Controlling the Beast Within

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: Friendship is... a Curse
Chapter 2: Friendship is, Apparently, Magic
Chapter 3: Journey to the Heart
Chapter 4: Trouble Starts Early On
Chapter 6: The Cherry On Top!
Chapter 7: Bitches Be Crazy
Chapter 8: Do You Believe In Magic?
Chapter 9: Tips 'N' Trix
Chapter 10: A Trixie Situation
Chapter 11: A Trixie Situation (Part 2)
Chapter 12: Remedy for a Cart-astrophe
Chapter 13: Some Semblance of Normality
Chapter 14: A Glance Through the Looking Glass
Chapter 5: More Peachy Circumstances!

Prologue

Darkness. Destruction. Evil. That is how one could describe the world of Calamitous.

Monsters of every kind, varying in size and power, roamed the lands they called home, fighting amongst each other in blood bathes that’d paint entire fields crimson.

Vicious creatures of the air, with talons that could easily slice through boulders as if they were butter.

Monstrous behemoths of the earth, who could cause earthquakes during their fights for dominance.

Malevolent beasts of the sea who could swallow small islands without so much as a second thought.

But none could ever come to a fraction of the malicious, heartless thing that ruled over all of them...

Said to have been born from the very world itself, its sheer size alone could make others retreat. With breath as hot as molten rock, and the capability to rip mountains from their foundations before flinging them with ease, Typhon had no difficulties in reminding those who dared challenge it who their maker was.

The head of a wild beast, hands that ended with serpentine digits, and broad wings that could cause vicious gales of wind from absentminded readjustments, a lower section also serpentine in nature, with no legs, and instead long tentacle-like appendages of which it used to slither about. It was a Titan Amongst Titans. Truly a sight to behold. But what truly made other goliaths shiver, was its eyes; pools of burning lava, seemingly held in place by sheer willpower.

And yet, this creature was not content. After having created countless abominations, it could not seem to find the sense of "completeness" it so craved. Thus, it struck upon an idea.

"Why not create something in my own image?"

And thus, the very embodiment of Chaos was born. This “Son of Typhon” grew to become one of the most feared and hated creatures to live on Calamitous. However, with power, also came intelligence. Not once did Choas ever attempt to overpower Thee, Who Had Given Him Life.

And so, life continued on Calamitous. Monsters died each day from the endless violence, and those who survived only bred more to continue the fight.

But then, something broke the endless cycle. A star fell to this hostile world, hailing from the outer reaches, crashing and embedding itself into the earth. Nearby monsters ceased in their violence, appearing to momentarily swap their mindless fighting for that of curiosity towards this new object. With a bright flash of light that had not been seen on the planet since the dawn of its existence, a single crystalline tree sprouted up from the world’s soil.

Chaos, being the most curious of the rest, was the first to approach the odd plant-like structure. That was when a soft voice began to fill his mind, speaking out to him alone.

“I am Harmonious. The balance of this land caught my attention, as it has been quite unstable for some time. Evil has reigned for far too long, and it’s now killing this planet. If nothing is done to stop its continuous progression, the planet will collapse upon itself, eradicating all that exists upon it.”

Chaos was indeed shocked to hear this. Not only had he never considered what the creatures did here as being wrong, but to believe that it was also killing Calamitous, itself? Taking a moment to look around, the chaotic entity did something it had not done since the first day of its existence. It truly looked around at its surroundings and all the beings that had since gone back to tearing at each other’s throats. It was at that moment that the Spirit of Chaos became enlightened about what his siblings were, and how much destruction they caused to the place they called home. And as it stood there, watching the unending devastation happening around him, Chaos felt unbound by the hatred of the land. While still not entirely understanding what this "Balance" was, he still knew that what was perspiring in this "Kingdom of Monsters" was indeed too much.

Storming off to find his “father”, Chaos tried to retell the happenings that had occurred. Of the one calling themselves Harmonious, who had fallen from the outer reaches, and what they had told him. But the still clouded judgment of the very heart of Calamitous wouldn't accept his words, instead taking its offspring’s words as a ploy to attempt to take power away from it.

Seeing that words could not help him after all, Chaos had no choice but to engage in battle against Typhon. The clash between the two was great, shaking the planet to its very core and bringing it right to the bim of collapsing. But once the dust had settled, Chaos was found to have been defeated by his maker.

However, Typhon had also been drastically weakened by his “greatest work of art”, leaving it more vulnerable than it had ever thought possible. Attempting to finish Chaos off, he was blindsided by an orb of radiant light.

It was Harmonious. With the small amount of energy she had been able to receive from the planet’s dwindling life source, she'd created a more suitable state of being that could help Chaos. Using that same power, she unleashed a glow of pure, radiant, harmony against the titan Typhon, causing it to let out an out-of-character shriek in pain, before slowly evaporating into thin air.

Chaos had been saved by Harmonious. But at what cost? Harmonious, having used nearly all her essence in the attack, was starting to fade as well. But as Chaos watched, holding her withering form in his arms, she managed to whisper one last warning to the creature before her.

“Typhon is not dead. It has merely slipped away in hiding to heal its wounds and regain energy. Something which I, too, will be doing, as well. Be prepared, Spirit of Chaos, for this isn't over yet...”

And with that, she vanished back into the ground to be absorbed into the tree from which she came, leaving Chaos by himself.

The beast wasn't sure what he was to do now.

But at the remembrance of Harmonious’s words from before, he thought about trying to make this “balance” in the world. And so, using the same powers his progenitor had used to create life, so did he. Only, these creatures were unlike the monsters from before. Their natural state was more peaceful. But having still been created by the embodiment of chaos itself, they too had a tiny bit of his chaotic nature tucked away inside them. However, they were able to choose whether or not to define themselves to it.

Secondly, Chaos tried to think of a way to use the powers of “Balance”. In that sense, he tried to think of what this “balance” was.

“Balance is equality. Good and Bad. Darkness and Light. Discord and Harmony.”

But how was he supposed to create positive components, when he, himself, had never experienced them? With this thought in mind and using his powers again, he synthesized seven crystal orbs of what he felt were made up of true chaos. These became known as “The Elements of Calamity”.

After that, he weakly made his way to the tree Harmonious had taken hibernation in. Pleading to her, in hopes that she could hear him, he asked her to create the components of what true tranquility was.

In response, the tree glowed brightly before forming six crystalline artifacts as well. These essences would be known as "The Elements of Harmony".

Using these new Elements, Chaos was able to bring the dying planet of Calamitous back from its ashes, being reborn into the world that was renamed “Equatis”. Equal. Balanced.

However, Chaos knew this balance would shatter upon his father’s return. He was afraid that he would not be able to live long enough to see that day come, as he had seemed to use the remaining energy he had left after fighting Typhon. So, he gave each of the elements the ability to be wielded by one whom they chose was worthy enough.

With that, the now exhausted and at the brink of death Chaos collapsed to the ground, resting his head at the roots of Harmonious' Tree.

In his last moments of life, he silently wished that he had had more time to get to know Harmonious, a single tear–his very first–running down his smiling expression, before going still…

Chapter 1: Friendship is... a Curse

The day had started out as any other average-looking summer day had, in what anyone would call an average teenager's life. Only, this teenager had just completed some of the most stress-inducing, emotionally straining years of his entire life: high school. Perhaps a bit of an overstatement, but it sure hadn’t felt like it.

Right after having graduated 8th grade, my mother had gotten the idea to pick up and move to my grandparents’ house down south, whom I’d only met on the odd family event. Previously, my mother, sister, and I had lived in a bustling city, so the change in scenery was bound to be rather drastic. However, I’m not one to easily complain. In fact, I was kind of alright with the idea of it all. I mean, I’d still be able to keep in touch with the small group of friends I’d made there over video chat, and I had always wanted to see what the countryside was like...

But when asked what the reason was for this sudden and–apparently final–decision, her only response was, "Because, Nick. I want you to have the chance to get to know the only grandparents you have before you miss the chance!" I didn’t quite understand her reasoning, seeing that the two of them could have just as easily moved up north and lived with us, but when Mom said what was what, you didn’t argue.

Even though, with hindsight, I really should have...

My little sister, who had been too young to remember the last time she’d met our grandparents, had been ecstatic at the whole idea. She couldn’t stop imagining what they could be like, and how cool it was going to be to have grandparents that'd buy things for us, and spoil us, and all that other stereotypical, grandparent stuff. It was kind of cute though, considering she was only six at the time.

So, we packed up and left, leaving our big city lives behind. After a rather long and uneventful car ride down to my grandparent's surprisingly large house, we all unpacked and settled into the guest rooms that had been semi-prepared for us ahead of time. Or rather, my mother and sister did. I got the “luxury” of staying in the attic. Which wasn’t really as bad as it sounds, but… Well, I missed having windows. Plus the place just had that “creepy feeling” to it...

Anyway, back to me graduating from that hell hole... See, whatever “southern hospitality” I had heard of before my moving must have exclusively been dodged by the kids at my new school. The majority of the students there were either indifferent to me, or didn't quite like the idea of a sudden "new kid". The fact that I tended to keep to myself, for the most part, while getting above-average grades may not have helped, either. Judging how most of the students seemed like the “You some kind of big shot, know-it-all?! What the hell are ya’, a queer-bag nerd?!” types, it was kind of understandable. I mean, I wasn’t really anything that special back at my old school, but I’d still somehow managed to out-class some of the more popular kids. And because of that, they’d decided to make sure I regretted coming to school.

Every. Single. Day.

I used to pride myself on having the patience of a saint, but the verbal, and rare physical, abuse had eventually caused me to snap and lash out a few times, getting me in trouble on more than one occasion. It’d started affecting my grades and social habits, too, before I was officially regarded as the trouble-making, school delinquent. It was honestly a miracle I’d managed to graduate without being held back...

But enough of all that boring stuff, and back to my "average day".

It started relatively normally. Wake up, eat breakfast, hang out with my best friend/younger sister, and then eat lunch. Not too bad, if you don't think having your sister as your only best friend is pitiful. But it was better than succumbing to the other idiots my age that I’d come to loathe.

Around noon, my grandfather had come to me later on, asking if I was interested in heading out for some small game hunting. I'll admit, I'm not as crazy about it as he is, but since I hardly ever shot anything I came across, I figured "Sure, why not?"

It was around that time we got into the woods out back behind the house and split up that I started feeling a strange agitation in my stomach. It didn’t strike me as my lunch wanting to put up a fight. It wasn't really a pain, so much a weird feeling I was getting. Like, something was about to happen. The forest going dead silently was around the time I knew something was up.

Side note, getting surrounded by some kind of blackish aura in the middle of the forest and pulled away from existence also added to my suspicion. The only thing that signified someone had even been there was the thud of a pellet gun dropping to the earthy floor.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

Before I could comprehend what the fuck had just happened, my face was intimately greeted by the ground, a sharp hiss of pain releasing through my gritted teeth. I made to lift myself off the ground and check whether my face was any uglier than it had been, but ended up freezing. Unintentionally, mind you. I couldn't move any part of my body, save for my eyes, which quickly took note of the rather tall, black horse-thing that stood before me, peering down at me.

Now, I say horse-thing because last time I checked, horses didn't have horns. Unicorns did, but those didn’t exist. Plus, unicorns didn’t normally have wings like this one did–at least I didn't think they did. That's usually a pegasus, right? But, again, since neither of those were real, I simply concluded that this was a thing. A very evil-looking thing, from its appearance... Those fangs really didn't look like they should be on something that resembled an herbivore. I also judged it had to be about my size, if not just an inch or two taller. Though it was kind of hard to tell since, you know, I was on the ground.

With an appearance that just screamed “FEAR ME!”, I couldn’t hold back a small gasp from surprise. But what really got me was the creature's eyes... Cold, cyan pools that made me flinch a bit, as if they were daggers piercing right through me.

"...What is the meaning of this?" the creature spoke, its voice sounding feminine. And bitch-like, which I don't say all that–Wait... "I’m certain I used the correct summoning spell."

Is that horse talking?! "W-Where am I?! Who ar–" I didn't get to finish my sentence, my mouth being forcefully shut on its own. At a closer inspection, I could just make out some kind of dark blue aura coming from her horn. Oddly enough, I also saw the same kind of aura coming off of me.

"Silence, you miserable little worm!" I wasn't really shocked all that much by the flash of lightning that followed that loud, threatening command. Having watched a lot of cartoons growing up, I couldn’t shake the sensation I was staring at a villain, of some sort... "I will be the one asking questions here, fool."

While I was certain I was dreaming–because come on, this seriously couldn’t be happening–I hesitantly decided to nod my head, allowing her to call the shots. Whatever she was doing to keep my mouth shut had to be some kind of power of hers, and there wasn’t any telling of what else she could do… Where’s Gramps when you really need him, right?

As soon as I could feel some slack from my jaw, I immediately tried my best to smile, aside from the menacing death glare she was giving me. "I-I apologize. I was just so startled, it didn't come to mind that I was before such a, um, strong and powerful entity." She seemed to squint her eyes at me in response to that. "I’ll willingly answer anything you want..."

Whatever I said must have worked. As soon as I finished, I could feel my body return to my control again. Though she still didn’t seem too convinced, judging from her expression.

"Of course you will, you insignificant creature." Ouch. No need for name-calling... Her sudden frown turned rather annoyed. "Seeing as I control you, now. Rise, then, so that I may get a better look at... whatever you are."

I did as she told me, picking myself up from what I now noticed to be some kind of ancient-looking stone floor. A quick glance around told me I may have been in some form of ruins. Large, stone walls that matched the floor scaled several yards up to a ceiling that, frighteningly, appeared to be crumbling in some areas. Gaping holes appeared to be the only form of windows that adorned the walls, allowing the moonlit night to be visible from inside. Though one opening nearby did seem to exit into some kind of balcony.

My small examination of the room was interrupted by the voice of the horse, thing. "No claws, no fangs. Not even a horn!" She didn't seem pleased. "The only thing you do appear to have is a sturdy build, not that that's saying much. Nothing at all like who I was going for. You don’t look very threatening to me..."

Yeah, well, I get that a lot… Just don’t back me into a corner, lady, cause I become a savage animal!

Her expression suddenly grew a very nasty-looking smile and, for a moment, I almost thought she could read minds. "Interesting…” I could slowly feel my blood run cold. “A savage beast seems like just what I could use.” She could read minds! “I'm sure I can make you a bit more... useful, though. Tell me, what manner of creature are you, and from where do you hail?" She even had the nerve to add with a nasty grin, “And I’ll know whether you’re lying or not…”

I paused for a moment, still trying to comprehend what the hell was going on, and wondering the same about her. "A-A human. More specifically, a male human. I hail, as you put it, from the ol’ Empire State." The slight bit of confusion she suddenly gained hinted at what I feared. "America?" Still nothing. "Planet Earth?"

"I have yet to hear of this... 'Earth', as you call it, or any Empire of State. But that means little to me, right now. You can still be of use to me here." And here comes the creepy smile again. "With an old spell of mine... I’m quite curious to see if it will work on something that’s not a pony. I rather hope you like my blessing of the night, human. Maybe you'll be more able to serve your ruler’s needs with it." She then spread her wings out wide, shouting in a rather loud voice, "Behold! Blestemul Lupului!"

That was all I had time to hear before her horn lit up again, though this time with a small black mass forming at the tip. I was just about to haul ass when I was slammed against the wall–which had been several yards behind me, mind you–by said black mass. My body seemed to stay pinned to the wall while I let out a yell as whatever this thing was gained a stinging sensation through my shirt.

Pain? By God, it felt like I was getting branded on the chest while my blood turned to magma. My whole body felt like it was on fire! Oh, but that wasn't all. Have you ever broken a bone before? An arm, a leg, maybe even a rib? Yeah, well how about having all your bones break all at once? I couldn’t form words over all my screams of agony.

Funny enough, it was around this time that I finally realized I wasn't dreaming. Oh, but I bet that fucking horse was grinning from ear to ear from this sudden realization... Then suddenly, just as soon as it had started, the pain stopped. Well, kind of stopped. I fell to the stone floor, none of my limbs wanting or being able to move. I could still feel my broken-up body, every limb just laying in a very off position.

Then, the real ‘fun’ began...

All at once, my bones started shifting, followed by the excruciating feeling of all my organs deviating to new locations. Muscles practically melted and remolded themselves, increasing in some places, and thinning out in others. Claws of some kind soon replaced any nails I once had, along with what I swore was a tail extended out from my rump. I could just barely feel the least painful thing happening along with the rest: what felt like bristled fur growing from every inch of my being. Save for the undersides of my hands and feet, which felt more padded.

However, I think the last of it was the worst of it all. The agonizing stretching of my jaw and nose, my teeth changing and shifting to their new places while my broader forehead shrunk back a little while my ears grew upward to a point. A longer set of canines presented themselves from where my smaller ones used to be, a now canid tongue hanging weakling as shallow huffs of breath escaped from me.

Evil laughter from the winged beast was the only thing that seemed to keep my pain and agony company during the whole excruciating transformation. When it felt like my new body had finally stopped changing, leaving me utterly exhausted, I had no choice but to listen to her gloating, "I am Nightmare Moon! And you are my beast!"

I could feel the rumble in my chest even before the sound of a terrible growl started emitting from my throat. Uneasily, I forced myself up onto my unfamiliar feet, slouching over slightly, and raised my now blazing amber eyes at the soon-to-be-dead Nightmare Moon. But before I could launch myself at her, her horn glowed again, sending a wave of pain through my head. Clutching it with my huge, clawed hands, I fell to my knees, letting out a pained roar into the stone chamber.

"You WILL obey me, mutt!” She let out in a terrible screech. “Now listen to my commands, or I will make you wish I had killed you already!"

After a moment more of the surging headache in my skull, the pain slowly faded away, leaving me to wonder if I would have preferred she had. Glaring back up at her, I knew my only choice was to go along with her little game. I was extremely careful, however, not to think anything negative about her, remembering that she could still somehow see through my thoughts.

Nodding, I managed to get back up on my feet.

Nightmare grew that awful smirk again. "That's a good boy." I had to force back another growl. "I do not have time to explain everything to the likes of you, so I will simply tell you this. You are to make sure that a troublesome mare does not overpower me in the highly unlikely chance she and her comrades get here with the intent to try to exterminate me." She pointed her hoof toward one corner of the room, the one behind me and to my right, before continuing. "You shall hide behind that broken pillar and strike at the first chance you have."

Turning my head over to where she had pointed, I saw the crumbled pillar she spoke of before turning back to her with another nod, growling my confirmation. Without another word, she changed into a swirling mass of her mane, and flew out the window, leaving me confused as hell, beyond furious, and still not used to this body.

I was hard-pressed to listen to any orders she gave me. But with whatever powers she had which allowed her to hold me against my will, turn me into what I was certain was a werewolf, and shoot blistering pain through my skull, I also wasn't very keen on risking my hide by crossing her. Not to mention, she may not have even left yet, and was only testing me to see if I’d try to escape. So, over to my position, I went, taking a seat on my new haunches. Which felt extremely... unnatural.

I better not get fleas...

After what seemed like forever, but in reality, was probably half an hour later, I could hear the sounds of hooves on stone coming from somewhere else in what I had concluded was an old castle of some sort. Thinking, and oh so hoping, that it was Nightmare Moon returning, I prepared myself behind the pillar. My suspicions were disputed, however, when I heard what sounded like several female voices; none sounding like hers.

"The Elements of Harmony! We found them!" exclaimed one.

The next one was higher pitched, almost bugging my now more sensitive ears as she counted something. "There's only five!"

The next spoke with a more... well, simply put, tomboy-ish voice, "Where's the sixth?"

These must be the ones Nightmare Moon wanted gone... But why? It really wasn't any of my business to worry about them, but I couldn’t push away the nagging concern I began to feel about that bitch messing with these girls, too.

"-a spark, the sixth will appear," the first one spoke up again. Just from the tone of her voice, I could tell she appeared to be the leader of the group.

After what sounded like a fourth voice speaking up, this one having a very distinct southern accent, more hooves, and small chatter could be heard until there was only silence. Then I heard the sound of wind picking up, and the peculiar sound that something swirling in the air makes. Then there was a small scream, followed by a farther-off yell of "Twilight!".

I knew I had mere seconds before what I thought was going to happen, happened. I wasn't sure if it was pure dumb luck that I had for some reason decided to bring my keychain with me this morning into the woods, but I quickly went about searching for them. As soon as I saw them near my ripped pants, I was instantly upon them, grabbing hold of the small flashlight I had attached to it, because ‘why not, right?'. Without delay, I meandered my way over to the window in hopes that someone would spot the signal I was about to send out. I might be forced into taking orders, at the moment, but I could at least give whoever I was supposed to be ‘taking care of’ a heads up.

Flicking the small light on and off with werewolf hands was not an easy task, I will say that much. Thankfully, just as I was picking up on a strange sensation, I heard a voice from some ways out the window shout about my lights, making me turn off the small device just in time for a ball of light to appear on the other side of the room. Ducking behind a nearby pillar, I watched what looked to be a lavender… unicorn? ...fall to the floor. After coughing a bit, she shakily got to her hooves to see... her appear, with several large orbs that seemed to be made of rock. I was kind of too busy glaring at Nightmare to pay too much attention.

And of course, cue the lightning effect. So predictable... However, what did cause me to pause in what I hoped was my stealthy advancing toward Nightmare Moon was the unicorn preparing to charge at her. She's either an idiot, or really stupid.

"You're kidding..." Apparently, Nightmare thought the same. "You're kidding, right?"

Unfortunately, she wasn't. The unicorn's horn started glowing and the two began charging one another. But just when the lavender unicorn was about to reach her, she flashed away, reappearing a moment later by those strange rocks. I stand corrected. That was pretty smart.

My silent praise went short, however, when I saw Nightmare Moon swirl into a miniature tornado of sorts, rushing at the unicorn from behind... I, on the other hand, wasn't going to allow that, and met the swirling mass halfway, getting carelessly tossed aside like a puppy. What's more, she seemed to use that migraine trick on me again, for as soon as I hit the ground on the other side of the room, I was grabbing at my head in pain.

I was able to catch the smaller of the two doing something with her horn on the rocks, and when I saw her get knocked away by some kind of spark before Nightie appeared by the orbs, I almost thought that whatever she had been trying to accomplish had worked. The rocks started to glow and levitate slightly, then drop, nothing happening. Well, that was disappointing...

The unicorn began gaping in shock, asking aloud with a gasp, "But where's the sixth element?!" Nightmare Moon only answered by laughing evilly and rearing up on her back hooves before slamming back down, shattering the rocks into small slivers of some kind of crystal.

"You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me?! Now you will never see your princess, or your sun..." As she began laughing again, I swore she meant 'son' instead of 'sun'. That alone forced me to get to my hands and knees through the increasing headache. I could also tell some kind of shit was about to hit the fan when her mane and tail started rising into the air and swirling together like a storm. "The Night. Will last. FOREVER!"

I was nearly to my feet, or rather 'paws', when voices started coming from the hallway.

About freakin' time you all got here!

Then I felt something. Another strange feeling. I glanced over toward the unicorn to see her pupils very enlarged and I thought for a moment she was about to fall over. Until she swirled around to face Nightmare Moon one more time, a more confident look on her.

"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony, just like that?" she asked, staring the larger horse thing down. "Well, you're wrong! Because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!"

Just as soon as she said that, the small fragments began to shimmer and glow, rising off the ground before a shocked Nightmare Moon. "...What?"

The unicorn then began going into some explanation, stating how it seemed that each one of her companions had done some kind of action during their journey here that represented these 'Elements of Harmony'. However, I wasn’t really listening to the whole thing. What I was doing was climbing up one of the pillars that were nearby, being sure that both parties didn’t see me. Once I was at the top, which was conveniently broken and allowed me to stand on it, I watched the scene below again, waiting for the opportune moment to leap down onto that damn horse. Maybe tear her throat out. I blinked at that thought but didn’t question it.

Nightmare seemed to be shuffling slightly from what was most likely nervousness, though, hastily stating something about a “sixth element” before glancing back toward where I should have been from the corner of her eye. The panic I felt radiating off of her doubled when she realized I wasn’t there anymore.

But just as I was about to make my attack, the lavender pony from before shouted out something and took away my concentration.

"The sixth element... is Magic!"

And that's when the load of fifty whales’ worth of shit officially hit a fan the size of a Ferris wheel.

A swirling vortex of, get this, rainbows shot out into the air, headed straight for Nightmare Moon. This, thankfully, scared her shitless, causing her to fully release me from her mental grip. I foolishly took that chance to haul ass at her, claws out and jaws open. I also had the bright idea to jump right at her just as the Friendship Beam was hitting her, causing it to hit me as well. I got thrown back, the rays swirling around me as a painful dose of happiness shot into me, making me shout out in... Well, to be honest. It isn’t even that ba—Holy fucking mother of sweet baby Jesus Christ!!!

From the sounds of it, Nightmare Moon wasn't having a good time either.

Before I could even fully understand why I was in such pain, I found myself slipping into darkness, a small part of me praying that when I woke up, I'd be back home and in the woods.

Sadly, that wasn't to be… Instead, my mind felt like it was getting split in half, before images that I couldn’t quite make out quickly flashed before my tightly closed eyes. My ears were in pain from what sounded like millions of voices all speaking out at the same time, overlapping in a jumbled mess that didn’t allow me to make out any single phrase being made. And then a heat started building in my chest, like a miniature ball of flame, before spreading outwards until my entire body felt like it was engulfed in an inferno. I couldn’t imagine what sounds I was making during the whole experience, but I’m sure they weren’t gonna win me any vocal competitions anytime soon.

I must have passed out, because I soon found myself regaining consciousness at the sounds of others seemingly coming to, muttering and shuffling to their hooves.

"Ugh... My head," came the familiar-sounding voice of one of the ponies.

"Is everypony okay?" asked the rather southern-accented voice.

I was just about to get up and speak out when I realized one of two things. First, I had hands again. My hands. On closer inspection, I could see that I was no longer a beast. Though, that brought me to the second discovery. I was now naked, the clothing I’d been wearing having been turned to scraps and rags during my forced transformation. And where were those rags? Behind the six ponies.

Great… Now I get to show off my ridiculously sexy body to a bunch of miniature horses.

"Indeed you do, " came a rather gentle voice from somewhere. I about pissed myself there and then.

A rather bright ball of light seemed to start shining in through the window on the opposite side of the room, and for a moment, I figured the sun was coming up. However, the sun doesn't usually float into a room and turn into a white horse. With wings and a horn.

God damn it, there's another one?!

Before I could react, Purple Unicorn ran-or is it galloped? Eh, whatever. She made her way over to the bigger horse-thing with great haste and embraced her. "Princess Celestia!"

And that's when I noticed all the other ponies bowing. Not paying attention to the shreds of clothing behind them.

...Starting Mission Impossible.

I could just overhear some form of conversation going on with the group as I tried my best to quickly and quietly get to my pile of scraps discreetly, although I couldn't really make out much of it with the spy music I had playing in my head. I did, however, catch the large and over-exaggerated gasp just as I was kneeling down to get what was left of my pants...

Looking up, I found myself getting stared back at by five utterly shocked and surprised ponies, one completely terrified, yellow, pegasus, and one rather stern-looking horse-thing. Funny that after the half a minute that we all took to just stare at each other, I was the first to react with a light wave of my hand.

"Uh... Hi?"

The reactions I got were mixed. The rainbow-maned pegasus and the cowgirl couldn't help but smirk, however, the orange pony was more controlled in hers, before regaining their warry composure. The Lemonade Pegasus just up and fainted. The pink pony just started looking at me with what I felt was a bit too much enthusiasm, while the two unicorns' mouths just hung open wide. The princess, if I had heard right, however... She just kept her extremely unamused expression.

Something tells me I'm in trouble...

Chapter 2: Friendship is, Apparently, Magic

So there I was, figuring I was about to be in some seriously deep shit... A horse princess stood before me, along with six other ponies who had just recently fired some kind of “Rainbow Beam” at the “Queen of Darkness”, or something. Both parties, of which, were now staring at me with looks that didn’t feel all too welcoming...

What could possibly go wrong, right?

Suddenly, the white horse-thing that had arrived shortly ago spoke up. "Girls, we will speak more about what has transpired here in a moment. For now, leave this... creature and I alone with my sister to talk."

Ah. See, now that's where it could go wrong. That was also when two things got noticed by me. And from the gasps coming from the girls—Or is the correct term ‘mares’?—they seemed to notice as well.

Over where Nightmare had been now held a smaller horse-thing, curled up in a ball and shivering. She seemed to be a more bluish color than the big nasty was, while also having a lighter blue mane that didn't seem to be alive. Now I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I could have sworn that she had a crescent moon stamped onto her ass. Not like I was looking, of course. It just caught my eye... Sickos...

But noticing her wasn't the only thing that we seemed to be surprised by, judging from the exclamation the ponies gave. "Sister?!"

Yeah, that put me on edge even more. I could already feel the chains around my wrists for “assaulting royalty”. The white princess seemed to move over to her sister's side, saying a few quiet words which, and I don’t know why, I could hear very well. "Luna, I know you may have been resentful toward me before, but I really need your help, little sister." That seemed to snap 'Luna' out of her trance, getting her to her hooves and into her sister's embrace. A quick series of apologies then started flooding out of her. Sadly, during this whole scene, I could also make out voices and the sounds of hooves leaving the room.

I was kind of hoping that the elder sister had forgotten about me, but a pair of angered eyes being laid upon me put those hopes to rest. "I will keep this short. I do not intend to keep you here, in my kingdom.” From her words, I found myself smiling in the hopes she was going to return me back to my own home. “You will surely only bring destruction and sorrow, and must be removed..." My smile quickly faded at that, along with my hopes. She even went to give me a slight nod of her head before her horn started glowing. "You have my apologies."

So. This is how I die. Not like I'd try my hand at defeating another horse princess...

Ah, screw it. Might as well leave her with something to remember me by.

Just as I was getting ready to defend myself, Luna gave out a shouting plea. "Wait, sister!" I swear I felt my entire body go limp. How I managed to stay standing amazed me. "It wasn't his fault! I—" She paused a moment. "...Nightmare was the one that dragged him here against his will, and forced him into this whole thing. He even attempted to fight back against her, regardless of the pain she was putting him through. Given the choice, I’m sure he would have not wanted to harm anyone." By this time she had seemed to put herself between me and the elder princess. "Do not hold the curse against him, I beg of you!"

After a long and very nerve-racking silence, the glowing from Whitie's horn died down. She had watched her sister the whole time during her little speech and was now looking at me with a rather neutral expression. "...Is this true?"

"U-Uh..." How the hell do I respond to that?! 'Damn right, it is!' "Y-Yes, your, um… highness. What she says is true." While her eyes still kept a certain sternness, jaw seemed to tighten somewhat at my addressing her by manner of title. "However, if you'd be so kind, could I please know what the hell is going on...?"

There was a moment where I thought I saw a look of confusion appear on her face, but it was gone before I had time to confirm it. I might have even imagined it. After a moment of tension in the air, Whitie let out a very heavy sigh before giving her head a nod, taking a seat as her sister joined her side. "...My apologies. I suppose you should be informed of what has just transpired." She then gazed upon me with a somewhat different look. Sorrow, maybe? "But first, allow me to introduce myself and my sister. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria." She then nodded down to the quieter sister of hers. "You have met my younger sister, Princess Luna. However, you may have known her as 'Nightmare Moon' upon first meeting her." The name seemed to make Luna flinch.

Finding myself in a now sitting position, my shredded jeans covering my lower regions, I bowed my head slightly out of respect before looking back at them both. "The name's Nick. I'd like to say it's a pleasure to meet the two of you, but I have to admit that I’d rather not have met either of you at all." I shook my head, holding onto the bridge of my nose. "I'm really confused on what's going on, how and why I'm here, and why the hell I was a werewolf last night."

This time, it was Luna that spoke up in a meek voice. "I-I'm afraid most of that would be my fault. Or rather, N-Nightmare Moon's fault." She almost appeared like she was about to tear up any second. That was when Celestia continued for her.

"Several thousand years ago, my sister and I used to rule over Equestria in peace and harmony." Holy balls, that's a long time ago. "I would raise the sun and Luna would raise the moon. For centuries, it continued that way. However..." That's when Luna finally broke and began full-out crying, leaning into her sister's shoulder. Celestia, pausing from her story, seemed kind enough to wrap her wing around Luna's shoulder, trying to comfort her.

I, however, sensed a big drama bomb coming on...

"One night, Luna came to me, refusing to lower the moon because she felt the ponies shunned her beautiful night over my day. Things escalated and her hate got the better of her, turning her into who you saw before; Nightmare Moon." Luna was now just weeping, starting to calm down and become quiet again. "I was forced to use the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon and imprisoned her on the moon for a thousand years."

That's where I stepped in. "And I'm guessing that last night was the end of that thousand-year imprisonment?" Celestia simply nodded, removing her wing from Luna who just looked up at me with tear-reddened eyes.

"Y-You were to be her..." she began quietly before pausing for a moment. "...Her alternative plan. If she could not get the six ponies you saw before to stop their advance on her, she would simply let you... deal with them." While I didn't like the sound of that, I knew what she meant.

I gave a small nod to show her I understood that part but looked at her with confusion still plastered on my face. "But why me? And how?"

Luna sighed, closing her eyes as she spoke. "There is very dark and powerful magic out there, Nick. Nightmare Moon knew much of it, including the curse she placed upon you.” Luna paused a moment, before bringing a hoof to her temple as she let out a small gasp. “H-However, you’ll have to forgive me. My memory appears to be hazy after having taken the full force of the Elements of Harmony, and I can not recall what her reasoning was in summoning you, specifically..."

I glanced down slightly, trying to think back to what the evil-looking entity had said after bringing me here. “...She seemed just as confused as I was about my being here, like she was expecting someone else.”

There was another moment of silence, before Celestia would speak up once more. “...You seemed to be familiar with the form you were forced into. What was it you called it, again?”

“A werewolf." I felt my fists clenching. "The curse, or reasoning for how someone gets turned into one varies depending on the culture you ask, but the outcome is usually the same. A person gets turned into that of a horrible monster. Half man, half wolf. They then, usually, turn into the beast under the full moon and go on a mindless rampage. How I was able to still control myself while being that... thing, even I’m surprised."

Celestia seemed to be either shocked or in awe over what I had just confessed. Celestia was the first to speak up, though. "You say you still had control of yourself...?"

I just nodded with a shrug, itching at my cheek. "Yeah... Why, that’s not normal here, either?"

The older of the two sisters gained an indescribable look, before turning to the other, who appeared to have a mild look of confusion. They both stared in silence another few seconds, before Celestia turned her gaze back towards me. "Nick, I would like it if you would stay in a nearby town by the name of Ponyville. I am quite certain that my student, Twilight Sparkle, will be planning to stay there with her newfound friends, and I would appreciate it if you could stay with her."

Whoa, now... Hold your—selves, ladies. "Um, I was actually wondering if there was some way to get back to my own home?"

This time, Luna spoke up, shaking her head in a rather sympathetic way. "I-I'm sorry, Nick. But that spell Nightmare Moon used to bring you here was… ‘unique’. However she managed it, even if I was at my full power again, and my sister aided me, it would still be very risky to try on you. You could just end up being sent floating somewhere in space!"

That could be bad...

I could feel a knot forming in my gut, the whole realization of what she just told me starting to click. "...You're saying that I'm stuck here.", I said flatly, staring at the stone floor between us. There was a bit of an uneasy silence before one of the princesses spoke up.

"Yes. Sadly, that would appear to be how it is," Celestia spoke, a hint of sadness in her voice. I couldn't tell if it was honest, or not.

I paused a moment more, trying to weigh my options. I was in an unknown world, with unknown creatures that seemed to have never seen a human before. Going out on my own and hoping for the best didn't seem like a good idea, considering both the dangers this place could have, as well as the panic I would probably cause everywhere I went. Oh, and not to mention this curse that I now had.

"Is there at least some way that I could get rid of being a werewolf?" I asked with whatever little hopes I had left.

Luna shook her head, looking to the floor as I had been. "The curse… is not something that can be easily taken away. Any process that I know of is both extremely painful, and usually ends with the victim insane… or deceased."

Well that's just great... Live with a monster inside of me or risk being mental or dead.

I had to say, I kind of liked living. Plus having whatever form of sane mind I had was a bonus. With a very regretful nod, I made my decision. "What else is there I can do...?"

Celestia, as if sensing my dampened mood, slowly approached me and sat at my side. Even with her regal stature, I could still smell some kind of scent coming from her that my mind automatically related to unease. "We are very sorry, Nick. Believe me when I say that if we had any other option, we would try to send you home. But you have to remember that with your curse, you most likely would be better off here anyway." I hated to admit it, but she had a point. "I will speak with Twilight Sparkle about your housing situation after we all return to Ponyville. I will also try to get you introduced to most of the ponies living there, so as to not cause a disturbance."

Her kind words were only slightly helping my mind calm down, but I thanked her for her help anyway. "Your actions are very welcomed, Princess. Thank you." She answered my thanks with a gentle nod.

Luna had taken that time to make her way over to my other side, resting her wing around my shoulder. In all honesty, it did feel kind of nice against my bare back... "And if you ever need anything, you need only ask. I, myself, will most likely be seen as..." She looked away from me for a moment, sadness again beginning to show on her face. "...a monster, for some time." She looked back to me with reassurance in her eyes. "In reality, I blame myself for the position you have been thrown into. Therefore, I will try to help you whenever you need it."

I'll also admit that that made me smile a little bit. Giving her a quick hug, which no doubt surprised her, I said a quick thank you before releasing her. I could swear I could just make out the faint look of a blush through her fur–which was extremely soft mind you–but decided that it was probably just my imagination. That, however, was when I realized something.

"Um, I'd hate to trouble you two for any more assistance than you've already offered me, but..." I picked up the nearby shred of shirt, chuckling half-heartedly. "I could probably do with some new clothes."

Celestia, for some reason, smiled at that, her horn lighting up a moment later. "Of course." In mere seconds, all the shreds of clothing started floating before me, including the torn jeans I had been using to conceal myself, and began repairing themselves. "I will admit, though. The fashion in which these pants of yours were created is rather... uncommon." They must not produce much denim here.

"It's made from cotton, though through which process they used to get it looking like that is beyond me..." I said quietly, trying my best to cover myself back up again while the now good-as-new camo t-shirt, boxers, and army-green jeans floated over to me. After speedily putting my underwear and pants on first, I stood back up, getting my shirt on next. It took me several seconds to figure out something was missing.

...Where the heck are my shoes?

After a brief look around, I found the tattered remains of what I once considered a very fine pair of sneakers. A pair of torn socks were also still in them. "I doubt you could use those fancy tricks of yours to fix these as well...?" I didn't even need to turn around to hear that sound that I was starting to relate to 'magic'—as I had come to grips with—being used. A few seconds later, both my sneakers and socks were back to normal, seeming a lot less used than before. "Thank you, Celestia."

After I got my feet back into their comfortable homes, I stood back up and straightened out my back with a few, loud, pops. I turned to see one semi-amused princess and one rather disturbed one.

"Please don't do that again..." Celestia's face was priceless.

Shrugging, I glanced over toward where I assumed the six ponies had left and had been waiting for some time now.

"So, are you two going to fill in the others now that I'll be staying around longer than planned?" I looked back to see the two heading right for the exit as I spoke.

"Yes," Celestia stated. "However, I'm afraid there are a few other things that will be needing discussion before then. Such as a few things that may happen now that you hold the curse." There's more? Great... "You may feel a bit different than usual. Nothing to get worried about, though." Who's worried, right? "But for now, we shall all head back to Ponyville."

"Alrighty then.", I casually replied, following them.

For the sake of not having to explain it, I'll just skip a few minutes to us... teleporting to this 'Ponyville'. Or rather, I thought that's where we were going. I, however, ended up flashing into a weird-looking bookstore or something, feeling groggy and confused.

Yeah. Note to self. I really don't like teleporting...

After a moment of regaining my bearings, I started searching around where I was. All I could see of importance were books. Tons and tons of books. Now, I'm not usually one to snoop around other peoples' houses, or stores, or whatever this place was, but I found myself just wandering around a bit.

The whole bottom floor seemed to be one massive room of sorts, most if not all the walls being huge bookshelves filled to the max. There was a pedestal in the center of the room with a golden horse head on it, which kind of reminded me of a chess piece. There were a few entryways that went into smaller rooms, as well. I then caught sight of the staircase going to the second floor, and stepped into what looked like a bedroom with, get this, more books.

I think somebody's got a problem~

My little exploring in the bedroom, which also took up the whole second floor, led to a doorway that I hadn't noticed until then. Opening it, I discovered what looked like another bedroom, though much smaller than the one I had just come from. Mid-sized bed, though just a bit too tiny for my taste, a dresser, some surprisingly empty shelves, and a circular window. On closer inspection, it appeared the window exited out into a little balcony of sorts... which oddly seemed to have tree branches around it.

Guest room, maybe? And what's up with—I paused a moment to look around again, taking in note something I had seemed to overlook before. The whole room itself appeared to be made of wood. Carved wood.

...I'm in an actualtree house! Huh.

Looking back out the window, I could see that it was still morning or so. "Well, now what?" I mused to myself.

Exiting the guest room, I made my way back downstairs and began my search for something to do at the bookshelves. Wouldn't you know that, with my luck, all the books seemed to be in some kind of language I couldn't understand. Thankfully, some had a bunch of illustrations I could look at. I was even taken back by some of them. For ponies, they sure can draw.

And that's how I spent a good hour. Finding a book, flipping through the encoded pages, and looking at any pictures they may have had. Needless to say it was boring as hell. After repeating this process with what felt like every book downstairs, I found a blank scroll and quill atop a desk in the room, and got to doodling. Thankfully, there seemed to be enough inkwells, as well.

Again, I did this for a good hour or so. My God, when will this chick get here?! As if on cue, I began hearing voices approaching from outside. Finally!

I had just enough time to get up and go to the door before watching it glow in a pinkish aura and open on its own. Lavender Pony, looking very shocked to see me, paused a moment before letting out a small gasp. Just before I could even try to greet her, I found myself being thrown back by an invisible force, slamming me against the faraway bookshelf and causing an avalanche of books to start cascading down on me. Yeah, it hurt just a little bit. So did the ear-piercing scream the unicorn let out.

So much for a good first impression...

"W-What are you doing in my library?!" she yelled out, horn flaring up again. "You have five seconds to get out of here before I—" She was cut off by a... burp? That's when I noticed the purple and green reptile thing next to her, now holding a scroll in one of its claws. There's no way that is a dragon.

Of course, after being surrounded by ponies, unicorns, pegasi–I think that's the plural form–along with mixtures of all three? Yeah, I should have known better than to question things by now.

Anyway, while I was attempting to get myself out of the pile of books I found myself in, Ms. Fire Magic, Ask Questions Later was reading the scroll now hovering in front of her face. The somewhat nice silence was suddenly broken by another gasp, followed by all the books getting pulled away from me in a pinkish glow.

"I-I am so sorry! I had no clue Princess Celestia was going to be having you... stay with me." She didn't finish that with much excitement.

What the hell, Celestia? Not telling the pony I'm staying with that I'm at their house before they actually get home?! After you sent me here!?

I simply got up with a grunt, rubbing at my sore head. "N-Not a problem. I always did get that kind of reaction from the ladies..." I mentally laughed at my bad joke since she didn't seem to get it. "Still, I don't get why she couldn't have told you I was here waiting for you."

She stared a moment longer at me before shaking her head abruptly. "Sorry, I'm just still getting used to, well, you." She let herself into her home, trotting over to a nearby couch. "Yes, that would have been helpful..."

I suddenly felt a tugging on one of my pant legs, which turned out to be the little dragon thing. "Uh, excuse me, but... what exactly are you?" He was staring at me with some kind of awe or wonder.

"Uh..." I kind of felt awkward about that question already. "A human?" His blank stare told me he had no clue what that was. "Um, alright. Do you know what a monkey is?" He nodded. "Well, I'm kind of like one of them. Only smarter—” Yeah, right. " —taller, and not as hairy." He opened his mouth as if to ask something more. "And no, I don't just eat bananas." He closed his mouth.

The unicorn was now sitting on the couch, looking at me with the same look of awe that the tiny dragon had. "Nick, if you wouldn't mind, could I ask you some questions about your species? As far as I know, you're the only known- ‘Human’, was it? You're probably the first one ever seen in Equestria!"

I thought about it for a second, before shrugging and heading over to a lazy boy that was— Hold on. When did this get here? In fact, when did the couch get there?! I paused a moment to stare at the two before shrugging it off uneasily and taking a seat, looking back toward Twilight. The dragon was now seated next to her. "I guess that's alright... So long as you introduce yourselves first." Yeah, I knew her name. And apparently, she even knew mine. But she had seemed to neglect giving it to me herself, as well as asked me for my own. And that’s just plain rude.

"Oh course! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my assistant, Spike." Spike just gave me a wave, of which I returned with a nod.

"Pleasure to meet the both of you. In case you weren't informed, the name's Nick." I relaxed back in the chair a bit, laying my head back in my hands. "So, let's hear these questions of yours."

So began a very long discussion on practically everything I could answer about the 'human species'. In all honesty, it wasn't a lot. I mean, she was asking things like what our anatomy was like–which I wasn't that great at in health class–what kind of things we ate, as well as what exactly my home world was like. I just kind of described it as big, noisy, and overcrowded. Then came a rather fun topic of explaining.

"So, what kind of magic are you humans capable of using?" Twilight asked, having made a massive scroll, an ink jar, and quill appear sometime during our informal discussion.

"Oh, magic doesn't really exist in my world." The looks on both of their faces when I said that. "I mean, there are people who can make illusions, and I guess ‘fake magic’, but I've never seen someone even do that. Well, at least not in person." YouTube, baby.

"M-Magic doesn't exist in your world?!" Spike gasped. I simply nodded a confirmation. "Whoa..."

"No magic? That's definitely different," Twilight said, noting something down. "What about other species? Who do you share your world with other than humans?"

So that started the huge discussion on Earth’s inhabitants. I started it off with how we had ponies and horses, though none were sentient. Humans were the only sentient life forms on the planet—or at least that we knew of. She seemed really surprised at that, but the topic of how our sun and moon moved without magic made her even more intrigued.

“They move on their own?” She questioned, still taking down every word I said.

Sigh… I then had the privilege of explaining how our universe worked, and how our planet kind of just took care of itself. Aside from people who helped plant trees, I guess. After I’d told her a little about whatever basic astronomy I knew, she finally seemed content with her newfound knowledge, and ceased in her questioning.

After what felt like hours later, and turned out to be just that, it looked about late afternoonish outside. And that's when my stomach growled, causing all of us to stop what we were doing, a faint blush appearing on my face. "Um... Do you have anything I could eat? I kind of haven't had anything since—" How long ago was it since I had eaten lunch back home? "Well... a while ago."

As if right on cue, another rumble was heard, this one coming from Twilight herself. A very noticeable blush shined through her cheek fur, causing me to grin. "Looks like I'm not the only one," I said. That only made her cheeks redder.

"I-I suppose a break is in order," she hastily said, looking to Spike. "Spike, could you please make us all something?"

With a quick hop off the couch, Spike started for the kitchen. "Sure thing, Twilight!" I couldn't help but watch him as he disappeared around a corner.

I waited until I was sure he couldn't hear me before looking over to Twilight, who seemed to have been staring at me while I wasn't looking. She immediately lowered her gaze when I noticed; that small blush coming to her lavender cheeks again.

“So, how long have you two known each other?”

“Oh, since I hatched him!” The confusion and, quite frankly, grimace I felt come across my face quickly went noted, the unicorn waving her hands–-hooves–-before her. “N-Not like that. It was for my entrance exam into Princess Celestia’s School of Magic.”

“...Wait, your entrance exam was to make a dragon egg hatch?” I couldn’t help finding that a bit… extreme? “Did anyone else manage it?”

Twilight appeared to think, before gaining a sudden look of stupor. “No. Now that you ask, I can’t seem to recall any doing so before or after me.”

“Huh.” A gave my head a quick shake at that, before swerving my train of thought back to my prior curiosity. “So, after you hatched him… You raised him yourself?”

The mare would shake her head. “Oh, Celestia, no!” I couldn’t help but take note of how she’d used the princess’s name. “I was only a foal when I managed that. No, he was raised, for the most part, by Princess Celestia, before eventually moving in with my family and I.” She gained a rather pleasant smile, looking off towards the kitchen. “He’s basically been like a little brother to me ever since.”

There was a mild pang in my chest, though I tried to push it aside, forcing a small smile onto my face as I closed my eyes. “...That’s pretty cool.”

A few seconds later, I could hear the sound of scaled feet on the wooden floor coming back to the room. "I wasn't really sure what you could eat, but I knew you said fruits were alright." I opened my eyes in time to see an apple being tossed to me, which I surprisingly caught without much thought.

...Well that's new. Hm.

"Thanks, Spike. Apples are fine." Though I was sure one apple wouldn't be enough to fill me. Regardless, I gladly started taking bites of it, just noticing the other two getting comfortable on the couch and eating what looked like sandwiches.

...Are those flowers hanging out from them? Well... I can understand Twilight eating those, being a pony and all. But Spike?

I just shook my head lightly, not bothering with questioning it as I continued to munch on my apple. I had to say, it tasted... different. I wasn't sure if it was a good different, or a bad different, but it sure didn't taste like what the apples back home were like. Lunch continued on in an almost awkward silence, the smell of tension hanging in the air. No, seriously. I could smell it all over the place.

The hell is with my senses? Maybe this is what the princess was talking about…?

After I had gotten to the core of the apple, and had patiently waited for the other two to finish, I started up a new conversation. "So." I glanced around for a trash can of some kind, spotting one by the door to the kitchen. At least thirty feet away, or so. Not really feeling like getting up, I tossed the core like a basketball, not really expecting anything from it. In fact, I’d already started to lean forward from my seat to pick it up off the flo-

*Clunk*

...Well then.

I leaned back against the chair and looked back to a surprised unicorn and extremely amazed dragon. "Dude! That was awesome!" I couldn't help but grin at that.

"I-I must admit, your coordination is incredible!" Twilight sputtered, still with a look that told me she couldn't believe I just accomplished that. Honestly, neither could I.

"I’m, uh, honestly pretty shocked I even made that. I was sure I'd miss it." Shrugging, I closed my eyes. "Must have to do with my curse, or something."

"...Your curse?" Twilight asked in confusion.

Oh shit. Was I supposed to tell her? If the princess hadn't informed her of it already... "Nothing. Just a joke." I waved her off, hoping she'd buy it.

She did. "If you say so..." Or at least, I hoped she did. She didn't sound too convinced.

I quickly attempted to change subjects. "Well, I've told you about me and my species." I opened one eye, looking over to her. "What about you and all the other ponies? How about you fill me in more about yourselves?"

To my surprise, she almost seemed to grow excited about answering me. Again, a rather long, but kind of interesting, lesson took place. There were three types of ponies: earth, unicorns, and pegasi.—I knew that was the plural form!—Earth Ponies were pretty much the farmers of the land, taking care of the land and its animals. She even mentioned something about how everypony—I couldn't help but smirk at that word—helps out to 'clean up winter' for the springtime. However, they could also do other jobs as well. All depended on what their 'Cutie Mark' was; a butt stamp that basically dictated what they were meant to do in life. Unicorns could learn spells and magic with the use of their horns, and were mostly made up of scholars. However, again it depends on the Cutie Mark. Pegasi, obviously, have wings and are the weather controllers of Equestria. They are able to walk on clouds, as well as move them around or even get them to rain. Most pegasi live in some cloud city called 'Cloudsdale'.

It also turned out that Equestria was pretty much like The States back home, even having cities named “Manehattan” and “Fillydelphia”. It seemed odd to me at first, but again, I didn't really question it. There were also other continents around the world, though not much was known about some of them. The calendar system was, also strangely enough, near identical to Earth’s, with the current date being roughly the same as I’d left back home. To say the least, it was a very educational session.

Too bad I probably won't do much with the knowledge.

Oh, to back step a bit, the princesses were also 'Alicorns', kind of a mixture of all three species. So at least I didn't have to call them 'horse-things' anymore. Sadly...

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Twilight gave me a tour of the tree library—yeah, I felt kind of stupid now—showing me all the important rooms worth mentioning. Of course, I didn't tell her about my personal tour, prior to her arrival. It was kind of fun though, considering that she was pretty new to the place as well, holding off names until we were already in the room.

Before we knew it, the afternoon was gone and the sun was setting through the windows downstairs. Twilight was quietly reading a book, while Spike and I were just getting more acquainted with what went down this morning. I kind of left the whole “And now I’m a monster!” part out of it, and stayed rather PG all the way through. Boring, but it passed the time faster. By the end, it was dark out and Spike was barely staying awake without yawning every second. Twilight must have noticed, for she was soon noting her spot in her—...Is that a different…?—book and levitating Spike onto her back.

"Alright, it's getting late. Time to retire for the day." She couldn't hide her own drowsiness as she paused a moment, turning to me. "Coming, Nick? I'm sure I showed you the guest room."

I waved a hand, getting up from the floor. "Yeah, I'll be up in a few." She accepted that answer, nodding and trotting over to the stairs. "Oh, and Twilight?" She paused, halfway up, looking back at me. "...Thank you." She smiled brightly before continuing to her room, leaving me downstairs by myself, and my thoughts.

…I miss my sister.

Chapter 3: Journey to the Heart

Have you ever had one of those nights where, no matter how much you tried, you couldn't fall asleep? Laid down on one side, just to flip over onto the other, gotten up at least three times to get a glass of water, plus stared at the ceiling for an hour; all in the same night? Only to, again, find that your mind simply is going to say “fuck you” and not let you find peace?

Yeah, I'm having one of those nights...

It was about midnight, possibly one in the morning. Don't ask how I knew, I just did. Twilight and Spike had gone off to bed several long hours ago, and had left me to myself downstairs. Not wanting to even try that rather small bed, I had decided to take up residence on the lazy boy; feet up and leaning back. By all means, that should have been comfortable enough to sleep in, but I couldn’t seem to keep my mind from digging itself deeper and deeper into the pits.

Yeah, turns out that being forcibly dragged into this magical wonderland not only had me thinking about Mom, my sis, and my grandparents back home—wondering if I'd ever see them again— but it had also messed up my sleep cycle, or something. I could not fall asleep for the life of me...

So, I did what any sensible young man who had just been transported to a strange, and even dangerous, new world would do; I went for a night stroll. Yeah, I'm not really that sensible. Taking a lung-full of the cool, night air definitely started to calm my nerves, though. The brief moments of clarity to sort out my current issue, however, only made the frown that’d been stuck to my face since leaving the library grow firmer.

"...As if getting ripped away from home wasn’t enough. Now I gotta deal with some curse that’s messing my body all up."

I kicked at a stone as I kept walking down another empty street of Ponyville, not caring to pay attention to where I was going in particular. I’d pause for a moment, however, as a vaguely familiar smell brought about the mental image of the Lunar Princess. I couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind the connection, but still found myself thinking about her, as well as what she’d told me before our leaving."...Eh, it's probably too soon to think she'd stop by." I kicked at another stone, only to have it float out of the way. The curse had also done something to my eyes, making them better at seeing in the dark. It was kind of cool...

"And what makes you think it's too soon?" asked the voice I was both surprised and expecting to hear, a small grin coming onto my face as I turned around toward its source. There before me, easily visible in the still bright moon, stood Princess Luna, an equally playful grin on her face. "She may think it was just the right time."

I just pointed a finger at my nose, tapping it. "I smelt you, funny enough. I must say, whatever shampoo you use is quite... interesting." It smelt like a combination of, well, something floral while still having a hint of ...vanilla?

She averted her gaze a moment, raising a hoof to her mouth and holding what I assumed was a snicker. "I'll take that as a compliment..." Lowering her hoof, she looked back at me. "They're called moonflowers. Not very popular with most ponies due to the fact that the true scent is hard for some to smell. I presume by the look on your face that you approve?"

Lady, I frickin' love vanilla! "Y-Yes. It actually kind of reminds me of back home." Mom used to make me vanilla chip cookies every once in a while, surprising me whenever I came home from a rough day at school. Don'tjudge a man's cookies. It was probably one of the only things she did that actually made me feel better...

Probably from my sudden frown, she began to walk over to me, a mirror image of what I guessed my expression looked like reflected upon her own. "...Nick, I truly am sorry for this. It pains me more than you could possibly know to see you here, and know I am responsible for it." She was at my side now, looking up at me. I hadn't fully realized until then how much smaller she was now than when she had been Nightmare Moon; she only came up to my chest.

Nodding before looking back at her, I shrugged slightly. "I don't blame you, Princess." I kind of called her that as more of a pet name than due respect. "I blame Nightmare. Looking at you, and talking to you like this, I can tell that you are not her. Which, you know, makes me feel a bit bad for thinking about what I wanted to do to Nightmare after she turned me into a monster." Her eyes slowly widened, her face appearing to go slightly pale before turning her head away from me at that. I continued with a bit more of a pleasant tone to my voice, though, "Buuut, if you would like to try to make it up to me... I suppose I could think of some ways to make it up." I smirked lightly, leaning a bit closer to her while placing a suggestive look on my face. That got her to look up at me immediately. And after seeing my face, her own quickly turned a shade of red. That's when I let out a muffled laugh, not wanting to wake anyon- anypony, rather. "I’m just teasing. But I'll tell you what. You be my friend, and I’ll consider us even."

If she hadn't been blushing before, she was now. "Y-You'd want to be... my friend?" She almost looked shocked.

I nodded, giving her a strange look. "I don't see why not. I mean, we're both pretty much strangers here if you've been gone for as long as Celestia said." That made her grow a bit more gloomy. I reacted by placing my hand behind her lowered ears, and giving them a light scratching. She flinched at my touch, almost making me draw back, until she started leaning into my hand, a content look coming over her. "I'm not trying to put you down, only saying that we could help comfort each other better. Being in the same boat, and all."

She paused for a moment from her relaxing, glancing around us before looking at me in confusion. "But, we're not in a boat."

If I was a rude person, I would have facepalmed right in front of her. However, I'm a relatively nice guy and chuckled lightly. "It's just a figure of speech. It just means that we're in ‘similar situations’." She seemed like she understood it then.

After a moment or two of a building silence that was on the verge of, or already was, becoming kind of awkward, I spoke up again. "So, what brought you here? I mean, some small talk and my dashing good looks couldn't have been why you'd have come all this way in pers- Er, face to face."

She nodded, starting to make toward what I guess was a park or something; nothing huge, but it did have some nice-looking trees and a few benches here and there. Could ponies even use those?... Huh.

Luna suddenly took a seat when we got to a more open part of the small stretch of grass, motioning me to join her before saying. "You are correct. I wanted to have a more..." She paused, as if expecting others to be here at two in the morning. "Private conversion." I couldn't help but smirk at her wording as I took a seat.

"Well now, I didn't figure you were a girl to move a relationship this quickly." I said, eyeing her up and down. All things said, she wasn't really that terrible looking... For a horse.

I was joking, of course, but she just continued on like I hadn't spoken anyway. "I wanted to speak to you about your curse, Nick."

...Oh. "...Okay?" I suddenly felt a bit uneasy. "What about it?" Could there be more to it than being turned into a savage monster?

She gazed up toward the just-off-full moon, beginning with a question. "How have you been feeling lately?"

"You mean besides being completely confused about what has gone on within the past twenty-four hours, and realizing I may never see home again?" She nodded with a slight grimace, still staring at the night sky. "Eh, I've been better."

This time she directed the question toward me, instead of the sky. "I meant, how do you feel; physically?"

"Oh. Well, my senses have been all over the place. I seem to have a much better sense of smell, my eyesight is better with low lighting, and my ears can pick up whispers like they were being spoken normally. Oh, and reflexes seem to be jacked up as well. You mean like that kind of stuff?"

She seemed either shocked or amazed. "Y-You're experiencing synchronization this early on?..." I wasn't quite sure if that question was for me. "This is rather sudden. It usually takes years for the process to begin!"

I finally interrupted her thoughts. "Uh, could you explain what all that means, Princess?"

Luna turned her gaze to me once more, the smell of anxiety coming from her. And vanilla. "Synchronization is a part of the curse when both souls, pony and beast, start to merge together. The beast's soul will usually overcome the pony's, turning the pony mad. The beast will then take control, and force changes upon the pony whenever it wants, or even keep them as a beast forever." I was starting to get that bad feeling in my gut. "However..." Her expression grew troubled. "Your case is different. Not only are you not a pony, but you say you had control when as this 'werewolf'. This has never happened before, and the effects of it are unknown to both me and my sister. But if both of your souls are already trying to synchronize, and you're still you..."

At that moment, the most terrifying thing I had ever heard growled through my mind, speaking in between a snarl and actual words. "It means you're winning..." I immediately pushed whatever that voice had been as far back in my mind as I could.

"I-I take it that means he's not faring so well against me..." I said, still shaken up from whatever the hell had just happened.

Luna's look of tension softened slightly into confusion. "Well, yes." She slowly began to grow uneasy again. "In a matter of speaking. Tell me, have you..." She paused, her gaze piercing right through me. "Heard it yet." I could already feel something stirring in my head again.

"Yes..." I said almost in a whisper. "Just seconds ago, it..." I lowered my voice, even more, not wanting it to hear me. "It said ‘I was winning’."

Now, there are a couple things that I'm scared of. I hate heights, can't swim, and clowns fucking terrify me. But having something inside your mind that sounded like it wanted nothing more than to tear your throat out and lick the blood off its lips? That was a whole new experience for me...

"Your description was rather accurate of what I'd love to do to you."

And it could hear my thoughts?!?

"Don't listen to him!" Luna's sudden, desperate-sounding cry snapped me out of the trance I had been in, finding myself covered in a cold sweat. Luna was at my side, one wing draped over my shoulder. When she saw I was me again, she heavily sighed in what I assumed was relief. "...He will try to gain access to you through your mind, at first. You must resist him if you hope to turn the tables."

As if it couldn't get any worse, right? "P-Perhaps I should just get this over with. I'd hate to have this thing in my head longer than necessary." From the sound of my own voice, I couldn't tell if I was overly confident of the idea. And judging from Luna's reaction to it, she wasn't either.

"...Are you sure? I may be able to assist you, but I won't be able to be much help other than drawing him out from your mind in full. It will be you against him in your head. If you lose..." She suddenly didn't look too happy. "...I will be forced to put you down there and then."

Well, thanks for the load of confidence. "I-I would rather it be that way if it turns ugly." Of which I hope it doesn’t… "So, how does this work?"

Luna's horn lit up as she started her explanation. "I will use a spell on you that will put you into a deep sleep. You will be unable to awaken until only one of you is left in control. You will have until morning, before I am forced to assume the worst, and..." She trailed off, diverting her eyes. I assumed she wasn't going to do something nice.

Okay, roughly four to five hours to get rid of this thing, or risk being killed by a lunar princess. Challenge... Considered.

"You'd be wise to reconsider..." Came that awful-sounding voice again. "Your body would not be of great use to me dead." It then began filling my mind with what I assumed was laughter of some sort. Either that, or it was coughing up something.

Oh, it is so on now, pup!

Luna spoke up again, having not moved from her position. "...Are you ready?"

I nodded my head, a new determination in my heart, and clear on my face. "Let's do this." I had the time to feel her magic engulf me before everything went black.

Now, I'd never really been one to have crazy dreams before. Maybe the occasional oddball that made you say 'What the hell did I eat?', but nothing that really made me stop and wonder what exactly I had just dreamt.

I found myself lying in bed. My bed. I was quickly searching my surroundings, finding I was indeed in my old attic room again. "...It was all a crazy dream?!" I just laid back down, not being able to hold back a hysterical laugh. "Ho. Lee. Shit."

My happy thoughts were interrupted by a low rumbling. At first, I figured that a storm may have rolled in while I was sleeping.

Though... The weather had been rather clear when me and gramps decided to go out hunting. In fact... When did I get home? Or go to bed? Now that I think about it, when the hell do I ever sleep in clothing?!

Then suddenly, the room disappeared. As in, one moment I was in my room, the next I was falling through darkness. Before I could even fathom what was happening—or scream my head off—I started to slow in my descent. That's when I could start to make out six, round, bright shapes coming up from below me. At first, I couldn’t quite make out what they were. But as I steadily dropped closer and closer to them, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of deja vu.

Have I… been here before?

Just as what felt like a memory began to come to me, a voice filled the air. But unlike the demonic snarling that I’d expected, this voice sounded more like a crazy lunatic.

"Ah, I see you've finally had that moon princess put you to sleep." He burst into a kind of laughing fit. When I didn't react, he continued with, "See, that's funny because you're a—" He seemed to pout, sighing slightly. "Well, you're not much fun. Regardless, welcome to the Dreamscape! Or, perhaps… Welcome back?” He chuckled to himself, getting a squint from me. “Oh, don’t worry. I took the liberty of blocking out that nosey Luna from watching us. It’s just you, me, and your inner demons!"

I spoke up, still just seeming to float above the six images below me. I couldn't help looking at each of the ponies that appeared to be represented. "Alright, before you go any further, I want to know who the heck you are, and why you’re keeping the princess out." Before he could even respond, I added, "And what are these images of Twilight and her friends doing here? Wasn’t this supposed to temporarily lock me away in my own mind?"

The voice spoke up again, not sounding too amused. "Well, aren't you just a little questionnaire..." He continued on in a bored tone. "Who I am is not very important. Though I do see us meeting sometime in the future..." He let that hang in the air before continuing. “As to answer what these six ponies are doing here, let me first ask you something. Were Celestia and Luna surprised when you told them you could control your beast form?"

The question seemed completely off-topic,as well as redundant at this point, but I answered reluctantly anyway. "Yes, they were. As was I. And I’m still just as clueless to the reasoning behind it. Why, do you know what’s so important about it?"

"Oh, nothing too much." He chuckled, seeming to enjoy himself at not telling me anything. "One more question. Why do youthink you specifically were chosen by Nightmare Night's spell, hm?"

I still wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but I didn't like it. Whoever this was seemed to be giving out a lot less than they likely knew. "I don't know, because I'm that unlucky?"

He seemed to like that answer, his voice turning way too dark. "I suppose that's a way to put it..." And just like that, he sounded ‘normal’ again. "Ah, but that's enough of the boooring stuff. Now I'll answer your question regarding little Twilight Sparkle and her cute, pony friends." I slowly could feel myself lowering toward them. "You're going to have yourself quite the journey, Mr. Nick, and these six are going to be intertwined in it the whole way. I'm sure by now you know that they’re the embodiments of the Elements of... bleh, Harmony?" He seemed to say that last word in disgust.

"Yeah, I do. Got blasted by the damn things. Wasn't at all as harmonic-feeling as it sounds..."

"Oh, believe me, I know the feeling.", was all he said before continuing. "Well, let’s just say that you and them are important for events to come."

Then the six images vanished, quickly being replaced by one that seemed to show both Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon. Before I could say anything, I was dropping again, though slowing down just as I was about to go splat though, instead landing rather gracefully.

"Ah, Ms. Luna. Quite the story on how she got that alternate persona of hers." The voice just snickered to himself, giving me my own suspicions about what he meant by that. "Ah, but that's a story for another time. Maaayyybe I'll even throw in the tale of that curse you have, too.... It gets boring very easily when physically bound in stone.” Wait, what? "Ah, but that too will have to be postponed for another time."

Then the ground began to shake slightly as a dark blue podium began to sprout up and out of the ground. Oddly enough, a sword of some kind flashed into existence above it, followed by another nagging that I’d witnessed this from someplace before… But all that was pushed aside when I recognized the sword, itself. From… somewhere?

"...Why do I know that sword?." I thought aloud, taking a step towards it.

"Oh, why indeed!" ,was the reply I got back. "In fact, I bet you’ve been wondering why this whole place has been tugging away at your memories." He paused for a moment, before letting out a bit of giddy laughter. “Oh ho, I’m having so much fun with this! It’s been so long since I’ve gotten the chance to play mind games on someone.” A clearing of my throat, along with a raised brow towards the empty blackness above me seemed to reel who or whatever this thing was back on track. “Oh, come now. Don’t be like that! Tell you what. Why don’t you go take a closer look at that sword?”

I weary turned my gaze back toward the sword, before slowly making my way up to it. As I got closer, I could start to make out the details of it, finding it both odd, and somewhat predictable, that it appeared to be wolf-theme. The most obvious of this theme was the fact the crossguard was made up of two wolf heads, facing away from each other with snarling expressions. Now close enough to touch it, I reached my hand out to grab it before finding myself hesitating. I couldn’t explain the reason for it… But I found myself not wanting to touch it. But before I could even register the odd sensation, it was gone. Shrugging it off, I gripped the hilt of the blade and brought it closer for further inspection.

“...Notice anything about it?”, came that voice again.

Aside from the fact it looks cool as hell? “...There’s some sort of markings on the blade. Like writing, but I can’t make heads or tails of it.” Oddly enough, they didn’t look similar to any of the letters I’d been looking at throughout the books in the library. In fact, they looked older, though fuck all why I’d know that.
Then there was a small blinking of light that caught my eye towards the pommel. Tilting my head, I took notice that the pommel itself appeared to be a jewel, of sorts. Raising the sword and squinting, I thought I could almost see something glowing faintly inside of it…

“How does it feel? Give it a few practice swings.”

I paused again, before giving the sword a few test swings, finding it very easy to handle. Especially since I'd never used a sword before. Once again, odd. "It feels… right, for some reason." And just like that, the sword flashed away in a small poof of smoke. After coughing for a second, I looked around in mild confusion before the voice spoke up once more.

"Splendid! Good to see you’re still comfortable with it." Well, that’s not ominous in any way. At this point, it was becoming blatantly clear this being was withholding crucial information from me. "Now, onto the next station. Shall we be off?" I had no time to reply, nor comment on what they’d said prior to, before the whole stained glass picture of Luna and Nightmare Night shattered beneath me. "Oh wait, of course! You don't have a choice. Silly me!"

The only thing I could think as I started falling again was how much I was really starting to find this guy annoying. The next station, as he had called it, that began to come into view below me showed a royal-looking Celestia. I wasn't sure if I should have been surprised or not. Landing just as gracefully as before, I glanced around, wondering what was gonna happen next.

Still no sign of this beast inside me, yet…

The voice cut off my thoughts with, "Oh don’t you worry!” He seemed to snicker, continuing his statement. "He’s simply keeping me company while I prepare you for him.” Wait, what? “Now then, I suppose it'd make sense to have you use that fancy toothpick of yours before your big fight." His attention then seemed somewhat occupied. "I will say, he seems quite eager to meet you..." In another flash, the sword I had picked was in my hand. Just as quickly, I was surrounded by several pony-sized wolf creatures, black in color with glowing red eyes. "Practice on these little creations of mine. I'll just sit back and watch." Gee, don't bore yourself too much. "Oh, believe me, I'd much rather be doing other things than this. But sadly, you're the only interesting thing to play with right now."

And with that unsettling remark, the shadow wolves all began to circle me. Getting into what I would guess was a shitty fighting stance, I prepared myself for a rather rough tussle. Just as one of the creatures let out a snarl and bound toward me, I felt my arms react on instinct, performing a horizontal slash with my sword. The wolf didn’t seem to take the hit well, flying back a ways before exploding into darkness. I reeled back slightly from what I had done, both shocked and confused. I didn't have long to ponder before I heard another sprinting at me from behind. Turning quickly, I let out a swinging slash just as the second shadow creature was feet away from landing on me, cutting it in half.

Where did this power come from?! I mean, werewolf or not, I’ve never swung a sword in my life!

Soon, another two dark wolves were upon me, though this time coming at me from opposite sides. Leaping back a few steps and readying my blade, I prepared to add a couple more notches to my belt only to hiss out in pain as my back was slashed by what felt like daggers. Spinning around through the stinging in my lower back, I swung upwards like a golf club. My attack just caught the paw of a second attempt before I was already turning on my heel to address the two wolves still coming at me. Bringing the butt of my sword back, I bashed it against the side of the now pawless wolf’s head, following it with a cross slash. It exploded in darkness right in front of me, shielding both of its teammates from my gaze until they were already upon me, both of them knocking into me and onto my back. I could feel the sword coming loose from my grip, before hearing it fall to my side with a clank.

Shit, shit, shit!!!

The last thing I heard before raising my hands over my face in a last-ditch attempt to shield myself from the one leaping shadow-wolf… was the sound of both of them bursting, followed by my vision getting clouded in darkness. The pain I was expecting not coming over me, I lowered my hands and waited for the darkness to dissipate, before staring at an even stranger—and more terrifying—sight.

It looked like your everyday, typical, run-of-the-mill wolf. If your average wolf had demon-like eyes, blood-matted fur, elongated fangs, and around was my height on all fours.

"Your overconfidence will not be the end of you. Not before I get a chance to tear your mind asunder." Its non-speaking jaws snarled out, snapping in my direction. "How am I to enjoy taking control of this body if it’s not Iprying it from your broken psyche?"

Now, I wasn't a guy with bulging, veiny muscles. But growing up, I'd always found that if you at least looked like you could handle yourself, kids would usually only torment you verbally, and emotionally. So, I was a one-hundred and sixty-two-pound young man of pure, lean muscle. Add the fact that I had the inner ego of a superstar wrestler to it, and I could probably fake a fight in a ring rather convincingly, I could sometimes come across as a pretty scary guy when I wanted to. But this thing didn't want to ‘tussle’. It wanted my neck in its jaws.

How the hell am I to beat this thing if I couldn't even handle those shadow things?!

The wolf only grinned a nasty smile, flashing its blood-stained fangs. "The answer is you don't. Make it easy on yourself, and just give up." The other crazy voice had all but stopped talking now.

I sat there for a few seconds before slowly reaching for the sword that was still next to me, taking hold of it before getting back up to my feet. "...You know what? No. This is my body, mutt!" I gulped quietly before standing in my 'fighting stance' again. "A-And I'll be damned if I don't put up a fight for it!"

My response had seemed to catch the large wolf off guard. It didn't stop him, however, from charging at me full throttle, teeth bared. I had little time to react before I found myself back on the ground with it on top of me, pushing the flat end of the blade against its throat with both hands while it tried—very hard mind you—to snap at my face with his teeth. I had to clench my teeth to hold back from yelling out in pain as my chest was now getting slashed at with claws that felt like dull knives.

Trying to fight back, I kicked at his hind legs, attempting to get him off balance. Turns out that was kind of hard when you're getting mauled. So, I went with the next great idea I had. Turning the blade in my hand, I made it so he was now pushing against the sword's edge before quickly and forcibly jerking it to the left. From the yelp of pain, followed by the blood leaking onto me, it seemed like it had been an effective move. Though, even with my improvised attack managing to slice the creature’s chest a bit, I was still under a very large wolf. Only now, I had nothing between the two of us. So, using the sword’s pommel, I slammed down against the side of the wolf's head, and what I had assumed was its temple, sending it rolling off me and reeling in pain. Quickly getting to my feet, sword at the ready, I loudly shouted, "This is my house, bitch!" before running right at him as he was trying to recover. Thrusting the sword straight into its side, and twisting it as it went in, the cry of pain I got out of him almost made me feel bad inside. Almost.

The wolf fell to the ground, sword now embedded into its now heavily bleeding wound. It whined pathetically, trying but failing to get away, its demon eyes now nothing but fear-stricken orbs, gazing at me in a pleading fashion. "F-Finish me off already! You have won, kill me!"

Oh, how much his attitude has changed now. But, is it just me, or did that go way too easily?

But as I pulled out my sword from its side, readying for another attack, my suspicions were proven worthy. Faster than I could even comprehend, I was suddenly being tossed aside by a pair of canines in my arm. Without even seeing it, the wolf had somehow managed to get back up and latch onto me, tossing me across towards the other side of the station. Landing on my side rather hard and rolling to a stop, I almost found myself falling off the side of whatever platform we were on.

"This may have been your 'house', but I promise you that it's soon to be under different ownership." It said, stalking closer to me. "You should not have lowered your guard. An unwise mistake that will cost you your body.”

Trying to pick myself up, grabbing hold of my nearby weapon, and aching as the beating I’d been taking up to this point finally started registering, I finally realized something. This wolf was playing me. He was obviously stronger, faster, and an overall better fighter. And yet he’d still not kicked my ass yet?

Grinding my teeth in frustration, as well as becoming all the tenser from my new discovery, I tightened my grip on my sword, pacing away from the edge of the station. “Why don’t you just finish me off already?! I’ve got to be causing more of a hassle than I’m worth, so why not just kill me quickly, and get it over with?”

The look of pure and utter evil that appeared on the wolf's face almost made me think I had made a dire mistake. The snarl I heard also helped. "Does a cat not toy with a mouse before snuffing out its life?" It then turned its maw into an incredibly disturbing grin, continuing with, “I’m glad to see you’re coping with the fact that I’m winning, though. Perhaps after mauling and devouring every one of those ponies, I’ll find a way back to your home. I’d quite enjoy chewing on the neck of that sister of yours…”

That was all it took to freeze me in place. The very idea of this- this monster following through with such a threat started to play through my mind. I could literally hear her screams, of her calling out my name, before a dreadful snarl and roar silenced everything. My pupils dilated, my entire body quivering in a building rage, I could barely see straight anymore as my vision started to blur.

“Stay in control!”, came that voice from before. However, this time he didn’t sound at all like he was trying to fool me. Oddly enough, it also seemed like the beast before me had frozen in place. “Do not let your rage take you over! You need to harness it. Use it. Focus all of your hatred, all your wrath into a single point, then strike with it!”

Before I could even reply, or even fully comprehend what had just been said to me, the wolf was back to circling toward me, pulling its muzzle back in a sinister snarl. “You, and all you’ve ever known, will regret you not defending yourself!"

And that's when he charged at me again. However, it was at that point everything seemed to slow down again. Or at least, it felt like it, as all I could hear was my own heartbeat, thumping away in my chest. Closing my eyes, I tried to do what the voice had told me to, slowly raising my blade before me..

Focus on all of my anger… Then strike with it…

An image of my little sis as a kid, playing at the playground back home entered my mind. My real home. Her suddenly getting approached by three older boys. Her slowly backing away from them, fear evident in her eyes. Her letting out a shrill cry out for me, before— “Nick!”

Just as I could feel the beast’s hot breath on my face, I snapped my eyes open in a deadset glare while quickly dodging to the right quicker than I’d ever been able to move before. Catching myself on the ball of my foot, I let out a roar of pure rage before turning towards the monster wolf and slicing down with my sword, almost releasing it when the blade caught on fire! His unguarded side now open to this new, devastating attack, he only had enough time to glance in my direction before letting out an uproar of both frustration and pain.

The last thing he saw as he turned to face me, however, was my flaming sword meeting his temple and embedding itself into his skull. Judging by the pure look of shock in his now lifeless eyes, I had won.

My breathing quickly became slightly abnormal, my wounds and joints starting to ache as the adrenaline started to wear off. I took a moment for it to dawn on me, but this had been the first time I'd actually killed something, with full intent on wanting it dead. It... honestly wasn’t that great a feeling. Closing my eyes, I gave the sword a good yank, causing a sickening, indescribable sound as the lifeless body plopped down onto the ground. The flame that had been burning brightly slowly began to die out.

Letting out a long, held in breath, I allowed the sword to fall next to me before falling into a sitting position as well. ...I guess that's that. I couldn't help laughing quietly, trying to keep myself somewhat sane. Can't say I'd like to have to do that again.

My eyes were soon drawn back to the sword lying next to me, staring at it with a growing sense of wonder, and fear. Had… Had I caused that burning effect to happen? Or, was it some kind of magic those runes had sparked? I couldn’t help but stare at the jewel embedded into the sword’s pommel, an odd sensation pulling me towards it.

All my thoughts, however, were cut off by the sound of movement from the wolf before me. Snatching up my sword in a flash, I was up on my feet and ready to fight back again if I had to. However, what once was a bloodied, devil of a wolf, was slowly starting to radiate in an ambered glow, becoming a darker dirty-blonde in color as its wounds closed shut. The 'aura' then seemed to seep into it, its eyes blinking open in the same amber color.

It stared at me for a moment, eyeing my shoddy and weary stance, before seeming to… chuckle?

I didn’t have much time to react before it suddenly turned into a radiating cloud of light, and rushed right at me. Gasping, trying to swat at it with my sword, I could only watch as it slowly started to seep into me, getting absorbed into my body. At first, all I could do was freak out, trying to brush whatever it was off of me like I thought that would somehow work. However, a calming effect started to wash over me, and I could soon feel myself becoming slightly warmer from the aura, as if I’d been wrapped up in a blanket. And just like that, I didn’t feel uneased anymore.

The last thing I could hear before everything around me started to turn into a blinding, white light was the small chuckle from Crazy Voice, followed by “Well done...”

And then, there was darkness, quickly followed by the feeling of being violently shaken by what felt like hooves. How's that even possib- "Nick! Are you alright?!" Luna didn't sound all that happy.

I was able to croak out a response, feeling like I was being woken up from a monster hangover. "If you'd quit shaking me, I'd be a whole lot better." That quickly got her to stop.

It didn't stop her from wrapping me in a hug, though. "Oh, thank goodness! I lost sight of you right after you vanished from that bedroom you were in." I think she finally realized she was hugging me though, and hastily released me, a slight blush present. "W-What happened?"

“I… I honestly don’t know." I said, getting up rather uneasily and brushing myself off. "I think I won, but- Well, after I defeated it, it kinda changed into something that wasn’t a terrifying, blood-thirsty wolf, before ‘absorbing’ itself into my body." I left out most of everything else, not wanting to tell her that I also had some conversation with something that sounded like it may have had something to do with Luna turning into Nightmare Moon. And if I had to guess from Celestia's station being there as well, he probably had a history with her too. Sure, that was probably a bad idea, but… Well, who said I was the brightest of the bunch?

Luna’s eyes widened at my explanation, however. “Y-You won?” I could tell from her reaction she hadn’t really thought I could… It quickly, however, turned to something much more confused. “I’ve never actually known somepony who’d been able to fully take over his own curse. I can honestly say I don’t have a clue what waits in store for you now, Nick.” She ended that a bit too grim for my liking.

“Well, it doesn’t feel like the wolf is trying to take me over, anymore.”, I said, trying my best to sound positive. “As for how things will work for me now… I’ll just take things slow, and learn as I go.” I actually paused for a moment to realize I’d just rhymed unintentionally.

Thankfully, though, it looked like the sun was about to be coming up any minute now, and I could actually feel myself growing kind of exhausted, despite having just been “dreaming” for the past five or six hours.

Luna must have realized it as well, since she simply nodded with a small smile. "I suppose you may be correct. Hopefully, you will not have need to turn into it too often, though."

I kind of agreed with that, but now that I thought I could do it without worrying about losing control, I kind of was swaying toward the 'This might be kind of cool' thing. But for now, sleep. "Yeah. Well, I guess I'll head back to Twilight's place for some much-needed rest..." This time, I gave the hug. "Thank you again, Princess." Letting go and walking away, I could only imagine the look she had before I heard her teleport away.

I made it back to the library just as the sun was slowly peeking over the eastern horizon. Letting myself in as quietly as possible, and heading over to the living room, I plowed down on the couch and slowly let out a tired sigh, allowing myself to start relaxing.

My moment, however, was cut short by a familiar unicorn's way-to-cheery voice as she made her way down the stairs. "Good morning, Nick! Ready to start off your first real day in Ponyville?" Oh, how I wanted to answer by throwing a pillow at her face... The expression Spike had on almost made me feel better; He didn't seem too happy either.

Instead, I just answered with a groan, rolling onto my side so my back was facing her. "No, not really..."

Why? Why can't I get a break?

Twilight just laughed, as if I was a fucking comedian or something. It was at that time that I soon felt my whole body start to tingle as I floated off the couch. "Oh, come on, Nick. I'm sure it won't be that bad." She placed me down on my feet before letting me go, in which I just fell down onto the floor face first, too tired to give a damn. "Sheesh, you're just as difficult as Spike is." Spike humphed, crossing his scaly arms at that. "Well, fine. Sleep the day away. If you need us, we'll be at the park." She turned in a huff and started out, Spike sighing as he followed.

"I'll be out in an hour or two!" I shouted from the floor, though whether they heard me or not wasn't important.”...Maybe.”

So, with a content sigh, I curled up on the floor and took a cat nap. Or rather, wolf nap.

Chapter 4: Trouble Starts Early On

I found myself being woken up several hours later by something hard poking at my side, causing a groan. Which actually ended up sounding more like a growl. Opening one eye in slight annoyance brought me face to face with one of the pinkest things I’d ever seen in my entire life. That was, until… I sort of recognized it.

“Can I help you?”, I mumbled out, closing my eyes and hoping that I may have still been dreaming.

“Hi there!”, the mare said, in a far too happy voice for my still-tired ears. “I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?”

Letting out a long sigh, I opened my eyes and started to sit up, knowing I wasn’t going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon. Pinching the bridge of my nose, as well as getting all the gunk out of my eyes, I stared back at this ‘Pinkie Pie’ with a most unamused expression. I hate mornings...

“...Nick.”, I stated rather flatly.

In case it hadn’t been apparent in my tone, I’m a bit of a grouch when I don’t get my sleep. However, this pony didn’t seem to get that. In fact, she must have thought the complete opposite. Because within the second, she was sitting on my shoulders and running her hooves through my hair.

“You look kind of funny.”, she stated rather matter-of-factly. “You’re not a pony, are you? Because I’ve seen A LOT of ponies, and let me tell you-” I attempted to grab at her, but ended up only waving my hands through thin air. “Ooooo, do you like parties? Because I love parties!” She now managed to get right in front of me, placing her face a mere few inches from my own. She let out a far too exaggerated gasp before letting out a quick mesh of words that I couldn’t fully understand. “I should TOTALLY throw you a super dee-duper, funtastic part-”

Not giving her a chance to finish whatever she had been rambling on about, I quickly wrapped an arm around her, pinning her against myself as I put a finger to her lips.

“Shhhhhhh...”

This must have taken her by complete surprise, judging from the look of utter shock she had. Although, the small smile she was starting to get didn’t keep me thinking that for too long.

“...I’m going to take my finger away from your mouth.” I kept my gaze staring right into her large, saucer-like eyes. Of which, I had to admit, were a very nice set of skyblue. “When I do, you are going to speak calmly, and quietly. Understand?” She gave me a series of over-excited nods, her smile rather large now. With a quick prayer, I finally lowered my finger, releasing my hold from her. However, she surprisingly stayed still right in my face.

“You’re funny!”, she said with a bit of a snort-laugh. “We really have to have some fun together sometime!” And just like that, she vanished in a dust trail. One that, oddly enough, led up the stairs.

“...What the fuck just happened?”, I asked myself aloud. “Forget dreaming, that was a complete nightmare!”

Groaning as I felt myself becoming fully awake, I got up onto my feet and stretched. I only paused a moment when I swore I heard a startled scream from outside only a few seconds later. However, when nothing else seemed to happen, I shrugged my shoulders and figured it was my head playing more tricks on me.

First thing I was sure to do was head off toward the kitchen to get myself something to eat. Sadly, the only thing I could find that was even edible were some more apples and a few carrots. “Great. Haven’t even been here two days, and I’m already getting forced to become a vegetarian…”

Sighing off my distaste, I quickly ate the fruits and vegetables with a bit of disappointment. It was better than eating nothing at all, but still... Some eggs and bacon would be awesome, right now.

Exiting the kitchen and heading back into the living area, I glanced around the tree library one last time before coming to my ultimatum for today. “...I should probably go introduce myself to the other locals.”

I was just on my way towards the door, reaching toward the doorknob, when a sudden thought made me hesitate. An image started to roll through my mind of me walking around outside, parading through town like the swaggy, motha’ fucka I am. But then, some of the pony residents become troubled by my presence. Not quite sure whether I’m peaceful or not, and with no Twilight to help back me up, I’m questioned and ridiculed! They call the law enforcers, and have me taken away before I’m even able to say a single word! And THEN I lose myself and turn into a raging werewolf, brutality tearing apart all that try to stand before me!!! Before I know it, every single one of those colorful, pretty ponies is a steaming pile of ravaged flesh and organ, getting fought over by the hordes of flies trying to dine and procreate. And me, fur caked in dried blood to the point where I’ve gained a couple of pounds, let out an unearthly howl of—

Blinking out of my horrid, and oddly very specific scene of apocalyptic proportions, I slowly backed away from the door. “...Perhaps I should just stay inside today.” I quickly turned toward the couch, before adding, “As well as question my sanity.”

Pushing the latter daydream as far back as I could manage, I took a seat on the couch with an audible ‘oof’’, and stared up at the ceiling. Perhaps it was at this time that everything slowly started to come down on me again, my realizations of where I was, what exactly was happening, and what I’d become weighing down on my shoulders. I could often find myself in this kind of ‘depressive state’ every other week or so back home, but hardly knew what was the cause of it, or how to even go about fixing it. So, I’d just let it run its course until I found myself happy, go-lucky me again. However, this time it’d seem to find me in an already unraveled state…

“I wonder what the family’s doing back home…”, I mused to myself. “Moms probably blissfully unaware of my not being there, playing some kind of board game with Nanna. And Gramps is probably trying to remember what was so important that he had to tell the others.” At this point, I was on the verge of laughing at my own imagery. “‘Dang it, I know there’s something around here that seems to be missing… I just can’t seem to put my finger on it!’”, I mocked in an old man impression. I could then make out all of them laughing. Enjoying themselves. One less mouth to feed, and one less person to send off to college— Well, if I were to go, that was.

My fists unconsciously tightened at my belittling thought. I knew they would never do that, and might have actually been worried out of their minds that I was nowhere to be found. But honestly, that had me feeling even worse. The fact that my family could be going through hell because of my not being there. And I couldn’t even tell them I was fine. Well… Relatively fine. Not sure if ‘werewolf powers’ counts as being ‘in good health’.

But then I suddenly felt my building sorrow take a huge dump on me as the face of my sister emerged from the caverns of my mind. That light, messy mop of hair getting in her eyes as she tried her best to give me a tough-looking smirk. Her dumb, purple t-shirt with some… red and yellow image on it, that she, for one reason or another, insisted on wearing every single day—She had several copies of the same shirt, but still— torn jean-shorts, and well-worn sneakers with ‘bedazzles’ on the sides.

“You just gonna sit there and cry? Sheesh, what a baby!”

I could feel moisture running down my face before I even realized what I was doing. Shaking my head and wiping at my reddened eyes with my arm, I forced myself to take in a sharp breath while loosening my clenched hands. Getting up from the couch, I stared at the floor as my expression returned to a neutral state. She was the only one I could say, without a doubt, would be the most distraught about my disappearance. Heck, she would probably be the one confronting me right now, if she were here.

“You always did have a way with words...”, I couldn’t hide my smirk while glancing back up at the ceiling. “You little brat.”

“And just who do you think you’re calling a brat?”, asked a sudden female voice, causing my attention to quickly turn toward the doorway. “At least I’m not the one who refused to get up in the morning like a stubborn foal…”

All manner of my previous state of mind was now quickly replaced by a flat, blank stare at the purple unicorn staring at me with a questioning gaze.

Without thinking, I mistakenly went on the offensive. “Don’t you ponies know how to knock?!”

Her eyes soon turned into a rather unamused glare. “I shouldn’t need to knock on my own front door.”

Quick, you fool! Apologize before you end up making it worse!

Sighing, I shook my head and gave the mare an apologetic frown before saying, “I’m sorry…” Heading over toward the now confused-looking Twilight, I gave her a few gentle pats on the head. She didn’t seem to understand, or like, the action. “I guess I’m just still on edge while I try to come to terms with the fact I’m no longer back home. That the world I find myself in right now is not like anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life”—Aside from the baby shows my lil’ sis used to watch—“and that this may end up being my permanent home. Separated from the people I’ve known my whole life. It just… still feels surreal.”

Taking a good look at Twilight almost had me grimacing at what I’d just told her. I had no time, or ability, to react before she was pulling me down with her magic and enveloping me in a somewhat awkward embrace. I could feel her tears leaving damp pools on my shirt.

“I-I’m so sorry, Nick…”, she began. “I can’t even begin to try to relate to what it is you’re going through! But while I know I haven’t really done much to show it that well,” My eyes widened slightly as she pulled away, revealing the most heart-wrenching face I’d ever seen. ...On a horse. “Please know that I am here for you, whenever you need somepony to talk to.”

If I hadn’t been so utterly flabbergasted by her sudden show of concern for someone she had only known for a day, I would have responded with a “Thank you”, or something. However, as I tried to produce a form of acknowledgment, a wild Spike appeared.

“Hey Twilight, I-”, the little purple dragon that’d been entering through the doorway paused to look at the scene before him, a questioning look coming to his face. “Uh… I can come back another time.”

I, however, threw my hand up at him just as he was about to leave. “Wait! I was actually just about to go look for you!” Patting Twilight’s head with a slightly awkward chuckle, I accomplished in getting the unicorn to release me and got back to my feet. Judging from the look of confusion plastered on her face, slowly turning into a look of solemness, I knew I’d be having to address her at a later time. Like when I’m not tripping balls.

“You wanted to see me?”, Spike asked as he came over to me. I could tell he was glancing back toward Twilight, but was glad when he didn’t bring her up. “What for?”

“Yes, um…” Shit. Now I have to think of something. I could almost feel the light bulb form right above my head. “Yes! I wanted to ask you if there were any places in this town where I could get something to eat! Aside from fruits and vegetables.” ...Bravo, Nick. Bravo…

“Oh! Uhh…”, he paused a moment before answering. “Well, I know Pinkie Pie told me that Sugarcube Corner has the best pastries in all of Equestria, and it’s close by, so…” I could hear the grumble from his stomach that caused him to start blushing. “Heheh. Um, perhaps we could go check it out?”

Glancing back at Twilight, who had now started to set up what appeared to be a makeshift laboratory in the main room of the library, I asked aloud, “Hey, Twilight! Wanna go get some sweets with me and Spike?”

“It’s ‘Spike and I’”, she stated in a rather grouchy way. “And I’ve got experiments that need to be conducted. You two can go by yourselves.”

With a small frown forming, as well as a bit of attitude building up, I countered her random bitchiness with “Well, I’m broke. I kind of forgot my wallet in my other pants.” I even went as far as to add. “The ones back in my world?”

By the shocked expression she grew, followed by the tears starting to form, I knew I’d really stepped over the line. The pouch I found flying at my face also helped enlighten me. Luckily, I managed to catch it with my crazy werewolf reflexes.

“J-Just get out of here!”, the unicorn yelled in a hurt voice before turning her back to the two of us.

I honestly hesitated, really wanting to apologize for my sudden, inexcusable behavior, but instead lowered my head as I turned toward the door. Grabbing hold of Spike’s hand, I slowly dragged the worried-stiff dragon out of the library with me before closing the door behind us.

That’s when Spike finally came back to life, glaring daggers at me. “What was that all about?!” While his upsetness for making the one who took care of him cry was obviously well-expected, I had to pause a moment at the fact that he had actually managed to make himself look rather frightening. As frightening as Barney could ever look. ...Wait, that’s actually pretty scary.

Trying to push my thoughts aside, I ran a hand through my hair—which was starting to need a good washing—before speaking up. “I-I don’t know, Spike…” I glanced down at him with a suddenly tense gaze. “...I honestly don’t know.”

Heading off to Sugarcube Corner with Spike, and actually encountering a few of the other ponies in town in the process, we had decided that I was in dire need of some stress-relieving activities. I’d told Spike what had happened back in the library and was actually surprised to hear that he’d also gotten in somewhat odd verbal tussles with the purple unicorn before. Though, I wasn’t quite sure his own experiences matched up with my random mood swing this morning…

“You’re probably just stressed.”, he chimed up over a plate of the best cupcakes I’d ever had in my entire life. “After going through what’s happened to you, I’m sure it’s a normal reaction. Twilight will come back around, though I do think an apology would speed it up a bit.”

I had to admit that he was probably right. Of course, I didn’t tell him about how I’d imagined the ‘complete destruction of everything in existence’ just from me stepping out the door, but that was just a given. Probably just me overreacting, anyway…

So, it was now time for us to find said “stress reliever”. That had us wandering around Ponyville, attracting more attention from the townsfolk on my part, until we had taken a dirt path toward what looked like a farm. However, that had us in front of an all too familiar pink pony…

“Aww…” Pinkie mused, rubbing a hoof on my head. “Of course I‘ll help! After all, who’s better at making ponies smile than Pinkie Pie?”

...Stress levels increasing…

I still couldn’t understand why I’d agreed to this, especially after my first encounter with the sugar-high mare this morning. But at the remembrance of a certain Twilight Sparkle’s expression after having her own kindness shoved back in her face, I guess I was just desperate. So, Spike had suggested that we try and search out for the pink menace in hopes that she would be able to help.

“Well, I still don’t like it.”, mumbled the pegasus who’d also been with Pinkie. Her cyan pelt, and rainbow-colored mane had me recognizing her as another one of Twilight’s friends. “I mean, just look at him! He’s totally a monster of some sort!”

That had me clenching my fists a bit tighter. ...Frustration growing…

“Aw, come on Rainbow Dash!” Spike said, coming to my defense as it would seem. “He’s not a monster, he’s just…”, the small dragon looked me up and down a moment before smiling awkwardly. “...Different.” Thanks, Spike…

“Look, as amusing as having you all talk about me right to my face, I’d really like to get rid of this quickly building irritation.” It took a lot of self-control to say that without the hint of a snarl.

“Did you try eating something at Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s?”, asked Pinkie. “That always makes me feel better!”

“Yes…”

Rainbow just rolled her eyes in an almost bored expression. “Well, I’d suggest doing a couple of laps around Ponyville. But since you don’t really have any wings…”

Wait a second…

“Taking a quick run around Ponyville might actually help.”, I thought to myself. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but the thought seemed to appeal to me. “In fact, how about a little race, Miss Attitude?”

The looks on all of their faces seemed to change all at the same time. Spike’s into utter surprise, Pinkie’s into one of frighteningly high excitement, and Rainbow Dash’s into one of slight interest followed by a smirk. This caused the confident smile I had been wearing to falter slightly. ...What have I done?

“Is that supposed to make me laugh?”, asked the cocky pegasus. “I’m the fastest flier in all of Ponyville! There’s no way you could beat me!”

I could slowly feel the edges of my mouth creeping up into a smug grin of my own again. “Then I guess you don’t have much to worry about, do ya?” I closed the distance between the two of us just a bit to finish it off with. “Skittles.”

While I highly doubted any of them actually knew what a ‘skittle’ was, the way I had said it seemed to get across to them that it was supposed to be a belittling name.

With her face pushed right up into mine, dark pink eyes radiating in a sense of determination, Rainbow Dash merely replied with, “You’re on.”

“Oooo! This is going to be so exciting!!!”, Pinkie yelled out, jumping up and down next to the three of us. “Okayokayokay, first one to reach Golden Oak Library, make it to Sugarcube Corner, dash to the Town Hall, and make it make to Golden Oak again first wins!”

I had a hard time concentrating on the path laid out before me due to the fact that I was questioning where the heck she had pulled the large poster, with the exact same route she’d just made up, out from…

“Ready?”

I plastered an all-too-excited grin on my face as I took up position, getting down onto my hand like an athletic runner would. With my gaze toward the town ahead, I could feel myself closing my eyes as I took in a deep breath, slowly exhaling the warm air out. The air seems so much cleaner here. It’s… actually really nice.

“Set?!”

Opening my eyes, I glanced over toward Rainbow Dash. She had taken up position to my left in a prepared stance of her own. She glanced over toward me as well, then gave me a resolute sneer, mouthing something out. “You’re. Goin’. Down.”

“Go!!!”

At that moment, everything happening around me seemed to slow down. Glancing toward Rainbow, I could see her just starting to spring forward as her wings unfolded. I couldn’t help but smirk at her obviously unfair move. Pinkie was somehow floating in the air. Or maybe she had been in mid-jump. Spike looked like a kid who’d just been brought to a horse race for the first time, one fist in the air and the other near his mouth as he tried to yell out something. Focusing my gaze back onto the path before me, I found myself moving forward in an almost sluggish motion. As if something was trying to hold me back, and I was having to force myself forward with all my might.

That’s when a warm feeling began to grow in my chest. It started right in the center, and spread out until it was covering my entire body in its boil. My vision seemed to come to a bit of a blur as I felt my movements become more fluid again, with less restraint. It was around this time that I could feel everything starting to speed back up again, the beating of wings quickly approaching from behind being heard clear as day. Also that I was propelling myself forward on all fours…

I suddenly stopped in my tracks, skidding at a speed far too fast and tumbling forward. After rolling against the ground, feeling dirt, small stones, and the occasional brush burn, I finally came to a sudden stop. Or rather, something very hard and solid stopped me. With a rather large thud, I slammed into the door of the library with my back, slamming my head into it in the process of knocking it down and following it to the floor. Needless to say, it was all rather painful.

“What in the name of Celestia—Nick?!” Before I knew it, the face of a far worried, purple unicorn came into view above me. “W-What the hay happened to you?!”

My head hurts like a sonofabitch, my whole body feels used and abused, and I’m afraid that I may have almost turned into a werewolf right in front of two ponies, and one dragon. My heart is racing out of my chest and my body itself feels like it’s cooling down, still seeming to be getting over whatever the hell I just went through. All in all, I could have fractured, if not broken, a hand full of bones, given myself a concussion, and turned myself into a cripple for the rest of my life. Think, Nick. How do you answer this?

“I t-tripped…”, I weakly stated before attempting to give Twilight a weak smile.

Her face soon began twisting into an odd mixture of pure frustration and complete turmoil. The first most likely due to the fact that I’m just such an ass, and the latter caused by my current condition.

“H-Hey…”, I exhaled more than I said, removing any signs of joking from my bruised face. This seemed to help simmer down her distress a wee bit. “I’m sorry for- for being a jerk earlier.”

She paused for a moment, staring at me before shaking her head. Her horn soon began glowing a second later. “We can talk about that once you’re well again. But first, let's get you on the couc-”

“Nick!”, came a terrified scream from outside, cutting her off. Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash who appeared in a multi-colored blur through the doorway. Well, somewhat surprisingly. She is supposed to be the fastest flier in Ponyville.

“H-Hey there, Skittles.”, I said through a toothy, albeit tightly clenched, grin, mostly due to a sudden ping of pain that shot up my arm. “I-I guess I’m out of the race by forfeit?”

“A race?!”, Twilight burst out, eyes widening. “Nick, you challenged Rainbow Dash to a race!?!” She was just now setting my battered body on the couch, being extra careful with my head. “What in the world were you thinking?”

“Apparently I wasn't…”, I said with a chuckling cough. “She’s pretty good.”

Rainbow didn’t have enough time to comment, however, as the room was soon filled with more panicked yelling.

“Nick! That was completely, absolutely, the most…”, Pinkie was quickly at the side of the couch, followed by Spike. “Um- well- it was something all right!” She seemed to simmer down a bit with her bubbly personality. “Are you alright…?” Spike was at her side, sharing the concerned look.

“Ah, I’ll bounce back.”, I said, giving a dismissive wave to the two. “I’m feeling better already!”

Twilight’s gasp was what had me quickly questioning my own statement. “Y-You’re arm! It’s…” She couldn’t seem to finish. Oh lord, don’t tell me I have bones sticking out!

Glancing at my arm told me nothing, though. There didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary, and everything seemed to move and bend just as it should, aside from a slight bit of discomfort. “...W-What about it?”

Twilight’s expression had a very dark tone to it. Her voice equally shared that tone when she spoke. “...It was broken when I placed you on the couch.”

Oh... Oh, shit!

The others in the room all gasped in equal levels of surprise at her statement. I tried to act just as taken back as them, but could already feel the sweat running down my temple. The only reason why my body would be healing so fast would be due to being a werewolf. But that was something I definitely was not willing to explain to them just yet. I tried to rack my brain for some kind of excuse, until I finally blurted out, “H-Humans can heal SUPER quickly!”

Twilight’s eyes widened quite a bit at that, while the other two mares and dragon just stared at me in awe. ...Did they seriously just buy that?

“...Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday!?”, exclaimed Twilight. “Now I’m going to have to go through all of the notes I took down, and add it in where it should have been! I’ll probably have to rewrite the whole thing over again!” She looked highly agitated as she turned and headed off back toward the stairs.

“Y-Yeah…” I, on the other hand, could feel a heavy burden lift off my shoulders. “Sorry about that, Twilight.”

After only minutes had passed from the accident, I could already see more than half of the injuries I’d taken had mended themselves, leaving only a couple of the more major ones almost fully tended to. But what really got me to start chuckling like an idiot, was the fact that one of my bigger problems had also seemed to fix itself.

“Hey, guys.”, I focused my attention back toward Spike and the other two, still giddy at my discovery. “...I’m not feeling stressed anymore!”

They all seemed to react in a slightly perplexed way, before glancing toward one another and shaking their heads with varying smirks.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash went about their own business again, leaving me, Spike, and Twilight to ourselves at the library. We had ourselves what you could call a kind of late lunch or early dinner of some kind, and went about our own activities as we had the previous day before. Twilight had, true to word, rewritten her entire report on my species, leaving Spike and I to shoot the shit for a few hours. Once we’d grown bored of that, and after double-checking to confirm that I had actually recovered fully, I got myself up from the couch I’d been resting on and went towards the bathroom. After having gone through all I had so far, and not taken a shower in the past three days—one day from back home, and two since arriving here–-I was really starting to feel a bit gross.

I can’t possibly get into any kind of trouble taking a bath, right?

Entering, I quickly took note of several things that stood out to me.

One, the fact that it really resembled one that you’d find back home. I wasn’t really sure why I found that surprising, but the fact that they were all horses may have helped. Aside from the far too girly look of it, with all the shades of purple, it had the basic necessities. Toilet, bathtub, sink. Standard-esque bathroom.

The other thing was that the object I would be using to clean myself in, was currently occupied. And by that, I meant a suddenly frozen stiff, wide-eyed unicorn was currently staring at me with her mouth hung open. Surprisingly, I actually kept my composure pretty well. And when I say that, I mean I flailed crazily to both shield my eyes from the sight before me, as well as try to avoid the multiple objects I now had getting flung at me in a light-purple aura.

Out of the frying pan, and into the fire… You really have a knack for trouble, Nick.

Pushing myself out the way I came in, and slamming the door behind me, I stood there a moment as a soaked washcloth slowly slid off my face, revealing my beat red face. I could still make out Twilight’s beyond frustrated screams from just behind the door. I could still see the soaked mare in my mind's eye, the way her wet mane reflected some of the light from the room. The patches of bubbles that adorned her dripping pelt. I could almost imagine what sh—

Nope! Snap out of it!

Forcibly shaking my head from the rather repulsive thoughts that I’d been imagining up, I gave my head a few knocks. This is no time to lose whatever sanity I may have left! Getting as far away from the door as possible, even to the point where I realized I was exiting the tree house itself, I continued wandering away from my newest found stressor. I could feel that sudden, slowly increasing, fire inside me again as I headed toward the direction I’d remembered the edge of the forest was located. There was something that was causing me to continue to grow so crazy, and I was not going to blow off the handle near these ponies.

Upon reaching the tree line, dusk just starting to darken the sky, I halted just before stepping into the dense growth of vegetation, remembering what Twilight had called this place. The ‘Everfree Forest’. Forever Free… My eyes pierced through the shadows of the many trees within, the burning sensation in my chest growing. Perhaps this is what I needed… Stepping further in, I began to unconsciously remove the articles of clothing that I had on, tossing them aside until I was welcoming the summer night air with my bare skin. This stress… It just needs to be let loose for a little bit. I could feel my heart starting to increase in its rhythm as the warmth within wrapped my entire body in its embrace, transforming it into that of which it wanted.

Letting out a heavy breath from my now elongated jowls, I fell onto all fours before quickly speeding off into the forest before me. Claws dug into the earth, pulling me further and further away from the civility that lay behind me. My senses surged as the smells and sounds happening around me hit me with information all at once. My fur tossed about from the breeze that was brushing past me. It felt so… Good. I soon realized the fact that I was slowly losing myself to these new sensations. And that I was okay with it! I was just about to fill the night with a howl that was forming in my chest, when—

*whoosh*

Stopping abruptly, though not wiping out as I had earlier, my ears flicked at the small sound that caused me to stop in my tracks. Lifting my nose toward the sky, I took in several quick inhales, something seeming to smell a bit off to me. Something’s nearby… Instantly turning toward my right, I had enough time to duck before a clawed appendage flew directly where my head had been a mere second ago. Following the airborne creature with now hate-filled, ambering eyes, I let out a threatening roar to back off. This didn’t seem to get through to the winged beast, as it was already coming around for a second assault, letting out an avian screech of its own. This thing wanted blood… and seemed determined that it was mine it got.

So be it…

Watching it carefully, I waited until it was just about to swing its taloned claw at me again before rolling to the left, and launching myself at the thing that had dared pick a fight with me. I could feel my claws dig into what felt like fur, racking out a nice set of claw marks on its hind quarters before getting slammed in the muzzle by a paw. Releasing my grasp, I fell back to the ground with a thud, recovering to my hind legs in a hurry. However, the third attempt at an attack I’d been expecting never arrived. Instead, the sound of wings beating against the air slowly faded out into the night sky.

Serves ya right, you damn animal.

Bringing up my clawed hands, and letting out a victorious howl just for the sake of adding insult to injury, I gloated up my first actual win in a fight in this new world. Turning my head back toward the direction of town, I slowly came back to my own senses. It’d seemed like this experience had shaken off whatever had been coming over me again, and I could think more clearly once more. And that’s when the realization that I had been planning to run away and stay in this awful forest came to light. What on earth was I thinking?!

Dashing back through the way I came, and following the familiar smell of town, I managed to exit the tree line close to where I had discarded my clothing. Lifting a paw to my face, staring at it with slight unease, I took in a deep breath before closing my eyes.

If restlessness and stress is what cause me to go into this state of mind, and fuel the desire to turn, then calmness and tranquility should counteract it, right?

With that in mind, I took a few calming breaths, allowing my heart to slow down its pounding. A new wave of cooling started to creep up my arms and legs, until I was completely washed in this new feeling of peace. Opening my eyes, I could see that I was once again staring at my own, human hand. Smiling to myself, I began my search for my clothing, and got redressed before heading back toward Twilight’s house. However, I could still feel several things itching at my mind.

Why am I going through all of this if I’d already “gained control” over the wolf inside me? Is it the cause for all of my recent overreacting, or downright rude behavior? And what about that thing that’d attacked me so suddenly? I mean, Twilight told me the creatures in that forest could be vicious, but to attack something like me when I was like that? They must be more dangerous than I thought… Perhaps I’ll talk with one of the Princesses tomorrow about all of it.

However, little did I know just what tomorrow actually had in store for me...

Chapter 6: The Cherry On Top!

After parting with Gilda the Bitc— I mean Griffon, I attempted to go back in and let Twilight know I was heading back to the library. I suddenly didn’t really feel like partying over a miserable pin cushion, and instead thought that some solitary time to myself to think through what the day had been like was a better idea. I mean, while I had chosen to not hear what Princess Celestia and that shadowy being she had called ‘Discord’ had to say… The curiosity of what they might know about me was still itching the back of my mind. But with whatever Celestia had done to me before sending me back, I had to admit I was feeling a bit less agitated about everything going on around me than before. So, maybe just some rest would have been nice.

But, no. That would be too simple…

Instead, Pinkie had decided that the party should continue on! And guess who the special person was this time? Me. Me! As if by pure chance, she had managed to completely reconstruct a new party around my own presence in Ponyville. The very notion of something so completely out of the blue, and random as hell, struck me with such a sense of dumbfoundedness, I just nodded my head in a daze and went with it. And what’s stranger is that all the others seemed to just go with it, too! Like, the fact that a fucking griffon had notjust made a huge scene in front of them, let alone grabbed the host of the party by the throat, hadn’t just happened.

Ah, but by now I should know better than to question the logic of this dafty world...

And that is how I found myself where I was right now. Sitting at one of the small tables at the front of the shop, watching other ponies mingle and laugh with one another as they gave the ever-occasional glance and unsure wave my way. They all seemed nice enough, and some even acted as if they were eager to meet me. Well, at least now that there was a large group of ponies close by, and free food was being served…

I have to admit. This is a rather nice thing for Pinkie to do for me, even if it’s a bit ill-timed. I just wish I was more of a party person…

I was so lost in the thought of what was going on, I hardly noticed the unicorn that had decided to get a bit closer to the table I was at. However, when that same unicorn started to carefully take a place in the seat adjacent to mine, I was well aware of who it was, and what was going on. Already considering getting up and moving to a different spot, I was forced back into my seat by a single command from the pony.

“Sit down.”, commanded the owner of the voice in a far too calm tone for my liking.

Seeing as I didn’t have much of a say in the matter, I did as I was told. Lowering my head with an audible sigh, I took a chance to glance over toward the rather bland expression that sat on the mare’s face. She was undoubtedly trying her best to hide her appearance the best she could, though I couldn’t help but smirk at her attempt. Having gone so far as to use some sort of spell to swap the colors of her grayish purple-blue coat and very light azure mane with one another, she was even missing a pair of wings that had once adorned her back, leaving just the horn on her head. In addition to sporting a pair of darker purple glasses, she also had a large bow tied to the back of her mane, relatively the same shade of purple as her specs.

Propping my arm onto the table and placing my chin to my closed fist, I chuckled lightly before stating in a half-mocking tone, “You look rather... snazzy. What’s the occasion, Princess?” She surprised me by turning rather startled, glancing toward the others in the room before looking back to me with a hoof to her mouth.

“Do not call me such out loud!”, she hissed in a hushed tone. “It would not do well for the others here to know of my presence.”

“Oh.” Shrugging, I waved over at the pink mare who had been creepily staring at me for the past seven minutes from behind the counter. “Yo, Pinkie! You think you could get me and my friend here something to share?” Oh, the smile that crept up that pony's face…

“Sure thing, Nick!”, she said with a rather suspicious glint in her eye. Oh boy…

Glancing back to the disguised Princess Luna, I couldn’t help but notice the coloring in her cheeks being an off shade of red. Raising a single eyebrow slightly, I chose to act as if I hadn’t noticed it. Instead, I leaned back into my chair, folding my arms over my chest before asking, “So, what’s up?”

She actually looked up at the ceiling. I swear I was about to burst out into a laughing fit, or slam my head onto the table in complete disbelief. Before she could even respond with some asinine statement, I quickly decided to restate my question differently.

“I mean, what was your reason for visiting?”

After looking back at me, another red tint crept up on her cheeks for a second before she answered with, “I-I am here on official business this time.” Oh? So Celestia must have sent her… “I have come upon my own accord.”

“Now see, right there is where I have to ask that you to not read my thoughts anymore.”, I stated rather flatly. Her expression quickly turned apologetic, so I decided to not chew her out as I had with Celestia. “But do continue on. Did you need something from me?”

She lowered her gaze before nodding. “Yes. I wanted to speak to you about—”

“Here you go!”, came Pinkie Pie, appearing as if she’d spawned from the air itself, placing what looked like a stick of butter between the two of us, accompanied by a pair of spoons.

It was split in the middle by an icon that read Gossip for 2, one half being yellow, and the other white. Raising a rather suspicious, and confused, gaze up at the smiling pony, I simply shrugged my shoulders and gave her my thanks. And just like that, she zipped off to somewhere else. But not, however, before I could get the smallest hint of a smirk on her face…

...Alrighty then?

Glancing back toward Luna, her almost sharing the same puzzled look that I must have had, I was first to pick up one of the spoons and take a small piece of the odd block from the colored side that was closest to me. Immediately I could tell that it was a type of cake, based on the texture that the inside of the dessert had. With another shrug, I placed the piece of rather sweet-yet-sour treat into my mouth, smiling lightly as my taste buds soon had my mind going blank.

“Wow…”, I murmured, closing my eyes. “This is actually really good.”

Laying my sight back onto Luna showed her tentatively placing her own spoon into her mouth as well. I couldn’t help but laugh at the reaction she had. After that one single spoonful, she was already scarfing down bite after bite of the cake, an extremely pleased look upon her face. I actually had to intervene to get some more of my own! This of course only got her to halt from eating altogether, a heavy blush forming on her face.

“M-My apologies…”, she sputtered out, attempting to regain her composure before continuing. “It has been quite some time since I have had the opportunity to dine on such confection.”

Waving a carefree hand, I simply took a couple more mouthfuls before responding. “Not a problem. I’d be just as ravaging to a cake like this too if I’d been—” I caught myself, remembering we were supposed to be acting careful about her real identity. “Away for some time.”

With a slightly glum nod, she quickly forced a semi-formal expression back onto her face before letting out a small ‘ahem’. “Back to my reason for visiting you.”

“Oh. Right. Carry on.”

“What did Discord tell you?”, she asked in a somber tone.

My mood took a bit of a nose dive at the mention of his name. Lowering my gaze to the spoon I was still fiddling with in my hand, I took a heavy breath before directing my eyes back toward her. “What about, exactly?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, a frown beginning to form. “Did he speak about my sister and I? Say anything about us I should know of?”

I suddenly wasn’t feeling so great. “Well…” I couldn’t really keep my gaze on her as I spoke anymore. “Not directly about you. But he did make a couple of references in your direction.”

“Like?” She seemed rather impatient, now. Which wasn’t really helping my growing uncomfortable feeling.

“I got the feeling that he may have been the one that…” I quickly let out, pausing a moment to think of a way to continue. “...’changed’ you.”

Her body language immediately became unreadable, her darker cyan orbs growing slightly before lowering toward the table with a blankness to them. My own body language dampened a bit as well, knowing I’d more than likely brought up more bad memories.

“...That’s not quite the whole of it, I’m afraid.”, she said near a whisper. This caught me off guard. “You see, there’s more to it than just that. And unfortunately,” She raised her gaze back up toward me, a sense of sorrow reflecting from her eyes. “I fear you are a part of it as well.”

That sent my mind dive-bombing into the land of utter confusion.

“W-What?” I had to force myself to think coherent thoughts before speaking. “H-How? What are you even talking about?”

“We are more alike than you think.” Her expression turned more grieved than before. “You are a piece of something far more than you could ever imagine, Nick.” She lowered her voice as she continued. “The only reason Nightmare, nor myself, didn’t sense it earlier was because it only became detectable recently.”

I was starting to get agitated. I hadn’t really wanted to hear any of this, and yet here I was anyway, being told cryptic messages of how I was something even more than just ‘a foreign creature that could change into a savage beast’. As if it couldn’t get any worse than that, right?

“You’re an Element Bearer, Nick. You’re the Element of Wrath.”

All thoughts went silent at Luna’s declaration. I couldn’t identify any real sense of mental reaction coming from me, nor was I really sure how I was supposed to react to hearing such a thing, anyway. So instead, I found myself glancing toward the other ponies in the room. The first thing that caught my attention was the ever-spontaneous Pinkie Pie playing a game of what looked to be pin-the-tail-on-the-pony with Twilight. Rainbow Dash was watching with a bemused expression while having a conversation with Applejack. Fluttershy seemed to be hovering close to the punch bowl, glancing about the room as well, before noticing my own staring, lowering her head uncomfortably. Spike, and this managed to get a giggle out of me, seemed to be eyeing Rarity with a look of admiration, while the white unicorn spoke with a couple of ponies I didn’t know over clothing of some sort.

“...Nick?”, came the voice of the one who’d I had been speaking with moments ago.

Recollecting my thoughts, I hastily looked back at Luna’s concerned expression. Clearing my throat, I simply said “Explain.”

She paused a moment, diverting her gaze to the table and then back to me before nodding. “Not much is known about them, but they’re called the Elements of Calamity. They’re said to be the essences that makeup disharmony and chaos in civilization, and the counter elements to the Elements of Harmony. There have been said to be seven in total, supposed bearers showing up in tales older than both my sister and I. However, as of now, only two have been accounted for in the past thousand years.” She hesitated a moment before taking a breath. “...You and I are the first of the Elements of Calamity to make an appearance within the past several millennia.”

...Aaaaand, it’s gone.

She seemed to have sensed my vacant understanding and continued. “You are the Element of Wrath. While it only made itself apparent after I aided you in seizing control of your beast form, it seems that it has been lurking inside you since before your arrival in Equestria.”

That immediately had several questions running through my mind.

“How exactly can that even be possible?”, I asked. “I mean… How could someone that’s not even from this realm hold, what sounds like, some sort of ‘Great Source of Power’ from it before ever entering the very realm that it came from?” I paused for a moment, rethinking everything I’d just said, before shaking my head slightly. “...If that makes any sense to you.”

Luna seemed to be slightly confused at my jumbled-up question, but slowly shook her head. “Your inquiry does bring forth a good point, but…” she lowered her gaze, letting out a soft sigh. “I am afraid we have not come upon an answer for it yet.”

I lowered my head somewhat as well, figuring that perhaps at a later time, I could attempt once more at raiding Twilight’s library for any books that may hold some sort of information about what was going on.

Just as soon as I figure out how to read the damn things...

“And…”, I finally said, pointing a finger at her. “You’re also one of these ‘Elements’?”

She nodded her head slowly. “Envy…” Holding her hooves together, as well as looking out the window beside us, she continued in a disconnected tone. “I didn’t find out until Discord made contact with me. It was a few decades after my sister and I had managed to knock him from his tyrannical throne, and begun ruling over Equestria with peace and harmony. He spun a tale that resonated in as much wonder as it did horror. Though I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t believe him. Not after all the pain and suffering he had caused to us equines for so long…” She shivered for a brief second before returning her gaze to me, this time it being rather upset. “But then I started hearing her voice…”

By this time, I was leaning forward on the table, encaptured in her memories. However, I was also starting to piece things together. “Nightmare’s…”

She nodded her head, a look of disgust crinkling her usually somewhat appealing complexion. “She first made herself seem like she was a friend. Somepony who simply desired to talk. She was nice to me. But she never seemed to like my sister.” Her frown grew larger. “Then she began filling my head with all those lies. How the ponies couldn’t have loved my beautiful night, and thought I was nothing more than Celestia’s shadow. How Celestia couldn’t possibly see me as her equal. That her power should be mine!”

She suddenly slammed her hoof on the table, causing me to jump. Glancing at the other eyes that were soon turning our way, I knew it wouldn’t be long before others would start eavesdropping… Looking back to Luna, who must have just realized what she had done from the slightly shocked expression on her face, I began to laugh out loud.

“Sheesh, if you wanted another cake so badly, you just had to ask!”, I glanced over toward the pink mare that was giving me the most suspicious stare-down I’d ever seen. “H-Hey, Pinkie! Mind if we get another one of those delicious cakes?”

“...Okie dokie lokie!”, she said, flipping like a switch back to her cheerful self.

It was slow, but the other ponies seemed to go back to whatever they had been doing. Though I could still feel the gaze of a certain lavender unicorn getting cast my way every now and then. I predicted a talking-with when all of this was said and done.

Luna was now busy examining the table again with a pair of discomforted eyes. “...My apologies,'' she said flatly.

“It’s fine…” Even though you almost blew our cover… You better not be reading my mind, either. She didn’t seem to make any signs that told me she was, so I just continued. “But try to keep it down a bit, ‘kay?” Her only answer was a slight nod.

Since she wasn’t speaking at the moment, I figured it was high time to take a moment to soak in all the information she had just filled my tiny human mind with. Unfortunately for me, I had no choice but to feel that she was making a tiny bit of sense. I mean, all of that wasn’t something you just made up on the spot. And even the emotion she had put into it made it all rather convincing that she was being truthful. Looking back on my life, I also couldn’t help but feel that I may have been a bit easier to get angry over things than the other kids. Well, sure kids can throw tantrums and stuff, but…

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair to stare at the ceiling. Around that time, Pinkie showed up again to give us another Gossip for 2, before hopping off to whatever the others were now doing. I wasn’t really feeling that hungry, though, and judging from the distinctive smell of unease I was getting from Luna, she wasn’t really feeling that happy either. But I still felt like I should say something. After all, she had come to me in hopes of helping me. Or, at least I was thinking that was her reasoning. It would have been rude of me not to try and make her feel better after doing such a thing. So, looking back at her, I put on a soft smile and spoke out in a softer tone.

“Well, look at the bright side. If Nightmare hadn’t done what she did, I wouldn’t have been able to be where I am right now, sharing extremely delicious treats with a very nice pony who shouldn’t be beating herself up over something she had no control over.” She had looked back up at me at ‘nice pony’, seeming to hold back the smallest of smiles. “Hey! The way I see it, this just gives us more excuses to see each other, right? I mean, if both of us having some kind of dark, evil, chaos-bringing power inside of us isn’t a reason, I’m not sure what is!”

I could see the makings of a smirk on her muzzle before she rolled her eyes and looked out the window. “Thou truly havith a way with words…”

Lifting my closed right hand and placing it on my chest, all while looking rather proud of myself, I chuckled out. “It’s the one thing I take pride in, my dear princess.”

“Whose a princess?”, came a voice from nearby, causing each of us to become ever-so-tense. Taking a quick look showed Applejack, as well as several others, staring at us with rather genuine curiosity plastered on their faces.

Taking a moment to collect myself, I simply waved my hand while letting out a small snicker. “Oh, it’s just the nickname I’ve given my friend here.” I could see Luna staring at me with a small sense of nervousness.

“Oh.”, replied the cowgirl, turning her attention to the mare sitting across from me. She soon was wearing a rather friendly smile, nodding her head. “Well, that’s completely different!” With a small chuckle of her own, her look of curiousness soon returned as she continued to gaze at the unicorn-disguised princess. “Say… You wouldn’t happen tah be new here, wouldja? I don’t reckon Ah’ve seen ya ‘round here before.”

Luna’s mouth opened, though no words seemed to come out, causing her to quickly close it back up, diverting her gaze back to me. Taking that as my signal to think of something quick, I smiled again.

“This is Lun...ette.” I could feel the mental facehoof Luna was giving herself. “I met her when I was roaming around the outskirts of Ponyville one night, and we, uh, got to talking. Um...”

Thankfully, Lunette spoke up to pick up where I left off. “I live some distance from Ponyville, and have only recently found myself visiting. It does not surprise me to hear that you don’t recognize me. Nick has only recently gotten me to visit Ponyville in a more…”, she paused a moment, emphasizing the crowd of ponies that were now surrounding us, “...public setting.”

Que the over-exaggerated gasp.

“Does that mean I get to throw another party?!?”, exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Lunette and I both grimaced at that.

“No no. That won’t be necessary.”, I said, chuckling slightly. “See, she’s just visiting, not moving here. And she’s stopped by before, so it wouldn’t be her first time being here. So… she doesn’t need a party to celebrate her arrival. Right?” I finished it off with a half-pleading smile.

Pinkie seemed like she was considering my words, but Twilight was the one that interrupted her.

“Maybe it’s best that we all get going home, Pinkie.” THANK YOU, SPARKLER! “It is starting to get late, after all, and I’m actually starting to grow a bit tired from partying as much as we already have.” There were then a few agreements from other ponies, others giving excuses of things that they had errands or tasks left to do. “We can party again another time, okay?”

Pinkie seemed to take it a bit sour at first, but she was soon nodding her head with her normal smile on. “Alright!”

Lunette and I both exchanged looks of relief before she stood up and gave herself a small stretch. “Well, it has been… pleasant, speaking with you once more, Nick. I look forward to our next meeting.”

“As do I Pr- Er, Lunette.” I gave her a light wave. “Until next time!” She soon teleported away, leaving me with the other ponies in the room. Glancing about for a few moments in silence, I finally let out a soft sigh as I saw other ponies saying their farewells before leaving as well.

I wasn’t sure how, but we had managed to keep her being here under wraps. Or, at least I hoped we did. Rendezvousing with Twilight and Spike, we all headed back to the library for some late-night dinner and much-needed rest. Twilight didn’t disappoint, and immediately got to asking me twenty thousand questions about ‘Lunette’, and what I was doing ‘roaming Ponyville at night’. I succeeded in making up enough answers for her silly inquiry before we all settled down for some dinner; tossed salad with apple slices on the side. It wasn’t that bad, but I insisted that we have omelets for breakfast. To my surprise, Twilight seemed to like the idea and agreed.

We spent the rest of the evening going about our own things. Twilight went to read more books, with Spike busy sorting out more of the library. I had decided to get to bed a bit early and headed up to the spare room. Laying on the not-too-shabby bed, I stared at the ceiling while all that Luna had told me whirled around my head, still fresh as the apples we had eaten for dinner.

So, If I’m this ‘Element of Wrath’, how did I end up getting some kind of magical thing from another world, or even another dimension, back on Earth...? And what does all of it even mean? I couldn’t help, however, thinking of what Luna’s element had been. Envy… Wrath and Envy… Why do those sound so familiar? Elements of Calamity… Seven of them, right? And then it hit me. As if I had just realized how extremely stupid I must be for not seeing it any sooner. The Seven Deadly Sins! They’re the same! Envy and Wrath are two of the Deadly Sins!

Now, I’d never been a very religious guy back home. I tried my best to do good, and know right from wrong, but never thought that my actions would have some huge impact in my ‘afterlife’. Now, I suppose I believed in some kind of ‘all-maker’, but none of the religions really stuck out to me. More as just bits and pieces of each. But of course, the one thing that would actually matter right now would be the thing I couldn’t remember that well…

...I think Laziness was one, or something like that.

Sighing in slight frustration, I rolled onto my side to stare at the wall. Celestia had said she’d ‘locked’ whatever power I had for the time being, likely until I was ready to begin learning how to control it. But with that thought returning to me, I couldn’t help wondering why she hadn’t done the same for Luna. Or why her element had seemed to come to her as a voice presence of its own. Then I found myself shivering slightly at a startling recollection.

...The wolf had a voice. ...Was that just a coincidence?

Closing my eyes tightly, I curled myself up into a tight ball, trying to force out all the tiring thoughts. If I kept thinking too much on stressful things that I didn’t even have a full amount of knowledge on, I was just going to end up giving myself an ulcer. Uncurling myself, and stretching out onto my back, I let out a series of slow breaths, until I could actually feel myself growing calmer.

I’ll just have to take things as they come. No need to get stressed out about an unknown or unpredictable future.

With that new thought in my mind, I finally started relaxing my exhausted body. It wasn’t too long before I could feel the comfort of sleep wrap me in a welcoming embrace. It was probably one of the better nights of sleep I’d had in some time.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

The following couple of days turned out to be rather uneventful, though not entirely boring. Thanks to Pinkie’s party, I was able to walk around Ponyville without getting stared at as much. But even with this slightly more welcoming atmosphere, I still couldn’t shake away the fact that I had no real purpose here. I mean, sure it’d been about a week, but I still felt I needed something to do rather than just hang out at Twilight’s library. As much as it made my skin crawl that I would even think of such a thing, I couldn’t help but consider what I may have actually needed to do.

...I need to find some work for myself.

This would-be-simple task actually turned out to be a lot harder than it should have been. I mean, one would naturally think that ponies without hands, or fingers, or… well, thumbs would be helpless in running a town, right? Well, that didn’t seem to be the case here. Somehow, they seemed to go about life as if they were people. Pinkie helped the Cakes with their bakery. Applejack had made it quite clear that she and her family could handle an entire farm on their own. Hell, I’d even witnessed several ponies turn doorknobs with just their hooves!

How’s that even possible anyway!?!

And that’s how I found myself sitting on the park bench, staring up at the sky. I couldn’t really think of that many skills I had in the working field, since I had kind of only graduated high school recently, but there had to be something! Sighing, I closed my eyes for a moment to clear my head.

Rarity’s is out of the question. I’m not working in a girly clothing shop for ponies...

That only left Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, though the first was also not an option since, well, flying. Opening my eyes once more to gaze at the extremely puffy-looking clouds that were floating in the sky above me, I focused my attention back on the task at hand before I lost myself to the serenity of the world around me. Letting out a slightly annoyed huff, I looked back down at my lap, as if the answer to my problems was just going to fall into it...

“....What, nothing?”, I pondered to myself, glancing about. “Huh. I was sure with how this crazy place seems to work, something actually would have happened to that effect...”

Giving the park one last look around, I got up from my seat and decided to head over to Sugarcube Corner for something sweet for lunch. Luckily, I still had some leftover bits that Twilight had thrown me before and planned on getting her something as, well, as an ‘Apology/Thank You’ gift. With the large, colorfully decorated building coming into view, I couldn’t help but chuckle at how easily I had come to the idea of going to a pastry shop for my noon feeding.

Can you say “diabetic within a month”?

Stepping into the shop with that thought in my mind, I decided to just go with a cinnamon danish. I quickly remembered to add a couple of apple strudels for Twilight, after seeing I’d still have some bits left over. Pinkie was sure to ask me how the “big job hunt” was going, which I found extremely odd since I hadn’t told anypony about it. I simply shrugged that off, though, and told her I was still looking. She was kind enough to wish me luck, which did end up making me feel a bit more encouraged.

After thanking her again, and grabbing my purchases, I decided it’d probably be best to head on back to the library. Just as I was exiting Sugarcube Corner, however, I was stopped by a vaguely familiar voice calling out to me.

“Hey!” Looking toward my right revealed the magenta-colored mare attempting to get my attention. “You’re Nick, right?”

“Unless you’re getting me confused with another biped creature that I haven’t met yet…”, I answered with a small smirk, meaning no harm by it. “Then yes, I’m Nick. Have we met?”

The mare let out a sheepish laugh before nodding her head. “Yeah, I thought you wouldn’t recognize me. I was at that party for that griffon a while ago. The one that then turned into a party for you?” I recognized her a bit more. “It’s Berry Punch.”

“Oh! Right!” I became a bit more friendly, seeing as she had taken the time to remember me. “How are you doing?”

She lifted one hoof and gave that shoulder a kind of shrug. “Can’t complain too much. The Weather Teams have been doing a good job on keeping things nice and clear.” I nodded my head to that. “What about you?” She suddenly eyed the paper bag I was holding, a smirk starting to form on her muzzle. “Picking up some sweeties for a sweetie?”

“W-What?” Just the way she said that had me trying to hold back a heavy blush, quickly glancing around to make sure there wasn’t anyone around who might have heard. Berry let out a full-hearted laugh, waving a hoof at me.

“Now, now, I was only joking.” I could still see a hint of… something still lingering in her eyes, though.

She better not go around spreading rumors...

“So…”, I said through a small frown, still trying to recover from my previous embarrassment, “Was there something you needed, or were you just looking to strike up a conversation?” Her eyes opened wide, as if remembering something.

“That’s right!” She threw on a rather friendly face again, continuing with, “You’re looking for work, right?” A cold chill went down my spine. “Something to keep ya busy?”

“...Uh, yeah?”

The mare’s smile doubled over into a wide grin. “Good! Because I think I might just have the perfect job for ya.”

Are. You. Kidding me!? Is someone spying on me?

"Uh, Nick?" A hoof waving in front of my face pulled me back into the conversation at hand. "

So, what do you say? Interested?"

"...What exactly would I be doing?", I asked, still partly wondering who or what could be watching me.

I mean besides the two princesses... And that Discord guy.

"Bartending.", she said rather simply. "It's not that hard, and it pays well."

The offer now had most of my attention. It wasn't entirely the money factor that interested me, even though it'd be nice to stop having to rely on Twilight, but the chance to learn something new and interesting. The bonus to all of it would be getting a chance to get to know more of the ponies in town, too. However, there was one tiny thing that made me think it couldn't work.

"I'm not sure exactly if I'm at the drinking age here." I could remember that you had to be twenty-one years old to drink alcohol back home, at least legally, but for all I knew the age restriction could be doubled here.

...Now I have the strange yearning to see what kind of damage a drunken horse could cause.

"Well, you're not going to be drinking the merchandise.", Berry said with a roll of her eyes. "Just selling it. Besides, how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Her eyes widened just enough for me to notice before an apparent smirk stretched across her muzzle. "Interesting..." I definitely didn't know how to respond to that.

"Anyways," she continued on without skipping a beat, "come check the place out later tonight. It's pretty easy to find. Just head two blocks south from that library you're staying at, and head down another block due east." She waved her hoof at me before turning around. "You'll hear the music. See ya then!"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks again!", I called back, waving my hand as well.

Finally finding myself heading back to the library with newfound excitement, as well as unease, swirling around my head, I couldn’t help but wonder who was spreading the news about my morning activities. Even though I felt like I was overreacting to what could have been crazy coincidences, I couldn’t shake off the sense that something was off about the whole thing. Was it possible I mentioned it to somepony without my own realizing it?

….Blech. Just stay focused on the task at hand.

Making it to the library without anything else happening, I announced my arrival as I opened the door and made my way in.

“Honey, I’m home!”

I paused for a moment when I picked up on something shuffling around upstairs, figuring it was Twilight or Spike. Calling out once more, I headed over toward the kitchen to place the pastries on the table.

“I was kind enough to stop over by Sugarcube Corner on my way back.” I snickered slightly, taking my own danish and taking a bite. The rich taste soon had me smiling ear to ear. “If you don’t hurry, I just might eat it all!”

Still, no one came down, or even called back to me. Which I started to find rather strange since Spike was like a stomach with legs. Making my way over to the stairwell, I strained my ears for anything coming from upstairs.

Nothing now… No talking, no hoofsteps, not even the turning of a page.

“Guys?” I called out, starting up the stairs. “If we were playing hide-and-seek, you forgot to inform m-”

“Who are you talking to?”, came Twilight’s voice from behind me, followed by the front door being closed by the small dragon behind her. Both were looking at me with bits of confusion in their eyes.

Needless to say I was extremely confused now, as well. I stared at them for a few moments, before looking back up the stairs, then back at the two in front of me again. They just continued to stare at me blankly, before I noticed Spike sniff at the air and lick his lips, dashing to the kitchen.

“Nick…?”, Twilight asked quietly, stepping toward me. I could just overhear the cheers of Spike, having found the treats I’d brought for him and Twi.

I, however, was already sprinting up the stairs, a heavy frown on my face.

Chapter 7: Bitches Be Crazy

It was right after I turned the corner into the second floor that I froze in place, feeling my heart begin to slowly pick up in speed as my face became one of pure shock. I could hear hoofsteps coming up from behind me, followed by a hushed gasp.

“Wh-What..?” Twilight sputtered out. I could hear the tension in her voice building. “Who did this?!”

The room was, in a lack of words, a mess. Books had been pulled off the shelves, and thrown about the room in no particular manner. A violet vase that had been sitting atop a small table in the corner of the room was now shattered on the ground, the table now smashed around it. Slowly stepping further into the room, I could see Twilight’s bed had been shredded to pieces. Shards of glass also littered the floor close by, due to one of the windows having been busted.

Grinding my teeth and throwing my vision to the wide-open door to my own room, I could see that it, too, had been given similar treatment. My attention was then pulled to the sound of small, light sobs from a distraught-looking Twilight. Spike was soon coming up the stairs, apple fritter in claw before freezing at what looked like a rouge hurricane had ripped through the top floor of the place. Said pastry was now on the floor as the small dragon quickly waddled over to the crying Twilight.

“W-Who would do such a thing?”, she quietly wept, levitating a clawed-up book over to herself. She was soon hugging tightly to Spike, him trying his best to comfort his caretaker.

“I-It’s gonna be alright, Twilight...”, the little reptilian whimpered. “We’ll have this place cleaned up in no time!”

I could feel the growl in my throat wanting to escape, and I quickly did my best to hold it back before it had the chance to come out, resulting in an odd-sounding grunt. Whatever had done this obviously did it as an act of anger. Nothing from what I could see looked missing, so it couldn’t have been a theft attempt. And since the coward had immediately left after hearing that someone had returned home, that also left out an attempt at attacking the homeowners. Although, I could only suspect that. Had Twilight and Spike come back before me, things may have happened differently.

They might have known I could handle myself, and fled due to it.

I didn’t make any attempt at showing it, but I was slowly pacing about the room, taking small sniffs here and there. I tensed up slightly when I finally caught a whiff of what, or rather, whom I was slowly suspecting had committed the crime. And they were going to pay...

Turning over to Twilight, and walking over to her side, I gingerly placed my hand on her shoulder, causing the little unicorn to look up at me with red, teary eyes that only made my blood start to boil even more.

“I’m gonna find who did this, Twilight.” I said in a far more calm voice than I could believe. “I’ll be back.” And before she could even speak up, I was bounding down the stairs and out the front door.

I paused for only a moment once outside, glancing over my shoulder just in time to see Twilight and Spike just exiting out from the stairwell. They were sharing mildly concerned expressions on their faces, though Spike’s was slightly more angered than the unicorn’s. With a slight nod of my head, I was gone, running down the streets of Ponyville, straight off to the outskirts.

I should have figured that someone like her would have attempted to get back at me somehow. But I hadn’t figured it would be this soon, and as an act of vandalism to the pony giving me shelter. Gritting my teeth, I quickened up the pace before skidding to a halt due to a multi-colored blur swooping down in front of me.

“Oy!” Shouted the cyan pegasus, now holding a hoof to my chest with a confused look on her face. “Where you off to in such a hurry?”

It took me a moment, though not as long as normal, to calm myself into being able to speak. “Someone broke into the Library...” Dash’s eyes went wide at just that, before narrowing some. I could tell she was already preparing herself to speed right over to see for herself, but I caught her tail before she could. “There’s more, though.” She gave me a somewhat agitated glare, more likely from me having stopped her. “I think I know who did it.”

“Well, spit it out already!”, she yelled, forcing herself from my grip and flying a few feet before me.

I lowered my brow, tightening my fist as I felt the name coming up like bile. “Gilda.”

Rainbow’s expression immediately became mixed, at best. “W-What?!”

I shook my head, trying to think of a better reason than ‘I could smell her all over the room’ as an excuse. “She’s the only one that would have a reason to do such a thing, Rainbow. I mean, she obviously didn’t look too happy about all that crap that was going on back then, but there may have been more to it than that.”—Like me apparently being a sworn enemy to her species—“And if that’s not enough, the window was smashed in. Meaning that the one who got in and caused a catastrophe had to have flown out from the second floor.”

Rainbow Dash’s expression had gone from being a bit uncertain, to angered, to just disappointed. “I don’t get why Gilda would go and do something like that to Twilight’s library…”

Diverting my gaze back toward the direction I had been attempting to go in the first place, I let out a small sigh. Surprisingly, I wasn’t feeling so much of a need to have the griffin's head on a pike anymore, thanks to talking with Dashie. “...I was actually just on my way to find out for myself.”

Rainbow’s ears perked up slightly at that, and she was soon in my face again. “I’m coming with you!”

I pushed her back a bit, frowning. “I think it may have been me that brought on her doing this in the first place. I’ll take care of it.” She was about to interject, but I was quick to continue and cut her off. “Why don’t you go and fetch the other girls? I know Twilight was in a real state of distraught when I left.” Her expression faltered a bit at that. “She’ll probably need her friends there to help Spike in comforting her, as well as helping to reorganize the entire upstairs.” Again, her ears flattened slightly as a frown covered her muzzle.

“...Alright.”, she mumbled, before taking off into the air, looking down at me. “...Just be careful. Gilda’s no pushover.”

I felt the smirk forming before I knew it, giving her a thumbs up. “I’ll be fine. Just make sure Twilight is okay.”

And with that, we both went our separate ways. She to go find the others, and tell them what had happened. And me to go pay a visit to an oversized chicken with a stick up her ass…

—————————————~o~O~o~—————————————

I’d made my way into the Everfree Forest after an hour or so. I’d gone in with the assumption that, if I was a bitchy griffon who wanted to antagonize someone who’d not only kicked her ass, but showed her up in front of a crowd, which, not only, includedher childhood friend, but was ALSO done wrong by a monster that her kind had been sworn to eradicate... Then I’d more than likely wait someplace close enough for them to come and find me. And the place I’d likely think of just so happened to be the biggest, spookiest, and most secluded place around, which would be a great place for me to hide in wait…

...Right. Remind me to question my thought-processing skills at a later time.

“...I just wish she’d have picked a place with fewer bugs.”, I stated flatly to myself, swatting a mosquito for what felt like the billionth time, now.

Letting out a mildly agitated groan, I continued going further into the forest, being sure to keep a mental note on which direction I’d come from. I knew it only had to be later in the afternoon, but the entire forest was so entangled with itself, that practically no light was shining through the canopy above. It was for that reason that I was somewhat thankful for being the monster I had become; My night vision was saving me from tripping over far too many uproots and large stones that littered the already uneven forest flooring.

“Come on out, already!”, I shouted into the darkness, not really questioning my sanity for doing so in a place like this just yet. “You got the balls to go and trash my landlord’s place, why not come and pick on me?” There was the smallest rustle of a tree branch to my left, and I let my nerves get the better of me. “Or are you too scared to face me, dweeb?”

I didn’t even need to wait a few seconds before there was a loud roar of anger from the same spot from before, a large, winged form leaping out and diving at me.

Immediately dropping to the ground and rolling to the side, I narrowly missed getting my face clawed off by a set of sharp talons. Scrambling back up to my feet, I watched as the griffon landed several yards ahead of me, my eyes quickly beginning to glow a fiery amber. Her face and beak were twisted in some sort of distortion that could only say that she was really pissed off right now.

“I’ll show you who the dweeb is!”, she shrieked, coming at me rather quickly.

She wasted no time trying to rip me to shreds, throwing slashes at me left and right. I was partially scared to death that one of them would eventually hit me, but with my senses starting to kick into overdrive, I was finding myself ducking and outmaneuvering her by just the tiniest bit. This, however, only seemed to get her more and more enraged. Which caused her to get sloppy. I was half thanking whatever lucky stars I had that she didn’t appear to be trained in taking on ones like myself.

With one dive backward as she attempted to uppercut me with her talons spread open, I quickly regained my footing before diving forward, bringing my clenched fist back and letting it fly forward. The resulting ‘bwak’, followed by a heavy gasp, was from my fist slamming into her stomach. The griffon flew back about ten feet before slamming into a tree, her eyes opening widely on impact before she slowly fell forward onto her stomach, shivering immensely.

Slowly advancing upon her, I made sure to make as menacing a growl as I could muster. Considering the wolf was already begging to be let out to play with what it considered a new chew toy, it actually sent a mental shiver down my own spine. Stopping when my form was hanging right over the avian-beast, I knelt down so my face was inches from hers. Her own eyes were slightly squinted, but all too hate-filled as she stared right back into mine. She was struggling to get up, but I was guessing I must have hit her right in the diaphragm, as she was having a great deal of trouble catching her breath.

“...All you had to do was stay away.”, I said in that same calm voice I’d used earlier. “If you weren’t going to get your shit together, you could have just pretended that we all didn’t exist. That we were just dweebs that deserved no attention.”

She was starting to get up, now. I stood straight, releasing a small sigh. In a quick, fluid movement, I grabbed the griffon by the throat, a bit surprised to find that I was able to hold on well enough with a neck as thick as hers. She instantly began to try and break free, grabbing onto my arm with one talon, while trying to kick at me with her lower paws. It was troubling, but the adrenaline pumping through my entire body aided me in ignoring the pain she was leaving in my abdomen. I slammed her back against the tree, causing her to halt in her actions once more, hissing in pain.

“But that just wasn’t enough for you, was it?!”, I yelled out in her face. “You just had to leave your mark! Be the Big Bad Birdie!”

She glared down at me with one eye, the other closed tightly as she choked out “...G-Go f-fuck yourself!”

I lowered my head, hiding my expression from her before bringing back my free hand and slapping her right to the side of the head... Hard. She fell to the ground as I released her with a cry of torment before laying on the ground in agony. My reaction was slowly releasing a sigh with a shake of my head.

“...You know, you could just make this easier on yourself.”, I whispered, watching her. “Contradictory to whatever you’re probably thinking, I really don’t take pleasure in causing pain to others.”

Despite her damaging appearance, she actually managed to let out a mocking laugh. “I-I bet you d-don’t, mutt!”

I tightened my jaw at that. “You’re honestly going to bring that into this?” I turned around, walking away a few steps before turning around abruptly to see her trying to get onto all fours once again. “I don’t give a damn about whatever war your kind had with the wolf ponies before me! I am not one of them!”

Gilda continued to stare me in the face, likely wishing it’d burst into flames, until she was standing tall once more. Albeit, a bit more wobbly than before. “I don’t care about that...”

I stared into her eyes, trying to get through to this thick-skulled creature. “Then what is it? Why can’t we just talk like civilize-” I was cut off by her slamming into me.

I flew back a bit, sliding several feet on my back before coming to a stop, wincing a little as I placed my hand over my chest. “Ch-Cheap shot…”

The bully just stared at me, sick and twisted pride shining in her golden-yellow eyes. “Why would I talk with a loser like you?” She began to stalk towards me, any signs that she’d been down a few moments ago gone now.

Getting back up to my feet, I straightened myself out with a few pops from my joints. I really didn’t want to have to kill her. Whether Rainbow said it or not, I knew she still had feelings for Gilda, and wouldn’t want harm to come to her. And even though I knew Gilda was one of the biggest bitches I’d run into for qui—Well, there was Nightmare Moon, but…—...Still, I knew this stubborn-ass bird wasn’t completely bad. Just… A really mean lady. And that didn’t really give me the right to snap her neck…

Glaring back at the still-approaching griffon, I found my mind bringing up something that, at first, seemed rather random. I was the Element of Wrath, or so I’d been told, and I was fighting someone who seemed to have quite a lot of wrath in them. The sudden awareness of the irony caused a chuckle to come out of me. Gilda only snarled at the sudden sound, though.

“What the fuck are you laughing at, dork?”

I could only shake my head, keeping my smile. “I’m just...”, I started slowly coming to a different mind frame as more and more thoughts started to come to mind. “...starting to feel sorry for you.”

The clenched talon that soon found itself slamming into my face told me that she didn’t quite find it as amusing as I did.

Landing on the ground with a loud thud, I began propping myself up with my arms, spitting out a glob of blood before getting back up to my feet. I couldn’t help but notice that I still had managed to retain that stupid smile.

“Who in Tartarus do you think you are?!”, Gilda cried out leaping at me. I barely managed to dodge her advance, ducking to the side. “I don’t need any of your damn pity!”

I couldn’t help but start to see that perhaps what this griffon really did need, though, was pity. I mean, what exactly was wrong with this creature? It couldn’t have been just the pranks that had been bothering her. That would have been trivial, at best, to get this upset over. And yes, I did force her to leave town in front of other ponies, but there was more to it than that. She’d come to see her old friend that day, and instead, she had to deal with Pinkie. Add onto the fact that she thought the same mare was trying to embarrass her in front of her own friend… My eyes widened slightly.

...Who did nothing.

I was just about to receive another slam in the face when the words left my mouth. “...You felt betrayed.”

The closed talon paused a hair’s width in front of my nose, shaking with what I was sure was pure rage. I’m sure my own face was scrunched up in mild reaction, thinking I was about to look uglier than I already was. But when I noticed that there was no more movement coming from the griffon, I hesitantly began to continue.

“...Rainbow. You felt that she was betraying you. Ditching you for her new friends.” I could hear her start to growl from behind the talon in my face. “I can understand why you’re upset!”, I spoke out, praying to any deity that would hear me out to force this griffon to listen. “You didn’t go there with the thought of having competition! Add the fact that you felt you were being threatened by the ‘new girl’, and believing your so-called friend wasn’t doing anything about it…” I swore I could hear what sounded like a held-back sniffle.

Slowly tilting my head to glance towards Gilda, I got a clear look at what the griffon’s face looked like. She was still burning holes into me with her glare, and the twisted snarl her beak was shaped into had anger written all over it, but… There were tears slowly streaming down from her eyes.

“...It wasn’t Pinkie Pie that was doing all those pranks at the party, Gilda. It was Rainbow Dash.” That caused her to flinch slightly, more than any of the impacts my fists had. “She was just trying to have some fun with you. And yes, while I know Pinkie Pie can come off as one of the biggest annoyances ever created…” She gritted her beak slightly. “I know she didn’t want to get in between the two of you as friends. If anything, she just wanted to be your friend, too.”

I ever so slowly lifted up my hand, before lightly placing it on the outstretched talon she’d kept balled up into a fist. She recoiled from it as I thought she would, but I was persistent, taking hold of it firmly with a small look of determination on my face as I steadily lowered it. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, Gilda. But you shouldn’t have taken out your anger on Pinkie. Or Twilight’s place. If you really had such a big problem, you should have just talked to Rainbow Dash about it. I’m sure she would ha-”

A punch to the face soon had me on the ground once again, groaning a bit. “...H-Have seen that coming.”

“Shut! Up!”, she yelled out, forcing her eyes closed. I could distinctly hear a different tone in her voice this time around, though. “D-Don’t think that a stupid dweeb like you can get inside my head! You don’t know me!” My hand once more on her talon caused her to open her eyes in both frustration and distress.

I could feel blood dripping out from my nose, which I’m sure only made my smile all the more disturbing, but I nonetheless continued on. “No. You’re right. I don’t know you.” Her expression slowly started to show more signs of unease, rather than blatant anger. “But I’m willing to. If you’ll let me.”

Her eyes stared down at me like I was insane, and for once, she appeared to be speechless. She was still shivering, but I was unsure if it was in anger, or just from the sheer emotional exhaustion the both of us were likely beginning to go through. After all, I could literally smell it.

Forcing myself up and onto my feet once more, I felt myself tumble slightly before I could catch my footing. Attempting to try and stable myself, I grabbed hold of the only thing close enough to reach; Gilda. Trying to wrap my arms around her neck to help steady myself, it turned into more of an embrace than anything else. I couldn’t quite see her expression anymore, though I definitely heard the gasp that escaped her beak. To tell the truth, I was sort of surprised by the whole thing as well. Frozen in place like that for what felt like hours, the two of us didn’t seem to move until I felt a talon place itself onto my back.

And then I was flying through the air again.

Landing with a hard thud, I couldn’t help but sneer at myself, figuring I once again walked right into that one. However, when I opened my eyes to look back at the griffon, I almost had to hold back a laugh. All of her feathers were standing at end, her cheek feathers oddly showing off a darker shade of pink. Her expression though, as I’m sure one would assume, was not very amused.

“Y-You…” She was stumbling over herself to try and form her sentence. “You…!” Closing her eyes and shaking her head immensely, I could only guess that she was trying to think of a word that would really strike me in the gut. Destroy me both physically and emotionally, and leave me speechless, with no way of recuperating anytime soon. The only thing she seemed to find was, “Idiot!”

And with that, she turned around before jumping off into the air, vanishing into the darkness. I may have laid there for another ten minutes or so, just staring up at the tree branches above me while trying to comprehend what had just happened. But I eventually forced myself to get back up, groaning at the sore spots I now sported. I could feel my face was a bit beaten up, some stinging from cuts across my stomach, and was pretty sure my chest was bruised as well. But given a bit more time, I figured my wolfiness would have all that taken care of.

Popping my neck, I let out one last sigh before glancing about the area. I couldn’t hear or smell any signs of the crazy griffon, and figured she must have been long gone by now. So, with a small smile forming on my lips, I turned around and began slowly walking the trek back to Ponyville, humming a tune I remembered from back home along the way.

Thankfully, nothing had decided to jump out at me on the way back. I once more found myself making my way through the emptying streets of Ponyville, the sun nearly set in the distance. I’d healed away all of the minor injuries, but could still feel soreness from my face and chest. With only a handful of stares coming from those still on their way home, I kept my cool quite well, I think. I even waved at a few of them, my dorky, bruised face managing something between a smile and a grimace. Needless to say, I didn’t get many waves in return…

Act like they haven’t seen a used and abused man before…

Before long, I could see the library coming into view, a sudden chill beginning to crawl up my spine at the thought of something. Through all the fighting and emotional strain that I’d been going through for the past couple hours, I had managed to overlook one small detail. I had no clue what kind of excuse I was going to give to Twilight for my appearance, or any of her friends if they were still there. Sure, I had gone and told her I’d “take care of it”, but I wasn’t quite sure how believable a story of “me fighting off a griffon, and then making said griffon fly off in embarrassment” was going to go over with them.

Even if it was pretty much true. She might as well have just yelled “Baka!” at me, before fleeing away to mope about her hidden desire to be noti—

I paused for a moment, staring wide-eyed at nothing as that thought went through my head.

...Nahhh. Now you’re just really reading too much into things.

Shaking my head, and remembering about Twilight, I started to hope that maybe she’d just be happy that I was fine. A bit banged up, but still functional. The image of her fussing over me, and trying to make sure I was alright made me chuckle.

Perhaps she’ll bring me up to bed, and tuck her avenger in, too. Maybe even read me a bedtime story!

Coming up to the door, I hesitated for the briefest of seconds before slowly opening it and entering into the comforting warmth of the home within. Glancing around a moment, a small smile creeping onto my worn-out face, I turned once more to close the door behind me. The thought of going out and getting a lock for it tomorrow swished around my head, figuring it’d be a good idea if any more, raging, hormonal chicks attempted to mess with me. All my thoughts, however, were pushed aside when I heard movement from behind me, followed by a hushed intake of breath. Glancing over my shoulder, before stumbling around to face the overwrought look on the little, purple unicorn’s expression.

I responded the best way I could think at that moment.

“Hey, Sparkler.” Her gaze was scanning me up and down, before settling on, what I could only guess were the black and blue markings covering my face. “I had a pleasant chat with the culprit. We shouldn’t be having any more troubles with them.”

Whatever energy that had been managing to keep me standing this long seemed to have washed clean out of me right at that moment, due to the fact that I quickly found myself losing my balance and falling forward. However, the ground never came to give my lovely face an endearing embrace. Instead, I felt the tingling sensation of magic sweep over me, holding me upright. And before I knew it, I was in the embrace of a sniffling unicorn, who wasn’t doing such a great job at trying to stay calm.

“S-Sorry I took so long gettin-”

“Shut up.”, she muffled into my shoulder. Pulling herself back to look up at me with those big, saucer-like, violet eyes of hers, she soon began to grow a rather crossed expression. I didn’t even attempt to stop the hoof punching me in the arm.

“Are you CRAZY?!”, she yelled, right into my face.

“...Define craz-” Her raising her hoof to take another chance at pummeling me made me cut my question mid-way, taking hold of the foreleg. “I’m kidding!”

“You’ve been gone for hours!”, she scolded, shaking free from my grip, looking me up and down again. “A-And… What happened to you?!”

A smirk slowly formed over my face as I let out a small sigh. “...I tripped?” Oh, the look that she gave me. Shaking my head, I looked back at her with a mildly somber tone to my voice. “I went after the one who trashed your room. I found them out in the Everfree Forest, and well…” I trailed off, glancing away.” ...Got in a tussle with them.”

“Who was it?”, she asked, seeming to calm herself down a bit, though still keeping her look of petulance. “Rainbow Dash mentioned you having an idea earlier, but wouldn’t tell me who…”

I faltered momentarily, diverting my gaze before looking back at hers. “Gilda was the one who came and trashed the place.” Her look turned to one of surprise and confusion. “She was upset for… numerous reasons, but felt that I was the one to let it all out on. Since I was the one that made her leave town.” I lowered my head as guilt started to wash over me. “I’m just sorry that she targeted the treehouse as punishment…”

Twilight lowered her head as well, letting out a small sigh. “It’s not your fault, Nick.” Giving her head a shake, she looked back up to me with a small smile. “I’m just glad you’re alright.” I gave her a small smile in return, slowly starting to feel the pain in my face receding.

“Even though it was incredibly dangerous, and extremely idiotic of you to go and attempt to confront Gilda, let alone any griffon…” She let out, rolling her eyes as she released me, trotting away.

I couldn’t help letting out a laugh, getting back up to my feet. “You still haven’t worked out the fact that I don’t always do the smartest things.”

With a flick of her tail, followed by me starting to levitate off the ground, Twilight simply glanced over her shoulder and gave me an innocent look. “Then perhaps you and I should have another study session about yourself.”

A cold sweat began to run down my temple at the idea. “U-Uh, no no! It’s fine!” I was not put down, though. Instead, I seemed to only follow her toward the stairwell.

“Oh, but how will I ever learn, then?”

“...Trial and error?”, I suggested with a shaky grin.

She almost seemed to ponder on that, before shaking her head. “Fine. But you’re only getting off the hook this time because Spike’s sleeping.” Thank you, you wonderful little bundle of scales! “He really worked hard in helping set everything back the way it was.”

Again, however, I still found myself being carried up the stairs in her magical grip. “...Then what are you still doing with me?”

Staying silent while she took to the top of the stairwell, glancing over to where her little dragon assistant was still sound asleep, she continued on to my spare room before opening the door and levitating me in. She quickly followed after, finally saying in a hushed tone, “I’m making sure you don’t go wandering off like you usually do, and getting right to bed.”

My brow furrowed at that. “You’re rewarding my actions for today by locking me in my bedroom…?”

“No, I’m not ‘locking you in’.”, she replied with a roll of her eyes, laying me down on my bed. “Just…” She seemed to stop and think for a second before she took hold of my blanket, and tucked me in. “...making sure my hero gets a good night's sleep.” She ended that with a small grin, blinking her eyelashes at me.

I wasn’t quite sure how I should feel about this. Part of me was slightly put off at her sudden change in behavior, while another part of me figured she was just trying to get back at me for having worried her as much as I had. It wasn’t really that big of a deal, though, since I didn’t really feel like a midnight stroll anyway. But then there was the part of me that was laughing its ass off that I had actually gotten tucked in by Twilight Sparkle.

“Alright, I guess I’m not really in any shape for a walk anyway.”, I said, giving in. She was already turning away to head off to bed with a small grin plastered on her muzzle when I called out in mock confusion. “Wait, no bedtime story?”

“Good night, Nick!”, was the only thing she replied before my door closed itself.

Welp, so much for trying.

With a soft sigh, I took a moment to get comfy before staring up at the ceiling. It was then that I started to let my mind recollect what had happened today, and what it foretold.

I probably haven’t heard the last of Gilda… Which I actually have mixed feelings about. I felt like I was actually getting through to her, but it’s really hard to tell when you’re getting punched in the face a lot. Hopefully, she won’t cause any more property damage. I don’t even know how Twilight managed to find enough bits to pay for— Oh, I completely forgot about Berry Punch! Gah, I was gonna go look into her job offer… Well, I’m sure she’ll understand if I go see her tomorrow and explain what happened.

Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to slowly lul into a quiet state of mind, yawning as my exhaustion finally won over me once more.

Well… Whatever happens, I’m sure it couldn’t be any worse than today.

And with that piece of optimism lingering in my head, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 8: Do You Believe In Magic?

“...Wh-What?”

My eyes fluttered open, before quickly sealing shut from the swirling mess of colors I found myself surrounded by. Forcibly, I opened my eyes once more, trying my hardest not to focus on any fixed point for the migraine it began to give me. The plane on which I stood did not appear solid, reflecting everything above it in some sort of distortion and rippling whenever I shifted my footing. The sky, if you could call it that, seemed to be in a constant state of stirring. Blots of black mixed with hues of purple, while flashes of white and yellow sparked into existence like flashes of lightning, though without making a sound…

Nothing was making any sound.

“Wh-Where am I?”, I asked aloud, my voice seeming to echo off into the mass of disorganization around me.

“...Welcome to my little domain.”

My eyes widened at the sudden voice, its presence surrounding me from all angles. I turned all around, searching for the being it came from, but turned up empty. However, my momentary panic subsided slightly when a realization came to mind.

“I know that voice…”

“Hehehe… Yes, you most certainly do.”

A shadowy mass began to seep up from the ground around me, before slithering a few feet away. From there, it pooled upwards to form into the being I’d only recently gotten a rough look at.

“Discord.”

“At your service.”, he said while giving an over-exaggerated bow. “I would have prepared some refreshments for you, but as you can see…” He glanced around, gesturing his clawed appendage toward the scenery about us. “...I’ve been a bit scarce lately.”

Rolling my eyes at the comment, I simply stared at where I figured his own eyes should be. “Why did you bring me here?”

Discord struck a pose as though I had upset him. “You’re not even going to say ‘Hello’, first?” My unamused expression caused him to fold his arms over his shrouded chest. “Fine… But you have to understand, it gets dreadfully boring here by myself.”

“Yeah, what’s the deal with that anyway?”, I asked, mimicking his mannerism. “Luna said something about Celestia and her taking over Equestria after kicking you off the throne?”

While I couldn’t see any expression change on his face, the grunt he let out was clear enough. “Those two…” Waving his more bulky arm, he floated off the ground before turning himself around, no longer facing me. “While I would love to go on about ‘Who did what’, and point the hoof, I’m afraid we have more pressing matters at hand.” He turned his head to look over his shoulder towards me. “...Bad things are going to be coming, Nick. Terribly bad things…”

I stood there, staring at the shade with hints of uncertainty and skepticism painted on my face. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m not at liberty to explain much, other than you have several years before the end… begins.”

I stared at him in growing annoyance, shaking my head. “...Really? You’re just gonna drop some sort of ‘anonymous, foreshadowing, prophecy’ on me, and then not go any further into it?!”

Discord only nodded his head, going slightly fuzzy before focusing again. He seemed to notice, speaking up once more in a more hurried tone. “My time is short, brother. I’m sorry I can’t say more.” Again, his form became slightly distorted before reforming himself. “I can leave you with this small piece of advice. Seek the other Elements. Your p-th wil- be re-eal-d wh-n y-...-an…-om--e—”

He had already begun to cut out as the world around me started to cave in on itself, with me caught in the center of it. My vision was blurring, while a tightness was forming in my chest, burning to the point where I couldn’t breathe. I tried calling out to anyone, before pleading for the pain to stop, but my cries seemed to go unanswered. Darkness started falling upon me, and before I could fight back, I began to feel myself go unconscious.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

I quickly found myself leaning forward, shouting out in mild terror. My eyes opened to find a distorted, light purple thing leaping away just as quick with her own cry of surprise. Taking a moment to rub the sleep out from my eyes—as well as allowing my heart to stop racing—I glanced back up at the sight of Twilight picking herself up off the floor.

“What the heck was that about?”, she asked, giving me a look mixed with vexation and concern. “I came in to check on you after I heard muttering. I found you in bed, tossing and turning.” Her expression turned a bit more concerned. “Were you having a bad dream?”

Glancing down toward my covers, I tried my best to recall what had actually happened. But thanks to that weird after-effect of dreaming, bits and pieces were already starting to fade away into the dark recesses of my mind. Looking back up at the unicorn, I could only shake my head, sadly.

“I… I don’t know”, I uttered, closing my eyes to try again at remembering. “...’Find the Elements’. A voice was telling me I-” I opened my eyes to a surprised-looking Twilight, causing something in my brain to click. Oh shit…

“A voice? What kind of voice?” She was starting to look more interested in my dream than before.

I opened my mouth without thinking… Again.

“Uhh…” I tried my best to think up something on the spot, but the fact that I had just woken up was making it harder than usual. Thankfully, a rather pleasant smell caught my attention, and soon had me crawling out of bed. “I think it was just my stomach telling me to get food.”

“...What?”, Twilight asked, deadpanning as I walked right past her. I could feel her eyes digging into my back the entire time I headed downstairs, the sound of her hoof steps close at my heels. “Nick…”

“Morning Spike!”, I said rather cheerfully as I entered the kitchen, halting right in my tracks at the sight before me. “...I-Is that b-b-b-”

“Morin’, Nick”, the little dragon turned away from what he was doing, giving me a rather amused look. “Hay Bacon? Why yes, it just so happens it is.”

My brow went rather crooked at that. “Hay bacon? You ponies turned hay into bacon?”

Twilight, with a still rather questioning eye on me, took a seat at the table, levitating a few plates over to it as well. “It’s been made from hay for as long as I can remember. Why? Don’t they have it where you’re from?”

A rather nervous smile slowly found its way creeping onto my face as I, too, took a seat at the table. “Well, yes. It’s just…” I trailed off slightly, rubbing the back of my head. “...It wasn’t made from hay.”

Spike, coming over with the pan he’d been using, began to deposit the very similar-seeming strips of delicacy onto our plates. “Well, I know some ponies prefer that ‘tofu’ stuff. But I’d never really had much of a taste for it.”

Nodding my head, I took a piece of hay bacon from my plate, sniffing it once before taking a small bite. My eyes widened immediately. “...It tastes just like my world’s bacon.”

Twilight, currently spreading some jam on a slice of bread she must have gotten, tilted her head. “So? What was your world’s bacon made of?”

Gulping down the last of my share, I hesitated before letting out a small sigh. “Well… Pork, mostly. Though I do know there was turkey bacon as well.” Both pairs of eyes before me widened at my words, before squinting ever so slightly. “Hey, I told you we were omnivores. Plus that animals on my planet didn’t share the sentience that you all do, too.”

Twilight seemed to struggle a bit to get her bite of bacon down, lowering the slice back to her plate. “I-I know you did, Nick. It’s just… Still a bit difficult to get used to.”

Shrugging my shoulders, I got up and headed over to the fridge to get myself some milk. “Yeah, well, I apologize that my diet disturbs you.” Fishing out the carton and uncapping it, I took a good swig from it before looking back at the rather disgusted pair of violet eyes glaring at me. I only stared back at her before smiling sweetly. “But I guess we all can’t be perfect.”

“Isn’t that the truth…”

“Oy, don’t get your tail in a knot, Sparkler.” Spike immediately went into a coughing fit. “That dream was probably just my mind fabricating some sort of fantasy from all the stress I’ve been through. Don’t read into it so much. You’ll just end up giving yourself a headache.”

With a small groan, Twilight leaned back in her chair while rubbing her temples with her forehooves. “You already give me headaches, Nick. I couldn’t possibly manage having more!”

A sneer escaped my lips. “Careful, Twilight. Wouldn’t want to jinx yourself.” And with a quick wink, I took one more gulp of milk before putting it back into the fridge. Turning back to the two, I asked, “So, what’s on for today?”

“Well,” Spike said with a raspy voice before letting out one last ‘ahem’, smiling sheepishly, “Twilight and I were going to test out a list of magic tricks she’s been wanting to try out.” This had my brow lifting slightly.

“Tricks, you say?” I couldn’t stop the childish grin I was starting to gain. Then the idea started to form in that devious, little head of mine. “Will you excuse me for a moment?” And with that, I was bolting out the door.

I didn’t quite get five feet out the door before I was frozen in place by a magical hold. “Nick, before you go and do…”, Twilight’s voice paused for a moment, before continuing, “whatever it is you’re going to do, perhaps you should go get ready for the day?” The magic soon let go of me, allowing me to turn and look at the slightly revolted unicorn. “When was the last time you took a shower, anyway?”

“Uhh…” I placed a finger to my chin, attempting to recall. “...What year is it?”

Twilight face-hoofed, rolling her eyes before flatly saying, “Go take a shower.”

With a defeated nod of my head, I promptly shuffled past her and toward the bathroom, stopping before I opened the door. Turning around toward the unicorn, who began to lift her eyebrow at me, I smiled rather seducingly, before saying in a husky voice, “...Did you wanna help scrub my back?”

I barely got in and shut the door before the small “thump” of one of the couch pillows hitting it brought a laugh to my throat.

She’s far too fun to mess with.

I was just getting undressed when my ears picked up on a certain dragon giggling, followed by him asking, “Sparkler?” The groan that it received made me quite proud.

One quick shower later, and I was exiting the bathroom with one towel wrapped around my waist, and another one rolled up around my shoulders. I had thought about putting my clothes back on, but realized midway through the shower that they could probably do with a good cleaning, too. Now, I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to get them washed—These ponies didn’t really seem to wear clothes enough to own washing machines—but I figured Twilight would have an idea.

Plus, I don’t really get enough chances to show off this amazing body of mine.

Stepping into the main room of the tree library, I found Twilight with her eyes closed as she seemed to cast a spell of some sort. Spike, who was holding what looked to be a regular old ball, flinched when a small spark left the unicorn’s horn, and hit the object. At first, nothing seemed to happen. But I soon began to notice the color of the ball change from a bold red, to a light blue.

Spike looked down at the ball, before smiling to himself and bouncing it on the floor. “Welp, that makes ten so far, Twilight.”

“That was actually sort of cool.”, I stated matter-of-factly, making myself known to the two. “You think you could do a spell to clean my clothes?”

Twi glanced over at me, the slightest of brow rises forming before she looked over toward the clothing in my arms. “...Well, I think I know of something that may work.” She quickly switched over to a frown, rolling her eyes. “But don’t just think I’ll do this all the time, Nick.”

Grinning, while holding out my clothes, I gave a small nod. “I’ll be sure to remember that, Mrs. Clean.”

With a heavy sigh, she soon closed her eyes and began concentrating. There were a couple of sparks from her horn, until a thin strobe of light shot out from the tip, hitting my attire. They glowed in the same light for perhaps two seconds, before slowly dimming down, a new scent of freshness immediately hitting my nostrils. With yet another reason to be happy today, I gave my regards to Twilight before going to get dressed.

It wasn’t too far after that I said farewell, and left to go into town.

“Okay,” I said aloud to myself as I glanced at the houses I was walking past. “Now, if I were a magic kit, where would I be?” Pursing my lips in thought, I didn’t quite notice the pink mare that had decided to spawn into existence beside me.

“Hiya, Nick!”

“Hey, Pinkie.”

“Whatcha doin’?”, she asked, continuing to hop along beside me.

I paused in place, glancing over at the cheerful pony. “Well, I was going to try and look for a magic kit. Twilight’s practicing a few trick spells at her place, an-”

“Oooo!” She was suddenly fully entranced. “I didn’t know you could do magic!”

There was a small gleam in my eye as I turned to face her, fist over my chest. “Ms. Pie, I’ll have you know I was once known as ‘Nick, the Magnificent’ back in my world!” Her eyes slowly began to widen. “Why, I could do more than a dozen different divinations with just a simple, ordinary, cloth!”

I hadn’t been lying when I said magic acts and magicians had been a favorite pastime of mine back home. While it had been one of my more silly hobbies, it was amusing to do at parties and special occasions. Sis was probably my biggest fan, regardless of whether or not she was my only fan. I never was able to convince Mom to get me a rabbit, though…

Pinkie Pie was bouncing in place like a giddy school girl. “You absotively, posilutely HAVE to show me!”

“Well, I’d love to, Pinkie.”, I responded, chuckling to myself. “It’s just, I sort of left all my stuff back where I came from.” I couldn’t stop the melancholy-like sigh from escaping. “And… there doesn’t really seem to be a way back to get them…” I could notice Pinkie’s expression grow slightly downhearted, though it only stayed like that for a second.

“Oh. Well, I’m sure we can think of something!” And just like that, she was wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “I can’t just let a friend of mine miss out on showing off his super fun tricks, right?”

Chuckling, I shrugged my shoulders free from her grasp, shaking my head. “I suppose not. Though you really don’t have to go out of your way. It’s just a silly pastime.” I continued walking on, when something a distance off caught my eye. “...What’s that?”

Glancing back toward my side revealed a rather empty space that a pink pony had just been occupying. Swirling around for a second to see where she might have run off to, I rolled my eyes when I couldn’t see her and looked back toward what had caught my attention in the first place. It seemed to resemble a yellow, wooden cart, having four wheels and a tongue, as they’re called, for hitching a horse up to. “Wagon” then came to mind. But the roofing was a red, wooden material as well, not cloth. Plus, I couldn’t think of a reason why ponies would need stagecoaches if they were, well, ponies in the first place.

A kind of trailer, perhaps?

Curiosity beginning to get the better of me, I quickly found myself advancing toward the odd thing that seemed to be out of place. Especially because it looked like it was right in front of Town Hall. There didn’t seem to be anypony, either. Though, my ears could definitely pick up movement coming from inside. Noticing a door on the front of the wagon, I shrugged my shoulders before tapping on it.

“Hello, anyone th-”, I was quickly cut off by a rather overdone exclamation from inside.

“The show will not begin for another half hour. Come back then!”

My brow raised slightly at that. “Show? What show?”

There was a moment of silence, before a mare poked her head out from the hole-like window on the door. With a rather irked expression upon her face, as well as holding a hoof to her chest, she proclaimed out in an obviously faked accent that involved many rollings of the tongue on t’s.

“Why, the Great and Powerful Trixie’s show, of course! It’s only the most popular show in Equestria.” She was so caught up in her little explanation, that she hadn’t seemed to even notice my presence yet. Instead, she just continued on with talking more for her own benefit. “Trixie would not be surprised in the slightest if it was the greatest show in Equus! In fact, Trixie is quite certain it is.”

“And, I presume that you’re Trixie?.”, I asked impassively. Her talking in the third person was throwing me off a bit. Asking this, however, seemed to get her full attention.

“You can no-”, she cut herself short right when she laid her eyes on me, them widening slightly. Oddly enough, she seemed to recover rather quickly. “Can you not tell that the impressive unicorn before you is, indeed, the Great and Powerful Trixie?! Hmph!” She then swung her head away, as if disgusted with me. “Trixie supposes that a creature like yourself wouldn’t know true ingenious, even if you saw it right in front of your face.” A frown was slowly starting to form itself on said face.

However, it was only then that I had fully taken note of the hat she had been wearing the whole time. “Is that a…”, I tilted my head slowly, squinting my eyes a bit, “...Witch’s hat?”

If I hadn’t already struck a nerve with the mare, that had really done the trick. The death glare she was delivering to the center of my forehead almost made me a bit uncomfortable. Grinding her teeth, she hissed out. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not a witch! To call Trixie something as hideous and inferior would be akin to calling a dragon a gecko.” Her horn then summoned up a deck of cards, which she then proceeded to shuffle in mid-air. “Trixie is a sorceress!” She then made the cards spread out around her, before circling around me quickly. I had to look away due to the fact it was starting to make me dizzy. And just like that, the cards flashed away, letting out a series of small sparks behind. “There is NO pony that is as talented in the art of magic as the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

After rubbing away the last of the dots that had obscured my vision, I pursed my lips in slight annoyance. However, a lightbulb also lit up in my head. She’s... a magician!?

Any small judgments I had been making about her before were completely gone as my eyes began widening, a goofy grin spreading itself out from ear to ear. “I-I’m guessing that you can do a whole bunch of different tricks?”

The mare seemed to calm down marginally, rolling her eyes. “Trixie is not named Trixie for nothing…”

Ohmygod. Ohmygod! OHMYGOD!!!

The fanboy in me was really starting to come out now. It was seriously taking a lot of willpower to not start jumping up and down. I didn’t even try to hide any excitement in my voice when asking, “When does the show start?!”

Trixie just huffed. “It would start a lot sooner if Trixie wasn’t being distracted...”

I caught the hint, sobering up from my little moment immediately. Rubbing my head with a guilty chuckle, I bowed my head a little before apologizing. “S-Sorry, I’ll leave you to it.” With one last look of disdain, she moved away from the door’s window before shutting it closed.

Letting out a soft sigh, I turned away from Trixie’s wagon and began to head back toward the library. Figuring the show wouldn’t start for a little bit longer, I suspected I’d have enough time to go inform Twilight and Spike about today’s big event. I couldn’t help but imagine Twilight’s reaction to me telling her that this ‘Trixie’ thought of herself as being the best magic user around, though. You know, since she’s kind of supposed to be the Element of Magic?

Maybe they’ll have some kind of duel to try and show the other off!

Trying to shrug off the mental boner that image was causing my little fanboy self, I almost didn’t notice my name being called from somewhere. Glancing about, I caught eye of Berry Punch trotting over in my direction with a friendly smile on her muzzle.

“Hey, Nick.”, the magenta mare said as she made her way to my side, following along with me. “Didn’t see ya at the bar the other night.” She tilted her head before asking, ”Didja get second thoughts?”

“No,” I replied with a shake of my head. “Something just came up last minute.” I paused a moment, then continued with, “Twilight’s place got broken into. Don’t worry though, nothing was stolen.”

Berry Punch’s muzzle scrunched up into one of distaste. “What kind of scum breaks into a library?”

“...I don’t know.”

“Well, I hope the creep got what he deserved.”, she said, glancing toward me. I swear I saw a small glint in her eyes.

I nodded, shoving my hands into my pockets before answering. “I went out and found them, then proceeded to encourage them not to go breaking into ponies' places anymore.”

The mare laughed a bit at that, elbowing me in the hip. “Oh, I bet you did.” I couldn’t help but half chuckle at it. “But hey, don’t worry about not making it yesterday.” She waved a hoof at me before nodding with a grin. “Between you and me, you’re the only one I’ve seen so far that I think is worthy of the job.” I couldn’t help but smirk at that.

Nice to know I’m not a completely lost cause in this town.

“That’s very kind of you, Berry.”, I said in earnest. However, the sight of a purple unicorn in the distance started to catch my attention. “Um, I’ll be sure to try and stop by whenever I get a free moment.”

Berry nodded her head, before following my fixated gaze. Again, a very obvious grin stretched itself across her face. She gave me one quick pat on the back before trotting away, calling back in a sultry voice. “Sure thing, Romeo.”

My cheeks immediately turned a burning salmon as I turned toward the mare with a heated glare. However, she didn’t seem to notice, or mind, and continued on her merry way. I was dumbstruck on why she again teased the idea of me having any feelings toward Twilight in… that way.

I mean, she’s not even my species! Isn’t there a law against stuff like that?!

“Oh!”, came a rather inquiring statement from behind me. Obviously, it was Twilight. Facing her, I could see Spike was also with her. “There you are, Nick. Spike and I were actually just leaving to come look for you.” She was looking up at me with a rather benign smile, but I could still catch the faintest hints of sourness in her words. “Did you do whatever it was you had to do?”

I shook my head, frowning slightly at the remembrance. “No, not really. I was going to try and find a magic kit similar to the one I had back home, and put on a show for you and Spike.” Spike’s eyes widened in a bit of fascination at that. “But sadly, I remembered I was without any money of my own. That, plus I don’t think the market would have what I’d need to construct my own kit.”

Twilight’s expression dampened a bit. “...I’m sorry to hear that, Nick. That was very thoughtful of you.” I could tell she was being fully sincere this time. “I’m sure we both would have enjoyed it.” I just shrugged with a small smile. She quickly began to grow a smile of her own. “You know, I think I might be able to find something in the library that could teach you some simple spells. That is, if you think you could learn to cast them.”

I stared at her a moment, at first wondering if a screw had gone loose in her head. “...Uh, Twi?” I raised a finger to point at my head. “I don’t really have a horn, if you couldn’t tell.” Her expression slowly began to grow rather bitter. I was quick to let out a harmless laugh, raising my hands in submission. “But I could give it a shot and see what happens.”

“Good.”, she said with a smile on her face once more. I couldn’t help but pat her on the head, causing a confused look to come upon her face.

“I understand that it was just a kind gesture.”, I said softly. “And I’m very grateful for it.” She stared at me for a moment longer before steadily smiling with a bit more sentiment. “However,” I continued, shoving my hands into my pockets with a casual sigh, “You’re gonna have to teach me how to read those infernal things. Since I can’t make heads or tails of that chicken scratch.”

Her face, surprisingly, turned extremely overjoyed. “I get to teach you something?!?” I slowly regretted whatever I had just started.

“But wait...” Spike spoke up suddenly, before pausing in momentary confusion. “You can’t read? How exactly old are you?” This snapped Twilight out of her trance, causing her to look at me in mild confusion as well.

I rolled my eyes at that. You know, for a couple of book caretakers, they sure are dumb sometimes… “I know how to read, Spike. I just can’t read your language.”

This had Twi speaking up again. “But…” She pointed a hoof at me. “You’re speaking it. Right now.”

I took a moment to recognize that was, indeed, true, before shrugging my shoulders. “Well, that’s just because your vocabulary is nearly identical to my own. It just seems that your alphabet is what’s different.”

She nodded, considering it before looking back at me with a grin once more. “We can begin your studies later today.”

I thought about it for a second, before nodding once. “Sounds good to-”

“Gangway!!!”

“Gwahhh!!!”

“Uh…” I was immediately confused when Spike was suddenly being carried off by a couple of unicorns, him shouting the entire way. “...Spike?”

Without another moment's hesitation, Twilight and I were quickly chasing after the trio. I managed to intercept the would-be dragon knappers just when they were skidding to a halt. And before I knew it, Spike was being catapulted right into me, causing us both to topple over onto the ground.

“Oh! Uhh…”, came the taller of the two. “Sorry about that!” He didn’t quite sound all there.

“Sheesh, where’s the fire?”, I grunted, pushing Spike off of me before getting back to my feet. I could feel a rather nice bruise forming on my chest.

“F-Fire?!”, echoed the smaller, rather chubby, unicorn. My reaction was simply applying my palm directly to my face.

Yup. We’ve got a couple of live ones over here…

“He means what’s got you two in such a hurry, Snips.”, Twilight spelled out with a small sigh.

“Ohhh.”, responded Dimwit Number One. “Haven’t you heard? There’s a new unicorn putting on a show in town!” My brow raised a tad at that.

“Yeah, yeah!”, replied Shorty, getting rather excited. “They say she’s got a whole bunch of magical powers. More than any unicorn ever!”

“Yup, that’s Trixie alright.”, I stated rather blankly, glancing in the direction her cart had been parked.

“Yeah, that’s her!”, said the taller one.

“Trixie?”, questioned Twilight. I could just make out a bit of disappointment showing on her face. Wasn’t really sure why, though. “Who’s she?”

“Just a traveling magician I spotted earlier.” I didn’t hold back the grin coming to my face. “She was pretty decent from what I saw. Bit of an egoistic little filly, but that’s show business.”

“Ah, don’t worry Twilight.”, Spike chimed in. “I know you’re really the best magic user!”

That managed to get a small blush out of her. She quickly recovered, though, before saying, “Well, regardless of who’s better, I’d still like to see her performance.”

Shivers went up my spine at the thought of seeing a live, professional magic show. Regardless if the performer was a magic-wielding pony. I was already turning on my heels with an avid hop to my step, calling out behind me to the others.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!”

Twilight and Spike were soon to follow after me, almost needing to pace themselves in order to keep up with my high-spirited bustle. I could already hear Trixie’s voice calling out over a loudspeaker of some kind. It didn’t take long to see signs of a crowd forming, and in no time at all, all three of us were making our way to the front of the large turn-up. Twilight and Spike were right at my side, staring blankly at the wagon. A small “Ahem” caught my attention, however, getting me to look to my left. A friendly-looking Rarity, followed by the rest of Twilight’s friends, looked toward me with a variety of greeting expressions.

“I presume all this fuss caught your attention as well, Mr. Nick?”, asked the snow-white unicorn. looking up at me in mild interest.

“You kidding?”, I replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. “I love me a good magic act!” That got a small giggle from her. However, the announcement coming to an end soon had us hushing down.

“—witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful, Trixie!”

The wagon caught all of our attention as it began to shift and unhinge itself, unfolding in ways that honestly didn’t even seem physically possible. In mere seconds, what had once been a wagon had now become a decent-sized stage, complete with curtains, trumpets, and what resembled fuckin' pyrotechnics!

Forget several laws against science, is this thing even legal?!

And in a flash of sparks, followed by a poof of dark, purple smoke, appeared Trixie. Proud looking as ever. From just her meager yet fanciful entrance alone, the entire crowd was in the midst of “ah”s and “ooh”s. I, in all honesty, was amongst those in a trance.

...This is gonna be gewd.

“Watch in awe!”, she began, staring down the crowd before whipping her head back to gaze upon the heavens, “As the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular, stupendous feats of magic witnessed by pony eyes!” This proclamation was followed by her raising to her hind legs as fireworks and flame pillars went off around her.

...I think I just got a stiffy...

However, my euphoria was uprooted by the sound of Rarity’s voice.

“My, my, my…”, she stated in a rather repelled manner. “Such boasting!”

...Waht.

“Yeah,” chipped in Spike. “No ponies as magical as Twi-”

He was cut short however when he noticed Rarity next to me. I didn’t catch much else of what he said—except something about a “mustache”?—before Twilight also decided to interrupt my concentration on the show.

“There isn’t anything wrong about being talented, is there?”

“Not t’all, Twi.”, responded Applejack, before turning a rather stern look toward the magician on stage. “‘Cept when somepony goes around, showin’ it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons.”

“Are you kidding me?”, I asked aloud, looking at the ponies beside me.

Rarity looked at me with a rather baffled look. “Whatever do you mean, Nick?”

I raised a hand to emphasize the show before us. “She’s a showgirl! Er- Showmare, rather.” I shook my head while watching Trixie magic up a bouquet of flowers. “She has to make herself appear larger than life to help draw attention to her show. It’s an act!”

Rarity seemed to ponder my words for a second, before rolling her eyes. “Well, just because one has the ability to conduct many magic spells doesn’t mean they are better than anypony else.”

I swear I just about facepalmed straight through my head. Letting out a sigh, I just decided to tune out the rest of the conversation and watch the show. It had seemed Trixie, however, had begun to overhear the little chit-chat going on before her, and had paused a moment to glare at us. She also took extreme care in making sure I was the one getting the most of it. However, Rainbow Dash going “Boooo”, caught both of our attention.

“Well, well, well…”, Trixie started, before glowering toward us. “It looks like we have some neigh sayers in the—” She was immediately cut off by the outrageous amounts of laughter that began coming from yours truly.

“Y-You…”, I was finding it very difficult to speak straight through my laughing fit. “You actually- Pffttt… Neighed!” I was in tears, holding onto my sides for the life of me. I didn’t care if everypony else was staring at me like I was on drugs or something. That shit right there was fucking GOLD!

“Are you quite finished?!”, yelled a rather upset Trixie. “How dare you all try to mock the Great and Powerful Trixie!” ...Somebody's butthurt. “Which of you would be so ignorant to challenge the magical abilities of Trixie?!” No one seemed to comment. “Do none of you know that you are before the greatest and most powerful unicorn of all Equestria?!”

“...Alright, perhaps that’s just a tad bit much.”, I stated rather quietly to myself, shrinking back a bit. Rarity blowing a raspberry soon had me taking a seat on the ground in slight disappointment.

“Just who does she think she is?”

And just like that, Spike was back. “Yeah! Besides, everypony knows Twilight’s–” Said unicorn was quickly quieting him up, before dragging him out of the crowd.

...What’s up with her?

All my attention was quickly brought back to the stage when a new series of flames and fireworks went off. I was disappointed in myself for not finding it as amazing as I had before. But a sudden chill going up my spine caught me off guard. Something was suddenly off, and I could feel it. Staring up at the unicorn on stage, I couldn’t help but get this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. For one reason or another, I had this crazy sensation of being pulled toward this boastful enchantress, and I couldn’t shake the eerie presence off.

Something is definitely not right. But… At the same time, something just feels… Familiar.

I was just getting up with the thought of walking back to the library when RD went zooming up onto the stage, getting right into Trixie’s face. “Alright Miss Great and Powerful. Just what makes you so awesome, anyway?”

Trixie just smirked right back at her. “Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie could defeat the terrible Ursa Major!” There were gasps from all around as sparks of magic flew up to create an image of what looked like a cartoon bear.

“...You defeated a constellation?”, I questioned rather bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

“Ha! Just goes to show how big a buffoon you are!”, she spat. “The Ursa Major just so happens to be one of the largest, deadliest creatures in all of Equestria. And when it was terrorizing the ponies of Cliffington, the Great and Powerful Trixie was the only one who could vanquish it!”

While the rest of the crowd seemed to go into a frenzy of cheers, I simply stared at Trixie with a blank expression.

“Well, that settles it.” I put my hands up in mock defeat. “You truly are the greatest and most powerful pony in all of Equestria. Hell, I just can’t come up with any more doubt.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie knows sarcasm when she hears it…”

I raised my brow in surprise, pointing at myself while backing away from the stage. “Me? Not at all, your all-powerful, greatness!” And with that, I took off toward the library, shouting out. “I’m all scared just thinking about it!”

I kept running until I had made it into the library, and up to my room, slamming the door behind me as I began pacing about. I’d already concluded that Trixie was far more than what she let on to be. She was a windbag of a pers- pony if I’d ever met one. But there was more to it than that.

She wasn’t just boosting her own ego up. She was deflating anyone else’s.

Taking a seat at my bedside with a heavy sigh, I tried to wrack my brain on why all this was bugging me so much. Something had my mind swirling back there, but I just couldn’t—

My eyes widen slightly, a single thought starting to form in the recesses of my mind. At first, it was blurred out, and a bit hard to fully understand. But the more I dwelled over it, the more the fog began to lift, slowly revealing the answer I was looking for.

“...Smug. That’s exactly what she is. She only seems to care about her own well stature in this world.” I got up from my seat, heading toward the window. I was lucky enough to be able to see Trixie’s show-off in the distance. “She’s not a show pony. She’s a big, arrogant braggart! She’s so wrapped up in her own pri-”

And then it was clear. That word. The one thing that I’d been reeling in.

“...Pridefulness.” My eyes opened widely, recognizing now what significance that bore to me. Why I had been getting such a strange read from her. A sense of familiarity. “She’s… the Element of Pride, isn’t she?”

Chapter 9: Tips 'N' Trix

What should I do?

That was the first thought that went through my mind. It wasn’t like I’d been through this sort of thing before. Besides Luna, I hadn’t really met any more of these “chaotic elements” yet, and I was highly doubting that going right up to Trixie and telling her everything would go smoothly. If anything, it’d probably go as well as my first meeting with Twilight. And that was all if my hunch was correct to begin with!

Perhaps I should contact one of the Princesses?

“...’Look for the other elements’.”, I muttered to myself. “It was Discord that told me that.”

A heavy sigh was released as I fell back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. There definitely was some sort of beef between Discord and the princesses. Going and telling the two that I had received orders from him probably would get them a bit antsy. Especially Celestia. She was the one that didn’t want me to know I was an Element in the first place—Which I really should have been told about, regardless of my opposition to hear it...

“Luna would be the better of the two to speak with.”, I’d finally decided, leaning forward and getting up from the bed.

Walking over to my window, I glanced out to still see a bright, afternoon sky. Though there were a few close-by roofs obscuring my view, I could manage to see a crowd around Trixie’s stage. A frown started to form at a sudden speculation, though.

Would she even be awake right now?

Shaking my head, I headed towards the doorway. Being the “Night Princess” no doubt meant she was resting during the day. Which left me—sadly—on my own this time. Which was kind of bad, since I had no freaking clue what to do! Walking down the stairwell towards the main room to the library, I let out a low groan of annoyance.

“Why do secrets have to be so damn complicated?”, I grumbled, heading for the kitchen. “I mean, I get that there could be some sort of panic if all of Equestria suddenly found out that, not only are there wielders of The Elements of Harmony, but there’s ALSO these beings that possess these things called the Elements of Calamity.”

Going into the fridge, I pulled out a jug of apple juice and brought it over to the table, sitting down. “Oh yeah, they sound like wonderful guys, right? And get this! That frightening Nightmare Moon, who was really your other Princess? She’s one! Kind of the reason she went all crazy to begin with.”

Unscrewing the cap, I helped myself to a couple of gulps before placing the bottle down on the table with a small sigh. “So is that weird creature that’s been living with the local librarian. But wait, there’s more! Not only is he, apparently, the living embodiment of big angy, but he’s also secretly a ferocious monster with fangs and claws meant for tearing flesh!” I even went as far as to pretend that I was gnashing at meat and bone vigorously, making snapping and snarling sounds.

Pausing a moment, sort of realizing how unstable I’d just gone and made myself sound, I slouched back into my seat with a false chuckle. “...Yeah. I’m sure anyone who heard that would react in a very rational manner. Why, I’d be surprised if they didn’t.” I went to take another chug of juice when I froze mid-sip.

A sudden shiver ran up my spine as my ears picked up the faintest of breaths coming from the doorway.

...There’s someone here.

I wasn’t sure what to do. The mere thought that I’d literally just unloaded the list of things I was not supposed to be sharing with others—and that someone more than likely just heard all of it—was making my stomach churn. It didn’t really matter who it was that had heard. They were no doubt freaking out, about to call the guard. In which then I would be dead. Or they would be dead, and I would be in even more trouble.

Slowly, I placed the jug down on the table before ever so slightly turning my head a tad bit over my shoulder, stretching out my arms over my head.

“I wonder when Twi and Spike will be getting back...”, I said to myself, doing my best to not sound alert.

I could feel my senses hike up a bit more, my hearing suddenly honing in on a steadily increasing heartbeat. A draft seemed to come from somewhere near the doorway, the faintest scent of lavender hitting my nostrils. And that’s when I knew who the eavesdropper was.

“...I know you’re there, Twilight.”

There was a hushed gasp, followed by the sound of frantic hooves attempting to maneuver over themselves. She was more than likely preparing to bolt. The door was flying open in a pale pink glow, with her heading straight for the exit. And she would have succeeded, too.

Had I not been just as fast in getting up and slamming the door shut in front of her.

No words were said. We both simply stood still, frozen in our own stances. Hers was of pure shock, with large amounts of fear on the side. She looked like she was in a position to flee, but her legs had locked themselves stiff, preventing her from escaping. I simply stood in front of the door, one arm stretched out and holding the door shut. I wasn’t looking directly at her, but more toward the floor in front of her. My expression, if I had to guess, was rather calm. But I could feel the small traces of affliction seeping through. And we stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few minutes.

Finally, I managed to form a sentence, though it was stifled. “Don’t run away.” My gaze stayed glued to the floor, still not being able to look up at her, but I could still notice her flinch at my words. “...Please.”

There was another momentary pause before she spoke up. “W-What are you?” She added emphasis as she continued. “Really?”

It took more willpower than I’d like to admit to meet her apprehensive stare with my own somber one.

“...I really don’t know anymore.”, I started with a rather grim tone to my voice. “I want to say I’m no different than before I even got here, but—” I trailed off as I tried to condense my thoughts into words, which was suddenly a rather difficult task for me.

“What did you mean when you called yourself a ‘ferocious monster’?”, Twilight asked firmly, though with a still present echo of unease.

I paused a moment, before tilting my head slightly in a wake of reflection. “Do you remember back when you first saw me? At that old castle where you fought Lun- I mean, Nightmare Moon?”

She seemed to stop and think for a second as well, before nodding her head. “I do.”

“She’s the reason I’m here. She summoned me up with some powerful spell in hopes that if things started to go downhill with you and your friends, I would…”, I brought my hand up and itched at the back of my head uncomfortably. “...step in and take care of you.” It took her a moment to understand what I was implying, but her ever-so-paling face had me continuing. “But it backfired on her. For whatever reason, I was able to fight the curse she put on me, and in doing so, fought back against her... I was just about to take care of her when that friendship beam caught the both of us.” I stopped briefly, before continuing with a mock chuckle. “Thanks for that, by the way. I’d hate to have ended up ripping Luna to shreds. She’s actually a really nice pony princess.”

Twilight’s face was somewhere between questioning and revulsion. “How can you joke about something like that so casually?”

I couldn’t help stopping to wonder about it myself, before shaking my head with an audible sigh. “...It’s a stress-induced reflex, I think.”

Twilight finally moved her gaze off me, groaning in what sounded like frustration. “I-I just can’t believe you’ve been hiding all this from me!”

I placed my hands into my pockets, leaning against the door. “Well, it wasn’t entirely my fault. The way I figured, since Princess Celestia didn’t inform you about it when telling you I was staying here, too, she wanted it kept secret.” I shivered slightly at the thought of what she might do to me for spilling the beans. “I didn’t really like lying to you, but I thought it was necessary. I’m sorry…”

The unicorn just let out a huff, turning her back to me. She stayed quiet for a few seconds, before glancing over her shoulder toward me once more. Her gaze was hard but slowly began to soften, until it was more disappointment than anything else.

“...If the Princess thought it best not to inform me, then you were only following her wishes.” She turned to face me once more, ears flattened. “Though I don’t understand her reasons for doing so, I’ll have to respect them.”

“Well, yeah.” I agreed, nodding my head. “But then again, I could have just been making a mountain out of a molehill.” Scratching at the small bit of stubble that I had, I shrugged my shoulders as I headed off toward the living area. “In my own opinion, I think you deserve to at least know a little bit. Seeing as you’re my caretaker and all.” Plopping down on the couch, I stared at the mare who’d stayed behind before patting the empty spot next to me. “Consider it my apology.”

Twilight still seemed rather nervous, seeing as I could still smell the anxiety coming off of her, but she eventually made her way into the room. Though, she decided on taking a seat in the chair a ways away from me.

I felt slightly bad about it but just shrugged it off for now. “Ask me a question, and I’ll try to answer it the best I can.”

She didn’t seem to waste any time. “Tell me about this curse, first.”

Attempting not to frown while clearing my throat, I nodded before starting. “Caba...llio lupos? I think that’s what Princess Celestia called it. But it basically boils down to a curse of the ‘pony wolves’.” I sank back into the couch, still not really liking that name for it, but staring up at the ceiling as a familiar quote began forming in the recesses of my mind. “...Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night... May become a wolf, when the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright.”

“...What’s that supposed to mean?”, inquired Twilight.

I chuckled, shaking my head. “It was just a line from a movie back home. The Wolfman.” I closed my eyes as I remembered the first time I’d seen that movie with my mom and little sister. It seems like such a long time ago now… “But that’s pretty much the curse. Under normal circumstances, I would have slowly lost my mind and been forced to change into a large, wolf-like monster that’s only real purpose was to kill and devour others. At least, that’s what happened to the ponies that obtained the curse.”

Twilight’s unease rose quite a bit at that. I glanced over toward her, a soft smile on my face.

“However, and for whatever reason, I was able to control it on the first go. Luna then came to me and had me do this ‘dream thing’ the night I arrived at your library. I was to conquer the beast inside me, which I managed to do, succeeding in taking full control of the curse. Now I can change whenever I want, and get a bunch of heightened senses to boot.” I shrugged, placing my hands behind my head and resting it on them. “It hasn’t proven to be that bad a thing to have, yet.” Aside from getting a bit antsy and needing a quick moonlit stroll every now and again.

“C-Can I see it?”

I flinched slightly at the sudden question, looking back at her with a bit of discomfort. “...See what?”

Twilight’s gaze was diverted from me, and she was rubbing at her hind leg with her opposite hoof in a manner that resembled discomfort. It took her a moment, but she was soon looking me in the eyes with her own uncertain ones. “Would you show it to me? Your…”, she hesitated a second before continuing, “...other form?”

I wasn’t really sure what to say. Directing my eyes toward my knees, I didn’t even think I really wanted to. Telling her the truth was one thing, but changing into a rather intimidating creature right before her eyes just seemed…

“No, not yet. I think it’s too soon for something like that.”

Her ears flattened a bit, though I could see just a hint of relief in her posture. With a small nod, she regained a bit of her composure as she gained another confused expression. “Now, tell me about these other elements. What were they…?”

“The Elements of Calamity.”, I answered. “And it just so happens I’m one of them. Wrath, to be exact.”

The unicorn’s puzzlement only seemed to grow. “But… How’s that even possible?” She pointed a hoof at me. “You’re not even from Equus, right? How could you hold power from someplace you’ve never been to?”

I shook my head with a sigh. “Your guess is as good as mine. The Princesses weren’t too informative on that one, either.”

“And you said Princess Luna was…”

I nodded once more. “The Element of Envy.”

Twilight shook her head while holding it with a hoof. “It’s just… difficult to wrap my mind around. I’ve studied so many different subjects, and read countless books, and yet I’ve never heard anything about there being another group of Elements.”

“Well, from what I can gather, they seem to be closely related to what my world knew as ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’.” Twilight tilted her head at that. “They were these seven traits that were considered profane, and highly sacrilegious.”

“I think I understood most of that.”, she said in a rather uncertain tone. “So, these ‘Seven Sins’ were things that your kind saw as bad in nature. Being envious, as well as showing wrath towards others?” I nodded in confirmation. “Do you remember what the other five were?”

Repositioning myself on the couch so I was sitting on the edge with my elbows resting on my knees, I shook my head. “It was all part of a more religious thing on Earth. I mean, I learned right from wrong, but I never really paid too much attention to that sort of stuff. However, I think I narrowed one of them down.” My face grew a bit smugger before stating. “And they just so happen to be in town.”

Twi tilted her head slightly, not seeming to understand. However, something must have clicked since her eyes were soon widening. “Y-You mean there’s another one of these elements here?!”

I nodded with a sly grin, before growing a bit more considerate. “Yup. Or at least I think so. At first, it was sort of just this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. But then as I got to thinking, it all just fell into place.” Stretching out my arms over my head, I let out a sudden yawn before getting up to my feet. “Pride was one of those Deadly Sins. And it seems like we’ve got ourselves quite the prideful magician right in front of the Town Hall, wouldn’t you say?”

“...Wait.”, she said rather flatly. “You’re saying Trixie is an Element of Calamity?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “As I said, it’s just a hunch I got. But she did seem to fit the bill, though.”

Which was true, too. Sure, I’ve seen show people on tv and online before, but she was just a big, boastful, insensitive, bee-atch. Add that to the fact that it was rather coincidental to have her come into town right after having Discord send me that message in a dream… Just a bit too coincidental for my own taste.

There was a silence while the studious mare went into thought. I took that time to walk over to the window, glancing out toward the sky. Judging off of pure intuition, I’d have guessed about an hour and a half or more had passed since I last looked outside.

Still too early to contact Luna…

“Well...” came Twilight’s voice from behind me. “I’ll admit that she does appear to qualify as a rather domineering mare. But I wouldn’t go and say she’s some embodiment of an element of cataclysmic proportion.”

I turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. “And do I just scream ‘hate and fury’?”

She frowned for a second before letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, you have been managing to irritate me as of late...”

I couldn’t help but grimace a bit at that. She sort of did have a point, after all. But, that was just all unintentional stuff, right? And with Celestia having toned down the ‘hateful thing’ inside me, I should be acting a bit better now. ...Right?

A grin came over my face as I patted the little unicorn on the head. “Yeah, well, that’s just my way of showing I accept you as my friend.”

She flinched ever so lightly at my impulsive touch, but eased up a bit at my words. “Your… Friend?”

...Maybe she really did take the truth too hard.

I tilted my head in mild confusion, as well as a tad bit of worry. “Aren’t we?” I glanced away for a second before continuing. “I mean, I know I may not come off as the most well-mannered dude, but…” I put on a somewhat complimentary smile. “I’d say you’ve put up with me long enough to be called my friend.”

A smile slowly formed on her muzzle, though it was quickly taken back by a dismissive “I’ll think about it.” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing a bit.

“Take your time, Ms. Sparkle.” I gave her a small bow before heading towards the doorway. “After all, I can understand the complexities of having a wrathful, aggravating, monster as a buddy.”

Her ears were flattening at that last part. “You make it rather difficult to remember that you’re telling the truth...”

I stopped for a second, replaying her words through my mind before letting out a soft chuckle. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” With a sharp intake of air, and a clap of my hands, I turned around to face her once more. “But, don’t tell the others, alright?”

Twilight’s expression turned rather sour. “You want me to lie to my new friends?”

I shook my head in response. “Not ‘lie’. Just…” I nodded my head from side to side, thinking. “...Obscure the truth a bit.”

“That’s pretty much what lying is, Nick...”

Sighing, I looked back at the still unamused unicorn. “I’d just like them to get to know me a bit more. Without having something like that influencing them.”

Twilight hesitated, before lowering her gaze with a heavy sigh, seemingly defeated “Fine…” She quickly brought her eyes back up at me with a vengeance, though. “But you’re telling them all the truth if they find out on their own!”

I nodded my head, placing a closed fist over my chest. “I promise.” And with that, I was opening the front door. “Now, be a good girl while I go do some business.” The look she gave had me grinning.

...I think she’ll be fine with it.

Exiting the library and closing the door behind me, I scanned the area before heading straight to where Trixie’s stage had been. There were quite a few houses between here and there, so I was not quite able to tell if there were others still there. However, I figured I’d just find out upon my arrival. I did take note of the time, though, which was starting to look like late afternoon.

“Now, how to break the ice with a mare that probably wants nothing to do with me…”, I pondered aloud. Though significantly quieter than I normally spoke. “...Gotta start getting better at talking to myself.”

Scratching my chin whiskers—Remind myself to find a method of shaving here—I continued to brainstorm ideas until the magical-unfolding-stage-cart was in sight. The crowd seemed to have dispersed, leaving the area rather barren. Making my way towards the doorway, I peeked through the window to find it empty inside. My ears did catch the sound of a familiar voice speaking aloud from the opposite side of the cart, though.

Hopping the railing, I proceeded over towards the source when I came to a standstill at the sight of the darker cyan unicorn. She appeared to be far too busy combing her mane in front of a mirror to notice my approach. The fact she had her eyes closed, as well, helped a bit, too. Taking the chance to stay incognito, I simply leaned against the wooden siding of the wagon and watched her silently.

...Stalker Mode activated.

She didn’t really appear to notice me, continuing to comb out her mane. It took a second for it to actually click, but this was the first I’d seen her without her hat on. Her mane was a mixture of light sky blue and white, growing out in striped locks. She also appeared rather well groomed, which I guess was normal seeing as she was a mare. I was so absorbed in my staring, that I almost didn’t see two other ponies running toward us. Snapping out of it though, I quickly dove back behind the carriage, listening carefully to hear if I’d been seen.

It was just those two unicorns from before. Snips and Snails, if I remembered correctly. They just seemed to be bringing her a drink she’d asked for. I couldn’t help but smirk at the fact she’d turned the two of them into her lackeys. My expression did change to curiosity when that ‘Ursa Major’ was brought up once more. That interest was quickly shot down by Trixie shooing off the pair with some sort of far-fetched excuse. With the unicorns gone, the magician went back to fussing with her mane. Once I was sure we were alone once more, I went straight back to leaning on the side of the cart parallel to her.

Several seconds of silence went by before I finally spoke out, smiling my best. “Seems you’ve got yourself some admirers.”

“And you have some nerve to spy on the Great and Powerful Trixie.”, Trixie spat, lowering her comb before glancing sideways at me. I recoiled slightly at the realization that she’d known I’d been here the whole time. “What could you possibly want?” She turned towards me, venom clear in her gaze. “Come to mock Trixie some more? Or perhaps you still need a demonstration of how Great and Powerful Trixie really is!”

I was quickly back peddling a bit when her horn began sparking to life. “Woah, woah, woah!” I was waving my hands in front of me in an attempt to stop her. “I’ve come with no ill intentions this time, I swear.”

The sorceress glowered at me for a couple more seconds before her horn extinguished, standing into a rather neutral stance. She still didn’t look all that happy, though. Pausing for a second to gather up my composure, I attempted to sort out my words before saying them. I was already on thin ice. The last thing I needed was a blast of magic to the face...

“Look, I know we sort of got off on the wrong foot— Or hoof rather.”

The unicorn kept her eyes glued to me, her look of agitation never faltering.

Diverting my gaze toward the sky while scratching the back of my head, I let out a rather pent-up sigh before saying, “So to make up for my actions, and show that I am truly sorry for what I did, I’d like to ask if you’d like to get a bite to eat with me, or something.”

Trixie stayed silent. I began to think this whole thing may have been a waste of time. She wasn’t really showing any signs of interest, and more than likely thought I was just planning to do something to her instead. Andwhy should she trust me anyway, right?

“Trixie accepts your proposal.”

Wait, what?

I was staring at her in mild disbelief. “Y-You do?”

Though I could have sworn there was a slight smirk on her face, as well as a—Is she blushing?! Both facial features, however, were gone all too fast to tell for sure if they had been there to begin with. Rolling her eyes, she simply restated herself to me.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie acknowledges your weak attempt at redemption, and accepts your crudely thought-up invitation.” Her eyes narrowed as she continued, though. “But if The Great and Powerful Trixie does not enjoy herself, in even the slightest bit, she will force you to participate in her next performance.”

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad…

Her muzzle twisted into a rather grim smile. “Where she places you in a box, and saws it in half…”

Okay, that sounds bad.

Grimacing slightly at the mental pictures of being dismembered, I quickly nodded my head with a small gulp. “U-Understood.”

Pushing all that aside, I straightened up a bit before asking, “Are you able to go now, or should I come back later?”

“Trixie is ready as she’ll ever be…”, she responded with lackluster. “Where do you intend on taking such an extravagant mare, who has extremely high tastes, such as The Great and Powerful Trixie?”

Tilting my head slightly in a moment’s thought, I mentally cursed myself for being rather broke. “Well, let’s see…”

Trixie huffed in annoyance. “You do not even know? Ha! Trixie isn’t surprised in the slightest.” She closed her eyes as she waved a hoof at me, as if she were shooing away a mutt. “She wouldn’t even be surprised if you didn’t have any bits to pay with.”

A chord of mild irritation was struck at that. Turning on my heel, I began to head toward the only place I could think of off the top of my head. I called out to the ill-mannered unicorn in a rather smug tone.

“I actually do know where I’ll be taking you. It’s supposed to be a rather nice bar here in Ponyville.”

Trixie was at my side, a rather questioning gaze on her face. “‘Supposed to be’? Have you not even been there yourself yet?”

A small bead of sweat trickled down my temple at that, though I wasn’t going to cave under her yet.

“No, but I’ve spoken with the owner on several occasions. Even got offered a job there after she and some others witnessed me scaring off a griffon several days ago.”

Trixie let out a mock laugh, eyeing me up and down. “You scare off a griffon? Trixie doesn’t even think you could startle an elderly field mouse...”

I huffed at that. “And I don’t think you could fend off an Ursa Major.”

She didn’t like that. “You dare accuse The Great and Powerful Trixie of lying?!”

I glanced at her, frowning slightly. “I’m more of a ‘seeing is believing’ kind of guy.” I motioned my hand toward everything around us. “Hell, I wouldn’t have even believed a place like this ever existed without being thrown into it.”

The darker cyan mare just let out a quiet growl. There were a few moments of silence before she spoke out again.

“Where does a creature like you even come from?”

Narrowly dodging the insult, I simply answered with, “Another planet.”

She reeled back at that. “You’re an extraterrestrial? Please.” She rolled her eyes in doubt. “There is no such thing as little, green stallions from outer space.”

I chuckled at her description of aliens. “Well, it’s kind of true. I came here from a different world than this one, called ‘Earth’.”

“A rather lousy name for a planet.”, she stated. “Might as well just call it ‘Dirt’.”

“It actually isn’t all that different from your own planet. Just... not quite as colorful.” I was still getting used to it. “That, plus instead of equines being the more dominant species, mine are.”

She seemed to accept that, or had grown bored with that topic, spouting out, “Whatever.”

Dear God, what have I gotten myself into...

I had been routing out the directions Berry had given me before in my mind throughout the conversation, and thought we should have been getting close to the bar by now. Sure enough, with the sun just getting ready to set off in the distance, I could distinctly pick up the sound of music coming from somewhere nearby.

Leading Trixie over toward a rather flashy-looking building, I paused in front of it to get a good look at it. The exterior seemed to be a bit more modernized than the make of the other houses and such that littered Ponyville. And from the build of it, it was more than likely pretty sizable on the inside. A formidable neon sign shined down from above the doorway, reading “The Grapevine”, followed by what resembled Berry Punch’s cutie mark.

“Well, the mare sure knows how to draw attention.”, I muttered to myself before reaching for the doorway. I was kind enough to hold it open, looking back at Trixie. “After you, your enchantress.” The unicorn just rolled her eyes as she passed by me and into the building.

I couldn’t really shake off the feeling, as I followed the mare in, that I was in for a rather… interesting night...

Chapter 10: A Trixie Situation

Author's Note

Shout out to my dear friend SoniKawaii for creating Dairy Queen and Copa Cabanna, just for this story. You're awesome! :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 10: A Trixie Situation

Immediately at the door, I was taken back by the rather loud music that was playing throughout the whole bar. The first reason being that it was some sort of electronic/techno/dubstep thing, which I sort of had a fondness for. Secondly, due to the fact I had to stop my ears from bleeding due to the crazy bombardment that the now rather sensitive receptors were receiving from the heavy bass that was blasting through the air. Cringing ever so slightly, while trying to adjust myself to this now somewhat hazardous environment, I barely managed to glance about the place without finding myself letting out a soft whine.

“Welcome to The Grapevine!”, came a rather cheery voice, shouting over the music. Looking toward where I thought it came from showed a rather excited looking mare, leaning over from atop a counter. I couldn’t help but find her a bit peculiar due to the more bovine-like pattern her coat had. “Please, allow me to take care of that fantastic hat and cape of yours, Miss!”

Trixie’s expression faltered for a second at the statement as she backed away from the out-stretching hoof that was before her. “L-Lay back your hoof, thief! You will not touch The Great and Pow- Ooph!” I immediately began ushering Trixie past the mare, smiling apologetically.

“Um, I think we’ll both be fine!”, I said, or rather shouted, politely as I continued to pull a now protesting mage. “Thank you, though!”

“Oh, uh…” The mare paused for a moment to watch us in mild confusion before regaining her smile. “Not a problem. Please enjoy yourselves!” She ended that statement with a wave.

Once we had made our way into the actual club area, Trixie was quite fast to draw away from me with a look of pure hatred. I knew she was more than likely going to start yelling at me about butting in or pushing her, or something like that… But I was quick to cut her off before she had a chance to blurt out one word.

“What would you rather be doing?”, I asked aloud, staring the mare in the face with a neutral expression. The sudden question seemed to catch her off guard, allowing me to continue. “Yelling at some random mare, who by the way was just trying to do her job, or go and pretend to have a good time? Maybe have a drink or two?”

The unicorn let out a growl, still glaring daggers, but soon passed right by me. She seemed to be heading towards the bar, where I could see Berry Punch was running. With a small shake of my head, I quickly made after her. It didn’t take long for the magenta mare to see me coming.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Nick!”, Berry announced over the counter with a grin slowly forming on her muzzle. “About time you paid my little bar a visit. Here on business, or..” Her violet eyes watched me as I took a seat next to Trixie, who was still looking grumpy. Her smile shifted to a look I was starting to get used to seeing on the mare. “...Pleasure.”

The mage’s eyes squinted at the bartender’s wording, before looking over at me with an expression of disgust and… A slight blush?...

“This creature is simply attempting to make amends for the embarrassment that it had almost caused the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The unicorn closed her eyes as she lifted her nose at me before turning away. “Nothing ‘pleasurable’ about it...”

My own expression turned rather sour as I looked over to Berry, leaning onto the counter. “...Well, at least I’m trying to be friendly.” I couldn’t quite read whatever BP was thinking, but judging from the sly smirk she was wearing, it couldn’t have been anything good.

“I must say, you really have a knack for picking ‘em, Romeo.” There was no hiding the rather provocative tone the mare had, and the small wiggling of her eyebrows wasn’t lowering any expectations on whatever she was thinking, either.

I didn’t really have much time to reply though before the club owner grabbed a few empty glasses. Taking out something that I could recognize as a liqueur bottle, she proceeded to pour the liquid into the two glasses before sliding them over towards Trixie and I. I stared at the beverage for a brief moment, before looking back up to Berry Punch in mild confusion.

“I-I told you before that I—”

“Seems you’re in luck, Mr. Nick.”, Berry cut in with a chuckle. “It just so happens that the legal drinking age in this, here, town of ours is eighteen, exactly.” I wasn’t sure why, but I could feel my face pale at that statement. She seemed to notice, however, and let out a rowdy laugh. “It’s not all too strong, either. So you shouldn’t have to worry about getting too tipsy from it.”

Trixie had simply gone to watch with what I could only guess was a slightly amused expression. More than likely from the fact of seeing me in an uncomfortable state. Taking her own glass in her magic, she daintily levitated it over to her muzzle before taking a small sip. I, however, was a bit more hesitant.

“U-Uh…”, I stumbled over my thoughts as I reached out for the liquor with a slightly shaking hand. “...Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it!”, Berry let out, leaning onto the counter with a snicker. Her gaze seemed glued to my face when I went about tasting the drink for myself. “Consider it a donation to my newest employee, and his mare-friend.” I wasn’t sure which one of us reacted first, but both Trixie and I were soon in coughing fits.

"She is not my--"

"I am most certainly not his mare-friend!"

I could tell from the look on her face that Trixie was not amused... If anything, she looked rather appalled. Which I actually couldn't help but feel rather insulted by. I mean sure I may have said some things about her, and maybe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Or hoof... Whatever. Then again, why should I have been getting upset about what she thought about me? She was a bloody horse, for crying out loud!

Rubbing at my temples to try and ease my already aching head, I let out a heavy sigh before turning a wary gaze back towards the Great and Powerful menace. While it took a bit of waning control, I managed to speak in a relatively calm tone.

"I am simply taking this young lady out as an apology for an outburst I caused early today." Trixie glared back at me with as much suspicion as she'd kept on that face of hers since walking here. "I was hoping that with a bit of time talking with one another, we could both leave that event behind us and start on a fresh note. Maybe with some luck, we might even become friends before the night is over." However unlikely that may be...

The mare wasn’t having any of that, though. She simply got up from her seat, jimmies quite rustled, while muttering "Like that would ever happen..." And with a roll of her eyes, she trotted off further into the club, towards the dining area from the looks of it.

Berry Punch had been rather silent throughout the whole exchange, simply swapping a blank stare from one of us to the other, until she watched Trixie pout off as well. I couldn't quite tell what she was thinking, but I was hoping it didn't have anything to do with having second thoughts about hiring me. My concerns, however, seemed to be put to ease when the bar owner`s muzzle stretched into a rather wide grin. With a light chuckle, the magenta-colored mare shook her head before giving me a slight nod.

"Well, whatever the case may be between the two of you..." She let me have one of her winks that were starting to become rather iconic. "Just try to stay out of trouble, and enjoy yourselves. Get an order of hay fries on me, too." And with that, Berry left me to go attend to a couple of other customers.

Still a bit jumbled up by the mage’s ‘storming off’, I couldn’t show any other response to my new employer’s words than a half-hearted chuckle and thanks. It seemed that with Trixie, trouble was the only thing I would be getting into. But, it was for the greater good, right? ...Right?

Releasing a heavy breath, I got up from my own seat before heading off in the direction ‘The Edgy and Intolerable’ Trixie had gone. Even with the rather large crowd, and almost disorienting light show from the DJ’s booth, I was still able to spot the mare out from everybony else. Sitting alone at a table, her forelegs crossed over her chest as she stared rather—

...Does she look sort of sad?

I was busy puzzling over her sudden change in demeanor when a random stallion seemed to have caught sight of the troubled-looking mare as well. I just managed to see a small smirk on his muzzle before he casually began strutting over to her table, saying something I couldn’t quite make out, even with my super ears. The music probably wasn’t helping either, but it sounded like it was starting to tone down a bit. I could, however, see the rather uncomfortable expression growing on the mare’s face. Which caught me even more off guard seeing as she had had no problem taking shots at me no more than five minutes ago.

A frown was quickly forming upon my complexion. It took me less than ten seconds to be standing directly behind the stallion, my fists clenched tight enough to make my knuckles white. Clearing my throat, and grabbing the stallion’s attention, I quickly glanced over towards a somewhat startled Trixie before setting my gaze down on the stallion once more. Judging from his own face, he knew who I was and what I’d done with the last critter that had ‘irked’ me. I didn’t even need to say anything before the guy was quickly making his way towards the other side of the room.

With a slight, toothy smirk, I mentally chuckled to myself before looking back to Trixie. She appeared to be fine, once more looking at me with a rather annoyed sneer before rolling her eyes. Knowing she was back to her old self once more, I carelessly took the seat across from her before leaning back into it. I almost fell out of the chair when a soft, nearly drowned-out voice spoke out under all the sounds of the club.

“Th-Thanks.”

Still a bit awestruck that the very mare, that had taken great pleasure in threatening to saw me in half, was now thanking me--for anything--I was only able to give her a small nod in response before glancing away in slight unease, scratching at the back of my head. It hadn’t really occurred to me what I’d just done until right then, and to be honest, it was a bit embarrassing on my part.

Trixie and I sat there for a few minutes, not making eye contact or saying anything else. I could literally smell the tension building between the two of us. For what had supposed to have been an attempt to gain Trixie’s favor, so I could eventually explain to her that she may just happen to be the incarnation of a negative, supernatural power... My plan had really taken a nosedive. But, out of all the things I disliked, the one thing I hated most was awkward silences. Well, that and broccoli—

*CRASH*

The sound of plates being dropped onto the floor came from rather close by, shattering the silence that had been building. Needless to say, I jumped about ten feet into the air in a start, and from the looks of it, Trixie had been shaken up by the sudden noise as well. I was quick to recover, though, almost feeling somewhat relieved that the disturbance had occurred. One more second of that, and I would have gone mad! However, this did bring on the new fear that the magician in question would begin to go on about how ‘obviously horrible’ this was going.

After a few seconds of our hearts racing from the shock, a groan could be heard in the distance as a mare in some purple skirt started sweeping the mess up. Odd as it may have been, I couldn't help but stare at her. I’d admit that I may have been a bit stressed out in the situation I found myself in, and in times like those, sort of tended to just zone out. But it wasn't anything about this mare’s outfit that had caught my random attention in the first place. Instead, it was how she was holding a worn-out, wooden broom in her mouth. Realizing that reminded me of how ponies didn’t actually have hands, and most likely had to do a lot of difficult tasks like that with their mouths. That was unless they had magic to help them.

How does she not get splinters in her mouth from that?!

The sound of a prissy throat clearing next to me dragged my mind back to Earth, or whatever planet this was. Trixie was waving a hoof somewhat in front of me in what must have been an attempt to get my attention. Because, you know, we were obviously so invested in each other that she just had to pull gaze back onto her. It was like she was trying to make me suffer as we sat there and rotted from boredom.

Just as I was getting this close to suggesting Trixie cool it, the working mare that had been sweeping up those broken plates started making her way over to us. I was going to try and pay the pony no mind, and instead, see what the heck Trixie wanted. At least, that was up until a strong scent hit my nostrils like a nuclear warhead. What the hell is that, perfume?! Whatever it was, it didn’t look like I was the only one being choked up by it, as Trixie appeared to be trying her hardest not to gag, as well.

Well, look at that! Something we can agree on. This mare’s overuse of scent products...

"Well, are ya gonna order? Or just stare at me all night?", the mare questioned in a rather scratchy, feminine voice, blowing a piece of her stringy, brown mane away from her face.

I was hesitant to even reply in fear that I’d get another nose full of this pony’s overpowering aroma. Forcing myself to not seem in total anguish, I swallowed down my discomfort before smiling as best I could.

“U-Uh…”, I said with a forced chuckle, before looking back over to Trixie. “Y-Yeah… Berry said we could get a basket of fries on her.”

The waitress, to my nose’s despair, didn’t walk off like I’d hoped she would… Instead, she scrunched her muzzle up into a look of confusion or irritation. Releasing some form of pent-up breath, the mare rolled her eyes before speaking out in a rather criticizing way.

“Handing out free food to total strangers now, are we? Wonder how this place even stays in business...”, she spoke under gritted teeth and all.

After a small five seconds of unneeded glaring from her end, she let out a big sigh before shaking her head and pulling out a notepad and pencil, jotting our order down while holing the writing utensil in a similar fashion to the broom she’d been using before.. The object didn’t hinder her highly irked look, though. It was actually surprising to see she could actually look any angrier than she had already. Even more so than these damn ponies' ability to write with their mouths.

“W-Well, you see-”, I began.

“I do not think that is any concern of yours, servant.”, came a quick whip from the mage sitting across from me. Her sudden interruption actually caught me a bit off-guard. “I do not require any individual’s charity, nor have I requested it.” A single one of her eyebrows raised slightly as her expression became somewhat questioning. “...That is unless you are trying to say that the Great and Powerful Trixie needs hoof-outs from others?”

"That..." she stammered out. "Do you not get the point of a restaurant, kid? We come to you and help out with fillin' your empty stomachs for a minimum wage–maybe even less with the low tips we get–so we can go home and support ourselves. Ya know why?" At this point, she was waving her hoof all over the place in sheer disbelief. "That’s. The. Point!"

Welp, this escalated quickly…

“Well!”, I said in a rather loud, and oddly cheerful voice. “Ma’am, it was a pleasure meeting you! I certainly look forward to working with you all in the near future!”

The fact I’d revealed myself as a future employee, myself, or the random act altogether, seemed to confuse her long enough for me to get up and grab Trixie by the hoof. Of course, she immediately began to struggle. Tossing her over my shoulder seemed to counteract that, though. Giving the quickly recovering waitress a light wave, and while ignoring all the stares I was now receiving, I simply made my way towards the exit with the yelling magician in tow. It took us no time at all to be standing outside The Grapevine, a furious Trixie shouting rather ghastly nouns at me.

“You put me down this very instant, you boorish brute!”

I complied with her rudely given request, placing her down once we were some ways away from the club. I quickly regretted doing so, however, when a hoof was soon slamming into my gut.

“Trixie warned you about doing that!”, the mare yelled out before making off in a rather furious tone.

While the impact had caught me off guard, it surprisingly didn’t knock me down like I’d have expected. I was soon recovering well enough, and chasing after her with a rather annoyed look on my face.

“Hey, I just didn’t need you getting in an argument with someone I’ll be working with…”, I muttered aloud after catching up with her.

She simply kept her eyes forward, not seeming to care about any excuses I may have had one bit. Naturally, I was rather off-put by this. I mean, was it wrong for me to try and avoid problems like that? Then again, it didn’t seem like Trixie came off as the listening type…

Releasing a sigh, a small thought came to mind as a small smirk started to form. Glancing back over towards her, I simply continued as if it wasn’t that big of a deal. “Besides.” I placed my hands into my pockets before letting out a small chuckle. “If we hadn’t left soon, I was going to find myself yelling at her.”

I could just catch the showmare glancing over at me with a slightly raised brow. I just looked back at her with my toothy grin, getting an eye roll in return. It was true, though. That waitress was starting to rub me the wrong way. Out of all the things I was looking forward to when it came to working for Berry Punch, that mare was not going to be one of them…

My attention was brought back towards Trixie when it appeared like she was ready to say something, though she didn’t get to speak when the sound of yelling and screaming started to come from someplace ahead of us. We both found ourselves stopping in our tracks, exchanging a look of confusion between the two of us before focusing on two forms quickly approaching. It didn’t take me long to recognize them as the two unicorn colts I’d seemingly been running into quite a bit this past day. What made this all the odder, though, was that they seemed to be calling out for Trixie.

“What the heck got into those two?”, I asked aloud.

My question didn’t go too long before getting answered…

No sooner had Snips and Snails come to a stop right in front of us, rambling incoherently through attempts to catch their breath, did I catch sight of something over the rooftops a small distance off. At first, it seemed as if a section of the night sky had come to life, moving on its own. Then I saw the pair of yellow and red eyes, a white emblem that strangely resembled Twilight’s cutie mark floating above them. I found my own eyes widening in slow realization that something rather large was actually leaning over the houses, staring right back at us. Details began to become clearer as my heightened night vision took effect. I couldn’t help but notice a very close resemblance creature appeared to have with that of a… bear.

That’s not what I think it is… Is it?

The sound of the large beast roaring snapped me back to reality. That, plus the hysterical scream the mare next to me had let out. I barely had enough time to glance at her before she bolted off in the direction of her cart. I made like I was about to stop her, but found myself being held back by something pulling on the collar of my shirt. Turning around, I soon spotted the perpetrator, who had ducked into a nearby alleyway.

“...L-Luna?”

She hadn’t gone through the trouble of disguising herself like last time, though I’d supposed given the current situation, not many ponies were going to be noticing her. She was waving me over with a rather frantic look on her face. I spared one last glance towards Trixie, just in time to see her dive away from her wagon before it was crushed by the large celestial bear’s paw. Frowning, and not really liking the idea of leaving the rather hopel- helpless mare on her own, I reluctantly ran over to the lunar princess.

“Not really the best time for a chat, princess.”, I spoke out with a bit of tension. I just caught Trixie and the two younger stallions darting around the street corner with the bear on their heels.

“I know,” she replied, seeming in a bit of a panic as well, “but we have a much bigger problem than the Minor.”

Had I been in any other situation, I might have questioned why I was hearing the sound of a stopwatch ticking above my head. “...Minor?”

Luna nodded, somewhat confused. “The Ursa Minor. The one that was just here?” Her look of worry came back. “The mother is not too happy about her baby missing.”

It was at about this time that I realized what she was talking about.

"That's just the baby?!"

I'll admit it, the thought really hadn't come to mind until after she told me. With this world, just about anything was starting to seem possible. But even then, I was still having a hard time believing it.

Could something that big really be no more than a cub?!

Luna would nod her head, her eyes still holding a sense of outright dread. She then turned her gaze away, biting her lip. "...I attempted to calm her myself, but was not able to get her attention in my current state."

"Well,", I rolled my hand at her, widening my eyes in an assuming manner. "You inform Celestia about it?" Her ears dropped almost immediately, along with all my expectations.

She shook her head slightly, her gaze turned away. "I was hoping I could take care of this all on my own." She quickly looked back at me with a rather distraught look. "The whole while I've been back, I’ve not been able to aid my sister in anything more than raising and lowering the moon." She frowned heavily, before adding, "Of which I've only recently gotten the hang of once again."

I let out a hefty sigh, leaning my head back to stare at the sky. Why was it always with the drama in this world? Really. If it wasn't misunderstanding friendships one second, it was trying to prove worth to your sister the next. Common sense must be an elusive talent in these parts…

"Did you ever think that she might just be happy to have you back?", I asked, returning my gaze to her. "You've been gone a pretty long time. Maybe just taking the time to sit and catch up with her is all she really needed." I rolled my eyes, feeling like I was stating the obvious. "Doing something stupid like trying to calm down a giant-ass star bear on your own is only gonna worry her!"

The alicorn's gaze was stuck toward her hooves, her wings drooping somewhat.

"...But you don't understand.", she stated rather flatly. "Celestia doesn't get much time to just chat with me because she's so busy trying to take care of all the royal duties on her own." She gained a rather stern expression. "She strains herself, without her own realizing. How she was able to rule for so long without my aid is a miracle in itself. I want to spend time with her, but so long as she continues to do all the work, we will not be able to. I've asked her to give me something to do, even something simple, but she thinks I should still try and get accustomed to things!"

She was now speaking in a louder tone, glaring at me. "I need to show her I'm capable of co-ruling with her once more!"

I grimaced a tad bit from the shouting, glancing about to see if anyone else had noticed. But, what was I thinking? A giant celestial bear was rampaging throughout the town. Who would notice an alicorn and a human in an alleyway?

A shiver suddenly ran up my spine, a single entity coming to mind.

She'd notice…

I quickly shook my head at the thought that a certain pink pony was anywhere close by, focusing back on the task at hand. "So, instead of getting your sister's help, you want mine…" I lifted my hands up in a rather confused manner. "If this thing's mother is, undoubtedly, a lot larger than it is, how could I possibly lend you any help?"

Luna's expression softened somewhat, perhaps under the impression that I was actually considering helping her, now. "While in your wolven form, you should have the power to intimidate other creatures. I was hoping that you might be able to grab her attention long enough for me to speak with her."

I found myself grimacing once more after hearing her plan.. "...And what if she decides I'm not that intimidating?"

The alicorn's face seemed to match my own for a hair fraction of a second before she shook her head. "I have the utmost confidence that you'll be able to, at the very least, get her attention."

Wow… Nice deflection. You might just be on your way back to acting like an official, yet.

With a lowering of my gaze, I attempted to shove away all the doubts that were, for quite good reason, clouding my mind. But I eventually nodded my head, hesitatingly saying, "...Lead the way then, Princess."

Her demeanor appeared to lift some, a soft smile forming on her muzzle before her horn began to glow a cobalt blue.

Chapter 11: A Trixie Situation (Part 2)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 12: Remedy for a Cart-astrophe

"This is most certainly not fine!"

We arrived back in Ponyville just a little before midnight. I had suggested we head right over to Twi's place, but Trixie made it quite clear that we should stop by her busted wagon before doing so. So, here we were, standing before what used to be her wagon. It was a lot worse than I had first thought, though... Most, if not all, the wood had been completely splintered beyond repair. The devastated unicorn had, so far, only been able to pull a few intact items from the wreckage: Her cape, a toothbrush, and… something. I hadn’t gotten a good look at whatever it was since she had tucked it under her cape right after finding it.

It better not be anything gross...

Regardless, she was still pretty agitated about having lost her mobile home.

"Hey, most people would be glad they're still alive." I picked up a piece of the siding, noting a large bite mark on it before dropping it back down. "A wagon can be replaced. Your life? Not so much."

Trixie let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. "...Whatever." She seemed to give everything another look over, before turning herself towards me. "Trixie thinks this will have to do."

"Alright," I answered back, starting towards the library. "If it turns out you need anything else, maybe we can stop by the marketplace in the morning."

She didn't respond, which might have been a good sign. Until now, all she'd been doing was getting her panties in a twist at the mere thought of me giving her aid. Baby steps, I guess.

Leading us back, I approached the front door carefully before glancing back toward Trixie. "Best let me do the talking." A roll of her eyes was her only sign of acknowledgment.

Opening the door, only finding it odd for a moment that the door was unlocked, I casually walked into the main room of the library with a look of confusion. I had expected Twilight to stay up, waiting for my return, but it seemed Spike and her had simply retired for the day without me. Shrugging my shoulders, I motioned for the cyan mare to come in. Hesitantly, she placed a hoof through the doorway before allowing the rest of herself into the room as well, her eyes squinting a bit.

"How is Trixie supposed to see without a light?"

"O-Oh, sorry." I'd forgotten. Werewolf eyes.

Checking about the place, I found a candlestick atop one of the podiums close by, bringing it over to Trixie. "There ya go."

Her horn sparked for a brief moment, the candle soon coming to life as it filled the room with an orange glow. Now that she could see, the mare slowly went about examining the room, her expression teetering between marvel and indifference.

"Trixie supposes this shall suffice until Trixie is able to leave."

"Glad you approve," I muttered to myself, before pointing to the several doorways around us. "That leads to the kitchen, and down that way is the living room." I broke off from giving directions for a moment, finding myself releasing a yawn. "...Bathroom is that way."

I waved for her to follow me as I headed over to the stairwell, before semi-quietly making my way up. Trixie trailed behind me, levitating the candle along with us. Once we reached the top, I glanced over toward Twilight's bed, spotting her already curled-up form under her blanket. However, the light filtering into the room seemed to get a stir from her.

"Mmm, eh?" The groggy mare poked her head up, blinking her half-lidded eyes at us. "N-Nick?"

"Yeah, it's me," I replied. "Trixie is gonna be taking up my room for a while."

Twi, still rubbing her eyes in a half-awake state, just nodded her head before laying it back down on her pillow. "Oh. Okay..."

I looked over to Trixie, giving her a satisfied grin. "There. All settled." She just stared at me, rather deadpan. I pointed to the door leading into the spare room, before ushering the mage in. Drawing attention to the bed, as well as the various shelves and whatnot, I let her get to making herself at home while staying on the other side of the doorway.

"Breakfast is whenever you feel like getting up."

Trix placed herself next to the bed, staring at it, before shifting her gaze about the place. "...You said this was your room." She placed a hoof onto the covers, almost seeming to fidget with them uncomfortably, before laying her uneasy eyes on me. "N-Not that I care, but where does that leave you then?"

...Nope.

"Down on the couch." I let out a light chuckle, before waving a hand at her. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"I-I wasn't worried about—!"

"Wait, what?!" I nearly jumped out of my skin at the exclamation coming from behind me. Turning around, I could see Twilight sitting straight up, staring over at me with wide, unblinking eyes. "What do you mean she's staying here?!"

I frowned at her a bit, noticing Spike also waking up now, as well. He was rubbing his eyes, mumbling, "W-What's going on?"

"Hey, she doesn't have any place else to go," I rebutted. "So, I offered. She can take the guest room, and I'll take the couch. Simple."

"I-If the Great and Powerful Trixie is not welc—"

"It's fine, Trixie," I interjected, waving my hand over my shoulder.

Twilight stared at me for several seconds, before running a hoof over her face. Letting out an exhausted groan, she fell back into her bed before quickly covering her head up with her covers. "Fine."

A smile soon adorned my face, turning towards the 'Great and Powerful' mare with a chuckle. "Now that that's taken care of." I started to close the door. "If you need anything, I’m right downstairs."

She hesitated for a moment, before giving her head a slight nod. She looked as though she wanted to say something, her brow wrinkled in some expression of thought, but she must have been having trouble figuring out how to say it. A sudden stroke of insight would tug at the corners of my lips, guessing on what it was.

"It's fine, Trix," I whispered out, shooting her a soft smile. "You don't have to say anything." You're welcome, though.

Her cheeks seemed to flush a tiny bit, before disappearing with the rest of her as she covered herself up with my blanket. She managed to let out a muffled, "G-Good night!" before I closed the door with a snicker.

Yeah. I think everything will be fine.

I headed back down the stairs and went to get myself situated on the couch. Taking off my shoes and tossing them aside, I practically collapsed onto the sofa, finally off of my feet. Exhaustion was starting to overcome me, a deep yawn escaping my mouth. It'd been a long fucking day…

Tomorrow's probably not gonna be any better...

There was definitely a lot on my plate. The princesses keeping even more things from me. How I, eventually, wanted to start working at Berry Punch's club. But now, with everything else, I was starting to suspect I'd never have the time. Not if I was supposed to be looking for the other Elements of Calamity. Which brought me to the show mare right upstairs...

…I'll have to tell her, eventually.

The only problem was when would be the right time to do so? It might help if Luna was there, too. It kind of helps in believing some ridiculous-sounding tale if it's being told to you by a co-ruler of the nation you live in...

"Eh." I shrugged my shoulders, getting more comfortable on the couch's cushions. "Just take it one step at a time, Nick."

Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh before slowly letting myself drift off to sleep.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

A light groan would come from me as my eyelids, once again, began to get assaulted by the solar rays of that cursèd fiery orb in the sky, bleeding in through the windows. But before I could play around with the idea of telling Celestia’s most prized possession to suck a fat one, and try to get a few extra winks, my ears caught the clammer of dishes being placed about in the kitchen. With the recollection that the library was now hosting a fourth individual slowly drifting to the forefront of my mind, I weary opened my eyes with a grunt.

…I suppose it would be rude to not greet her on her first day staying here.

Sitting up from my new bed, already finding myself having regretted offering my real bed away for rights to sleeping on the couch, I stretch myself out to the sound of many a joint popping while releasing a loudly impolite yawn. With that taken care of, I found myself sniffing at the air, my eyes gradually widening.

…Someones making waffles.

Not wasting any more time, I got myself up and began making my way towards the kitchen, itching the back of my head along the way. As I made my way in, I was a bit surprised to find Twilight the one making the waffles I’d smelt. There was a larger plate stacked with the squared breads, which Spike was taking from and placing onto his plate, along with a few other empty plates set out. There were also some empty glasses, likely for any to help themselves to the pitcher of orange juice that was out, as well. There was no sign of Trixie, though. Both of the other two, however, took note of me as I walked in, though the lavender unicorn seemed to only look at me from the corner of her eye before putting her attention back to her cooking. Thankfully, Spike seemed to be acting his regular self, giving me a smile and wave.

“Mornin’, Nick!”, he said before taking a massive bite of the waffle he had impaled onto his fork.

“Morning, Spike,” I answered back with a small wave of my own before taking a seat at the table. “Morning, Twilight.” Her only acknowledgment was a small nod in my direction, getting a slight squint from me in return. “...I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess you’re mad at me over something.”

“Mad?” She finally spoke, while still not turning to face me. “Why would I be mad?” Her tail flicked a bit, which I was beginning to catch as a sign these ponies were irritated. “It’s not like you brought a total stranger with you last night, and decided to offer them free lodging without asking me first.”

I didn’t need to have freaky werewolf hearing to detect the small traces of venom in her tone. Sparing myself a glance towards Spike, and spotting the rather uneasy look he was starting to get, I mentally decided not to choose violence this morning by swallowing the rather rude comment I’d felt coming up. Instead, after taking a moment to take in a long, steady, breath, I took the correct course of action, and bowed my head towards the table.

“...I’m sorry for saying she could stay without asking you first. If it’s going to be an issue, I’ll try and find some other accommodations fo-”

“Nick, I’m not gonna ask her to leave.” Twilight cut me off, actually turning to face me now. She then paused for a quick second, before lowering her own gaze. “...And, I’m not really that mad about you having not asked first. I mean, I would have preferred you had, but…” She seemed to catch herself, before clearing her throat. “I get that you were just trying to lend her a helping hoof, which was a very generous thing to do.” She then looked back towards me, before seemingly gaining a bit of a grin before rolling her eyes. “And the last thing I need is Rarity berating me for scolding you because of it.”

Spike seemed to get the joke being made a bit better than I did, snickering at it along with Twilight. I simply allowed a small smile to form on my face, finding solace that I wasn’t going to have to deal with getting an earful after just waking up. Again… I was about to speak up in thanks before my ears caught the sound of hoofsteps slowly making their way down the stairs. Giving my throat a quick clearing, catching both Twi and Spike’s attention, I nodded my head towards the doorway just before the newest guest of the residence cautiously stepped through the doorway. Trixie, after giving us all a bit of a wary look, made her way over to the table as well. Imagine my surprise when she decided to sit closest to me.

Taking a second to blink away my stupor, I quickly placed a rather pleasant smile on myself. “Good morning, Trixie. Did you sleep well?”

The mare in question spared me a quick glance before nodding her head briefly. “As… Fine as Trixie could, all things considered.” Her nose twitched a bit as I caught her sniffing at the air, while also staring at the stack of waffles before us. And judging from the noise her stomach let out, much to Trixie’s noticeable embarrassment, she was thinking the same thing I was.

“You mind if we dig in, Twilight?”

Twilight, finishing off the last waffle she had been preparing and levitating it over to the table, gave a friendly nod of her head, more so at Trixie. “Of course! That’s why I made so much, after all. By all means, help yourselves.”

Not needing a second invitation, I quickly went about pilling a few waffles onto my plate. I only paused after noticing Trixie not grabbing any for herself, still seeming a bit unnerved. Pursing my lips, I spared a quick look at Twilight, before getting an idea. At a certain dragon’s expense, of course.

Letting out a small chuckle, I leaned over to gently nudge Trixie’s shoulder with an elbow. “Better grab some before Spike eats them all. He’s already had six of ‘em.”

Spike immediately paused from the bite he had been ready to take, before glaring at me from across the table. “Hey, it’s not my fault I’m a growing dragon!” His expression turned then went a bit confused, before he tilted his head at me. “Wait, how did you know how many I already had?”

Twilight and I both shared a light laugh, Spike eventually chuckling as he got the joke, while I noted Trixie’s demeanor became a bit less weary. In fact, she almost looked like herself, again, in that she was giving me a bit of a stink eye while she got her plate set up. I chalked it to her likely being upset at my having broken the rule of touching her, again, but I personally saw her being upset at me better than being apprehensive.

Take what victories I can.

After we calmed back down, Twilight was first to chime up once again. “So, were there any plans for today?”

“Well, first things first. I planned on going into town in search of a carpenter.” Trixie’s ears twitched a bit at that. “The sooner we can get started on Trixie’s new wagon, the sooner we can put on our show.” That last bit got a bit of color forming on her cheeks. But talking about her potential new wagon got me remembering about her recently destroyed again. And how it was still where the Ursa Minor had left it. “...Though, before we do that, we should probably take care in clearing out the damage from the old one.”

A bit of silence washed over us at the mention of needing to damage control. Spike was first to break that silence, gaining a bit of a quizzical expression as he tilted his head. “Wait, your show?”

Trixie responded back before I had a chance to. “T-Trixie currently holds a binding contract with this hoo-mane, on the grounds that they will assist me in one show.” Her glare being set on me caused just a bit of perspiration to form on my forehead. “As compensation…”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to be confused. “Compensation? For what?”

My eyes lowered towards the plate of scrumptiousness set before me, a nervous tone in my voice. “I, uh… Think it’s best if we don't bring it up.” That seemed to get a snort from the mage.

“...If you say so,” Twilight muttered, before taking a sip from her juice.

“...A-Anyway,” I continued, “once all the wagon business is taken care of, I was thinking of stopping by Rarity’s.” That seemed to get Spike’s attention, for some reason. “She mentioned being able to make me some new clothes, which I’m in dire need of.”

“D-Do you think you’d need any help?” Spike asked, seeming a bit too excited to offer his assistance.

“Uhh…” I raised a brow at the little dragon, feeling both confused and a bit suspicious. “...No? Why do you ask?”

He seemed to gain a nervousness of his own, smiling sheepishly while diverting his gaze. “O-Oh, no reason.” I noticed Twilight roll her eyes with a small smile.

Still a bit confused, but not really caring enough to pry, I poured myself a glass of OJ before taking a few swigs of it. I had to stop myself from looking at the glass in awe. Wow! Does everything just taste better here?

The cyan unicorn’s voice speaking up in its usual condescending tone pulled me away from my thoughts. “...And what shall Trixie do while you’re out playing dress-up?”

I raised a brow at her, half a waffle in my mouth as I began wolfing down the deliciously glorified fried bread in earnest. Once my mouth was clear of food, I shrugged my shoulders. “Well… I don’t know. You’re not on house arrest here.” I motioned towards the nearby window. “If you want, I can show you around the town on our way to see if there’s anyone around who can start working on your new wagon. And if there’s nothing that piques your interest, there are literally a couple hundred or more books here you could look through.”

Twilight suddenly gained a mild look of realization. “Oh, well, sure!” She smiled at Trixie. “I mean, this is technically the Ponyville Library, after all. In fact…” She then paused for a moment, seemingly in thought. “I was planning on doing some more spell practice later today. Would you, maybe, be interested in joining me?”

It seemed both of us had been caught off guard by Twilight’s offer. What caught me more off guard, however, was when Trixie began to show a rather apprehensive look to her, rather than outright shoot down the idea like I’d have thought she would.

Sensing this as a good first step for her, I tilted my head slightly towards her with a chuckle. “You know, seeing as magic is sort of your schtick, too, I’d be pretty hard-pressed in finding someone else as fluent in it as Twilight, here. In fact, I wouldn’t be too surprised if the both of you could benefit from this.” That got looks being thrown my way by both mares. “I mean, think about it! Twilight, didn’t you tell me the whole point you’re even living here is because Princess Celestia wanted you to continue your lessons on friendship, or whatever?” Twilight’s expression seemed to turn a bit more thoughtful at that, though still held a hint of uncertainty once she rested her gaze back on the show mare. Who was now staring at Twilight with wide eyes.

“W-Wait. Thee Princess Celestia?”

That seemed to get a rather bashful look from Twi, the mare gaining a sheepish grin as she glanced away. “U-Uh, yeah. I’m… sort of her personal student.”

I found that the perfect point to jump in. “And while I’m more than certain you’re quite capable of thinking up your own acts, which would undoubtedly be mesmerizing in their own right…” Trix was back to eyeing me suspiciously at this point, though I couldn’t help but notice the change in her demeanor at my inflating her ego. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone else who also shares in your love of magic to bounce ideas off of? Someone who as studied under the princess, no less?” Her eyes darted over towards Twilight, now holding something I’d not expected in her gaze; nervousness.

“...I mean, he does have a pretty good point.”, Spike chimed in, before stuffing away the last waffle he’d had on his plate into his mouth.

There was a brief moment of unease in the air before, after giving her head a quick shake, Trixie herself spoke up in a rather pompous tone. “W-While Trixie still thinks you talk far too much… Even she will admit you tend to have a subpar point, which isn’t saying much.” I simply stuck my tongue out at her. “The Great and Powerful Trixie supposes she could find time to showcase her amazing and dazzling talents to those less fortunate than herself.”

“This coming from the one who lost their wag-Ouch!” My hand slapping the back of Spike’s head cut him off. He was quite quick to shoot me a dirty look, regardless of the fact it felt like I was the one that just slapped a brick wall. Note to self. Dragons are way stockier than they look.

Twilight, seeming to have either not noticed or ignored the two of us, put what looked like a somewhat forced smile on before nodding her head. “I… think I get what Nick is proposing. And, while it’s also quite a surprise to myself, as well… I agree with him.” Finishing off the rest of her orange juice, she nodded her head before getting up from her seat. “I’ll start getting everything set up so that we can get started once you’re back from town.” A small smile was starting to form on my face, glad to see that I, for once, may have done a good.

“Oh, and Nick?” I paused from the bite of golden brown scrumptiousness I had just been about to eat, looking at Twilight with a raised brow. “...Would you mind cleaning up breakfast before you leave?”

Aaand, smiles gone.

After having finished my own breakfast, cleaning up, and going through the rest of my morning ritual, Trixie and I made our way into town. Twilight had informed us that we would likely need to get in touch with the mayor of Ponyville–a ‘Mayor Mare’ of all ponies–on what to do with her busted-up trailer. So, that was where we started heading first. Of course, with us no longer in the presence of others, the magician deemed it necessary to grace me with another earful on not making decisions for her. And I, seeming to have fallen back into my regular, argumentative, routine, decided to rebuttal with my own argument instead of apologizing. After all, what would she have preferred to do? Avoid the mare, whose place she was now residing in, until she left? Or would she prefer to keep herself busy, and repair her damaged reputation by showing the town that had nearly chased her out–albeit wrongfully–that there wasn’t any bad blood? Since, you know, that was likely the path with the least amount of road bumps, right? And hopefully, the one that leads with her staying, too.

She didn’t comment.

We had to pass by the wreckage of the wagon along the way to the town square. Trixie mentioned wanting to take another look around, now that it was daylight, for anything else she could still salvage. I waved her on before continuing along my way to the town hall. Which, now that I had a good look at it… I couldn’t help tilting my head and squinting. With the overall circular base, double balcony-like exteriors…Hell, even the coloration; light tan siding, with a lighter brown-red roof. It was all just screaming ‘cake’.

…This pony world is really getting to me. Either that or I’m still hungry.

Making my way in through the main entrance, through a pair of hot pink double doors, I entered a reception area of some kind. The left side of the room was set up with a few chairs and coffee tables, with one or two of the tables having small, neatly piled, stacks of magazines and the odd newspaper. There was an entryway towards the opposite side of the room, ahead of me that looked like a hallway that came to a dead-end, adorned with a single window. And to my right sat a desk, with whom I assumed was the receptionist, herself. She was a white-coated mare with a rather darker-brown mane with the back set in a rather professionally done bun, and a pair of black, rather thick-framed, glasses. She also had some sort of white collar around her neck, being held in place by a red, puffy, ascot. A moment after my entrance, the mare seemed to have paused from what she’d been doing, glancing up at me with mildly confused, brown eyes.

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t recognize this mare from Pinkie’s party. However, by this point, I was betting word of my being here had hopefully traveled to all the residents in town, which might have been a factor in her not coming off as completely shocked to see me. So, with that in mind, I gave her a small, friendly, wave before approaching her with a light smile.

“ How can I… help you?” she asked, raising one of her brows at me. Thankfully, I couldn’t detect any tension in her tone.

“Good morning!” I replied back, still hoping I looked and sounded as pleasant as I was going for. “Yes, I was hoping I could speak with the mayor if she’s in?”

“...And, may I ask who it is looking for her?”

“Yes, you may.” There was a brief moment of rather awkward silence between the two of us before she cleared her throat. That seemed to kick my brain well enough to realize what she’d actually been asking, getting me to mentally swear at how dense I fucking was. “Oh! S-Sorry. It’s Nick. The, uh, ‘human’ that’s been staying at the library being kept by Ms. Twilight Sparkle?”

A sudden feminine voice exclaiming from halfway down the hallway would grab both our attention. “Oh! Send them in, Inkwell!”

‘Inkwell’ blinked for a moment, before raising a hoof and pointing it towards the hallway. “It’s the first door on the right.”

I gave her an appreciative nod before following her directions. Which wasn’t that hard when there ended up being only one door on the right the entire stretch of the hallway, with said door wide open, showcasing the tan-coated, gray-maned, mare seated behind her own desk. Mayor Mare waved me in with a friendly expression.

“So, you’re the one the princess informed me about!” she proclaimed, looking me over before motioning towards the chair that sat in front and off-center of her desk, facing towards her. “Please, take a seat.” I obliged with a nod, seating myself where she’d gestured. Once I was comfortable, and I caught her staring at me still, she quickly gained a sheepish expression, clearing her throat. “N-Now then, I believe a proper introduction is in order! I’m the mayor of this quaint little town, Mayor Mare. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

I couldn’t help feeling a bit of warmth over my face, having not prepared for such a greeting. “I, uh… should probably be thanking you and your citizens for not throwing me out of town, yet.” I gave a nervous chuckle, itching at the scruff on my chin. “For the most part, everyone here has been mildly pleasant towards the oddity residing with them.”

The mayor let out a small laugh, waving a hoof at me. “Oh, well, while I’m not going to attempt to downplay the hospitality of my citizens, one doesn’t simply turn away somepony with the Princess’s backing.” Ah, so that’s what it was… “But it does my heart good to hear your stay here so far has been comfortable. In fact, should you be so keen to deliver a message from me, I’d appreciate you thanking Ms. Sparkle for the exemplary act of heroism she managed just last night with that supersized ursa! Thanks to her, the only real damage that was done was the destruction of that braggart show pony’s wagon.”

I could already feel the smile I’d been holding trembling slightly, another forced laugh coming from me. “Yeah, about that…” The mare seemed to dawn a confused look, tilting her head. “My reasons for wanting to see you involved the wreckage of that wagon. See, Miss Trixie is going to be staying at the library with us, and we wanted to assist in cleaning up the damage. We also planned on asking if you might know of anyone in town who may be able to build a new wagon for her.”

The mayor’s expression had quickly turned a bit more surprised, before the mare shifted a bit in her seat, ears pinned back. “I-I see.” She cleared her throat, trying her best to keep a now awkward smile plastered to her face. “W-Well, I suppose that raises a few questions of my own…” I raised my brow at her, feeling my fists clench somewhat. Thankfully, after getting another look at me, she didn’t seem too keen on asking them. “Oh, but don’t you mind my babbling! I-In fact, you shouldn’t even have to worry about the damage. Unfortunately, we here in Ponyville are quite used to the occasional property damage or structural restoration. Just something we’ve gotten used to after living so close to the Everfree Forest.”

Honestly, though, that’s a great point. Why do they live so close to a notoriously dangerous woodland?

I didn’t have time to ask before a hoof was being waved at me. “So don’t fret yourselves. We’ll likely have the wreckage tidying up before the day is even through.” She paused a moment to adjust her glasses, before gaining a bit of a contemplative look to her. “Although, as for your inquiry on finding a builder…” She hummed in thought, tapping her hoof to her chin, before widening her eyes. “Ah ha! I believe I know just the pony!” She then proceeded to pull out a piece of scrap paper and a pencil, scribbling something down on it. It was already being handed over to me before I could comment on my being illiterate, so I took it without comment.

“Follow these directions, and you should make it straight over to Timber Craft’s workshop. She should be able to assist you. Just inform her I sent you!” Her expression turned a bit more bashful as she cleared her throat, before speaking in a lower tone. “...As an apology for speaking out of hoof in regards to… Trixie, was it?”

I waved my hand at her. “Eh, no harm done. I’ll openly admit she comes off as a bit brash, well, most of the time. But I think she’s a good kid at heart.”

Mayor Mare paused a moment, before tilting her head. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I misinformed? I was told she was a pony, not a goat.”

It honestly took me longer than I’d like to admit before the off comment clicked, getting a heavy sigh from me in response. “...No, I mean-” I cut myself off, before shaking my head. “Never mind.” Getting up from my seat, I gave a polite wave to her before turning towards the doorway. “Thank you for your help, Mayor. I’ll be sure to give Twilight your regards.”

“Oh, well, if you say so.” She returned my goodbye with a raised wave of her hoof. “A pleasure meeting you, Mr. Nick!”

Leaving the Town Hall, I met back up with Trixie at the wreck site–which already appeared to have a small crowd of ponies decked in standard construction garbs–levitating a small sack beside her with her magic. She’d apparently managed to find a few more personal items of hers in reasonable condition. Happy to hear it, I took the time to fill her in on most of my talk with the mayor, specifically on where we might be able to get someone to get a new wagon started for her. While it didn’t show all the way through, I could still notice the hints of relief on her expression at the news. With no small amount of hurrying on her part, and after I was finished throwing a quick thank you to the clean-up crew, we started off in the direction Mayor Mare directed.

It didn’t take us long to find it, thankfully. The building itself wasn’t too different than the rest of the ones seen around town, aside from a wooden, hanging, sign perched above and to the side of the entrance. The image of a wooden plank with a saw halfway cut into it, appeared to have been skillfully engraved into the wood of the sign itself. Staring at it for a moment, I was already silently betting with myself on that being the owner’s cutie mark. Without a word, we both made our way in, Trixie seemingly deciding to take the lead.

The first thing that bombarded my nose was the scent of sawdust and wood polish, the latter tickling at my nose and warranting a rather loud sneeze. The sudden sound caused Trixie to jump, turning towards me with a slight glare, which I returned with a sheepish shrug.

“Be out in a second!”, a slightly muffled voice called out from an entryway behind the counter.

“Take your time,” I called back, taking the opportunity to get a look at the place.

The front area of the place wasn’t all that large, with the counter taking up a majority of the space, which made sense, as I assumed what was likely the workshop in the back would be what needed the most space. A few selves along the walls were adorned with varying wooden figurines. Closer inspection confirmed they’d been carved, and quite well. One of the mini-statutes caught my attention, however, a small shiver running through me. The being appeared to be equine in shape but held other characteristics that made it seem more… bestial. It didn’t take me long to recognize the resemblance it shared with the “wolf ponies” depicted in Princess Celestia’s mosaic scene of past events she had shown me. At some point, Trixie must have noticed my obsession with the figurine, her voice speaking up from next to me catching me surprisingly off guard.

“Pony Wolf,” she began in a rather bored tone, “Just an old folktale told to scare foals around the campfire.” I turned my head down towards her, brow raised at how she even knew what it was. She must have noticed my bewilderment as the smallest of blushes came to her cheeks, her expression turning somewhat defensive. “T-Trixie had to study such tales in order to perfect her art of captivating an audience through storytelling…”

I found myself trying my best not to crack a smirk in fear of what sort of punishment she’d respond with. Thankfully, the sound of hoof steps approaching us from behind us caught both our attention before I could find out.

“...Sorry about that. What, uh… can I do for you two?”

Turning around, I was introduced to the mare I assumed was Timber Craft. Spice in color, with tan sections of her pelt that I’d nearly confused for sawdust clinging to her, and a messy, brownish tan mane and tail, the former of which was held up in an equally messy ponytail. She also had what resembled a workshop apron on with a few miscellaneous tools sticking out from various pockets. I couldn’t help but notice her keeping her gaze on me, for the most part, clearly showing signs of uncertainty. Which was understandable, seeing as I didn’t recognize her from around town, or having been at Pinkie’s party. Though, from lack of outward hostility, I had to assume she’d as least heard of me.

Presenting the best smile I could, I have the mare a small wave. “Timber Craft?” She gave a small nod in response. “Hi! I’m Nick, and this is Trixie.” I motioned to the mare next to me. “The mayor informed us you might be able to help us out with something?”

“Depends on what it is you need help with.” She brushed a bit of actual sawdust from her shoulder, before raising her brow at us.

Trixie took over from there, giving Timber the specifics. I found myself continuing to glance over toward the figurine from before, not being able to fight off the nagging feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach. However, Trixie's shrill voice shouting out in exclamation pulled me from my thoughts.

“What do you mean several months?! And for such an outrageous price!”

Turning my attention back toward the two mares, I could see Trixie trying–and failing–to hold her composure, and Timber Craft looking somewhere between annoyed and dead inside.

“...Like I said,” Timber started, “You’re asking me to solely focus on one hay of a project. It’ll take me at least three weeks to complete the rest of my current orders. Then roughly four months to process the lumber, build the wagon, then get an enchanter to finish the type of transmutation spells you’re asking for.”

Well, so much for my extremely optimistic prediction of one month… “And what are you asking price-wise?”

“Well, the material cost alone will start at fifteen hundred bits, give or take.” I could practically feel Trixie’s death glare on me. “But you’re also requesting this be completed as quickly as possible. With how much time and effort this project will require, I’ll not have enough time to pick up anything else, albeit any emergencies the Mayor requests of me. That being said, my labor fee will make up for that. I’d wager another fifteen hundred should cover it.” That knot in my stomach was coming back, though for a whole different reason, now. “ And finally, I know somepony who’d be able to imbue the right enchantments, but they’re up in Canterlot. Their pricing is normally rather fair, but enchanting isn’t cheap. Especially if you want it done right. Now, I’m no magic expert, but I’ve worked with them long enough to make decent estimates on what they charge on average, and I’d wager they’ll request at least a thousand bits for this sort of job. Regardless, I’d be asking for at least half of my payment”

…That’s four thousand bits. Four thousand bits that neither of us has.

There was a moment of silence before I found myself letting out a long sigh. “...Well, it sounds like a reasonable price. I’m no expert when it comes to this line of work, and I still haven’t had the time to even try converting bits to the currency the place I’m from used…” Trixie prodded my side, getting me to look at her before she nodded her head away from the other mare. “...Can we have a moment to discuss it over?”

Timber’s expression hinted at a bit of confusion, likely on my own comments, but she inevitably gave us a small nod. “Sure. I’ve got a bit more cleaning up to do in the back, anyway. Give a holler when you’ve made up your minds.” She then turned and made her way back towards the entryway in the back of the room, leaving me alone with a rather upset show mare.

One who wasted no time in shouting at me in a whisper. “Trixie does not have that sort of money! How is she supposed to afford that?”

“How the hell do I know?”, I retorted back, before shaking my head as I tried to take a calming breath. “...Look, I get you’re upset. I obviously underestimated how easy this would be.”

“You think?!”

Lord, give me strength… “...I’ve got a job lined up at Berry Punch’s club. I’ve no clue how much she was planning on paying me, but I could ask her if she’d even be willing to front a few shows for you, too. If we do that long enough, maybe-”

Trixie frowned, diverting her gaze from me as she cut me off. “Trixie doesn’t need, or want, you spending bits on her...”

I fell silent, staring at her with relative uncertainty. I made like I was about to retort, but found myself hesitating for some reason. Shaking away the clouded thoughts from my head, I waved my hand dismissively toward the mare. “It’s not that big a deal, Trixie. If you’re so worried about it, you can just pay me back later.”

Her irate expression didn’t shift too much as she let out a huff, rolling her eyes. “It’s a big deal to me…”

I eyed her for a moment longer, a nagging feeling starting to form in the back of my mind. I could reason that, if my gut was correct in her being what she was, the Element of Pride would undoubtedly have issues with others offering their assistance. But… It felt like there was more to this than just that. And, while I couldn’t really justify asking her about it, having only recently met her, I still found myself wanting to.

“Hey.”, I spoke up, in a softer tone. “The sooner you get your-” I found myself smirking a bit, fighting back a giggle as a realization hit me. “...Your stagecoach made, the sooner you can get back to traveling.”

The look on Trixie’s face at my abrupt attempt at a pun broke me, leaving me in a laughing fit. I couldn’t tell if she was trying her best not to crack a smirk, or crack my skull open. The sudden commotion must have reached Timber’s ears, cause she was soon making her way back out into the room with a bemused smile.

“Everything… alright?”

I managed to stifle my laughter into a snicker, nodding my head. “Y-Yeah. I think we’re gonna take you up on your offer, but it’ll take some time to come up with your down payment.” Surprisingly, Trixie didn’t speak up with any retorts. “Do you have a deadline on when you’d need it by?”

The craftsmare thought for a second, tapping at her chin with her hoof. “Well… As of right now, I don’t have any big projects going on after my current workload is completed.” She looked back at me, shaking her head. “If nothing comes up, and you can get that downpayment to me by sometime late next month, I should be able to start working on it soon after.”

I gave a nod, before thanking her for her time. She nodded as well, wishing us both a pleasant rest of our day. Trixie and I made our way out of the shop, a quick look towards the sky giving me a rough guess estimate of it only being around mid-day.

I still got plenty of time to visit Rarity’s, and then go confirm my working status with Berry.

With a small nod at that thought, I glanced at the mare, now seemingly keeping a wide berth from me, from the corner of my eye. She still looked rather peeved, though I thought I could catch her throwing her own glances my way when she thought I wasn’t looking. Cracking a small grin, I reached over and gently poked her on the cheek, getting both her face to flush a bit, as well as a small scowl. Which only made me snicker.

“You need to lighten up, Miss ‘Oh Great and Powerful’...”

Trixie’s expression, to my surprise, seemed to grow slightly less irritated, bordering more on… complacency? She didn’t lose the light tint of rose around her cheeks, though, as she seemed to half-heartedly scoff at me before letting out one last statement. She emphasized this by picking up her pace and flicking my arm with her tail as she passed me.

“...I hate you.”

Chapter 13: Some Semblance of Normality

I walked Trixie back to the library, seeing as she had apparently exhausted the amount of patience she could muster to be near me. That, plus she had to stow away the other belongings she’d managed to retrieve from her wrecked wagon. I stopped in long enough to share the details of our visit with the mayor, as well as inform Twilight she had sent me with her regards. She blushed a bit at the praise Mayor Mare had had for her, waving her hoof dismissively the whole time. I couldn’t help but notice Trixie’s look of trepidation the whole while. Though, I couldn’t quite pinpoint whether it was from regret or jealousy…

We all shared a quick lunch, Spike and I having had the idea to make a large bowl of fruit salad–yummy yummy–which I was more than happy to assist with. Afterward, we shared a few more moments of idle chit-chat before I mentioned needing to head over to Rarity’s to check if she was free to take those measurements. Spike looked super interested at that, asking if I thought I’d need any help, to which I politely shot down with a small chuckle. He seemed a bit disheartened, but after explaining I didn’t plan on staying there long enough for him to attempt wooing her, getting a flustered flurry of denials of the sort, he made himself scarce, heading upstairs as quickly as his embarrassed form could take him. This, needless to say, got a chuckle from me, a stifled giggle from Twilight, and an eye roll from Trixie.

So, with no further distractions, I found myself making my way through the streets of Ponyville once more. With having had to transverse this place a few times now, I still couldn’t help but be a bit surprised at how well I was getting at finding my way around. However, I couldn’t help noticing the wide berth most of the civilians still gave me. I’d get the odd smile or wave from most I vaguely recognized from Pinkie’s party, but the majority either still held some form of apprehension in their gaze, or did their best to stay away from me altogether. Which… I wasn’t sure how to go about handling right now. But I pushed that thought away, focusing back on the task at hand.

The large, colorful building that, sure enough, resembled a carousel steadily came into view. Without even meaning to, I could feel the slight grimace forming on my face.

…It looks like something Barbie thought up.

With that thought in mind, and taking a second to mentally shield what masculine dignity I had left in this colorful world of magical talking ponies… I approached the doorway, acknowledging the sign on the door stating it was still open, and let myself in.

A bell chimed above me as I entered, quickly followed by Rarity’s voice melodically calling from further in.

“Be right with you~!”

“Take your time,” I half-mindedly called back, still trying to get my bearings in whatever space I’d just walked into.

If I hadn’t heard Rarity’s voice, or been sure I’d followed her directions well enough, I would have thought I made the wrong turn and entered a fun house. I felt like my eyes should have been bleeding from how vibrantly colorful everything was. Pony-shaped mannequins appeared, in what I could only assume were, strategically scattered about the place, some having what looked like unfinished projects still on them. Much of the studio was littered with different kinds of fabrics, all in multiple shades and patterns. Sketches of clothing designs were pinned to the walls near the heap of the working stations, along with several mirrors set up along a few walls.

I caught hoof steps approaching from an entryway off to the side of the main room, looking over in time to see the white unicorn lower a pair of red glasses from the bridge of her muzzle and give a hesitant look towards me. All before expertly masking it with a welcoming smile. She’s good. Probably has to deal with undesirables all the time.

“Ah… Nick, was it?” Rarity casually made her way further in, any sense that she had been cautious of me being there completely gone. Well, aside from the fact I could still smell her nerves. And… what is that, perfume? Smells like vanilla chunks wrapped in flowers, before being dunked in raspberry juice. “Welcome to my lovely Boutique!” She stopped a good yard or so from me, tilting her head slightly, though keeping her smile. “Did Twilight send you for something?”

I shook my head, itching my cheek with a small chuckle. “Not really… I was hoping you might be able to do me a favor.”

She raised her brow in momentary confusion, before what I took as a much more genuine smile graced her expression. “Well, I can certainly do my best, darling. What did you require?”

I pointed towards the shirt I was wearing; the same shirt I’d been wearing since I first got here. “I’m not sure how busy you are, but I was hoping I might be able to request some more clothing for me, at some point? I didn’t really have a chance to grab a change of clothes before getting forcefully dragged to this place.” I ended that with another chuckle, though even I could make out how hollow it came off.

The mare’s smile quickly took a nosedive, her expression filling with worry. “Oh, you poor thing!” She quickly made her way closer, her horn flaring up as I felt one of my hands being pulled towards her, wrapped up in the same color aura her horn was engulfed in. She then took said hand in one of her hooves, causing me to fight back a grimace at the feeling.

Hooves should not be able to do that…

Thankfully, she must not have noticed, as she continued on with a sympathetic expression. “Twilight has been rather sparse on the details, but I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult this must be for you.” The smile I’d been attempting to hold faltered slightly as I began having difficulty keeping my eyes locked with hers. She must have noticed this, however, as her eyes gained a more encouraging look, her smile returning. “But don’t you fret, darling, you’ve come to just the right mare! I’ll be more than happy to help!”

“...Thank you,” I replied, trying to smile once more. I couldn’t help but mentally cuss at myself for having misjudged her right off the bat. Prissiness aside, she seems like she has a good heart.

“It’s my pleasure!” Releasing my hand, she took a step back before giving me a look over, particularly giving my clothes a few inquisitory glances. “...Well, differing body postures aside, our clothing at least appears similar in structure.” Her horn gleamed once more to readjust her glasses. “Pardon, but would you be able to change out of them for me, so I could closer examine them?”

I felt my cheeks heat up before I could respond. “W-Well, I suppose so…” I glanced about the place for a second. “Do you have somewhere to undress? And, maybe a towel?”

The unicorn gained a momentary look of confusion, before waving a hoof at me with a small giggle. “Oh, come now, darling. There’s no need to be bashful!”

…Ah, right. Most of the ponies around here don’t wear clothing.

“I-It’s… more of a cultural thing. We, as a collective species, saw being nude in public as, uh… ‘public indecency’.” I had to take a second to mentally confirm that I was, indeed, explaining this to a talking miniature horse. “...It’s just been sort of burned into my psyche, at this point.”

Rarity seemed to take a second to think it over, before nodding her head with a small smile. “Well, while I have to admit the concept sounds a tad silly from my own perspective, I’ll go and fetch you a towel. There’s also a changing area through there.” She pointed a hoof towards a doorway that had a curtain draped off to the side. “Go ahead, and I’ll be right back!” She then turned and gracefully trotted away toward where she’d come from.

Leaving me to slowly make my way over to the changing room with a heavy sigh.

After an excruciating ten minutes, Rarity finished taking my measurements and inspecting all my garments. Once given the okay to dress again, I wasted little time in excusing myself to put them back on, but was surprised to come back to her already sketching on a large notepad. Glancing over her shoulder, I immediately went pale at whatever creation she thought she was making for me.

“Uh…” I backed away from her, with an uneasy smile, trying to choose my next words carefully. “B-Before you start going crazy with the designs, I only really need some simple shirts and shorts, for now.”

With the look she gave as she turned to face me, you’d think I’d just insinuated her mother gave out free pony rides. Guess I didn’t choose those words so carefully…

“Simple? Why, my good stallion, perish the thought!” She emphasized her statement by covering her forehead with her arm in a rather dramatic fashion, before looking at me with borderline scrutiny “Don’t you want to look your absolute best, and wow the other ponies?”

“No, not really…”

For a moment, I thought I heard the sound of glass shattering before Rarity shot me a wary look. “...Are you most certain, darling? It’d truly be no problem at all t-”

I cut her off with a waving of my hand, trying my best to present an apologetic smile. “Really, Rarity, I’m alright with it being casual. In fact, I’d honestly prefer it. Anything too out of the norm of what I used to wear back home might be…” I sort of trailed off, not quite sure how to put it.

Thankfully, it seemed I didn’t need to, as a pristine hoof gently being placed on my hip would catch my train of thought. Lowering my gaze towards the mare it belonged to, my unsure expression meeting Rarity’s soft smile, I could feel a small sting form in my chest.

“...Say no more, Nick. I’ll get started on a few outfits right away.” She must have seen my attempt to speak, as her horn was soon glowing once more as a tightness formed around my mouth, keeping it shut. “And I won’t take any rebuttals. Consider this both another apology on account of our first meeting, as well as a personal ‘welcome to Ponyville’ gift from myself.”

I stared back at her for a moment, finding myself unable to come up with any kind of verbal response. After a good half minute of silence between the two of us, all I could manage to do was kneel down, taking the mare’s hoof in my hand. After a bit of effort, I muddled out a small response, my voice being a bit shakier than I’d have preferred.

“Th-Thank you…”

She closed her eyes, smiling more prominently. “You are absolutely welcome, darling.” Rarity gently took her hoof back before looking back at me with a more assertive look in her eyes. “I’ll have them ready and waiting before the day is through. Just be sure to pick them up before it gets too late. I’ll want to have you try them on, just in case they need adjustments.”

I nodded my head, still trying my best to force a smile onto my face. Which was beginning to be quite the ordeal.

After exchanging goodbyes, I wandered out of her boutique with two thoughts currently going through my mind. One is that I’d judged Rarity far too harshly up to this point, and would definitely need to make up for her–unsurprising–generosity at some point. And two…

…I really miss home.

With that depressing thought now in the forefront of my mind, I meandered my way through town without much clarity on what else I’d meant to do today. Glancing toward the sky and recalling how long I’d been at Rarity’s, I pegged it as being a little before one. Likely as a means of distracting myself, I started imagining what everyone back at the library was up to. Twilight and Trixie were probably starting their spell lessons, with Spike either doing his own thing or helping out.

I hope they’re, at the very least, being civil amongst themselves…

Before my mind could start filling with too many images of the tree library up in flames, some movement up by a cloud caught my attention. That was about the only heads-up I got before a multi-colored streak was darting right at me. With practically no time to react, and even less to figure out whether the rainbow-maned mare was, for whatever reason, diving at me with ill intent, or was actually in trouble, I did the only thing I could. I raised both my arms out to my sides and plastered an evil smile onto my face.

I could just make out an expression of either confusion or surprise on her face, quickly followed by a look of panic as she tried and failed to pull out of her nosedive. With the feeling of having just been hit by a car, both of us were soon rolling backward over each other along the dirt street, until I was lying on my back, sore and silently cursing my idiocracy, and a mildly dazed Rainbow Dash was wrapped up in my embrace. Unsurprisingly, she was quicker at recovery from the collision, immediately trying to escape my hold on her.

“L-Let me go!” I did so, continuing to lie on the ground in a slowly dulling pain. “Why’d you go and mess up my landing like that?! Are you trying to get yourself hurt?”

With most of the soreness nearly faded away, I slowly sat up, raising my gaze towards the cyan pegasus. “...No, not really.” I picked myself up off the ground, brushing away the dirt from my pants, before turning back to her with a small chuckle. “I mean, if I did, I’d just warrant another earful from Twilight.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, before giving me a deadpanned look. “Uh huh…” She gained a rather conflicted look on her face. “Hey, uh… I never got to ask ya about it, but…” The mare diverted her gaze, rubbing one of her forelegs with the other. “Did you end up finding Gilda?”

“...Yeah.” I spoke up, only now recalling I’d not gotten a chance to talk to her about it, either. “We, uh… got in a bit of a scuffle out in the Everfree.” Rainbow’s gaze shot toward me at that, eyes widening. “Easy, she’s fine. Honestly, I took the brunt of it.”

“T-That’s not much better!” While she was doing her best not to make it apparent, I could tell she was trying to look me over. “Griffons can really do some damage, dude! Especially Gilda!”

“Yeah, well…” I waved my hand at her, before itching at my neck scruff. “From what she was saying, I don’t think she necessarily wanted to kill me. Just… take out some of her frustration, is all. Besides,” I let out a forced chuckle, “I think I ended up flustering her in the end, sending her off in a bout of embarrassment.”

That got Rainbow’s attention, the mare gaining a rather dubious look of shock, before it slowly turned into a toothy smirk. “Now THAT I would have loved to see.”

I snickered, a bit more genuine this time. “It was… something.” My smirk fell a bit short, though, as I recalled more of what Gilda and I had gone over. “...I think, at the end of the day, she just thought you had gone and replaced her with some new friends. Which, doesn’t really give her much of an excuse for the way she handled it, but…”

Rainbow’s face grew a bit more downtrodden at that, the mare rubbing at the back of her head. “Damn… I guess I just didn’t realize that.”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her, having heard one of these ponies say some form of obscenity. Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised Rainbow Dash is the one to pop my vulgarity cherry in this pastel world of ponies.

The two of us went silent for a few moments before Rainbow looked back at me with a slightly annoyed look on her. “Hey, by the way, who was that I saw you walking around town with earlier?”

The rather random question seemed to partially snap me out of whatever contemplation I’d found myself in. “Uh… What do you mean?” I smirked at her, furrowing my brow. “Are you spying on me, now?”

Rainbow seemed to lose her train of thought for a second, before letting out a mock laugh. “Ha! You wish.” But she seemed to remember whatever was on her mind, her irked look coming back to her as she flew up and hovered in my face. “Since when did you start getting all buddy-buddy with that big headed liar.”

I felt my jaw tighten a bit at that, reaching up and casually pushing Rainbow back a bit so she wasn’t directly in my face. “...You mean Trixie? She has a name, you know.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed a bit before she folded her forelegs over her chest in a rather human-like fashion. “After humiliating AJ, Rarity, and me in front of half of Ponyville, I couldn’t care less.”

That got a falter out of me, my head tilting in mild confusion. “...What are you talking about?”

“Right after you left her show, the three of us went up on stage to try and prove she wasn’t anything special. And instead, she ended up making us look bad! She more-or-less hogtied Applejack, turned Rarity’s mane green–which was honestly kind of funny–and then made me get all nauseous after twirling some clouds around me! Then she had the gull to gloat about it!”

I squinted at her, trying to make sense of some of it while looking away with a sigh. Pinching at the bridge of my nose, I looked back to Rainbow Dash before finally speaking up in a somber tone. “...I was not aware she’d done that. And I’ll be sure to bring it up with her when I get back to the library.”

“Wait, she’s still here?!”, she exclaimed in anger, before making like she was about to turn and dart off. I managed to grab ahold of her tail just as she was about to speed off, giving it a yank, with seemed to stop her right in her tracks, falling to her hooves. She was quick to give me a death glare, but I spoke up before she could say something.

“Yes, she is. And with Twilight’s permission, no less.” That seemed to shock her all the more. “She’s going to be staying with us until we manage to get her a new wagon.” Again, it looked like Dash wanted to speak up, and again, I cut her off. “Rainbow, it’s not her fault that Ursa Minor showed up. That was the wrongdoing of some easily impressionable kids that went looking for trouble, and then found it. Trixie’s only part was lying about having ever faced one before, which in the grand scheme of things, is honestly a forgivable offense when her entire livelihood depends on over-selling herself.”

She still didn’t look all too convinced, which I honestly didn’t expect her to. Shaking my head, and looking around towards the one or two ponies that had stopped to gawk at the small scene we were making, I tried my best to calm my already unsteady nerves. Taking a deep breath, I slowly let it out before turning back towards the rainbow-maned pegasus with a more neutral tone.

“...I’m sorry to hear she did those things to you and the other two. I was just at Rarity’s to request her help in creating a new wardrobe for me, and her mane was its normal color. So thankfully, that one wasn’t permanent. You have my word, though, that I will be having a word with Trixie when I see her, and preferably get her to apologize to you three herself. However…” I paused a moment, before continuing with slightly more intensity. “It also sounds like the only reason she did these things to you was because you’d all decided to meet her at her own game, and attempted to upstage her. And I also know for a fact that she’s not the only pony around here who enjoys tooting their own horn, Fastest Flyer In All of Equestria.”

Rainbow seemed to grow a bit flustered at that, frowning at me as a small blush formed on her face. “H-Hey, that’s different! Just because I am the fastest flyer doesn’t mean I also go around rubbing it in the face of anyone slower than me!” She quickly glanced away, a somewhat guilty expression peeking through as she muttered under her breath. “Much…”

She may have had a point, but I wasn’t giving in just yet. “Well, that’s the part I’m gonna try to have her work on. Her stay here isn’t going to be a vacation spot. I wholeheartedly plan on using her time here to better improve her attitude. Because, while you might not believe it, I think there’s a good mare in there somewhere that just needs a chance to let herself be known.”

There was another moment of silence between the two of us as we both stared at each other with varying levels of intensity. Eventually, Rainbow gave a small huff before rolling her eyes once more.

“Whatever, dude. I wouldn’t hold your breath, though...” She eyed me for a moment longer, before seeming to relax a bit more. “...Well, I’m gonna go practice some more of my flight maneuvers.” She quickly added. “N-Not because I’m trying to show off, or anything!”

The corners of my lips tugged outwards a bit, threatening to form a light smirk. “...Alright. And, uh…” I shook my head, letting out a sigh before looking to Rainbow Dash with an earnest smile. “No hard feelings. About Trixie, I mean.”

She paused a second, before lightly pounding her right foreleg on her chest, a cocky smirk on her face. “Eh, no big deal. Later, Nick.” And with that sped off towards the sky, before quickly darting over some nearby rooftops and out of sight.

Standing there, now with new information at the head of my attention, I thought about what my next play should be.

Well… I can either head back to the library, or…

Another thought came to mind, my eyes once more checking on the approximate time I was working with. Coming to the conclusion not much time had passed, I figured I might just have enough time to be there and back to pick up my clothes before it got too late. Plus, I really wanted to make sure any harm done by Trixie hadn’t had too many serious consequences…

…Alright. Off to Sweet Apple Acres, then.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

Making my way downtown, walking—at a rather brisk pace, I headed back towards the western side of the town, passing by Sugercube Corner and continuing towards the outskirts. Again, I had to marvel at how well I was getting my bearings with this place. Not that I’m complaining, of course. Even if I was retracing steps I’d taken several nights ago, it wasn’t difficult to find the stone bridge, built over a stream, that connected to the dirt path that eventually made its way towards both one of the Apple’s orchards, and the borders of the Everfree Forest.

Once I was on the other side, I could just make out the schoolhouse that I’d passed, as well. However, seeing as it was still summer, I figured it normal that I’d had yet to see any signs of use from the building yet. Continuing along the dirt path, I could just catch sight of the beginning of the apple orchard up ahead, along with the white picket fence bordering it. I hadn’t put much concern into it up to this point, but I couldn’t help but hope Applejack wouldn’t mind me showing up so abruptly like this…

…I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Rounding the bend, a stray southern breeze carried along the smells of, well, a farm. Surprisingly, though… I found myself smiling softly at all the scents I could pick up. Sure, one of the more prominent smells may have been that of livestock and… well, manure. But my wicked nose was managing to hone in on things I’d not smelt since… Well, my grandparent’s farm. Freshly-cut hay, laying out to cure. Earth that had recently been turned. And aside from the–unsurprising–smell of apples, I could also make out various other crops in varying states of bloom and growth. All of it just screamed familiarity. Hell, even as I got closer, the smell of the farm animals was starting to grow on me once more.

It wasn’t long until the supposed farmhouse came into sight, appearing more like a large barn-turned-residence than anything else. Large and red with white trim, and a large apple-themed wind vane atop what appeared to be the barn’s cupola, its windows decorated with bright yellow curtains. I could make out dark, vine-like, designs along the building, especially along the side and above what I assumed was the main entrance, as well as more apple memorabilia. The house itself was surrounded by more white fencing, with what looked like a chicken coop out front, a moderate garden likely meant for personal crop-growing for the household, a well, and a trellis archway that lead up to it all, a wooden sign with the shape of an apple cut out from it hanging underneath it.

Coming up to said archway, which had a well-maintained hedge growing over it with–get this–more apple-themed decor worked into it, I stood just before it, noting I’d likely need to duck underneath the sign if I wanted to enter.

Just another reminder that I’m constantly surrounded by beings half my size…

“Uh…” I glanced around the front yard, for lack of a better term, trying to spot anyone who might be out. Not immediately seeing anyone, I dipped my head under the sign as I casually stepped through the archway. “Hello? Anyone home?”

I could make out the sounds of chickens, a pig or three, as well as… what might have been some cows off behind the house? But no Applejack.

I took a few more steps forward, turning my attention back toward the household, particularly the visible window up on the top floor. There looked to be a planter outside the window, with some form of flowers growing in it. I could almost picture Mom tending to them, or at least trying her best to. An image of the dreary-looking mass of wildflowers she’d attempted to keep in the kitchen window came to mind, getting a frail smile out of me. She never really did have a green thumb… Probably why she first ended up moving closer to the cities.

The sound of barking close by snapped me out of my reminiscing, getting a jump out of me. Quickly turning towards its source, I caught sight of a brown and white collie with a red collar, currently bounding at me with an expression I didn’t quite take as friendly. Eyes going wide, I quickly took a few steps back, hands out in front of me.

“W-Woah, woah! Good doggy! Nice doggy!”

“You best get outta here, or this ‘ nice doggy’ is gonna tear you a new one, buster!”

I actually found myself pausing for a moment, eyes wide as I stared at the collie, who was now several feet away from me in a threatening stance, growling at me.

…Did that dog just talk?

In a world with talking ponies, I wasn’t exactly sure why that was the main concern at the forefront of my mind. But I didn’t have long to think too hard on it before another, older, voice called out from the entrance of the household, also containing a southern drawl.

“Now, what in the blazes ‘s goin’ on out here? Winona, what's got you all-” The old, light lime-green, mare stepping out from the main entrance cut herself off as soon as her eyes settled on me, a rather shocked expression coming over her wrinkled face before the old timer let out a shrill scream. “Eeeeee! B-Big Mac! One o’ them Everfree critters is in the front yard!” Her expression quickly turned to one of anger as the mare, despite how old she appeared, quickly disappeared back into the barn-like house, reappearing with a broom being held in her mouth shortly after. One, of which, she immediately raised in an intimidating manner before hobbling towards me. “Go on now, you filthy varmint, git!”

My eyes widened as I raised my hands out before me, waving them at the mare. “H-Hold up there, ma’am! I’m just here to– Ow!!” I found myself getting repeatedly thwacked on the arm and chest with the broom’s head, surprised by how much force the elderly earth pony mare was managing to put behind her swings.

At this point, the collie started to get in on this too, ducking in and attempting to nip at my legs, all while growling and barking up a storm once again. It was taking all I could to not freak out or start fighting back, and instead try to deflect the dreaded broom I was getting assaulted with while also trying to keep myself from getting bit.

“Dang critters learnin’ Equine, now, ay!? That blasted forest keeps spittin’ out sneakier and sneakier-”

“Granny Smith?!” Finally came a familiar voice. “What’s goin’ o– Woah, there, Granny! Winona, heel, girl!”

I’d never been happier to see a pony in all my life. Applejack quickly came galloping over, getting in between her supposed granny and the dog, who both appeared to falter in their attacks. I, meanwhile, finally found myself tripping over my feet, and falling backward onto my ass, not a moment too soon. The last thing I would have needed was the collie deciding to take a bite out of my face…

“Applejack?” Granny Smith frowned at the orange mare. “Youngin, have ye been lookin’ fer oranges in the pear trees again?! Why you gettin’ in the way of me chasin’ off this, here, Everfree critter?!” Had the circumstances been different, I likely would have laughed out loud at that.

Applejack made her way over to me, rolling her eyes before offering me a hoof. I took it, an apologetic smile plastered on my face as she pulled me to my feet. I then went to brushing off some of the dirt from the back of my pants, while the cowgirl glanced at the old-timer.

“‘Cause, Granny, this ain’t no critter from the Everfree…” She looked back at me, a mixture of confusion on her face.

She looked like she was about to say something, but cut herself off as large, heavy, hoofsteps caught both our attention. And that’s when true fear struck me as one of the largest earth ponies I’d have yet to meet came bounding around the far side of the house with a pitchfork in his mouth, and a look on his face that said he meant business. While the red stallion was, obviously, still not as tall as Celestia, the sheer bulk of him had a shiver running down my spine. Werewolf or not, I did not want to get on this one’s bad side…

The stallion got within a couple of yards of us, before skidding to a stop, confusion coming to him, as well, as he looked me up and down before turning his gaze towards Applejack with a questioning look. The mare, after acknowledging him, gave him a light wave of her hoof, which seemed to work in relaxing the stallion, if just a tiny bit.

“Easy there, Big Mac. Just a… friend of a friend payin’ an unexpected visit, I gander.” She looked back at me with her own brow raised, as if expecting a follow-up.

“U-Uh… Y-Yeah.”, I managed to get out, before chuckling uneasily. “S-Sorry for the scare. I, uh… Was hoping to visit the farm after hearing some rather…” I paused a moment, thinking of a tactful way to put it. “...Unsavory news regarding a certain showpony. But, uh…” I chuckled again, itching at my cheek. “...Guess I got sort of lost in thought when I got here.” Looking to the eldest of the bunch, I put on the sincerest look of apology I could muster, before bowing my head. “S-Sorry, ma’am. I apologize for the start. Love the looks of your farm, though.”

A small hum came from Granny Smith, raising my gaze showing her now propping herself up with her broom while tapping at her chin. She had a skeptical look on her face as she sized me up. In all fairness, I didn’t feel like I was completely at fault here, seeing as I wasn’t the one who had jumped to the conclusion of granting someone death by broomstick, but I wasn’t about to press my luck by calling the old hag out on it…

“Well…” Her facial features appeared to relax slightly. “Ah s’pose ah might’ve jumped to some sort of conclusions, an’ saved askin’ questions fer later…” She finally gave a small smile, gaining an apologetic look of her own. “An’ ye sound like yer bein' sincere. Sorry ‘bout that, sonny.”

“Q-Quite alright.” I chuckled, before standing straight again.

Seeing as the farm was no longer under attack by some terrifying monster from the dreaded Everfree, Granny Smith slowly made her way back into the house, managing to appear feeble the whole while. The large brute of a stallion, who Applejack proceeded to introduce as her older brother Big Macintosh, gave a nod before silently excusing himself back to the chores he’d been working on. Winona had taken a seat beside AJ, still giving me a small glare as the latter stifled a chuckle.

“Sorry again ‘bout that. Had ya given us a heads up, Ah’m sure we woulda had a warmer welcome waitin’ for ya.”

I shrugged my shoulders, still giving the dog a weary glance. I couldn’t shake the growing suspicion the collie wasn’t acting the way she was solely because I was different, but more so because of what I was. …Probably can sense I’m a monster. “Nah, that’s my bad. Like I said, stopping by was a sort of last-minute decision.”

“Right.” She suddenly frowned, squinting slightly. “Somthin’ ‘bout that Great’n’Powerful blowhard?”

A frown slowly formed on my lips, before I shook my head with a sigh. “...Yeah, about that…”

I basically told her the same thing I’d said to Rainbow Dash; she was likely gonna be sticking around for quite a while. And, unsurprisingly, I got almost the exact same response I’d gotten from the multi-colored speedster; unhindered questioning of my sanity. Which, I had to admit, was something I had been starting to do, as well. The country mare definitely didn’t sound keen about the prospect of running into Trixie around town, especially after what she had done to her in front of such a large crowd. However, to my surprise, my counterargument seemed to have a bit more effect on the honest mare.

“While Ah ain’t gonna deny it was mighty foolish of me to fall for that highfalutin mare’s bait, but settin’ her straight don’t sound like it’s gonna be an easy task.” Applejack adjusted her stetson, glancing towards the collie still seated by her side. “Hay, Ah reckon Ah had an easier time trainin’ Winona, here, to keep outta the pig pen.”

The dog in question broke her stare on me to glance up towards AJ, her ears lowering as she let out a small whine. “They always look like they’re having so much fun, though...”

I couldn’t hold back a snicker at both comments, the fact I could understand the latter one still causing some mild confusion. “Well, I never said it was gonna be easy, but…” I shrugged my shoulders, before forming a smirk. “I think I’m up for the challenge. Besides, if Rainbow Dash can flaunt her talents about in some semblance of a ‘reasonable manner’, I’m sure Trixie can learn to do the same.”

Applejack let out what sounded like a mock laugh, rolling her eyes. “Ah s’pose that’s fair enough.”

We shared a moment of silence, save for the typical atmosphere a farm normally supplies, the mare poking at the dirt with her hoof while I turned my gaze back towards her farmhouse. I thought I saw a smaller form poking its head out from the main entrance, but only managed to catch a blur of yellow and red ducking back in. Another chuckle from me, catching Applejacks’s attention.

“...Well, I’ll get out of your hair. Er, mane,” I spoke up, gesturing to AJ. “Just wanted to give you the heads up, in case you ended up running into her around town. I’ll also try and get those apologies out of her, preferably without twisting her arm, first.”

Applejack nodded. “Ah appreciate the thought. ‘Specially seeing as ya came all the way out here tah tell me.”

“Why, t’was no trouble t’all, little lady.” I said, taking a small step back while grabbing my belt with one hand, tipping an imaginary hat of my own. The bemused look she gave me got another chuckle out of me as I dropped the act. “In all seriousness…” My grin turned more into a small smile as I eyed the area around us, even the tone of my voice losing a bit of its jovial nature. “...I think I prefer it out here. Kind of… reminds me of home.”

The look on the mare’s face turned from confusion to realization, before settling on a more neutral expression. “...Twi’ mentioned a little bit on yer situation, but didn’t go intah much detail. Somethin’ about you not bein’ from around these parts, with no surefire way of gettin’ back?”

Whatever semblance of a smile I had on tightened somewhat as I gave a curt nod. “That’s… about right. My grandparents own a farm back where I’m from, with my mom and sister living with them. I guess, just being around all this just…”, I motioned towards her farm, “...brings me back to some semblance of normality.”

I found it rather difficult to continue holding my smile by the end of that sentence, that dull pain in my chest steadily returning as my mind began conjuring up images of my family once more. My grandfather sitting in his recliner, watching some western or hunting program. My grandmother in the kitchen, prepping whatever dinner was gonna be for that evening, my mother attempting to help out in whatever way she could. My sister, either reading something inside at the kitchen table or outside on the porch swing. The thought of them going about their daily lives without me, like nothing was wrong, honestly brought a smile to my face. Mostly because it was better than the alternative…

Something hard touching my leg shocked me out of my daydream with a bit of a jolt. Looking down showed an orange hoof placed against it, the mare it belonged to looking up at me with those emerald eyes of hers.

“...You miss yer family, dontcha?”

The question felt pretty redundant, personally. But, even so, I nodded my head, trying my best to fight off the stinging I felt in my eyes.

Applejack pursed her lips, lowering her gaze for a few moments, before giving a small nod of her head. “Well, might not be much, but… Yer welcome to stop by here whenever you’d like. Can’t guarantee we won’t always be a bit busy, with running the place an’ all.” She let out a soft chuckle, before offering up a genuine smile. “But Ah’ll try and make time tah sit an’ chat with ya, if ya like. Ah’m sure that goes fer the rest of mah family, too.” She paused a moment, before bringing her hoof to her chin. “Though, Ah can’t guarantee Big Macintosh bein’ a great conversationalist…”

I stared at the mare for several seconds, not saying anything. How could I? I was in the process of trying not to bawl my eyes out in front of a pony I hardly knew, right in front of her own home, while doing the extremely healthy practice of balling up all the internal turmoil I’d been keeping inside me on the prospect of never seeing my home, or family, ever again. And that, despite all my attempts at brushing off the fact that I was in an alien world, dealing with beings who differed from me on nearly all scales, aside from the most based forms, I still found myself on the verge of a breaking point from the sights and smells of a miniature horse’s farmstead. The same one who, even without knowing next to anything about me, was offering such a kind gesture to me. And it wasn’t just Applejack, but Rarity, as well. Were they doing this because they truly cared? Or was it simply because I was situated with Twilight? Or… because they knew I had connections with Celestia?

The thought was quickly shaken from my mind. Even after only spending the past week with Twilight, I could tell that, for the most part, these ponies tended to wear their hearts on their sleeves. And while the graciousness of the Mayor may have had some minor pull from my involvement with the Princess, I felt it safe to say that these mare’s actions were driven by genuine concern. I mean, they had to be. You don’t get proclaimed the embodiments of what this world considers the fundamentals of harmony, itself, without being decently human beings…

No. Ponies. While not all humans back home were the spitting image of evil, my past experiences with my kind didn’t paint the greatest picture of them. I mean, if my moving to my grandparent’s town was the baseline to what a welcoming and accepting community should look like, these ponies had them beat by miles. Was that why I’d felt so out of place here? I mean, aside from the talking ponies, and my forced-upon-me curse. Was it the overall lack of selfishness I’d come across so far? The gross amounts of positivity these beings seemed to radiate out, despite the darkness that had, quite literally, nearly consumed them not even a week earlier?

Could I honestly say I’d have been able to do the same, were the shoe on the other foot?

…No. I suppose I didn’t.

My mouth didn’t wanna operate correctly, the words getting stuck in my throat. The only manner of response I could form, after several attempts to continue holding back the floodgates I could feel were still very close to bursting, was taking the mare’s hoof in my hand, giving it a firm, singular, shake, and nodding my head with a tight-lipped smile. Applejack seemed a bit confused at first by the action, but quickly gained a soft smile of her own, followed by a nod of her own.

The walk back to town was… not that great. And neither was the extra hour or so I’d spent just wandering the streets. The trip to Sweet Apple Acres hadn’t taken as long as I’d thought, and I didn’t wanna walk into Rarity’s shop too soon. So, I sauntered my way around, probably resembling a zombie, while thoughts I’d have preferred to stay buried drifted through my mind. I likely got a few looks, and some stares, but didn’t pay any mind to them. I managed to waste enough time, however, as the sun was soon setting overhead when next I checked.

I made my way back to Rarity’s, where I was greeted once more by the fashionista’s grandeur personality, which was a happy sidetrack for me to focus on. She had managed to, much to my surprise, create eight separate outfits worth of clothes, all varying in both color and design. She’d somehow controlled herself in not going too overboard. Of which she was more than happy to complain over, getting a laugh out of me. Once she had finished fitting them and making any last-minute adjustments, I thanked her again for all her help and even made a point of complimenting the finer details I noticed on one of the shirts. The bright smile I got from that was, surprisingly, worth it. We said our goodbyes, me promising to do something nice for her in return at some point, and her stating she’d be more than happy to assist me again another time.

The sun was nearly gone by the time I got back to the library. As I made my way in, I caught sight of Twilight on the couch, reading a book she had wrapped up in her magic. She paused a moment, glancing up toward me and noticing the clothing I was holding, before offering me a light smile.

“I take it your visit with Rarity went well?”

“Quite well, actually. I guess there’s a reason she’s the Element of Generosity.” We both chuckled a bit at that before I noticed the room was absent of one dragon and one other mare. “Where’s Spike and Trixie?”

Twilight closed her book, setting it down gently next to her as she let out a sigh. “Already asleep. Spike was busy sorting through some old tomes we’d found in the basement, while Trixie ran herself to exhaustion while practicing some basic spells I’d suggested to her.” She raised her hoof to her chin. “I’m… honestly quite impressed with her. Personality quirks aside, she has quite an aptitude for magic, as well as creative, if not slightly unconventional, ways of utilizing it. And while her knowledge of more advanced spells is limited, at best, the sheer amount she can do with just basic cantrips is, honestly, impressive!”

“Well, that’s…” I struggled a bit to understand half of that but nodded back to her with a slight smile. “Good to hear. I think. It sounds like you’re getting along, then?”

Twilight shook her head, though couldn’t seem to rid herself of the child-like smile she was holding onto. “I… suppose so. Her blatant inflating of her bravado can be a bit much to handle. But I can appreciate her love and enthusiasm when it comes to magic. Whenever her persona slips up, at least.”

I gave another chuckle at that, not being able to disagree. “Fair enough.” A sudden yawn forced its way out of me, getting Twilight to giggle at me. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna end up turning in, too, then. If you’re not too busy tomorrow, and I can pry you away from Trixie, maybe we can get started on those reading and writing lessons?”

That got her attention, her eyes widening as a scarily large smile appeared on her face. “Of course! I already have several lesson plans prepared, as well as some materials we ca-”

“Can’t wait, egghead.” I interrupted, waving my hand at her with a smirk. Her upset pout got a laugh from me, which seemed to only get more of a reaction from her as her cheeks grew several shades redder. “We can discuss it in the morning, For now, though, I’m gonna go stash these someplace.” I paused a moment, before pointing toward the couch she was on. “You, uh… mind if I steal my bed from you when I get back?”

She cocked a brow at me, quickly glancing down before gaining a look of recognition. “O-Oh! O-Of course.” She hopped off the couch, grabbing the book she’d been reading in her magic before steadily making her way over towards the stairs. “I’ll go finish this upstairs, then. Good night, Nick.”

“Night, Twilight.”

After taking a quick shower, and finding a spot to keep my new clothing, I came back into the living area before unceremoniously collapsing onto the couch, exhaustion finally washing over me. Which ended up a bit awkward, given the size difference between me and my recent sleeping arrangement. Rolling onto my back, legs halfway dangling off of the end of it, I stared up at the ceiling while replaying all that had happened today. All that I’d thought about. Closing my eyes, I slowly took in a deep breath, still-fresh images of my family drifting about in my mind’s eye…

…Before finally allowing myself to let go, silently crying to myself until, eventually, I passed out.

Chapter 14: A Glance Through the Looking Glass

…Sunshine against my eyelids cause them to flutter open, my eyes squinting a bit soon after. A rolling yard stretches out before me, the edge of a good section of woodlands not too far past it, and fields of half-grown corn off to the side. I raise my hand to block out some of the sunlight from getting into my eyes, before realizing that I’m sitting down on a wooden porch swing, the once pristine white paint having faded and begun to peel far before I started using it regularly. The porch itself is similar in quality, though still somehow managed to give off a welcoming feeling whenever I came home to it.

Laughter catches my attention, drawing my gaze back toward the yard as time seems to speed forward. The cornfield looks fully grown, while the forest has exploded into a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. And yet, amidst the showing signs of autumn, I can see Summer just fine. She’s busy raking the leaves back into the pile she’d just finished leaping into, my grandparents' labrador barking excitedly by her side. The scene playing out brings warmth to my chest as a smile forms on my lips. I almost miss the oddness of it all, until I catch a brief shimmer in the sky, as if light refracting off of a pool of water. There’s also now a castle that’s erected up from past the treeline, its walls and towers standing well above the forest. I’ve never seen them before, and yet… I can feel an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Then it hits me.

I’m dreaming.

The scene shifts slightly, blurring somewhat before sharpening once more as if going back into focus. Summer is giving me an odd look now, as though I’d just asked her an odd question regarding narwhals and bacon. Then I realize she’s not looking at me, but next to me. A shiver runs up my spine as my nerves seem to sense something I’m not fully aware of. I don’t seem to want to turn my head to fully look at whatever is next to me, and yet… I can feel its presence. I glance to my right, seeing a shape just out of the corner of my eye, but whatever it is seems to fade out of existence just before I work up the nerve to finally turn to face it.

Everything starts to contort once more, the autumn colors swirling and blending before pooling over the once-green lawn. I’m no longer seated on my grandparents’ porch swing, Summer is no longer visible, and the cornfields have been replaced with… a battlefield. Swords, spears, helmets, chest pieces… scattered or pierced into the earth, all over a marred field caked in blood. Likely from the countless forms strewn about. Most appear equine-like, though there are a few feathered bodies resembling Gilda, along with creatures with twisted, canid features. I find it difficult to differentiate where one corpse starts and another ends. A mangled forelimb here. A head with deep gashes along its left eye, its lower jaw seemingly missing. All of them torn and ripped asunder.

Amongst the gruesome aftermath of a carnal battle I never took place in, I can still feel my heart racing inside my chest. And from the back of my mind, an inkling of emotion seems to fight its way to the forefront. Something is familiar about this place. Something about the bodies residuates with me. Something about all of this fills me with an overwhelming sense of…

…Wrath.

My blood boils, and the feeling of something standing beside me returns. A rumble forms in my chest, my fists clenching tightly as claws dig into my palms. I make to swing a bulky, furred, arm at whoever this presence is, snarling deeply as my teeth clench together so tightly, it feels as though they’ll break. My goal is simple; destruction.

But that goal never comes to pass. The appendage that I thought was my own never makes contact. Instead, something is placed on my cheek. Cool, and gentle to the touch. There’s a soft flash, and the hellscape around me seems to turn to particles, floating away to reveal nothing but an endless cosmos of stars, and a large beaming moon. I turn to look at the one now beside me, and feel the rage that had been there but a moment ago slowly vanish, just as the landscape had.

“...Luna.”, I say, looking deep into the cerulean pools staring back at me with obvious concern.

“...What was that, Nick?” She asks this as though I have the answer. But my expression seems to answer before I can, as the lunar alicorn looks me up and down. “...You shouldn’t have memories of that.”

That raises a flag, my brow furring in confusion. “Wha-”

But my question never completes itself. The stars begin to coalesce around the moon, swirling in a hypnotic dance that starts to make my mind go fuzzy.

“Rest now, my friend…”

I can’t seem to resist the command. My eyelids grow heavy, and a numbing sensation comes over my body as the darkness overtakes me.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

I woke up the following day, the memory of my dream I’d had already beginning to feel hazy, at best. All attempts to try and recall major details were abruptly interrupted, however, thanks to the efforts of an overzealous purple unicorn. Because, apparently, I was not allowed to ever have a quiet morning around here. Once I was coherent enough to form simple responses—and request Twilight to, politely, calm her tits—I went about my morning ritual. After my shower, and dressed in one of Rarity’s new outfits–a light blue, short sleeve, button-up, and a pair of khaki-colored shorts–I took a seat at the kitchen table. Spike was, as was steadily becoming the ‘norm’, preparing us something for breakfast. In fact, the smell of more hay-bacon and eggs, which I had absolutely no problem with, was already lightening my mood once more.

However, what I did have an issue with was finding myself temporarily blinded as the world around me went completely white, before reappearing someplace that was most definitely not the library’s kitchen.

Having experienced being teleported a few times before, I was only a healthy amount of concern as I glanced around the rather large ornate room I now found myself in, searching for any clues on who was about to get a paddlin’ for taking me away from breakfast. I was still seated, and at a table no less, though both were far more lavish and grand in appearance. Plus, the dining table was much longer, with a light purple table liner running down the center of it, and multiple empty chairs placed around it.

Well, mostly empty…

Seated to my left, at the end of the table, in a chair that out beat my own in both size and appearance, was the white alicorn herself, idly sipping from a teacup and acting like she hadn’t just rudely conjured me into her royal dining room, several seats away from her, without so much as a heads up.

I stared at her for a few moments, not quite sure whether I was supposed to speak up or not. I had a pretty good guess on what this could have been about and was, quite honestly, a bit surprised to have gone even this long without hearing anything about it. However, after a couple of minutes went by, with still no response from the solar diarch, I could feel my nerves steadily getting heated.

“...So–”

“How pleasant of you to join us this lovely morning, Nick.” With how she cut me off, and the tone her voice held while the mare gave such a pleasant smile… Oh, I can tell. I’m in deep shit. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything with the impromptu summings.”

“...Well, I mean–”

The sound and flash of light brought about by teleportation interrupted me, getting me to turn my gaze toward the other end of the table, and at Luna. The younger alicorn was standing perfectly still, only shifting her wide-eyed stare from me to her sister, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“S-Sister, wha–”

“Good morning, my dear Luna.” Celestia turned her eerily sweet smile over to her sister, causing my entire body to release the tension it’d been holding with a light shiver. There was a smaller flash of light before Luna, a teacup similar to the one Celestia was using popping into existence in front of her with steam steadily rising from it. “Another pleasant night, I hope?”

Luna opened her mouth, likely to respond, but seemed to be unable to. She looked like her brain was trying to compute what I was doing there, likely assuming the same thing I did, and fearing it.

“W-Well, yes. N-Nothing–”

“That’s wonderful news,” Celestia spoke up once more, smiling lovingly at the younger alicorn.

Luna looked like she was about to shit a brick. Hell, I felt like I was about to shit a brick. Regardless of how benevolent Celestia had presented herself so far, aside from threatening to obliterate me upon our first meeting, I wasn’t a complete imbecile. From what I could gather, this was likely the most powerful being in existence. You didn’t go a thousand years moving fucking celestial bodies and get labeled a pushover.

Several more minutes passed, Luna having taken an uneasy seat of her own, leaving the three of us to sit in utter silence. The tension in the air was thicker than my dick—Ha. Nice one, me—and the nauseating concoction of both anxiety and barely-contained rage wafting about the place was starting to make my empty stomach churn. It definitely didn’t help that Luna kept glancing over toward me from behind her teacup, as if I was supposed to be the one to speak up.

Bitch, we’re in this mess because you wanted to suck up to your sister! Not me!

Granted, Celestia was going about it in a rather roundabout way. If she was aware of the Ursa incident, having us sit here in silence while our nerves festered was just as equally childish as Luna’s own reasoning that got us into this mess to begin with. If both of them simply acted like the over-a-millennium-old beings they were, and just talked to one another, we could have this thing sorted out already, and I could be back home having breakfast!

I could feel the rumble in my chest before it started seeping out through gritted teeth. I didn’t even have enough time to register if the growl had been intentional or not before my clenched fist was slamming onto the table, overpowering the deafening silence. Amber eyes were quickly met by startled pale magenta ones. Granted, the older alicorn composed herself in record timing, all while I came to terms with what I’d just done. But by that point, my lack of food and growing irritation was supplying me with enough false courage to give zero fucks.

“Enough with the charades!”, I shouted out, glaring at Celestia. “If you’re not going to act your age, then I’m walking back to Ponyville, and returning the breakfast you oh-so-rudely stole me from!” I finished that statement off with another, albeit softer, thudding of my closed fist onto the dining table. “If you wanna reprimand your sister and me for being idiots, which would be justifiable, then just… do it! Stop wasting time, making us sit on thumbtacks–”

My mouth being forced shut by the all too familiar glow of Celestia’s magic cut me off, getting another glare from me in turn. The fact said alicorn was giving me a rather disapproving look, not unlike that my mother used to give me during a scolding when I was five, also had me backpedaling with the attitude. But only a little bit… Seeing as I could no longer speak my annoyance, I leaned back into my seat while folding my arms over my chest, still giving the solar diarch a glare.

“...Very well.” Celestia began, before turning her attention to Luna, who flinched slightly from her sister’s gaze. Which likely was the cause of Celestia's softening demeanor. “Luna, why would you attempt something as dangerous as calming an Ursa Major, especially before regaining all your strength?”

“...I just..." The younger alicorn paused a moment, as though searching for a response before whatever frustration she must have been feeling became quite apparent in her expression. "I-I wanted to feel useful!”, Luna shot back. I could notice Celestia's own look of surprise appear on her face, before slowly gaining notes of worried acknowledgment. "You've had me do nothing but read history books within the royal libraries, raise and lower the moon, and put up with your constant coddling ever since I returned. All while you've continued to handle all the royal court duties and overwork yourself!"

"Luna, I know you're eager to fully return to your duties, but-"

"No, you don't understand," Luna interrupted, her tone becoming increasingly irate. "This is not about wanting more for myself, it's about lightening your own burdens! Sister, you've been going alone for the past thousand years!" Luna's voice would crack, the frustration in her eyes turning from one driven by anger, to that of sorrow. "Y-You've been alone... Doing all of this..." Tears were already forming in her eyes. And from what I could see, the same was true for Celestia.

As she stared at her sister, the elder alicorn raised her golden regalia-clad hoof to her muzzle. "Luna... I-I... I am so sorry," Celestia spoke softly.

Luna broke down sobbing at those words. Celestia was out of her seat and to her sister's side in the blink of an eye, wrapping Luna in a tearful embrace. The two held each other, Luna shaking her. "Sister..." She said, wiping the tears from her cheeks with a hoof. "It... It's I that should be sorry... For all of this."

Celestia leaned away from her sister, a stern look coming to her reddening eyes as she used a hoof to gently force the still sniffling alicorn to meet her gaze. "No, you shouldn't be. It was my fault. I should have been there for you more, the moment you began feeling the need to prove yourself. I was so consumed with my own work, that I was blind to the needs of my sister all those centuries ago. And I cannot apologize enough for that. I was selfish, and this is all my doing."

Luna shook her head, stopping her sister's apologetic monologue. "No, no, Celestia! Don't blame yourself for this. This is my own fault. I... allowed myself to brew in my negative thoughts. My stubbornness in not looking past what I wanted to see. My... my envy of you."

It was likely wrong of me to interject, but... Even with how touching it was to see the two having a rather heartfelt moment, seeing how things were going, I couldn't help but want to avoid the cycle that was starting to form. "Look, I don't mean to butt in, but it sounds like you both played a part in what went on. And you both could have handled things better than they played out. But both of you want to take the entirety of the blame for it, and that's not fair to one another. So, I'm gonna tell you what I'd expect someone who isn't a dumbass–like me–might say right now: let's just get past this, and move forward.”

Both alicorns looked back at me, both with varying degrees of both shock and confusion on their faces. They'd then both look at each other, staring into each other's eyes in silence, before slowly beginning to smile, and soon after, giggle.

“Nick,” Celestia spoke up, the amusement evident in her tone, "Is that how you normally calm down a situation? By calling yourself names?"

I sighed heavily, leaning back against the chair again. "As of late, it sure seems like it…" The two princesses continued to giggle, causing me to roll my eyes, before clearing my throat. "Well, you both seem to be getting along again," I spoke up, trying to sound as cheerful as possible despite the awkwardness, "So... perhaps now might be the time to bring up what I wanted to talk about, seeing as you ended up kidnapping me before I could come here on my own…."

Celestia and Luna both stopped giggling at that, the former tilting her head somewhat with a look of confusion. "Oh? And what might that be, Nick?"

"Well..." I suddenly found myself a bit nervous, scratching at the back of my head. Plus, now that I was actually here, I found my mind going blank on what I had wanted to discuss. A frown slowly formed as I leaned back into my seat before the sound of my stomach erupting caught all of our attention, my face turning bright red in equal measures of embarrassment and annoyance. “...As of right now, I want food. Which should be fair compensation for taking me away from a perfectly good egg and hay-bacon breakfast back at the library.”

The two princesses would share a look, before Celestia would break away from Luna, making her way back over to her side of the table. After taking her seat, the alicorn would give what appeared to be a genuinely apologetic look my way before clearing her throat.

“Of course. It’s the least we could do for helping the both of us through this.” I wasn’t really all too sure what I’d done to help, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud. “If you’d like, you may stay and enjoy breakfast–or dinner, in Luna’s case–with us.”

I pursed my lips in mock thought, itching at the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin. A royal breakfast as payment for being kidnapped sounded… acceptable. My standards are super low…

“Sure, that’ll work.” My eyes widened for a moment though as something came to mind. “Just as soon as you send word to Twilight and Spike that I’m here. They’re likely confused about where I vanished to.”

Celestia’s own gaze seemed to widen ever so slightly at hearing that, her horn flaring up as a piece of parchment and a quill popped into existence beside her, levitating in midair. She looked to the parchment, scribbling something down before rolling it up. With another flash of her horn, the note gained a ribbon and seal, before flashing away with one final glow. “...That was good thinking on your part.”

Good to know I’m not the only one terrified of a frantic Twilight.

“Oh, I’m not out of the woods just yet. I’m the one that has to go back and get an earful on having wasted ‘precious learning time’.” At both of their confused looks, I chuckled before clarifying. “I asked her if she’d teach me how to read and write your language. She looked like I’d just asked her out to prom.” Another bout of confused looks, though both were quickly covered by light smiles.

“Knowing that mare, you likely made the rest of her year,” Celestia commented before giggling to herself.

“...What is this… ‘prom’ thou speakest of?” Luna asked, tilting her head at me.

I blinked at her, before remembering that I was not only talking to a horse, but one that had been stuck out of time for the past millennia. “It’s… sort of like a gala that gets put on towards the end of the school year, for all the students graduating out of high school that year. Sort of seen as a big deal by all the girls, who go about dolling themselves up, but most of the guys I knew of back home simply saw it as another opportunity to get their di-” I quickly shut my mouth, before going into a bit of a coughing fit. Luna looked a bit more confused, though I could tell Celestia was giving me a bit of a side-eye.

“You say… couples went to these sorts of things?” Luna asked, returning to looking intrigued once more.

“Well… yes, but it wasn’t strictly just for them. I’m sure there were also plenty of other single kids that probably went, too.”

This time Celestia chimed in. “...You say that as though you didn’t attend it yourself.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Guilty as charged. I wasn’t allowed to attend, due to ‘bad behavior’ the week prior.” Both sisters seemed to gain looks of shock and concern at that, so I continued before either could ask. “I got jumped by a couple of ‘established gentlemen’ after school, thanks in part to a snarky correction I’d given one of them on something stupid during class. Don’t even remember what it was at this point. Either way, I may have… ‘defended myself’ a bit too well, and ended up breaking one of their noses while giving the other one a serious headache. Even more unfortunate was that one of the kid's parents was friends with someone on the school board. They wanted me expelled, on top of pressing charges on me. Lucky for me, the fight got picked up on one of the school’s security cameras, and it showed I wasn’t the one that started it. So, the charges never got sent my way, but the school still got pressured into dishing out some form of punishment for a fight happening on school grounds. ‘Zero Tolerance’ and all that jazz. So… all three of us weren’t allowed to attend prom.” Not that I really planned on going, anyway. “Honestly, I’m still surprised I managed to graduate without being held back another year.”

Luna tilted her head somewhat at that, while Celestia looked downright incredulous.

“You... got into a fight... on campus?” she slowly stated, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

“Well, technically it happened outside the building, but yeah."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that being the focus of the recollection I'd just given them. That chuckle turned into a genuine laugh when Celestia's royal mask dropped for a second, and one of the co-rulers of Equestria gave me a brief deadpan look, before rolling her eyes. Luna was soon doing her best to hold back a bout of snickers, as well.

"...That's not, entirely, what I was questioning," she muttered before recomposing herself.

Her horn then flared to life for a moment, the sound of a bell ringing from somewhere. Not a few seconds later, one of the doors off to the side opened up to a small party of mares dressed in European maid outfits, pushing trollies with what looked like covered platters on them. Within moments, a small feast appeared on the table, which included a large bowl of apples, sliced in half and arranged in a spiral shape on top of a bed of celery, two large plates of hay-bacon and eggs, with several pieces of toast and a selection of jam on the side. I couldn't help but take serious note of the plater consisting of mostly desserts, though. Some sort of chocolate cake, a giant eclair, a chocolate mousse, and two other cakes that were layered with icing and fruit. There was also a tray with a pitcher of milk, alongside a pot of–

"Is that coffee?!?"

The sudden outburst caused all in the room to freeze, many confused, as well as a bit annoyed, looks being cast my way. Not like I gave a damn. I was grabbing myself an empty mug and pouring myself a cup of liquid crack faster than Rainbow Dash on a hot date.

“I take it you approve?” Celestia asked as she began filling a plate up for herself. Which seemed to mostly consist of sweets from the dessert platter.

I nodded my head in response, taking a moment to pour a splash of milk into it before dropping a sugar cube in for good measure. I took a tentative sip from it, before feeling my entire world melt around me, a smile slowly forming. God, how I've missed you…

"Sister, you've got no idea..." That got another giggle from the two of them.

"From what I hear, it’s an imported item from Saddle Arabia." Luna chimed in, a steaming mug of what smelled like tea being placed before her, along with a plate of steamed vegetables. "We did not have such a beverage prior to our banishment. It has... certainly aided in our nocturnal ways, though."

Well, that explains why the peasants don't appear to have any.

Once everything was finished being placed at the table, the servants wasted little time in making themselves scarce, leaving the three of us to eat. The conversation seemed to die down a tad, Celestia seeming to have gained something new to focus on in the cake slices she was half-assly trying to eat in a 'princess-like fashion', and Luna quietly nibbling on her veggies. I helped myself to the hay-bacon and eggs, but made sure to grab some of the apple slices and celery as well. Partly as a silent jab my newfound insight of the Solar Princess's dietary habits, but also because everything just looked absolutely amazing. Of course, at the sight of a stray apple fritter amongst the other sweets, I had to nab that, as well. Needless to say, I was no longer disappointed about missing out on breakfast at the library.

However, I couldn't help but notice the occasional glance from Luna. They never seemed to come off as outwardly malicious, but... I could still feel a bit of unease behind them, along with some sort of nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

"Did you sleep well last night, Nick?"

The sudden, innocent-sounding, question from Celestia caused another flag to go off.

"...Kind of," I replied back before finishing the last of my fritter and coffee. "Think I had an odd dream again..." Then something came to me. One of the things I wanted to talk to the two of them about. However, before I could get another word out, Luna beat me to it.

"Yes, about that... Did anything stressful happen yesterday?" Now I was truly confused.

"I mean..." I shook my head lightly, scrunching my face up somewhat at not completely understanding both how it sounded like she'd already been aware of my dream, along with why she thought any stress from yesterday may have been a reason for it. "I got to feeling a little homesick after visiting some of Twilight's friends–particularly her farmer friend's place–but..."

Now Celestia was looking a bit confused, asking "...The Apple's farmland?" before shoveling a spoonful of the chocolate mousse into her mouth.

I looked to her, nodding my head before diverting my eyes to the empty cup in front of me. "Yeah," I replied. "It was just supposed to be a visit to apologize for Trixie's behavior, but..." It then clicked on my other reason for wanting to talk with all. "Oh, right! I think I found someone else who might be an Element of Calamity!"

Luna spat out the sip of tea she'd been drinking while the spoon Celestia had been using fell to the table with a clank, both now staring at me in utter shock. Several very long seconds passed before I was holding my ears at the rumbling thunder that was both Princesses shouting in unison.

"What?!"

Celestia was the first to follow up, shaking her head and sighing heavily. "Wh-Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" she asked, regaining her normal tone, though with a hint of discomfort.

I popped my finger from the ear I'd been clearing out, before replying in mild annoyance as I looked to her. "I was going to, but have found myself getting pulled in all sorts of different directions the past few days, what with the aftermath of the Ursa, your sister outing you on lying to me, again, as well as still coming to terms with the fact that I'm STUCK IN THIS CRAZY WORLD FOR AN INDEFINITE AMOUNT OF TIME!"

My annoyance was steadily beginning to become anger, and it looked like both Celestia and Luna were well aware of it. The former glanced over towards her younger sister, he right ear twitching somewhat, before she met my gaze once more, holding it. However, said gaze quickly lowered itself to the last morsel of cake left on the plate before her as the older alicorn's demeanor slouched ever-so-slightly.

"I know you're stressed, Nick," she said softly. "We've all been through a lot recently."

I didn't bother to reply. The only thing I wanted to hear was an apology, or at the very least an explanation. I could hear Luna shuffling a bit in her seat, getting me to glance over back to her.

"...We also... regretfully understand the predicament you find yourself in, of which I wholeheartedly apologize for being the cause."

I took in a deep breath at that, feeling that simmer in my chest dying down as I let out a long sigh. ...Why am I such a sucker for sad pony faces?!?

"...I know," I said, looking back to the empty cup before me. "But I'm still not okay with being lied to, especially if I'm going to get shouted at if and when I don't come straight to you with daily check-ins."

Both Princesses seemed to wince slightly at that.

"...I apologize as well, then," Celestia spoke up. "For... lying about sealing away your Element. If such a thing was even possible, I would have tried to do so with-" She cut herself off, giving a painful look toward Luna, before gaining a look of shame soon after. "...No. That would have been extremely unfair of me. Please forgive even the idea of myself ever doing such."

"It... It's fine," Luna said back, not meeting her sister's gaze. "...If it had been possible, I would have likely requested you to do so, anyway."

There was another long pause, the feeling of unease weighing heavily in the air, and almost churning my stomach.

"...Well, regardless." I looked at the two of them, before shaking my head. "No more secrets. I want honesty from the two of you, starting from this moment on. No more hiding things, regardless of whether I make the stupid call for you to do so.”

"I... I can't promise you that, Nick." Celestia said, still looking somewhat defeated. "There are many things that I simply can't share with you, at least not yet. And other things that I simply don’t have the answers to." That seemed to get both Luna and I to give her a confused look, though mine was understandably more miffed-looking. "However, I will promise you this. I'll be as open as I can be, as well as be honest with what I can and can not share, should you ask me of anything."

Well, that's some fucking piss in my cheerios...

I squinted at her for a second, before ultimately concluding that that was likely going to be the best I could get from the old diarch.

"...Fine." I leaned back in my seat, cracking my knuckles to ease some of my own tension. Again, to my own amusement, Celestia gained a bit of a cringe at my doing so. "But to clarify, I'm not one hundred percent certain that Trixie is an Element bearer. It was just a feeling I got when she showed up in Ponyville a couple of days ago. She definitely fits the bill for Pride, if that is one of the other Elements of Calamity."

Celestia and Luna shared a quick look, before the former gave a nod. "If you say you had some sort of... feeling, as you put, then your claim may be validated. I, myself, may not have a definitive explanation for it, but... the Elements of Harmony have always appeared to have a subtle influence over those that resonate with them the strongest. While I... lost the ability to use them, after doing so against my sister, I could still feel that subtle connection with them. It was for that very reason I opened my School for Gifted Unicorns, in the hopes of finding another who could reawaken the Element of Magic, and along with those who were suitable replacements for the others, use the Elements to aid my sister upon her return better than I could."

"...Which explains the extreme convenience of the rest of the Element bearers all residing at the right place, at the right time."

"Partially," she replied with another nod. "Though that wasn't completely all my own doing. As I said, the Elements can manifest an influence of their own when the need arises. While I am unable to explain how, it is entirely possible that the bearers ended up there through the Elements' own will. And if that is the case, it goes to reason that the Elements of Calamity may work off the same principle."

I looked back over to Luna, who was now staring back at me. I got what Celestia was saying, and couldn't deny her logic as sound. But... that still didn't answer my other questions. And as I sat there, looking into the Lunar Princess's eyes, something slowly seemed to come to me.

"But... that still doesn't explain a number of things. Like how I fit into this whole 'plan', if there even is one. Or... How did Luna know about my dream from last night? She was... in it. I remember that bit, now, right before I woke up."

Luna nodded. "It is a power I hold. Just as it is my sister's duty to ensure our ponies' safety during the day, it is mine to do so at night by visiting them in their dreams. This is mostly done to find and weed out any nightmares that any may be having. Although... yours was quite peculiar. Do you not remember it?"

"Not... really," I said, shaking my head. "I don't really remember most of my dreams, aside from the odd detail every now and then." The thought of the last one being some sort of message from Discord caused me to pause. Knowing how Celestia truly felt about the entity, she probably wouldn't take too kindly to me getting the super obscure facetime from him… "Why, what seemed so strange about it?"

Luna frowned at that. "The fact that you, of all ponies, had a dream about... About the war."

Now it was Celestia's turn to sound confused. "What do you mean, 'about the war'?"

I found myself just as confused as she was as I tried to dredge up any fleeting memories I could find of the dream itself.

"...The war, sister. The one I lost against you."

Then it clicked. A flood of images came rushing to me all at once. My grandparents' farm, my sister, the bloody battlefield... "That-That was the aftermath. Just like the mosaic showed..."

That seemed to catch Celestia up to speed, though the look I soon found being shot in my direction quickly had me feeling... uneasy. But just as soon as it was there, it was gone, the Princess offering such a concerned expression that I had to pause and confirm whether the first look even happened or not. "...Perhaps I shouldn't have shown you that, then. I didn't intend for you to have nightmares over it."

...Was that what happened? I stared at her a moment, before slowly nodding my head. "...I suppose that could have been it. After visiting the farm, and working myself up over missing my mother and sister, it could have just been a stress-induced nightmare."

Celestia, again, seemed to gain a moment of confusion for the briefest of moments, before the older alicorn gave her head a slow nod.

"I... suppose that could have been the case," Luna muttered out. Her tone gave signs of her own uncertainty toward her sister's words, but she didn't seem to want to press her on it, instead looking back at me with a genuine, reassuring, smile. "I'll be sure to keep a look out the next few nights, just in case you have any more."

"Th-Thanks...", I muttered to her, attempting my best to return the smile with a nod of my head.

After another brief pause, Celestia spoke up, sounding more like her usual tone. "...Well, if there is nothing else, I believe it's time I get to my duties." Using her magic, she pushed her seat away from the table before getting up and turning to me with a light smile. "If you'd be kind enough to keep an eye on this other Element bearer, for the time being, I'd very much appreciate it. I'd like to send Luna to meet them soon, though, to confirm your own suspicions. And it turns out you were correct, we'll likely need to inform her of it, preferably in a gentle manner..."

"...Of course," Luna replied.

"Sure thing..." I responded as well. "And... I'll be in touch if anything else comes up."

"I'd appreciate that."

And with that, her horn lit up in a brilliant flash, once more finding myself back where I had been; seated at the kitchen table in the library. However, it was currently empty, with no signs of the breakfast I had missed out on earlier. Just as I was starting to wonder where everyone went, I caught earshot of Twilight and Trixie speaking from the next room over, followed by Twi calling out.

"Is that you, Nick?"

After taking a few more seconds to catch my bearings, I made my way into the main room of the library. Twilight was standing off towards the farther end of the room, her horn lit up in its pale, light purple, aura, and a tome of some sort floating before her wrapped up in a matching magical grip. Trixie was more towards the center of the room, her own horn engulfed in her signature pale and grayish magenta magic. She appeared to be focusing her magic to the tip of her horn and into a white orb, no bigger than an average-sized marble, while showing just a hint of strain in doing so. Spike was sprawled out on the floor close by, lazily watching the both of them at work.

"What're you two doing?" I asked, taking a step toward them before pausing, not sure whether it was safe or not to get any closer.

Twilight looked up at me for a moment, before returning her attention back to Trixie. "Running her through some basic magical exercises. By having her channel her magic, and keeping it focused to the tip of her horn like that, she's strengthening her magical foci and natural wellspring, in turn allowing her to better perform spells that require higher outputs of..." She trailed off a bit, likely from the blank stare I was giving her.

"...I think I got a fraction of that."

The lavender mare gave her own deadpanned look, before rolling her eyes with a small sigh. "She's working her 'magic muscle'."

"Ohhh! Okay, now it makes sense."

"Could you please stop talking? Trixie is trying to focus!”

Both of us shut up, giving Trixie varying looks of apology. Twilight carefully placed the tome she had on a nearby table, before trotting over to me with a hint of worry on her face.

"So...", she began in a quieter tone, "What did the Princesses want?"

I let out a deep breath, before looking at her. "...Well, it started out with Luna and I getting reprimanded, escalated to me shouting at Celestia, devolved into the two of them breaking down and having a real heart-to-heart, continued with us enjoying a rather lavish breakfast, and concluded with me having more questions and fewer answers about anything that is going on in this crazy world that I continue to find myself in.”

Twilight's ears pinned back a bit, her eyes wide at me as if I'd just slapped her on the ass and called her my little pony. "...You shouted at Princess Celestia?!"

Her sudden exclamation seemed to catch the ear of Trixie, who let out a gasp of her own. Which was immediately followed by the sound of a small explosion, large plums of smoke quickly filling the entirety of the room while stinging my eyes a bit and blocking my vision.

With all of us breaking out into a coughing fit, I heard the telltale sign of more magic being cast directly beside me before the sound of one or two windows being opened. Almost immediately, I felt a cool draft blow away the lingering smoke and smell of burnt magic. As soon as I could see again, I found Twilight, Trixie, and Spike all with varied expressions. Albeit Trixie's was mostly of frustration, the tip of her horn singed with a small wisp of smoke still coming from it.

"Ugh, how is Trixie supposed to practice in these living conditions!" she hissed, turning to me with a scowl. "And what's this about you shouting at–let alone you even knowing–Princess Celestia?!"

I took a moment to clear my throat, getting the job done with a cough as one last puff of smoke cleared my lungs. Well, there goes the smoking-free streak I'd had going... "It's... a long story." And I’m still not sure how much I can disclose…

And so, I found myself giving Trixie a... more or less abridged version of how I got here. Thankfully, Twilight made herself useful by throwing in her own two cents every now and then. By the end of it, the two of us had laid out a well enough story of my origins that dipped into the truth of things but didn't disclose any of the more confidential stuff.

Luna, whose identity we had to briefly explain to Trixie, accidentally summoned me here in a 'mild state of panic' after getting cured of being Nightmare Moon. Unfortunately, neither she nor her sister knew how that happened, or how to get me back home, so they entrusted me to Twilight for safekeeping. And to explain the visits, they've just been taking serious measures to make sure my stay here has been... welcoming. Of course, none of this explained why I had shouted at one of, if not the, most powerful beings that I knew of. My explanation of that was short and succinct: "I was angry."

"Angry?!" Twilight exclaimed, her expression shifting from shocked to indignant. "How on Equus could you be angry at Princess Celestia?”

Would you like that in alphabetical or chronological?

I shook my head, not really wanting--or probably even able--to open that can of worms just yet. "Same way that the both of us tend to get angry with each other..." And with that comment coming out of my mouth, I quickly attempted to try and change the subject. "So, uh, what did you three do during my absence?"

Spike was first to chime in, perhaps sensing the immediate shitstorm I had likely just stirred up. "J-Just watching these two work on their magic! Twilight’s been doing a REALLY great job coaching Trixie, who's been doing AWESOME with her lessons!"

Despite the fact I'd said something super stupid, Twilight's look of annoyance quickly shifted to one of embarrassment at the compliment Spike had given her. Trixie's own expression was one of... well, pride, as well. Go figure.

I really gotta give that little guy mad props. Saved my ass, lickity split.

"Glad to hear it!" I replied, nodding my head in approval, before looking to Trixie with an apologetic smile. "Though, if it's not too much to ask, would you mind if I stole Twilight for a while? She was gonna help me with learning how to read your language." That definitely got Twilight's attention in the best, or worst depending on personal opinion, way possible. The mare looked nearly as manic as Pinkie.

"Trixie supposes that's fine. She needed a break anyway. Especially after somepony nearly made her blow up the whole library..."

I chuckled nervously at that, watching her as she began to pass by me, before recalling past conversations from yesterday. Gaining a bit more of a serious tone, I raised my hand towards Trixie to give her pause. "But, one question before you leave." She stopped, raising her brow at me. "...Did you humiliate some of Twilight's friends your first day here?"

My question caused the azure mare to pause a moment, almost as if she had to think about it. "...Oh, yes! Those three that attempted to upstage Trixie during her own show?" She let out a sort of giggle that had me inhaling sharply, before continuing, "Yes, Trixie remembers."

"...You're going to go apologize to them."

Trixie's eyes widened briefly before the mare fully turned to face me in a totally aghast fashion. "Wha- The Great and Powerful Trixie?!"

"Yes." I leaned down a bit so I was more at eye level with her, squinting somewhat. "Especially now that I'm fully aware of how much you seemed to enjoy said humiliation. Need I remind you that if you plan on living here for the time being, you should also attempt to patch up any hard feelings you may have created between not only the residents here, but the friends of the ones you'll be living with?”

The mare stared at me, her expression clearly a mixture of audacity and confliction. I knew she knew I was right, but either didn't wanna admit it, or stoop so low as to apologize to those she'd belittled just a few days ago.

"...O-Oh, very well, then! Trixie will see what can be done about this... 'mishap'." With that, the mare spun around, letting out an exaggerated stomp of her hoof, before trotting off and out the door with surprising speed.

“...Wow.” I straightened back up, looking over towards a rather dumbfounded Twilight, cocking a brow in mild confusion at the look she was giving me. "You really have some sort of way with her. Anytime I tried to make even the slightest suggestion during our studies, she'd go off on a tangent! But with you?"

"She caved in nearly as fast as Twilight whenever Princess Celestia asks her to do something!" Spike chimed in, before promptly getting flicked by Twilight's tail. "Hey, that hurt!" He cried in mock outrage, rubbing his arm where he'd been struck. "Don't be mad 'cause I'm right!"

I couldn't help but let out a laugh at that, even if I was still a bit confused and surprised to hear about my supposed 'special powers' for getting Trixie to behave.

Twilight loudly cleared her throat, looking as though she was doing her best to ignore the fact that her cheeks were flushed. "Spike, would you be so kind as to head off to the marketplace? I think we're out of daisies." Her horn lit for a moment as a small pouch of what I assumed were bits popped into existence in front of him.

The little drake paused a moment to stare at the pouch now in his face, before rolling his eyes. "Fine..." He then begrudgingly took the bits and made his way to the doorway as well.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Twilight let out a small groan as she made her way over to the couch, sprawling herself across it. It was difficult, but I managed to hold back the urge to say a joke at her own expense. Instead, I walked over to the recliner and sat down with a chuckle. Twi caught earshot of it, and positioned herself better as to be looking my way, spotting the goofy grin I likely had on my face, and rolled her eyes.

"...I still can't believe you yelled at Princess Celestia."

That got my smile to turn rather sour. Propping my head up with an open hand and the arm of the chair, I glanced off to the side away from Celestia's Star Pupil with a grunt. "...She's been lying to me ever since I first met her. About my curse, about me harboring an Element, about dampening its effects on me, and now... I think she might even be lying about... me."

Twilight grew a look of confusion, tilting her head. "...What do you mean?"

I sat up a bit straighter, looking up toward the ceiling as I tried to sort out my thoughts. "...It's just a nagging thought I'm starting to get in the back of my head. Strange feelings of familiarity I get here and there when I don't think there should be. How apparently–by Luna's standards–the dream I had last night was far too detailed a rendition of an event that happened a super long time ago. Even the Ursa Major seemed to show some sense of acknowledgment towards me, or... someone I reminded her of."

"Hold on... Ursa Major?"

It suddenly occurred to me at that moment that I hadn't filled Twi in on what Luna and I had done, which in turn was the reason for my abrupt visit to Canterlot to begin with. It didn't take too long to give her a quick summary of the event. Seedless to nay, she looked about as shellshocked as she had when I had first informed her of my 'shouting match' with Celestia. With that out of the way, I went more in-depth on what specifically had happened this morning, doing my best to not leave out a single detail. The paranoia of this getting back to Celestia was there, but... I had promised Twilight that I wouldn’t leave her in the dark anymore, and I meant it. Besides, I'm still pissed at that white horse…

After taking a few moments to process everything, she finally exhaled rather heavily and rubbed her temples with both her hooves, her brow furrowing. "...I suppose I can understand both of their viewpoints. And if what you say is true, even Princess Luna seems to not be completely aware of what's going on. But..." She lowered her gaze, as though searching the ground for her words. "...Princess Celestia always has a reason for what she says or does, with that reason always being for the best. If you think she's really keeping something from you, maybe it's for your own good?"

I pursed my lips, not having really expected too different a response from her but also found myself reevaluating my assessment of the situation. I couldn't deny I was upset at the prospect of possibly being lied to over and over again by a magical horse princess that had the power to move a star, but... I also couldn't deny that she hadn't done any true harm to me since I'd gotten here, and had even helped me out once or twice when I needed it. I leaned forward in my seat, burying my face into my hands before letting out an annoyed groan. The conflicting thoughts were starting to give me a headache…

I could hear Twilight hopping off the couch and making her way over before feeling her hoof on my shoulder. "...For what it's worth, though, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to share this with me. It really does mean a lot." I looked up to see her offering me a genuinely sweet smile, which definitely helped with the headache. "And if you ever need to talk or vent, know I'm more than happy to listen."

The corners of my mouth tugged a bit at that before I was smiling back at the lavender unicorn. I reached up to scratch her behind the ear, which again got a quick, momentary, look of confusion before being replaced with content. "Thanks, Twi. I appreciate it."

She let out a rather cute giggle before stepping away from my hand, a coy smirk on her face. "Don't thank me just yet. We're still gonna get started on your reading lessons."

The mock groan of annoyance I let out as I dramatically rolled my eyes at her, as if she was one of my high school teachers who had just announced a surprise pop quiz, got a hearty laugh from both of us.

Chapter 5: More Peachy Circumstances!

Daylight streamed through the space between the curtains, casting its all-too-bright rays upon my face. Tightening my closed eyes, I rolled over onto my stomach, trying my best to not succumb to the tyranny that was morning. The sounds of birds happily chirping from outside bled through the window as well, only adding to the force that was trying to get me up. The image of a certain white horse floated around in my mind, smirking at my futile resistance. You’ll get yours, Celestia…

Rubbing a hand over my face while opening my eyes, I gazed out into the living area of the library, expecting to soon find my ears being assaulted by the owner. However, even as I laid there motionless, straining my sensitive ears to hear anything that may have been moving about in the tree, I couldn’t pick anything up.

“...Odd.”, I stated, pushing myself up and swinging my legs over the edge of the couch into a sitting position. “Must have left without my knowing. Or even telling me...” Frowning, and completely contradicting how I’d felt the last morning I was prevented from sleeping, I added in a smug tone. “Rude.”

Getting up and stretching my arms over my head with a satisfying groan, before letting them fall limply back to my sides, I stared over at the hallway that would lead to the bathroom. Doubting that a repeat of what happened yesterday would perspire again, especially since there didn’t appear to be anyone home, I made my way to the facilities in hopes to take my much-needed bath. After knocking on the door, just to be extra safe, I entered the violet bathroom and took another look around. This room really screams ‘girl's room’...

After a relatively relaxing soak in the tub, as well as attempting to do my best at brushing my teeth with no toothbrush, I came back out of the bathroom squeaky clean and smelling strongly of lavenders. The latter of all that, because I had to resort to using Twilight’s shampoo… It could have been worse, though. Meh. Rather smell like flowers, than a mutt.

Stepping into the kitchen to grab me my breakfast, I stopped at the doorway to stare at something that stood out on the counter. Sitting on top of a plate, which looked to be a folded note next to it, was what looked like a bagel that had been sliced in half and toasted. Oddly enough, it still seemed to be giving off heat, even though it had probably been made quite some time before my waking up. I quickly just shrugged that off as ‘magic’. The aroma coming from the enticing bread was all too inviting for me to resist anymore, and I soon found myself walking over to the counter.

Glancing at the note a second time, I could see that it was stamped with what looked like Twilight’s cutie mark. Taking it and opening it up, I quickly read through the letter.

“....“

Which was entirely unintelligible, due to it being written in what looked like gibberish. I honestly couldn't tell if she'd written this or a five-year-old!

“Note to self, learn pony handwriting. Er, hoof writing...” Placing down the note and looking at what appeared to be an offering that came with the note, I pursed my lips in thought. “Maybe... She's trying to show we're on good terms?“ I soon found myself smiling softly. “...Alright, your bribery has won me over. I’ll do something nice for you in return, later.”

And with that, I had myself a very satisfying, grape jelly-covered, bagel breakfast. I really had to admire how rich the flavors of both were, having much more of an impact on my taste buds than the foods back home. Whether this was from having werewolf senses or just the foods in this world being somehow different, I wasn’t sure. But it was delicious nonetheless. After finishing my meal, I grabbed the note once more, before noticing there seemed to be some sort of map on the back. Tilting my head, I cocked an eyebrow as I traced the lines that looked like they went through town, and out toward some floating structure on the outskirts.

“...I'm guessing I'm probably supposed to go there at some point?”

Tucking the slip into my back pants pocket, and making sure I had everything I needed—Which was pretty much nothing—I headed toward the front door and exited outside of the library. Taking a deep breath of the clean, refreshing air that met me, I stretched out my arms over my head with a small groan to rid myself of the last of my morning-tude. With a small smile on my face and a new feeling of contentment burning within me, I greeted my next day in this odd world with open arms.

Good morning, starshine! The Earth says ‘Hello’!

“Hi Nick!”, came the always-happy-go-lucky voice of the one I was starting to distinguish as— “It’s Pinkie Pie! From yesterday? Not that you’d have forgotten or anything, since you did meet me twice that day.” She finished off with a giggle, now right in front of me. “Silly me~”

Staring at the poofy-maned, pink pony with a now somewhat strained smile, I quickly reminded myself that it wasn’t nice to punch morning people in the face. I figured it was the same rule for ‘morning ponies’. Letting out a small breath I had apparently been holding, I smiled back with a bit more earnestness this time.

“Good morning, Pinkie. Yes, it would have been silly of me to forget someon- pony like you.” Even if I really wanted to at some point. “So…” I raised and lowered my hands in front of myself, referencing my whole being. “I’m not broken anymore!”

“That’s great news! I’m reallyreallyreally happy to see you’re okie dokie lokie!” She added emphasis to her ‘really’s by jumping around me, before throwing her hooves up at the end. What startled me was the burst of streamers that went everywhere with that last action.

“...How’d you do that?”

“Do what?”, she asked with a blank expression.

“Uh…” I pantomimed the action she had done, then wiggled my fingers to imitate the streamers flying around. She just stared at me like I was crazy. Shaking my head, I uttered, “Never mind…”

“Ooo! Hold that thought!” And in a matter of seconds, she vanished in a blur as she had once before. However, this time she returned with a rather large trampoline.

Thinking twice before asking, I simply glanced toward where her gaze was directed—which happened to be the sky—just in time to spot a multicolored streak paralleled by a browner one.

“Who’s that with Rainbow Dash?”, I asked. Looking back toward where Pinkie had been got me the ever-so-strange sight of her bouncing off the stretched-out material and flying skyward into the cloud above us. I could just make out words being said before she plummeted back down to the earth.

“Uh… Pinkie?”

Off she went back to the cloud, saying something else I couldn’t quite make out before falling back down to me again.

“Pinkie…”

By this time, I was more irked towards the trampoline than I was the pony bouncing on it. So, after she made one more repeat of the action, I pushed the large object away. Taking its place, I simply stood there with my arms held out in front of me with a rather bored stare. I didn’t have to wait long before a somewhat surprised pink mare was caught in my grasp.

“Wha-”

“Shhhhh…..”, I whispered, placing a finger to her lips and cutting her off. Her expression grew slightly dull this time around. “Now, I asked you a question. And it would be rude to ignore me.”

She rolled her eyes before shoving my hand away from her mouth. “Well, I was trying to have a conversation with somepony. And now I’ve been rudely interrupted.” She stuck her tongue out at me like a kindergartner, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

Letting out a sigh, I simply dropped her from my hold before turning toward the cloud above us. I could still make out voices up there. “Hey! Skittles!” I could oddly enough hear the sound of glass breaking from somewhere, but shrugged it off. “Ya gonna come down here, or am I gonna have to come up there and getcha myself?”

The somewhat angered expression of a rainbow-maned pegasus staring down at me from the edge of the cloud had me snickering to myself. Before long, a flash of color trailed down to the area in front of me, melding together to form Dashie, in all her annoyed glory.

“My name ain’t Skittles...”, she said in a low tone. She seemingly managed to regain her composure before saying. “I see you’re not all banged up. Well, I mean aside from your broken ego, Sir Trips-a-Lot.”

Alright, I’ll give ya that one… For now.

“Hahaaa…”, I fake-laughed.

However, my concentration was soon thrown off by the presence of a new creature making itself known. Landing next to Rainbow Dash in a relatively hard landing, before holding its wings out behind it in what I figured as ‘Look how awesome I am’ fashion, was indeed a griffon. There was no mistaking it. From what I could grasp as facial features, I was leaning towards the guess that it was female, too. But none of that was what had me suddenly frozen in silence.

“Oh yeah.”, Rainbow spoke up. “This is Gilda, a friend I used to go to school with a while back.” She motioned her hoof toward me as she looked toward the bird-lion hybrid. “Gilda, this is Nick. He’s… Well, he’s a friend of a friend, I guess.”

Our eyes met. Her piercing golden gaze cut through my slightly rigid amber ones like a knife. At first, she seemed rather confused at what on earth, or rather whatever this planet was called, I was. That curiosity quickly dulled down as she tossed a talon through the feathers that stuck out over her head, her expression turning somewhat bored.

“Uh, yeah. Nice to meet ya, or whatever…”, she stated in a rather insensitive tone. Her gaze drifted away, then back toward me before growing a bit more skeptical. “...You don’t say much, do you?”

“U-Uh…”, I mumbled out before regaining a small sense of understanding of the human language again. “S-Sorry, I was just caught up in your… unbelievable appearance…”

This got several confused, as well as one very subtle, as well as unintended, blush. The latter, thankfully, vanished just as soon as it appeared.

“Y-Yeah, well I get that a lot.”, Gilda seemed to say in a rather annoyed tone. “A lot of ponies around here act like they’ve never seen a griffon before…”

“That’s probably because most of them haven’t.” Pinkie stated with a rather large smile on her face. “By the way, I’m ready to hang out with you two if you’re all done flying around.”

I could feel a sudden warmth in the air, and for some reason felt my gaze being tugged toward the avarian beast. She didn’t seem all that happy at Pinkie Pie’s presence. I could read that clear as day from the look in her eyes. However, I couldn’t help taking a glance toward her flanks again as that cold sweat started to creep up on me again.

The trio seemed to go into some kind of squabble, ending with the two fliers soaring off toward the sky once more with Pinkie quickly taking after them, and leaving me to my own created silence.

...It’s not possible…

I kept trying to tell myself that. While it may have been outdone by the sheer amount of proof that had just slapped me in the face, I still didn’t want to believe it. While she didn’t seem to have recognized me, and I had to thank whatever divinities this place had for that, I wasn’t sure how I would have reacted if she had noticed who I was. I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself against her this time. And from the set of claw marks she still seemed to have on both her thighs, she might not have taken me so lightly, either.

...I need to talk to someone! But who?!?

I didn’t even realize that I was now in a completely different setting until a familiar, tranquil voice spoke out to me. “Is something the matter, Nick?” Turning toward my right, I found myself before the Sun Princess herself, sitting regally upon her throne.

Blinking away the dumbified look on my face, as well as the slight nausea I was experiencing from having been teleported, I respectfully lowered my head before speaking up.

“G-Greetings, your highness. I-”

“You needn’t have to be so formal, my dear Nick.”, she cut in. “We are alone here, and safe from prying eyes and ears.”

I wasn’t exactly sure whether that made me feel any better, but it got me to stand straight again. Taking a quick glance around, I couldn't help but marvel at how magnificent the interior of the room was. The marble flooring acted almost like a mirror, casting my reflection back up at me. And the stained glass windows! I’d been to a few churches growing up back home, but I’d never seen anything like this! Heck, even the spot for her chair is completely decked out!

“Are you finding my castle to your liking?”, mused Celestia as she got up from her seat and made her way toward me.

Quickly shaking off my childish sense of wonder, I gave the approaching Princess a somewhat sheepish grin as I itched the back of my head. “Y-Yeah, sorry.” She seemed to only shake her head with a small smile, disregarding the fact that I was making a fool of myself. “Oh! Um, right. The reason why I’m here…”

Her look turned more concerned at my return to the topic at hand. Or… Hoof. Gah, fuck it.

“Yes, tell me, Nick. What seems to have been bothering you lately?” Deciding to skip over calling her out on spying on me with whatever kind of powers she had—Oh yeah, I knew. Just didn’t really care too much—I got straight to the point.

“...I, for reasons not known to myself, have been getting a bit agitated over the littlest of things lately. Take yesterday, for example. I got in an argument with Twilight over absolutely nothing!” Her expression seemed to turn more uneasy at that. I reassured her with, “Don’t worry, I didn’t eat her.” That got her to stare blankly at me for a moment. “Anyway, so after a long day of trying to not turn into a snarling wolf-beast and devour every pony that I come upon— Oh, and yes. I actually did imagine myself doing that. It was pretty well detailed— I headed out into the Everfree Forest that night to just kind of run around as my wolf. Y’know, blow off some steam to see if that’s what it is. Then, out of nowhere, I’m getting attacked by this bird creature! I wasn’t even doing anything! So, I fight back, giving it a set of nice claw marks on its rump, and scare the thing off. Then I go back home. Next morning, or rather this morning, I wake up to find that exact same bird thing was actually a griffon, and is now hanging out in town with one of Twilight’s friends! So now, even though I’m reallyreallyreally trying to not get any of the ponies worried about my ‘special power’, this griffon could spoil everything if she realizes that I was the one she fought last night! Then it’s me getting chased out of town, torches lit and pitchforks raised, screaming for my beastly head on a pike. Ugh, and let's not even get started on that oddball that’s probably living in my hea—” I was cut silent by a hoof being placed on my mouth.

Judging from Celestia’s face, I was more than likely going to be getting a one-way ticket to the psycho institution. Either that or death. Death was probably the other option. As she lowered her hoof, she turned her gaze away from me before slowly trotting over toward one of the stained glass windows. A sudden eerie feeling started to crawl up my spine at what I was starting to expect.

Someone’s about to drop another drama bomb…

“You’d be right in thinking that.” Another shiver went up my spine at her words. “If I understand exactly what that term signifies correctly.”

“I knew you two could read minds!”, I shouted, pointing a finger directly at her. “You've been watching me, too! How else would you know that I was upset?”

The Princess’s expression turned rather serious, almost to the point of sternness. “I will not lie that my sister and I had been keeping watchful eyes on you. It’s understandable if you’re upset by thi—”

“Oh, I’m not upset,” I interjected, waving my hand nonchalantly. “If anything, I’m just glad to know I wasn’t being paranoid. I completely understand the need to keep an eye on a creature you know nothing about. Heck, I’d have kept guards on me, or kept me locked up somewhere until you were certain I wasn’t a treat.” At the look she was giving me, I quickly added in, “Which I’m not.”

“...I see. In any case,” she said with a shake of her head in what I thought was bemusement, “Perhaps it was best this way, then, for now I can give you some much-needed guidance. First, the griffon was not attacking you by pure chance. Griffons were Equestria’s main line of defense against the Caballio Lupos, or Pony Wolves.”—Wow. Should have stuck with the first name.—“...Yes, I know it’s an odd name, but bear with me. Before Nightmare Moon possessed my sister, most caballio lupos were simple beasts that often roamed the woodlands at night. Easily taken care of whenever they caused too much of a problem. However, Nightmare took deep pleasure in realizing she had the power to spread that awful curse to other ponies…”

She seemed to become a bit distant, before turning her gaze to one of the mosaics, her horn radiating slightly. With a flash of light, one, in particular, started to change into a rather alarming sight. Celestia, now seemingly striking a pink mane-do, was shooting a multicolored beam at who I knew as Nightmare Moon. Not too much of a shocker, seeing as I’d already been told that much about what happened. However, upon closer inspection, I could make out bodies of pretty-dead-looking ponies on the ground, bleeding as vicious creatures tore at their throats. One of the beasts seemed to be getting slashed in the back by a pony in some sort of knight get-up, while some of the others were engaged in combat with griffons. All in all, the scene painted an image that showed no clear side winning, had it not been for Celestia’s actions against her sister… I could also tell why it was something she’d hide from her precious, happy, ponies.

“That was one reason why I went to send you away so quickly.”, she started again, drawing my attention back to her. “I was… Blinded. All I could see were the countless lives we had lost back then.” She lowered her head to me. The Princess. Bowing her head to me. “Truly, I apologize again for that.”

Shaking off a bit of surprise, I quickly let out a soft chuckle. “H-Hey, all water under the bridge.” I wanted to get this conversation back on track, though. “Now, tell me about those griffons. Any idea why she may not have noticed my 'other self' today?”

That seemed to do the trick. “Oh. No, I’m not sure why.” Putting a hoof to her chin, she seemed to ponder as she continued. “Most griffons could actually detect a wolf beast even in its regular, pony form.” She then looked back at me. “Perhaps the fact that your— Werewolf? Perhaps it’s different from that of a pony’s caballio lupes.”

“Okay…” A rather nerve-wracking thought came to mind, though. One I hadn’t thought of until then. “...There’s no chance that she’ll be cursed like I am now, is there? We got in a bit of a scuffle in the Everfree Forest, before formally getting introduced, and I sort of left some light scaring along her flanks.” The Princess squinted at me somewhat, in what I could only guess was mild disappointment. “H-Hey, she attacked me first, and I just assumed it was one of those ‘monsters’ I’d heard live in that place.”

It took a second, but her expression softened somewhat, and she shook her head. “No, you need not worry about that. For whatever reason, the curse doesn’t appear to affect certain types of beings, griffons being one of them. But seeing as your own curse appears to be a variant we’ve not encountered before… I’d highly suggest you refrain from attacking anyone else while in that other form…”

“Well, yeah, that sounds pretty reasonable…” I seriously can’t understand how any of this works, but sure. Her sigh let me know that, indeed, she was reading my thoughts still. “Please stop that. We’re having an honest talk right now. You want my trust? Give me your own. Trust in me to not lie, or to tell you what you need to know. The only thing prying my head will get you is a very untrustful werewolf.” Again, her sudden look of ever so slight agitation had me continuing with, “No, that wasn’t a threat.”

“...I suppose you may be correct. Trust is earned, not given.” Looking over my shoulder, she made some sort of hoof gesture to something behind me. Turning around showed me a just materializing Luna, an expression of distaste starting to form. However, after the small, sorrow-filled look she soon gave me before flashing away in her blue-gray magic, I could tell she hadn’t been happy about having done what she did. Which wasn’t really anything too horrible. Just backup to kill me in case I started something. Nah. Nothing wrong with that. Looking back at Celestia with a “Really?” look, she only let out another sigh in response.

“Well then…”, I started, brushing off nothing in particular from my shoulders. “Where were we?”

“What was that about a voice living inside your head?”, she said abruptly.

Well, shit. Tell her you wanna be truthful to each other RIGHT before being asked that. Great. Effin’. Job.

“...You may tell her.”

“What?!” It was only a few seconds after yelling that out loud that I realized… I yelled that out loud.

“I asked what you had meant when you said you had a voice in your head.”, Celestia replied with an odd expression.

“You can tell her who I am.”, came the voice again. “Everything’s been growing rather dull, anyway. It’d be quite amusing to see her reaction to my not being as contained as she thought.”

Well, that’s nice. Just one thing. I still have no freaking clue who you are!

There was a small moment of silence before the voice let out a stifled chuckle. “Oh… Right.”

There was another moment of silence before a small whirlwind started to pick up next to me. Both Celestia’s and my own utterly shocked expressions stared at it until a solid kind of shadow began to form from the mini twister. I couldn’t make out much detail, since it was a shadow, but it kind of had the silhouette of a horned serpent with odd-looking arms and legs.

“Hello again, my dear Celestia!”, he said with a rather eerie voice. Judging from the slowly creeping sense of fear, followed by utter hatred, on the alicorn’s face, I guessed that she knew who this was.

“D-Discord?!”, with her flaring gaze going straight to me, she held out a hoof while yelling out. “Guards! Gua-” She was, however, cut off by the shadow’s tail as it wrapped around her mouth.

Oh shit. What have I just brought into this world?!

“Calm yourself, Celly. I’m not here on my own behalf.” I could just make out a sneer from where his mouth should be. “Not today, at least.” This ‘Discord’ then looked over at me. “Ah, Nick. So many questions running through that head of yours…”

Trying to force myself out of the frozen state I had been in, I shouted out in a hesitant voice, “L-Let her go!”

The shadow just let out a laugh, holding his sides as he fell back into the air. “THAT’S the first thing you say to me? ‘Let her go’? Not, ‘Who are you?’, or ‘What’s going on?’, or even ‘Why have I been acting peculiar lately? Just… ‘Let her go’.” He couldn’t seem to cease his laughter. “Oh Nick, that is what I like about you. Worrying about everybody but yourself, regardless of what you think of yourself.”

I could feel a small snarl starting to release itself from my clenched teeth. “Don’t act like you know me just because you’ve been in my head.”

The shadow was now beside me, a clawed hand of some kind on my shoulder while the rest of him was still dragging a struggling Celestia along with him. “Ah, but I have known you Nick. For a very long time now. I’m just surprised Celestia here didn’t sense the aura coming off you...” There was a small silence before I realized the Princess had stopped her attempts to break free, an irked expression on her face. This only got a laughing fit from the shadowy being. “You did?! And you didn’t tell him?!”

With a quick pull away from the shadow’s tail, the princess finally released herself from its hold. However, she didn’t begin calling for help as I thought she would. She didn’t even light up her horn to cast a spell. She just… stood there, staring at the ground in a way that didn’t really suit something as royal as her.

“...Celestia?”, I began, “What else haven’t you been telling me?”

Her gaze lifted to my own before she finally spoke again. “...Your beast isn’t what has been causing all of your odd behavior as of late.” She paused a moment to give a hate-filled glare at the shadow before continuing. “Discord, he’s not ready to know yet. He wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, come now, Princess.”, Discord replied, waving what looked like a paw. So, he’s got different appendages…? “Better to let him know now, then at the last second.”

“But to tell him so soon?!”, she rebutted. “He’s only been here several days!”

Discord just scoffed, folding his forearms disapprovingly. “All the more reason to tell him before he gets comfortable, in my opinion.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!?”

The two beings stopped a moment from their argument, turning toward me. Burning sensations ran up and down my insides, my fists clenched up into tight balls. I could feel my heart thumping out of my chest as sweat began to drizzle down my forehead. Taking a long breath, then releasing it, I attempted to calm myself before speaking up again.

“Look… I don’t want either of you deciding what’s best for me. You don’t know me.” Discord opened its mouth, as if to say something, but I quickly cut him off. “Period. You may know something about me. Something even I don’t know… But I’m the one in charge of my own decisions.” Celestia was the one who seemed ready to step in this time, though I stared her down as well as I said, “Not some mythical horse princess, or some black blob-thing.” I ended that glaring at Discord. The two’s expressions were quite unhappy looking, though they still said nothing. “...So, that’s why I’ve decided to not hear what either of you have to say.”

“What?!”, they both said in unison.

“You both heard me! I don’t want you two to tell me what this big secret is. Celestia’s right. I’ve only been here for a rough three days. I’m stressed as it is, and I don’t need more added onto it.” I grimaced at the realization I was still gonna have to deal with Gilda when I got back. “However, Celestia,” She lifted her head slightly in acknowledgment. “If you do know what is actually causing my strange behavior, then perhaps the two of you could fix it for me. Like, suppress whatever huge secret thing I must have until I feel I’m ready to deal with it.”

The two glanced at each other for a moment, before Discord let out an annoyed huff, turning his back to the two of us. Celestia, slowly letting a soft smile come to her face, nodded her head to me before stepping forward.

“I can try and repress the power you hold inside, though I’m not sure what kind of effect it will have on you. If I had to guess, you’ll just feel less…”, she paused for a moment, searching for a word, “...violent.”

“Well, that sounds good in my books.” I prepared myself for whatever she was going to do to me.

“Just be warned, Nick…” Discord spoke up, peering over his shoulder. “The power you hold in you can not be undone. It chose you, and you’ll have to live with it sooner or later...” With that, the shadowy body of Discord began to turn into a miniature tornado again, before completely vanishing.

With that eerie message now haunting the back of my mind, I gulped down a lump I could feel growing in my throat before turning back to Celestia. “...Well, go ahead.”

With another nod, she closed her eyes and ignited her horn in a radiant light before lowering it onto my head. I tensed up for a moment, my vision blacking out before slowly returning to normal. However, the scenery around me no longer resembled the throne room I’d just been in. Instead, I was in a rather dim room, the only thing allowing me to see through it being my wolfy, night vision. And it was a tight fit, too. I could barely stretch out my arms without bumping into the walls that surrounded me. And then, just like that, the door in front of me opened wide, releasing a flood of light into my eyes.

“There you are, Nick! We’ve been looking all over for you!”, came the bubbly voice of Pinkie Pie. “What were you doing, hiding in the closet? Oooo! Were you playing hide-n-seek? Did I win!?!”

Still adjusting my eyesight to the lighting, I warily came out from what must have been the closet, and glanced around. I had somehow wound up at Sugarcube Corner, remembering the interior from when I had visited it with Spike. However, it now looked as though there seemed to be some kind of party going on. Streamers and ribbons decorated the ceiling, while multiple tables held different kinds of food and beverages. One even had gifts on it. I could also notice some of the stares I was getting from the other ponies that were there…

“Um…”, I glanced back at Pinkie, who was still next to me. “Yup. You found me!” I let out a relatively honest laugh, mostly from finding myself in such an awkward situation. “You win, Pinkie.”

Upon hearing that, the pink mare let out a series of ‘Woohoos’ and ‘Alright!’ before bounding off somewhere. Seeing my chance, I quickly scanned through the crowd again before spotting a familiar, lavender pony amongst the other colorful bodies there. Casually walking across the room, and not giving a shit about all the eyes on me, I tapped the shoulder of said mare from behind before smiling the best I could.

“Well, hello there, Ms. Sparkle. Did you miss me?”

Twilight turned around with a somewhat confused expression until she spotted who it was, smiling brightly back at me. “There you are, Nick! I was wondering where you disappeared to. Nopony knew where you went. Did you get my note this morning?”

“Why yes I did, Twilight. And may I just say that that bagel you left me as well was absolutely divine!” I was sure to add an extra bit of emphasis to that last word. “I thank you for going out of your way like that. I’ll be sure to make it up to you.”

By this time, her expression had turned to one of slight amusement, mixed with a bit of puzzlement. But she just let out a rather cute giggle before shaking her hoof at me. “You don’t have to do that. Consider it just part of turning over a new leaf between us.”

Nodding, I gave her a light pat on the head—which she surprisingly didn’t mind this time—before looking about the room again. “So… What exactly is going on here?”

“Oh! Pinkie Pie decided to throw a party for Gilda, an old friend of Rainbow Dash.”, she then turned her attention toward my left. “Fluttershy, you’ve met her already, right?”

Glancing toward my left, I saw what had to be one of the cutest damn things I’d ever seen in a very long time. Doing her best to not look me right in the eye, with a rather nervous expression, was a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. She seemed to lean over towards Twilight, mumbling something that I couldn’t really make out over the compulsive action I was trying to hold in.

Must...Not...Hug!!!

Not being able to resist myself anymore, I grabbed hold of the little pony in a big hug, thankful that my werewolf strength was allowing me to do such a thing. An audible ‘Eep!’ came from her, only making me love this little bundle of cuteness all the more. “Oh my gosh, if you aren’t the sweetest, most precious little thing I’ve ever seen! Ohhh, I just want to snuggle up with you like a stuffed animal, and keep you for my own!”

Needless to say, I kind of caused a bit of a scene…

“Um… While that’s very kind of you to say, as well as a b-bit creepy, um… Sir. Could you, maybe, put me down, please…?”

Oh my god! OH MY GOD! She’s even sweet when she’s slightly annoyed!!!

Harnessing all the power I could muster, I complied with her request and put her back down, revealing quite the large blush from the still startled mare. Who immediately proceeded to make herself scarce.

“S-Sorry about that!” I quickly called out, rubbing the back of my head. “...I just couldn’t resist myself.”

“Nick…” Twilight’s voice spoke up, causing me to turn to look at her. She was wearing a very smug grin on her face, which almost got me blushing in embarrassment. “Just when I thought you couldn’t possibly get any stranger, you surprise me.”

“Oh, hush you…”

“SHE’S HERE!!!”, came Pinkie’s exasperating scream.

Turning a suddenly uneasy stare toward the door, I caught sight of the pair that were entering. They seemed to stop in front of Pinkie, conversing with her for a moment, before Rainbow began making her way over to me, followed by several other ponies I barely recognized.

“So, uh, Ahm guessin' yer that new house guest uh Twilight's?”, asked an orange mare wearing a stetson. She squinted at me slightly, looking me up and down in suspicion. “Say… You wouldn’t happen tuh be that critter we saw up at Nightmare Moon’s castle, wouldja?”

“Uh, heh heheh…” I suddenly felt like going straight over to Gilda would have been a better idea. “Yeah, that’s me. Sorry, I’ve never really been that great at first impressions…”

The mare seemed to pause a moment more, giving me that careful stare, before softening up a bit with a smile. “Well, Ah don’t seem tah get the feelin’ yer too much of a trouble maker. The name’s Applejack. My family owns the apple orchard outside uh Ponyville.”

“Oh! I actually went by your place just the other day while trying to get accustomed to Ponyville.”, I recalled, remembering back. “It looked like a mighty fine farm. Heck, I may even end up asking for work there if—”

“Whoa there, partner.”, Applejack cut me off. While she didn’t sound all that severe with the grin she was giving, she still seemed serious in her words. “I assure you, us Apples have everythin’ under control. While Ah’m mighty grateful fer the thought, I’ll have to ask that ya leave it to us.”

I nodded my head, getting where she was coming from. “I understand. Apologies if I made it sound like you needed help. You look like a girl who knows what she’s doing.”

With a tip of the hat and a small smile, she trotted past me with, “I think we’ll get along just fine, sugarcube.”

...Sugarcube?

Rainbow Dash was the next to approach me. And by that, I mean punching a hoof into my right arm. “Hey! Where ya been, Clutzentein? Haven’t seen ya since earlier this morning.”

Rubbing the slightly sore spot she’d left on my arm, and giving her a sneer that said I was definitely going to be getting her back for this, I stated. “Why, training myself to kick your butt, of course! I may have slipped up once, but I’ll be sure to be ready next time.” The look she gave me couldn’t help but dismiss from my mind today’s earlier events as a similar grin grew on my own face.

“Is that supposed to scare me?”, she said through squinted eyes, getting right into my face.

“Only if you’re on a diet.” I pushed my forehead right against hers. “Cause you’re gonna be eating my dust.”

“Then why don’t we take this outside, here and now?”

And just like that, I turned around, snickering. “And leave your friend alone by herself? Nah, we can postpone your demise for another day.”

I could just make out her groan of agitation before another pony walked up to me. This one, however, seemed far too uppity for my own taste…

“Hm… If you do not mind my saying, I think I may be able to get you a much more lively outfit than,” the white unicorn paused for a moment to point at what I was wearing, “Those.”

“...Um. Excuse me?” I wasn’t really offended, since I had to admit that my current clothing was probably in need of a good washing, but still. “I think it’s more polite to introduce yourself before commenting on another person’s attire.”

The unicorn’s eyes widened before she made a hasty scramble to put a smile on her face and hide her embarrassment. “Oh my, I’m terribly sorry! Please forgive my rudeness…” She seemed to be sincere, so I nodded my head with a small smile. Returning it, she started over. “I am Rarity, owner of the Carousel Boutique here in Ponyville. You must be Nick. Twilight has told me a bit about you.” She then went to hold out her hoof in greeting.

“All pleasant things, I hope.”, I said with a subtle smile. Kneeling, I tenderly took her outstretched hoof in my hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rarity. If you’ll excuse me, though, I’d like to grab myself some punch. Perhaps we’ll run into each other another time.”

With a slight bow of my head, I released her hoof and made my way off towards the table I’d spotted with the punch bowl on it. Passing by a few of the townsfolk, and doing my best to give them a kind wave, I reached for a cup at the table only to have it snatched from in front of me by a clawed talon. Stepping back a bit, I watched as a very distraught Gilda attempted to drink the punch in the cup, only for it to spill out from a hole in the side. This seemed to get her a bit more agitated. The laughing that came from Pinkie and Rainbow Dash also didn’t seem to help, boasting out how something she’d eaten had been tampered with and that the drinks had been messed with as well.

Rolling my eyes, I picked up another cup and tapped Gilda on the back before she’d do something she’d regret. Her burning glare immediately turned toward me, but seemed to become less intense on the realization of who it was.

“Here.”, I said, holding the cup out to her. “It’s not boobytrapped.” I gave it a second look before handing it out again. “At least, I think it’s not.”

With a muffled growl, she hesitantly snatched the cup from my hand before gulping down the entire beverage. Tossing the cup aside, she gave me a second glance, before talking out in what I assumed was her normal speaking voice. In reality, it just sounded like she was mildly upset. “Thanks…”

“No problem. I’d be annoyed if those two were pulling some kind of game with me, too.” I gave my best shot at a sincere smile, before glancing toward the ones being talked about. “Any particular reason why you look like you’re about to strangle those two?”

With another snarl, she too started over at Pinkie and Rainbow. “That loser, Pinkie Pie, thinks she’s going to make me lose my cool in front of Dash. Well, she’s got another thing coming if—”

“Just ignore her.”, I interjected, taking a sip from my own cup of punch. That got her to give me a confused glare. “I mean, if she’s really ruffling your feathers so much–no pun intended–then why not just stay away from her?”

The griffon stared at me like I had corn growing out of my ears. “...Sheesh. You don’t talk much at first, but you’re a chatterbox later on, aren’t ya? I can take care of myself.”

“Well, with an attitude like that, I doubt it.” I soon found my cup of punch being flung across the room, splashing somepony in the face. Turning to look at the griffon that had now pulled us behind a table, my collar in one of her talons, I gave her a rather stern scowl. “...Look, I’m not going to force you to keep your shit together, but it would make you look like the better person in this situation. I mean, do you really even have any proof that Pinkie’s even trying to get under your skin? Or are you just acting like a jerk on purpose?”

Oh, the look in her eyes. She really really wanted to punch me in the face. And I wasn’t sure if it was the wolf making me feel this way, but I was hoping she would, too. Surprisingly, she released me though.

“Hmph… I don’t need life lessons from a dweeb.”, she said, walking away from me and toward Rainbow Dash, who was waving her over.

“...Sheesh, what the hell is up her ass?”, I mumbled to myself.

Shrugging it off, I got up from behind the table and made my way over to the group that was starting to form around the presents. That’s where I got to watch Gilda make a fool of herself again with some snakes-in-a-can, and then get more aggravated. Yup. Not long now until she erupts.

The rest of the party kind of just continued that way. Cake was brought out, of which Gilda attempted to blow out the candles. But of course, the candles were re-lighting candles. Que the griffon fighting not to grab hold of the pink mare. But while most of everyone there was laughing in amusement, I could notice somepony in particular snickering out from the corner of my eye.

“Yo Dash! C’mere for a sec.”, I called out.

Pausing a moment to look at me quizzically, she slowly made her way over before saying, “What’s up?”

“Are you the one playing all those pranks on Gilda?”, I asked in a very out-of-the-blue way. Her eyes immediately widened at my question, before looking around in a nervous way.

“Uh, why would you think that?”, she laughed awkwardly.

“Yup, that’s what I thought.” With a sigh and a shake of my head, I pinched at the bridge of my nose. “She thinks Pinkie Pie is throwing this party to get her to crack in front of you. Like this whole thing is a scheme to make her look bad.” Her expression went from uneasy to confused as I spoke. “If I were you, I’d call off whatever else you had in mind, since I really don’t think Gilda’s enjoying all of this.”

Rainbow stood there for a moment, with her gaze to the ground, before looking back up at me. “Are you sure about that? Cause she didn’t seem that upset whenever I asked her.”

“If your mom got you a really ugly sweater, and all you wanted to do was burn the dreaded thing, but then she goes and says that she actually stitched the damn thing because she loves you so much, would you be honest and tell her you hate it, or lie just to keep her happy?”

...Sorry, Mom.

She stared at me again with a blank expression, until it seemed to dawn on her what I was trying to say. Rubbing the back of her head in a similar fashion of my own, she replied, “Yeah, I guess you may be right…”

But just as I finally thought I had saved the day, a loud roar filled the entire room. Quickly looking to the source, I felt a shiver run down my spine as Gilda had Pinkie by the throat, yelling loudly in her face. I couldn’t coherently make out what she was yelling about, but I could make out the words ‘loser’ and ‘lame-o’.

Speeding over the rest of the now stunned party-goers, I quickly grabbed hold of the griffon from behind before she could even realize I was there. Thankfully, Dash was by my side as well, grabbing Pinkie from the raging avian. Her squawks of protest and hatred now filling my ears, I tried my best to keep her in my grasp as I pulled her toward the door. However, she really was making sure it was not easy for me. Luckily, the door opened for the two of us in a purplish glow, slamming shut when we were both out. That’s when I made the mistake of releasing her...

“Why you-!”, she hissed, swinging around in the air before slamming her clenched talon into the side of my head, knocking me down.

Wiping away a bit of blood I could feel dripping down where she’d slugged me, I stared back up at her with amber eyes that burned with a growing intensity, a growl inching out of my throat. “...I warned you not to lose your cool.”

Her anger soon turned to one of complete shock as she tried to muster out a comprehensible sentence. “Y-You’re a… But… How could you…?!”

With a fanged grin, I slowly got back up to my feet before saying, “That’s none of your business. And I’m even willing to apologize for those scars I gave you.” That made her aggression return. “However, I don’t wish for this to get ugly. I simply ask that you leave here, and not come back until you’ve cooled down. I don’t know your life story, the same as you don’t know mine. And because of that, I’m not going to judge you too much on your actions inside, and am willing to just let you leave peacefully...” I could tell she was pondering on the idea of diving at me, instead. “But if you’d rather start a blood bath, here and now, just know this.” My voice then lowered into a rather cautionary tone. “...I’m not the one with a best friend in there who just watched me make a completely hostile jerk out of myself.”

The griffon’s hardened attitude cracked at the mention of her actions inside, and for a moment, I thought I could see a bit of conflict happening in her. But whatever I had seen was instantly covered back up by her temperament, before she let out one last, hate-filled. “Whatever!”

And just like that, she turned tail and flew off. I couldn’t help but still feel that deep down, she might not have been that bad. And yet, I still couldn’t discount that she had grabbed one of my newfound fri- Er, acquaintances by the neck in a rather violent manner. Turning back toward the bakery—after making sure all former wolf-like factors had receded—I simply stated under my breath one last declaration.

“She really needs to get laid…”