A gentle electronic noise repeats itself as I grasp onto the edge of consciousness. The beeping grows lightly louder the more I wake, and soon other sounds join it. The soft dripping of liquids, the stirring of fabric as I slowly move my legs, and the scrapping of my hair against the pillow I'm laying on. And the gentle breathing of someone else in the vicinity. The breathing silences itself when I move my left hand up to my face and rub my chin.

And the action spikes a dull pain in my arm that radiates through the limb and into my shoulder. I bend my right arm to bring it over and touch my left, but something sharp jabs me in the crook of my elbow. I groan at the pain it causes, but it fades relatively quickly.

"Do not move too much, Maverick," a soothing voice tells me.

I move my head towards the voice and try to open my eyes. "Nahee... Knightly?" My tongue is heavy and a horrid taste sits in the back of my mouth.

"Do not be frightened," Mrs. Knightly coos. "You won't be able to see for a while."

"Why..." I start, but I pause to catch another sleepy breath. "Why do I hurt?"

"You've been asleep for some time, Maverick. Three days now, and come the dawn, this will be your forth."

I turn my head back to lay it flat on my pillow. "...Mrs. Knightly... Tell me what happened."

"Swift Lightning, your personal guard, along with several others, brought you in the medical wing those near four days ago. You collapsed in your room and began convulsing." I turn my head to better hear Knightly tell her tale. "We are to blame for this. My sister Celestia ordered to have monitoring lanterns places outside your room to better understand the type of particular magic you possess, or rather, the protrusions on your body possessed."

"Your sister Celestia?" I ask. "...Princess Luna?"

"You are correct, Maverick," she answers in a soothing tone.

"Did you give me that dream?"

"Yes, I did."

"Can I ask why, Princess Luna?"

"...Beings cannot lie in their subconscious. I brought a random memory to life in your sleep to see how you would react. You lived a normal life, not one of secrecy like my sister believes. You hold no malice in your heart."

"Finally, someone who understands," I say in relief. "...Continue, please. Tell me why I can't see."

"Right," she says. "...When you were brought into the medical wing, you were in horrible shape. In the few minutes it took the guards to carry you here, your body began to fail... Your eyes are bandaged right now, which is why you cannot see. As for why, well, your body... reset itself and dilated your pupils to such an extent that any light could damage your sight. Oh, and you may experience some hearing problems for the next few days."

"What happened to me?" I ask her.

"The magical lanterns the guards had installed give out a wave of their own unique magic. We used them before in the past to detect changelings, a devilish race of pony-like insectiod dopplegangers that feed off emotions. The magic of the lanterns disrupted their magical fields and prevented them from changing form, as well as causing them moderate pain." Luna stops for a second and I feel a hoof place itself on my chest. "With you, the lanterns encountered a magic they have never felt before, and with that, they implemented the one option we had enchanted them with."

"And that is?" I interrupt.

"To destroy the foreign magic." Luna pauses again. "In hindsight, that may have been a terrible idea."

"You think?"

"Quite." Luna takes her hoof from my chest. "The gems on your body reacted to the lanterns' magic, and only the gems, so in order to save your life... we removed them." Under my bandages, my eyes try to widen a bit. Luna continues. "The gems growing on your shoulders were easy to remove. They were simply sitting on top of your skin, so no real damage was done. The one growing on your right hoof—"

"Foot," I correct.

"Right. The one growing on your foot had... complications. We had to apply a skin graft, courtesy of your inner thigh." I groan, but this doesn't stop the princess of the night from talking. "The gems on your arms... proved difficult. They were embedded deep withing your flesh, and we tried the best we could to remove them without serious damage."

I move my arms a bit, trying to wiggle my fingers. My left hand had no problem, but my right hurts like hell when I move my middle, ring, and pinkie finger. I sigh and try to sink into my pillow as my left hand runs over my bandaged arms. No more crystals.

"You no longer harbor any magic in your body, Maverick. That is not good."

"Why is that bad?" I take my hand away from the bandages, but it comes away wet. I wipe my fingers on the bedspread as Luna talks.

"Because without your own magic, our spells, our potions, anything magical will prove nearly ineffective on you. You will have to heal on your own time, as our spells cannot lock onto your inner magic and harmonize with it to create the desired effects. With no magic in your body, your being will have no protection against the native magic that imbues itself within everything here. The ground the grass, the trees, we ponies, even the air."

"...I feel that this isn't the bad part yet."

"You would be correct, Maverick," Luna replies. "With no natural magic in your body, you will be constantly absorbing various amounts from general area around you. And if you absorb too much, you will experience another overload, just like with your crystals."

"But I don't have my crystals anymore," I say

"That's right," Luna says, her tone softening. "Without your crystals, we cannot remove anything that would possible take in the magic you absorb. Your body will shut down and destroy itself from the sheer power you will take in. In other words... If you stay here, you are going to die."

Luna's words make my lungs burn. "...But," I begin. "...What?"

"We are sorry."

"What do you have to apologize for?"

Luna rests her hoof on my chest again. "It is our fault you are here."

Before I can think about my actions, my left hand shoots to my chest and grabs the princess' hoof. I hear her gasp, but I tug her closer to me. Luna comes a step forward and her form bumps into the side of my bed.

"...Tell me. Now." The princess of the night tries to pull her hoof back, but I hold on tight. "Tell me right now. I was ripped from my home, family, and friends and sent into this topsy-turvy world of talking ponies. If you have any idea why, I need to hear it."

Luna tugs her hoof from my grip. "...In the past, nearly a year ago, a terrible tragedy struck Equestria. A gate to Tartarus was forced open and the guardian of the damned escaped. Cerberus, the three-headed demon hound, caused little trouble, as one of Princess Twilight Sparkle's friends was able to tame him. But the gate was left open and unguarded for too long."

I groan at the information, my thoughts turning to my history period back when I was still a sophomore.

"A terrible evil passed through the gate," Luna continues. "Lord Tirek, a great and powerful demonic centaur, was that evil. He laid low for a short while, draining unsuspecting ponies of their magic in an attempt to grow stronger. Before we knew what hit us, he had grown too strong for anypony to handle. Many at first tried to defeat him, but all in vain as he drained them of their power. He even came to my sister and I to steal our power.

"But, as a last hope, we had imbued Twilight Sparkle with our power."

"You can do that?" I ask, interrupting her tale.

"Only in times of desperate need. With our magic flowing through her body, Twilight sparkle engaged the demon in battle... and while complications came to be, she overcame them with the help of her friends. Twilight Sparkle and her friends used their newfound powers as the Element Bearers and awakened a great magic that had been sleeping for many millenia; The Element of Harmony. the power of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic make up this great power. Utilizing this old power, the bearers created a brand new type of magic. This magic stripped Lord Tirek of all the power he had stolen and returned it to their rightful owners all over the continent. And with this new magic, they ripped a new gateway to Tartarus and flung the demon back into the depths of the fiery abyss.

"And that new magic has yet to dissipate. It can still be found in concentrated pockets all over Equestria. and while we were examining the crystals we removed from your body—"

"You found that type of magic," I finish for her.

"You are correct, Maverick. We theorize that a pocket of that magic dispersed and ripped you from your home. And if that is most likely the case, we are sorry."

My emotions run wild. I'm angry because it was these ponies, more specifically Twilight Sparkle and her friends, that brought me here. But I can't be angry because this was just an accident, and if they didn't do what they did, they may have lost their world. I'm sad because of my reasoning. I'm afraid because of the news Luna had just brought me. And I'm confused because if all this is true, then I may just have to believe in the fact that magic is real.

I reach up and feel the bandages around my head, then grip them as best as I can. In a swift motion, I rip the bandages from my face and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. My eyes flutter open, and everything is blurry, but it's not too bad to the point I can't see. In fact, I can almost see everything in the small amount of light that's in the room right now. I turn my head to Luna.

Her ethereal mane is like liquid space, flowing behind her as if a constant breeze is flowing. Her dark blue coat shines in the faint light in the room, and I notice how dark it is in here. It must be nighttime. Luna's wings are half spread in surprise, but she doesn't back away from my bedside. For the second time, I'm in the medical wing with an IV hooked up to my arm, and familiar feelings of dread fill my body, but for more reasonable... well, reasons.

"You said I'm going to die. How long?"

"I'm sorry?" The blue alicorn asks me.

"How long!? How long do I have here?"

Princess Luna's head drops a bit. "...At the rate the research team says... they gave you a quarter cycle." Her eyes lock onto mine, and she elaborates. "They gave you eight days. And you've been asleep for nearly four."

My jaw hangs open. "...Then send me back home."

"We cannot."

"Why not!?" I yell.

Luna takes a step back. "With no natural magic in you body, we can't lock onto it and find the place with resonating magic."

"Then get me a globe! A map! Something! I'll show you where England is on that!"

Luna nods. "Of course. I'll send word of your request to the guards."

"Not good enough," I say. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and rip the IV from my arm. "I don't have any time to waste laying down. Take me to... wherever you keep the geological findings."

"You are not leaving this room, Maverick," Princess Luna tells me as she puts her wing around my shoulders.. "You are in no shape to move."

"Watch me." I raise my right arm and push her wing away, but it makes contact with the wound under my bandages. I hiss at the pain and hold my arm gingerly as red pricks start to grow on the white material.

"You are not leaving," Luna repeats.

"I am."

"You are not."

"Am."

"You are not!" The force that she yells with knocks me back onto the bed. "You are not leaving this room! You are too injured, and we do not have suitable blood transfusions! If you move too much, you will bleed out, and there will be nothing we can do to save you!"

"I'm already going to die in four days!" I yell back. "I just can't lie around and wait for it!"

"So you want to walk straight towards it then?" Luna asks me. "If you bleed out, we will not be able to save you again. If you get up and stain yourself, that is exactly what will happen."

I gaze into Luna's light blue eyes, and she returns my stare. "...Can you imbue some magic into me, then? Like you said you did to Twilight?"

"Only if you want me to shorten your time," she replies slowly.

I look at her for a few more seconds, then hang my head. When I do, I blush heavily seeing as how my boxers are missing. With a small amount of effort, I heft my legs back onto the bed and cover myself while trying to hide my shame. "...If it comes to it," I say quietly, "...If I die here... will it hurt?"

Luna lowers her head. "...Yes, it will."

"It didn't before."

"It didn't before because the lanterns caused such a shock you were knocked out cold." Princess Luna shakes her head, but raises back up. "As you absorb more magic, the pain will steadily grow until your body gives out. I am sorry." We sit in silence for a while longer, but Luna cuts it short once again. "...If it is any consolation, perhaps I can help."

"How?" I ask her.

"When the time comes... should you want me to, I can increase your magic intake. If I do to such an extent, all of your senses should overload instantaneously." Luna nods at my questioning look. "You should feel little or no pain."

"Are you... Are you offering to give me a mercy killing?"

"To an certain point, yes."

I feel my eyes water. Not just because that there is a real chance of my dying, but also at the fact that this act the princess before is offering may, in fact, be the kindest thing that has happened to me in this world. I nod at her.

"Th-thanks, Princess Luna."

"Let's just hope that it does not come to that," she says as she turns. "I must return to my sister and explain the situation, as well as retrieve your maps and globes." Luna walks over to the door, but pauses at it. She turns and faces me, her horn glowing a soft blue. A moment later, the IV I had ripped out of my arm is replaced with a sterile one and it slides back into the crook of my elbow with a small pinch. "Rest, Maverick. I will not be free for the next few days, but I will make time to see you if needed."

"Princess Luna!" I call out as she begins to close the door. "I, um, have something to ask you."

"Yes, Maverick?" she answers.

"...While we were in my dreams, you saw what I was wearing, right?"

"A black, blue pants, white shoes," Luna lists.

"Do you think, maybe, I could have something similar to the shirt and pants?" I rub my neck, hissing at the pain it causes. "It's a comfort thing for us humans to be clothed."

Luna smile at me. "I'll have the seamstresses start in the morning." The door closes behind her with a soft click, and I'm left alone. I lay my head down and let myself sink into the pillow. I'm faintly aware of the silent tears that slide down my face as I fade back to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ———— ~ ~ ~ ~

I wake to the sound of a door opening and the handle slamming into the wall. Instantly, I jerk upwards, then groan as my shoulders are racked with a dull pain the crawls into my chest.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," says a familiar tomboyish voice.

I try to open my eyes, but its too bright. The light stings my eyes and I cover them with my arm. "Aaaahhh..." A loud scraping noise fills the room, almost as bad as nails on a chalkboard, and I take my arm from my face. I try to open my eyes again, and this time I can slowly get them to stay open. The light still stings, but not as bad as before. And then my eyes rest on the pony who's pushing a large dull orange sphere on a pedestal.

"...Silver Star? Is that you?"

Silver's head whips to face me, and she gives a small smile. In the left corner of her mouth, I can see where she pulled out one of her bottom teeth. She's not wearing her golden armor, so her brilliant white coat is on display. Her coppery mane looks freshly washed, too, and still slightly wet.

"Hey human. I see you don't have those rocks sticking out of you anymore," she says while gesturing to my bandages. "How you holding up?"

"Not too well," I answer. "Why are you back so soon?"

Silver rolls her hoof as she leans against the large orange orb. "I may still have a few days left in my heat, but it doesn't mean that my parents don't have any suppression meds sitting in the back of the bathroom cabinet." She gives the orb another shove and then wipes her brow. "I may not be able to use magic very well while I'm on the pill, but at least I can still get you what you need."

I try to forget what she just said, but it brings up a question. "Is that the globe I wanted?"

I'm answered by a wad of large scrolls hitting me in the face. "And there are your maps," Silver says with an audible smirk. "So, you're going home soon, am I right?"

I unroll one of the maps. "Yeah, hopefully. I really don't want to die."

"What?"

"Nothing," I say, waving a hand at her. I return back to the map I have laying across my covered legs. I scan it from top to bottom, getting a 'feel' for what Equestria looks like. And it doesn't look anything like I think any land formation should look like. "Silver Star, are these maps accurate?" I ask as I unroll another one.

"Very," she says matter-of-factly. "You'll not find better maps around unless you look in the royal treasury."

Panic begins to fill by mind and body as I scan each map. All of the them are the same. Equestria doesn't look vaguely familiar to anything I've seen on Earth. I turn to another map, this one holding a different continent. Again, not similar in the least. Forgetting my modesty, I throw my covers off and grab my IV pole. Using it as a walking stick, I head over to Silver Star's side and kneel down. The globe she pushed into the room is nearly three feet tall made of polished bronze. I push it, making it spin, and examine it for anything that may look like home. I run my fingers along the raised surface and trace out the forms it creates.

"Garcia?" Silver asks me, but I ignore her. I'm too focused at trying to find something on this globe. I make a complete spin of the globe, and my breathing starts to gain speed. "Garcia? What's wrong?" Again, I ignore Silver. I make the globe spin faster, try to see home on the unfamiliar world. "Maverick? What's wrong?"

I leave the globe alone, letting it spin itself to a stop. My head hangs low as the realization sinks in. My breathing slows, my heart rate lowers, and my hopes die right then and there. A hoof on my cheek brings my head up, and Silver Star has brought her face exceptionally close to mine.

"Maverick, tell me what's wrong?"

I swallow. "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" Silver sits on her haunches. "Swift told me you were back in the medical wing, so I thought I would check up on you. You're still my responsibility, you know. What's going on? What haven't I been told?"

I look down at the floor. "...Princess Celestia can't send me home."

"What?" Silver asks me. "Why?"

"Because this isn't my planet," I say while trying to keep myself from crying. "...This is Equus, right? I heard a few ponies say that. It's nothing like Earth. N-no Cheshire... No England... No Europe... Nothing like my home. I c-can't go home Silver!" I can't help myself as I reach forward and pull Silver Star into a forced hug. After a second, she returns it with a single foreleg. "...I'm going to die here, Silver." I feel Silver's leg go ridged. "I have f-f-four days left... I don't want to die. Not yet."

"Wha... What did you say?" she asks me.

"The rocks," I say. "The crystals we-were keeping me safe. Magical overl-load. The princesses can't hel-el-eeeellp...."

And so we sit there, holding each other for a very long time. Silver eventually pries me off of her, but only so she can get a better hold on me. She helps me back over to my bed and lays me down, trying her best to soothe the waves of emotions flowing from my soul. She asks me questions, and I answer. Silver asks some more, and I answer more. I try to calm myself down, and Silver attempts to help. Nothing works.

Author's Note

This scene of darker Drama is brought to you by the letter K.
Now don't hate me for taking a bit of a darker turn. Drama is fickle.