eventually—and hooked it behind my ear. I couldn't help but giggle.

"It worked."

"Yes," Steven agreed, smiling as though all were right with the world. "It certainly did. Now we don't have to worry about you being found out. You don't need to fear being seen. You could answer the door, walk outside, see the city and the whole world even."

Just the ideas of everything I was free to do unmolested now seemed to fill Steven with joy, a joy that I could certainly share in. All the time since I've appeared in this world, since Steven took me in, I had to deal with the fact that ponies, at least of my type, were non-existent, and would likely be regarded as an anomaly or a danger. But now it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders: the weight of knowing I'd have to hide myself from the world I was currently in.

But no longer. Now, I am free.

"Steven," I began, "since we're all done with that whole 'fear of discovery' trouble, thanks to you and the Equinomicon, I was wondering if I could ask you a little something that I feel should have been asked by now."

My human companion nodded, smiling gently. "Sure. What was the question?"

I lifted my new hands, draping my fingers over the round twin protrusions on my upper body.

"What are these?"

. . . . .

Steven' smile stretched wider, up to his pink-tinged cheeks. He offered his hand to me, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous sort of way. "C'mon, Twi. I'll tell you everything you need to know about your new body, and anything else you may want to know."

"Great!"

I took Steven's hand, following him upstairs, though I couldn't help but wonder why he was acting so weird all of a sudden.

Author's Note

Aaaand we're back
Way later than expected, but back all the same