You Do (Not) Belong

Chapters

The First Day: Uninvited Guests
The First Day: Don't Panic
The First Day: Welcome to Equestria
The Second Day: Brave New World
The Second Day: Departure/Arrival
The Third Day: Best Laid Plans
The Third Day: Toast of the Town
The Third Day: Ain't No Party Like a Pinkie Pie Party
The Fourth Day: Prepare for Unforeseen Consequences
The Fourth Day: Reflections
The Fourth Day: Something to Hold On To
The Fifth Day: The Sweet Smell of Science... and Crepes
The Fifth Day: Over a River and Through the Woods
The Fifth Day: What Friends are For
The Sixth Day: The Morning After
The Sixth Day: It's All Fun and Games
The Sixth Day: The More Things Change...
The Seventh Day: A Farewell to Arms
The Seventh Day: No Right Answer
The Seventh Day: Terminus
Prologue: A Cosmic Contingency
The Second Day: Interview With a Unicorn
Epilogue: One Day at a Time

The First Day: Uninvited Guests

You Do (Not) Belong

The First Day: Uninvited Guests

As a loud, deep note resonated across the bright walls and tall spires of the city at exactly one in the afternoon, all around, the streets were crowded with the everyday movements of hundreds of ponies going about their daily lives. Although, the level of activity this day was slightly above normal, as every so often one would come across yet another reconstruction project; part of a concerted effort to fix up the city after the previous week’s disastrous events.

Ever since the fate of the whole of Equestria was threatened by the Changeling menace, the residents of Canterlot had had to put up with innumerable disruptions to their routines. Roads were in need of repaving, damaged homes and businesses needed to be rebuilt, and a sense of normalcy needed to return to a populace who had witnessed their lives of safety, security and privilege completely upturned. Especially when it just had to happen on the day of a royal wedding -- a momentous occasion in its own right.

Yet, there was only one figure they could turn to who could mollify their concerns and promise help to those most affected. Fortunately for the citizens of Canterlot -- and indeed, all of Equestria -- their beloved and benevolent ruler, Princess Celestia, was always willing to lend an ear to her subjects. Provided they could find the time to attend one of her open courts, everypony had an equal opportunity to have their issues addressed, and the Princess made an effort to devote some attention to each and every one of them.

Including the ones that were decidedly... less deserving than others, which was the case at this very moment in the castle courtyard where the Princess had chosen to hold her meetings that day.

“...and that’s pretty much the long and short of it, Your Highness,” stated a stern voice coming from an ash gray stallion as he wrapped up his story. This particular earth pony was wearing a thick, plaid flannel over-shirt, his close-cut mane tamped down by the scuffed yellow hard hat he wore on his head. His flank was adorned with a mark similar to that of his headgear, overlaid on top of a crossed hammer and saw.

His gaze drew upwards after finishing his tale, eyes full of cautious hope as he waited for the Princess of the Sun’s reply. Up the steps leading to the castle doors, Celestia herself lay down, forelegs folded beneath her and wings tucked to her sides, atop a red silken pillow. Her long, spiraling horn gleamed in the afternoon sun, with her prismatic mane and tail flowing and surging silently in a nonexistent breeze. She closed her eyes for a moment, contemplating the details of what she had just heard.

“So, let me know if I have this right, Mr... Sawdust, was it?” she asked, her voice pleasant and patient as ever. Sawdust in return bowed his head, appreciative of the fact that she remembered his name. “You claim that an employer owes you a fair sum of bits over damage sustained during the commotion with the Changelings?”

“Correct, Your Highness,” Sawdust replied with a nod. “The scaffolding of the project me and my crew were working on was completely ruined in the attack, and the amount being paid by our hire isn’t enough to cover the replacement pieces as well. I’ll be forced to go over budget if he refuses to pony up the extra bits! It’s his building, his materials, his money. I’m just the one putting it up.”

Celestia closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. More often than not, the issue at hoof would usually come down to money. Why so many of her subjects came to her first instead of utilizing other official government channels, she honestly could not fathom. Still, she considered these meetings one of her royal duties, and approached it with the same seriousness of any situation.

She ran the facts over again in her head, carefully formulating the best response in order to prevent the Forepony from becoming further irate.

“Have you tried settling the matter in person?”

“I have, Princess. Many times, in fact, but he is never available when he needs to be, and his secretary is being equally obstinate.” Sawdust huffed, then paused to remove his hard hat, placing it over his chest in a manner of respect. “I beg you, Princess, please interject on my behalf. I have numerous other reconstruction jobs lined up that I simply cannot start until I am free of this... administrative boondoggle, if you will.”

“Hmm...” Celestia pondered for a moment, tapping a gilded hoof to her chin. In her reply, the alicorn tried her best to give off an air of genuine concern. “Well, I am truly sorry, Sawdust, and I do hope you understand, but there are more pressing issues that demand my attention of late.”

At hearing this admission, Sawdust gasped slightly, trying to find the words to respond. “But, I... Surely, you could...” he tried to retort, until his ears slowly drooped down and he lowered his head, defeated. “I understand, Princess.”

Sawdust bowed respectfully, then placed his hat back atop his mane. As he turned to leave however, Celestia grabbed his attention with a curt ahem.

“However, there may be something I can do. If you lodge a formal complaint to the Trade Commission about this issue, then I should be able to put a fast track on your notice. It is the most I can spare.”

Upon hearing this news, the earth pony’s glum expression lifted up greatly as he bowed his head. “A thousand thank-yous, Your Highness!” Sawdust exclaimed heartily, glad to have come away from this meeting with at least something to show for it. “You won’t regret this. I’m forever in your debt.”

Celestia allowed herself a brief smile at the display of gratitude, as she raised a hoof in a dismissive gesture. “Please, a simple thank-you will do. It is my pleasure to give my citizens whatever assistance I am able. Good day to you, Sawdust.”

“And a mighty fine one to you as well, Your Majesty,” came the reply from the gray stallion, before he turned towards the path leading out of the courtyard, fighting the urge to whistle a jovial tune.

Once the construction workpony was well out of the courtyard, the alicorn breathed deeply through her nose, then gave off a weary sigh.

There is so much around here that requires my attention. How I wish I could simply fix everything and solve everypony’s problems with one sweep of my horn. Celestia allowed herself a moment of reflection. At least the newlyweds get to enjoy their honeymoon in Colta Rica. And I still have Luna to help with--

“Excuse me, Your Excellence,” came a voice located at Celestia’s side, drawing her out of her brief reverie.

The Sun Princess looked over to one of her personal escort: a stocky, well-built pegasus soldier, mane and coat bleached in the traditional white of the Royal Guard. His adornments consisted of a shining helmet and bright white and gold armor, emblazoned with the crest of the First Regiment: a stylized red and blue flag with twin thunderbolts underneath. His station, along with that of the almost a dozen others posted amongst the grounds, was a cautious, if not entirely necessary consequence of recent events.

“Yes, Captain Sky Armory?” was her reply.

“Shall I send for your next appointment, Milady?” asked the Captain, to which Celestia responded in the affirmative. Sky Armory then turned his attention to a nearby soldier at the base of the stairs. “You may bring the next one in, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir!” came the immediate response from a similarly armored unicorn, followed by a quick salute with one foreleg.

As Celestia watched the soldier canter off towards the main gates, she directed her thoughts to her other side, where a tray containing a pot of steaming herbal tea sat unattended. She used her magic to pour some of the liquid into a nearby cup, and then levitated it up to her muzzle, taking a brief sip and savoring the rich, earthy flavor.

And let's not forget the smaller pleasures of the moment: good tea, and a beautiful, warm, sunny day.

To be fair, the days were hardly ever not warm, sunny, or beautiful. This was attributed to the fact that the local Canterlot Weather Patrol made a concerted effort to make it so that bordered on that of religious zeal. Far be it from them to allow even one puff of cloud to cheapen the value of their benevolent ruler’s duty to raise the sun every morning.

Not that Celestia particularly cared either way. She just didn’t have the heart to make light of their hard work and dedication. They were happy to serve her in a way they deemed acceptable, who was she to tell them otherwise?

Waiting for the Lieutenant to return with the new audience, the Princess kept her focus on the cup floating gently before her in a yellow field of magic. As she watched, the white steam billowed and curled away, carried off by the steady breeze...

Wait... a breeze? There wasn't any wind at all a moment ago.

It had occurred so gradually that Celestia had failed to notice until then, but it was now apparent that a brisk wind had begun to blow through the courtyard... and was gaining in speed.

Placing her drink back on the tray, the alicorn brought her attention to the surrounding area, noting various flags and banners along the walls wafting and flapping, as the trees and shrubs dotting the landscape shook and rustled. Celestia instantly got up from her seat onto her long legs to get a better view.

“Is there something wrong, Your Grace?” inquired the Captain, noting the look of concern that had come over his liege’s face.

“I’m not quite sure,” came her reply, her tone still even and authoritative despite a growing sense of unease. A sense that was validated when the ambient light of the area began to dim ever so slightly.

Celestia’s gaze was turned upwards towards the sky, followed by that of Sky Armory’s, where it was increasingly evident that some kind of fog or mist was appearing out of the open air, gradually blocking the light from her sun.

Not hesitating a single moment, Sky Armory’s years of training and protocol sprung into action as he began barking orders to the nearby soldiers, concern for the Princess’ safety being his top priority.

“Those of you colts with wings put them to use on the double! I want to know just what is going on here!”

There came a chorus of "Yes, sir!"s and "Affirmative!"s from the pegasi in attendance, who immediately sprung off the ground and flapped hard towards the growing disturbance. In the moments that followed, however, their movements started to become more and more constrained, as a steadily strengthening gale buffeted them the closer they flew to the thickening cloud.

Back on the ground, Captain Sky Armory was now trying -- rather unsuccessfully -- to convince the Princess to vacate the area in favor of the relative safety inside the castle.

“Princess, I insist! You could be in danger if you remain out here!” the armored pegasus shouted over the sound of the wind whipping past his ears. But Celestia’s response was curt and defiant, her voice as steady as her mane, which still maintained its majestic flowing form.

“I refuse to be intimidated by some inclement weather, Captain,” said the alicorn, looking down at the stern, serious face of the soldier pony. “Whatever is transpiring here, I wish to bear witness to it.”

With her response having stunned Sky Armory into silence, Celestia directed her sight back to the mysterious phenomena brewing in the space above her capital. And yet, even she began to doubt her resolve just a little upon witnessing the steadily worsening conditions of the once pristine sky.

What had been an endless, unmarked expanse of vivid blue only minutes earlier, there was now a wide and thick bank of menacing storm clouds, hanging like a cover over Canterlot and a good deal of the surrounding area as if it could fall down and crush everything beneath it. Amidst the howling gale they produced, the clouds themselves whipped and churned like a roiling ocean, steadily circling around a central point located directly above the castle courtyard. In addition, small snaps of lightning could be seen etching themselves across the underside of the formation, accompanied by the rapid-fire din of several tiny peals of thunder.

And then, suddenly, there was quiet.

Celestia’s eyes widened slightly as, for the briefest of moments, the surrounding air was absolutely still, and the cracks of lightning above paused in their frenzy even as the menacing mass of cloud cover increased its rotation around a single area.

And then she felt it: a tingling in the space around her, as if the air itself was being supercharged with... something. Her fur stood on end as her nose detected the faintest hint of an odor... The closest thing she could describe it to would be the scent of burnt almonds.

“Princess, I have a very bad feeling about this...” Sky Armory remarked, letting his famous composure slip for just a brief moment. “And coming from me, that’s saying quite a--”

The Captain never got the chance to finish that sentence, for he was interrupted right then as the eye of the storm cast forth an immensely bright light. A light so intense, the Princess reflexively cast one of her wings in front of her in order to shield her eyes.

An incredible explosive sound ripped apart the air, as Celestia witnessed in the gaps between her feathers a column of pure white descend from the heavens at a terrible speed. The shining pillar pulsed with energy as it raced towards the ground, directly towards the mason-worked dais laid at the center of the courtyard. There was no time at all to react as it drove into the ground, shards of light splitting off of the impact site as the stone foundation underneath cracked and trembled.

The force of the blast formed a wave of compressed air that nearly blew the heavily armored guards nearby, unicorns and pegasi alike, off their hooves, and which ruffled the fur of the Sun Princess from her perch atop the castle steps.

The worst of the event, whatever it was, seemed to be over. In its wake, it left a brightly glowing mass of energy which slowly lost brightness as the moments passed by. As the luminescence coming off of the strange mass sitting out in the open gradually dimmed, Celestia lowered her wing, blinking her eyes a few times and squinting to get a better look at whatever it was that could throw off such immense power.

The nearby soldiers who had been tossed back by the impact shakily stood themselves up, some of them brave enough to take a few tentative steps towards the glittering object, which was by this point coalescing around a small form splayed across the ground.

Celestia placed a hesitant hoof down on the stairs in front of her, cautious, yet curious all the same. The movement shook the nearby pegasus captain out of his bewildered gaze, and he immediately voiced his concerns.

“Your Highness, please, stand back! We don’t know what we are dealing with!” Sky Armory pleaded nervously, very much out of his element under these circumstances. “It could be dangerous! A weapon, o-or a trap of some kind! Maybe even a--”

“Hey! It’s some kind of creature!” exclaimed one of the unicorn soldiers excitedly, pointing a hoof to the strange being now plainly visible, the light surrounding him having completely bled away just then.

Celestia, shocked at this news, forwent walking, instead electing to take a flying leap forwards off the castle steps and right up to where a crowd of guards had gathered around the unexplained arrival in one flap of her great wings.

“What is it? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“How did it get here? That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”

“Hey, has anyone seen my helmet? I think it blew away.”

“Is it even alive?”

“Make way, all of you. Let me by. I must see for myself.”

The soldiers’ buzzing of conversation halted instantly at the request of their Princess, and they obediently stood aside to make a path for her to the newcomer. Celestia’s hooves clopped against the cracked stone as she made her way right up to the creature, now plainly in view. She was surprised to see it bore no resemblance whatsoever to any animal, sentient or otherwise, she had ever come across in her long life. And having lived for over a thousand years, she had a vast knowledge of most anything that walked, cantered, crawled, slithered and flew over her domain.

It was a large, thin creature -- at least, when compared to the average pony -- with pale pink, nearly hairless skin on its face and neck, and the ends of its upper limbs, which ended in a pair of bizarre five-digit appendages resembling stubby claws. The rest of its body was covered in what the alicorn could only assume was some kind of loose clothing, though of a make and style she had never seen worn by any pony. It wasn’t entirely alien, she could see, as it had a fairly normal -- though a bit flat -- face with two eyes, which sported a thin pair of what were obviously glasses, a nose, mouth, and ears on either side of its head, which itself was topped with a short messy mane of dark brown hair. What she assumed to be its chest rose and fell almost imperceptibly with the motion of steady, if faint, breathing.

Celestia’s expression became that of acute puzzlement, and her horn went alight with a soft yellow glow as she passed it over the unmoving form. After a few moments of concentration, she raised her head again, and spoke to the small gathering of ponies around her.

“Whatever he is, and I feel confident that it is indeed a male, he is most definitely alive. Though, it is very strange. There is something that feels... odd about him. I can’t quite place it.”

“All the more reason to get some answers out of him, and that is exactly what I intend to do!” the Captain stated brusquely, galloping up to Celestia’s side as he surveyed the situation. “Place that thing in one of the holding cells, immediately!”

At this, the Princess’s expression widened, as she cast a disappointed gaze down at the high-ranking pegasus. “Why, Captain, I'm surprised at you! What reason could you possibly have for this course of action?” she admonished the colt, her voice taking on a hint of indignation, to which Sky Armory replied, slightly bewildered.

“P-Princess? I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Has this creature personally attacked or otherwise harmed myself or anypony else?” asked Celestia in an accusatory manner.

“No, Milady, but--”

“And has he been tried and found guilty of breaking any Equestrian laws or statutes?”

“...No, Princess,” stated the Captain, starting to feel even more like an impetuous filly being scolded by their mother.

To this, the white alicorn closed her eyes for a moment in contemplation, before she arrived at a conclusion that satisfied her, and announced her decision. “Then I see no justification at all for treating this creature as we would some lowly criminal. You should be ashamed for suggesting such a course of action so rashly, Captain.”

“...Yes, Princess. My apologies. I humbly accept my mistake.” Sky Armory’s face began to burn as he ground his teeth, a small amount of blush showing even through the stark white dye covering his fur.

Responding to this, one of the other soldiers in attendance held a hoof to his mouth and whispered to another of the crowd standing beside him. “Ooooh, the Captain’s in it deep this time.”

Sky Armory’s ear perked up and turned towards the voice, followed by the rest of his head in a look of contempt for the insult. “Stick a hoof in it, Lieutenant! This is a serious matter!”

“Indeed it is, and I am to treat it as such,” followed Celestia, as she raised her head high in preparation for laying out her intentions. “I fully intend to uncover every detail of these events, but we cannot do so until such a time that this creature regains consciousness. Alert Miss Hearth to prepare one of the spare bedrooms for our guest, and take him there. Place two ponies to stand guard at all times, and when... if he awakes, I wish to be notified immediately. Do you all understand?”

The sound of a dozen "Yes Ma’am"s rang out in harmony, followed by a simultaneous salute from all in attendance.

“Very good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a great deal of work to do sorting out the inquiries that are sure to come. I suppose it is safe to say open court is cancelled for today. Please alert those waiting at the gates that everything is under control, and that they should come again at the next scheduled date,” the Sun Princess stated calmly as she turned back towards the castle doors. “And I pray it does not need mentioning, but under no circumstances at all is word of this to leave the castle grounds. The last thing we need right now is another disruption working its way through the city. Now, perform your duties.”

And with that, Celestia made her way back up the steps out of the courtyard, as Sky Armory issued specific orders and the cadre of soldiers split off to do their assigned tasks. The alicorn breathed deeply through her nose, and let out a mighty sigh before turning her attention back towards the sky.

The cloud layer up above was now far along in the process of breaking up and bleeding away. Shafts of sunlight penetrated down into the shade as whatever it was that delivered this uninvited guest to her doorstep gradually faded to nothing, as if it had never appeared in the first place.

And here I thought today was going to be simple, she lamented, turning back towards the door and opening it with a brisk application of magic.

Celestia cantered inside, and then the door once again glowed with a yellow aura, swinging shut with a creak and a thump.

The First Day: Don't Panic

You Do (Not) Belong

The First Day: Don’t Panic

A great tunnel, massively wide and infinitely long. Yet, in this place, it seemed as if distance itself was an illusion.

Along the walls: multicolored shapes, twisting, turning and shifting around each other in a moving mosaic of prismatic splendor.

A sensation of speed now; of a velocity so intense and incredible as to be beyond belief.

Yet, no wind, no force at all. Just the sense of steadily moving towards something. Very quickly.

The colors of the tunnel walls blending into one another, no distinguishable lines, just a rainbow blur streaking past.

And then, darkness. All around, an inky black expanse save for a pinpoint of white light at the end of infinity.

Even with no reference, the feeling of speed increased even further. The point of light so distant, yet growing closer with each passing moment.

From the terminus of the tunnel, a ring, a pulse of luminosity, runs down its length. Another. And still more, passing around and behind like lamps in an underpass.

So close now, blinding. The walls more light than dark, rings blending together into a solid form.

White. Everywhere. Rushing past. So close now. Almost at the end. Almost...

Connor’s eyes snapped open, and he took a sharp, gasping intake of breath as he was forced back into the waking world. With a start, he got up into a sitting position on the soft surface of the bed he had been lying on.

Reflexively, his eyes then slammed shut and he brought his right hand up to massage his temples as his nervous system was assaulted by unpleasant sensations. His eyes hurt, as if he’d stared directly into the sun for an unhealthy period of time. His head pounded in rhythm with his heartbeat, every motion pressing on his ears like a bell going off inside his brain. His sense of hearing was completely overcome by a muted ringing, and he was acutely aware of every inch of his frame, aching as though he had recently been put through a wringer.

Through the battering of input he was feeling, Connor was only dimly aware of a voice sounding out from somewhere in the room with him, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.

Connor groaned painfully as he held his hands over his face, underneath his glasses, waiting for the soreness to gradually ebb away and the din in his ears to reduce to a comfortable level. It was a solid minute before he reached a state where he could even attempt to form a coherent thought.

I feel like shit. What is...? What... I'm wearing clothes in bed. And my glasses... Why? Okay, one thing at a time.

Slowly, he moved his hands out from over his eyes and gingerly opened them, blinking away the irritation as they adjusted to the light of the room. As his vision came into focus, the metaphorical gears inside his mind cranked and strained, ticking over for a few moments before arriving at a single conclusion.

This isn’t my room, he thought, eyes widening slightly and breath pausing in his chest as he attempted to parse out the details of the situation.

He looked down; instead of the drab dark blue of his bedsheets, he was sitting on a plush, red comforter laying atop a bed that was way too soft to be a normal spring mattress.

He looked towards the ceiling; the typical flat, blank white surface was replaced with a gently sloped curved ceiling of violet and gray tiles, with an extravagant chandelier hanging down over the center of the room.

He looked to his right. Where he expected there to be a closet and a couple of cluttered shelves, there was a modestly carved wooden door with the relief of a bath on its surface.

And in front of him was an ornate and neatly kept writing desk, placed in front of a curtain-drawn window through which a gentle yellow light streamed in from the outside.

His breathing growing slightly faster, Connor panned his vision around himself, noting the many things that were seriously, seriously wrong with this picture.

For one, the room was easily five times the area of what he was used to; a yawning expanse of open air filled with nothing but empty floor and a few pieces of furniture. Not that the furniture was anything to sneeze at. The bed itself was king-sized at least, and everything else in the room, from the chairs, to the tables, to the giant armoire nestled in the corner, looked to be of the highest make and quality. Everything popped out in immaculate detail, rendered to a polished shine and with colors garish and bright enough to almost cause Connor’s eyes to sting.

He would have considered the sight impressive if he hadn’t been so utterly confused. As he looked to his left, however, what he saw caused him to gasp unexpectedly and his thoughts to skip a beat.

Standing at attention in front of a tall set of deep cherry-colored doors was some... thing. An animal -- at least, it looked kind of like an animal. It was equine in appearance, held upright by four almost perfectly cylindrical legs ending in large hooves. Its skin -- or rather, fur -- was a clean, perfect white, and it was covered in what appeared to be a suit of armor made of solid gold plates and emblazoned with a turquoise star symbol on the front. It also had a short blue tail, and a pair of rounded protrusions tucked against its sides that matched the color of the rest of its body. And then there was the head, with a short muzzle and large, pointed ears high on the sides, topped with a smooth open-faced helmet -- also of gold with a feathered blue top -- through which a pair of abnormally big, half-hidden eyes stared out.

Eyes that were locked unflinchingly on the stunned teenager, even as the rest of its body remained perfectly still. Connor was then aware that he was holding his breath, and gently let it out in an unsteady exhale.

What is it? It’s not moving... A statue?

“What... the hell... is going on?” Connor breathed out in a barely audible whisper, trying his best to maintain his presence of mind in the face of an ever-increasing amount of surreality.

Just at that moment, the "statue" did something very un-statue-like, flaring its nostrils with an intake of air and letting it out in a mighty snort. This simple, sudden, unexpected action had the result of breaking Connor’s already tenuous composure, and he threw himself backwards with a startled shout.

“Whoa! Wa--ah, shit!” he exclaimed quickly, arms and legs flailing as he toppled over the side of the bed.

Connor came down hard on the tiled floor with a jarring thud, eyes shut tight as he felt a brisk pain run up and down his spine. He moaned in discomfort, rubbing his bruised back with one hand as he pulled himself upright with the other. After a moment’s distraction, his eyes snapped back open, and he ducked behind the edge of the bed, keeping himself hidden as he peered over the side. The imposing figure remained where it stood, still watching him with a hawkish glare.

Connor found he no longer cared if he spoke out loud, allowing his thoughts to spill out of his mouth as fast as he could think them.

“O...kay... Not a statue of a horse-looking thing,” he uttered shakily, eyes never leaving the suspicious creature. “Yeah, kinda looks like a horse... That makes sense. Wait, none of this makes sense! I... I must be dreaming. Have to be. Yeah, just a dream. Just a crazy, whacked-up dream.”

Finally arriving at a conclusion that was the least bit logical served to cool Connor’s frayed nerves somewhat, and he allowed himself to take a few deep, steadying breaths. He could already feel his pulse creeping down gradually, and after a few moments more of meditation, he could once again think clearly.

Cautiously, he stood up on his legs, and with controlled, steady movements, put one foot in front of the other as he made his way slowly around the bed. All the while, the armored horse never let up its penetrating gaze.

Right... Nothing but a dream. Incredibly vivid and strange, but still a dream. That probably means that stuff with the light and the rocks was a dream too. None of it’s real... I’m fine.

Repeating this belief over and over in his mind, Connor succeeded in convincing himself of the exact nature of what he was experiencing. While utterly clueless as to the psychological significance of everything he had witnessed so far, he was nonetheless curious as to what lay beyond the guarded door.

Operating under the assumption that realizing the dream gives you control over it, he was now determined to explore what he could of this strange make-believe world before he inevitably woke up.

“Uh, hello, dream-horse,” he said to the product of his imagination with a nervous smile and a wave, sidestepping around it to get a better angle at the door. “Just... gonna go out here for a minute.”

As Connor took another step closer, however, the armored figure surprised him by unfolding one of the round things around its sides into the shape of an outstretched wing, which served to block the door behind him. The creature then spoke in a deep, authoritative voice. “You are not--”

“Holy crap!” interrupted Connor, who jumped, arms jerking upward, at the completely unexpected action and took a number of stumbling steps backward, falling seated on the bed.

“Hmph,” the apparently language-enabled horse huffed before continuing. “You are not to leave this room until the Princess arrives.”

Connor heard the words. He was sure of it. He saw the horse’s mouth move, and words came out of it.

Magical glowing rock formations, psychedelic acid-trip tunnels, a lavishly fancy bedroom, talking armored horses with wings, and to top it all off, a freakin’ princess. Connor wordlessly shook his head; this was getting too weird, too quickly. Sure, it was just a dream, but all the same, he wanted out.

“Okay, that does it, I’ve changed my mind. If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Ed, horse guy, whatever. Point is, I’m done here. Time to wake up,” he stated flatly, throwing his arms up in an exaggerated shrug.

To facilitate his escape from this subconscious adventure, Connor called upon an old trick he learned when he was much younger, a personal mantra he made himself for dealing with the odd childhood nightmare. He closed his eyes, placed his fingertips around his head, and began to think really loud.

Wake up... Wake up...! WAKE UP!

When Connor next opened his eyes, he expected to be back in his own room, in his own bed, where life was normal and boring, and horses couldn’t talk. What he got instead disappointed him in precisely those regards.

“It didn’t work? Why didn’t it work? It’s supposed to work!” he said, disheartened, before taking a breath to steady himself and deciding to give it one more try, this time speaking his intentions loud and clear.

“Wake up... Wake up...! WAKE UP!” he shouted to nobody in particular, once again opening his eyes to find the same equine entity staring him down, its stoic face now wearing the barest hint of a bemused expression.

His respiration quickening now, Connor desperately tried to veer his train of thought away from the conclusion he refused to see as inevitable. Looking down at his left arm, he reverted to the oldest cliche standby for dream evacuation, grasped a bit of skin between his thumb and forefinger, and pinched for all he was worth. He cringed immediately at the sensation, gasping deeply at the pain until it became almost unbearable. When he could simply take no more, he released, and despaired when the only reward for his efforts was a pair of bright, red lines across his arm.

He had nearly drawn blood... and yet, he was still here. Still dreaming. Still trapped in an impossible situation. Impossible. Unless...

I’m not actually dreaming.

And with that one thought, Connor’s hopeful delusion was completely shattered with all the subtlety of a needle skipping a record. Like a multiple car pileup on a snowbound freeway, individual ideas, facts and notions crashed freely into one another in a jumbled stream of consciousness as his fists reflexively clenched and his body started to shake.

Somewhere I don’t recognize. I’m not at home. Not safe. Nothing familiar. Talking animals. Not a dream. Real. Escape. Run. Run!

Connor had never before experienced a full-blown panic attack, but he figured this would be as close as he’d ever come to one. Heart racing in his chest, he looked around wildly, looking for something. Anything. Specifically what, he couldn’t be bothered to define, but he knew it when he saw it as his gaze fell to the door on the other side of the room.

Paying no mind to the guard in front of him, Connor pushed himself to his feet and ran, stumbling over his steps, across the polished, tiled floor and up to the wooden entrance. He didn’t know what to expect on the other side, but it led away from this place, and that’s the only care he had at the moment. With trembling hands, he grasped the gold handle of the door, pressed down, and threw it open. Inside... was exactly what one would expect behind a door with a picture of a bath on it.

Turquoise textured walls and ceiling. Porcelain toilet. Bathtub and shower. Sink and mirror. Dead end.

A sense of blind terror threatening to creep up on him, Connor backed away erratically, sneakers squeaking on the floor as he shuffled his feet. In a hyperventilated daze, he looked around the room another time, hoping for a solution to present itself.

His eyes eventually settled on the window above the writing desk, and in a rush, ran towards it, knocking over the desk chair that stood in his way with the sharp clack of wood on tile. With one swift, desperate motion, he grabbed a curtain in each hand and threw them aside.

As he took in the unbelievable sight that stood on the other end, Connor was all but certain he had felt his heart stop cold.

Outside that window was a scene that defied imagination. Bathed in the light from a huge, glowing mid-afternoon sun was a city that was equal parts magnificent and impossible. Bleached white ivory towers blended with a smooth, lilting, medieval architecture that flowed between buildings like a work of art. Gold-topped domes mingled with grand archways along with a violet-on-white color scheme similar to that of the room he was in. A few of the buildings appeared to be in various states of repair, but it had little effect on the grandiose splendor of the city as a whole. In the background, a tall, imposing mountain rose up to block off the horizon, as a mighty waterfall gushed and surged down its side, diverting under spans of bridges and canals and emptying somewhere out of view.

And as if things couldn’t appear any more improbable, populating this city were yet even more strange, horselike creatures. They came in every color in the crayon box, from bright yellow to ruddy brown and everything in between. Most of them were dressed up in clothes of a myriad of different styles including dresses, suits, and some in more exotic-looking fashions.

From his vantage point, Connor could see so many of them. Even from so far away, he could see a few of them with wings similar to the one posted by the door, flying through open air as if it was nothing! And if that wasn’t enough, he soon realized that there were no other people... at all. No humans; nothing even remotely recognizable. Just a veritable spectrum of impossible creatures going about their day among the roads and walls of a city that shouldn’t exist.

And he just stood there, stock still, taking in the scene with a slack-jawed expression as his overwhelmed psyche was just about to shut down from the stress of it all. He would have remained as such for a good long while, idling in place, if not for the sound of a voice coming from behind him, clearing its throat in order to get his attention.

It worked, and Connor snapped back to reality, turning on the spot to face yet another in a long line of impossibilities.

Standing upright between himself and the door was yet another of the alien animals, looking far different from the soldier standing right by its side. For one, it was at least a head taller than himself, situated on long, graceful legs topped with golden cuffs, assuming a pose of gentle grace and regality. Its bright, snow-white body was completely smooth and uniform, save for what Connor could barely make out at this angle to be a tattoo of a stylized sun along its flank. Like the soldier, it too had a pair of wings on its sides -- though much larger and far more elegant -- and it wore a polished, golden breastplate inlaid with intricate carvings and a gleaming purple gemstone instead of a suit of armor. On its head was a pointed crown of similar design, situated behind what looked very much like a horn, protruding nearly a foot outwards from its forehead.

And perhaps most curiously, the area around its head and neck, along with its tail, was encapsulated in a glowing, shifting aura of blues, greens, and violets, undulating softly in a nonexistent breeze.

It took only moments to make these observations, yet Connor couldn’t help but stare, eyes widened, taking in the information and failing miserably at making sense of it. And it was just then that the creature chose to speak in a voice that was undoubtedly female. A voice that was gentle, soothing, and which seemed to carry a deep wisdom behind every word.

“I'm glad to see that you have awakened. Are you... feeling alright?” she asked with genuine concern.

Perhaps it was the sound of another’s words that did it; perhaps Connor had simply reached the limit of what he could handle; or perhaps he had finally found something to channel his feelings towards. Maybe it was all of those things, but whatever the case, in that moment, all of Connor’s pain and confusion shifted to a new emotion: one of pent up frustration and a directed, simmering rage.

“Am I alright? Am I alright!?” he shouted, his foot pounding to the floor as his body coursed with adrenaline. “Why don’t you fucking tell me!? What is this supposed to be, some kind of sick joke!? What are you!? Where the fuck am I!? How did I get here!? Tell me!”

Both the female and her guard bristled at the unexpected outburst, their ears flattening against their heads. The taller one raised one hoof in the air, as if taking a step back, before planting it down again, standing firm and responding in the same, even tone of voice.

“There is no cause for shouting, or for using such language. Please be assured, I have no intention to cause you any harm. I can plainly see that you are scared and confused, and I empathize with you, but you must calm yourself down so that we can maintain a more... civil discourse.”

But despite her plea for civility, Connor was having none of it.

“Calm down!? I don't think so! You tell me where I am and what’s going on right now! Or I’ll... I-I’ll...” he trailed off, voice cracking as he struggled to think of an appropriate followup.

“Or... you’ll what?” asked the female incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

Connor stuttered, looking around himself for something to back up his poorly thought-out threat. His eyes fell on the desk beside him, to a painted glass vase in which sat a selection of flowers.

Now, Connor was not a violent person by any stretch of the imagination. If he had been thinking clearly, he would never have resorted to what he was about to do. But with such an intense emotional conflict addling his mind, this one idea was on deck for no time at all before his hand reached out and grasped the base of the vase, and he reared back, holding the improvised weapon in position, ready to let fly.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as a number of reactions went through the regal female and her compatriot. The soldier horse instantly reared back, ready to tackle the offender at a moment’s notice. The other one, however, had a range of emotion spread across its face in quick succession, from surprise, to disappointment, to one of righteous indignation.

The horn on her head started to glow a pale yellow, and Connor had no time at all to react as the vase in his hand was rent from his grasp by an invisible force and floated back over the table, settling down with a forceful clunk. And then, before he even had a chance to respond, the desk chair that he had knocked over beforehand was enveloped in the same color field as it raised up and placed itself behind him. Connor then felt a heavy pressure on his chest, and he was forced back with a yelp into the seat waiting for him. Once seated, his wrists and ankles became bound to the wood by translucent shackles of yellow force.

“Wh-what the hell is this!? Let me go!” Connor shouted in surprise, struggling against the magical bonds to no avail as the caster of this spell stepped forwards, cuffed hooves clicking against the tile ominously, before she spoke again in an entirely different tone.

“Be still and be silent!” came her voice, booming slightly and echoing around the arched walls and high ceiling. A certain quality in her voice had a definitive effect on Connor, like a javelin piercing the folds of his thoughts and pinning them in place. He felt utterly compelled to obey, not moving another inch in the chair and snapping his mouth shut. The command did nothing to calm his heart however, which was now beating with the strength of a jackhammer as his captor continued to speak, albeit in a less forceful, yet still authoritative tone.

“Let me be perfectly clear. You are obviously suffering from immense confusion and anguish, and for that you have my sympathy. But that is still no excuse at all for threats of violence against myself or anypony else. I am not your enemy, and I am more than willing to answer your questions so long as you maintain an appropriate and civil demeanor.” The princess paused for breath, eyes narrowing slightly more as she continued. “I still believe that you can be reasonable about this situation, but if you give me just one more reason to doubt that belief, you may find yourself in less... hospitable circumstances, and I pray it does not come to that.”

Connor merely stared blankly in rapt attention, stunned into silence as he absorbed her words in a prolonged moment of lucidity. She then closed her eyes and breathed deeply, letting out a sigh as she kept her composure.

“I am willing to forgive you, on the condition that from now on you will conduct yourself in a reasonable manner. Do you understand?”

Slowly realizing she had finished her admonishing, Connor let out the breath he had been holding, and with sweat beading down his head and neck, found his voice again. “Yes! Oh, God, yes! Please! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he found the words stumbling out of their own accord.

“Very well.” The female nodded her head, and after taking a few steps backwards, once again called upon her glowing horn, causing the restraints binding Connor’s limbs to flicker out of existence.

No longer restricted, Connor shakily raised his hand to his chest, breathing in and out unsteadily and slamming his eyes shut as he tried to regain control of his own emotions. He sniffed loudly, fighting back pained tears as he let his roiled feelings shift into a tiny measure of tranquility.

After a long minute of silence, he started to feel just a little bit better. Still shaking slightly, he opened his eyes again, seeing the horse creature lying on the ground, legs tucked underneath, with a patient, gentle hint of a smile adorning her face.

“There, now. Everything’s going to be alright. Now, perhaps we got off on the wrong hoof...” She then placed one of her hooves across her own chest. “My name is Princess Celestia, though you can just call me Celestia if you prefer. And you are?”

Connor swallowed deeply before answering. “C-Connor. M-my name is Connor.”

The being calling herself Celestia nodded again. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Connor," the Princess expressed kindly, with no traces of the imposing attitude she had just recently displayed. “Please, feel free to ask of me any questions you may have. Oh! But first, can I get you anything? Some water, perhaps?”

At the mention of this offer, Connor subconsciously licked his cracked lips. Now that he thought about it, all of his earlier exertions had made him terribly thirsty. Without a word, he nodded appreciatively.

With that, Celestia’s horn lit up again briefly, causing Connor to flinch. The reaction was unnecessary, however, as the only thing that resulted was the appearance of a brief flash, replaced by a tall glass brimming with water, suspended in the air by a yellow field. Celestia floated the sparkling liquid over to where Connor was sitting, and with slight hesitation, he reached out and grasped it with his right hand, whereupon the magic keeping it afloat ceased.

“Um... Th-thank you, Prin-- er... C-Celestia,” Connor said in gratitude, causing the Princess to chuckle lightly.

“You’re very welcome, Connor.”

He then went ahead and raised the glass to his lips, taking in big sips of the cool refreshing liquid. Sure, it was only water, and somehow it had appeared from nowhere, but he didn’t care. It tasted delicious. After draining half of the contents, he breathed out, satisfied, and placed what was left down on the desk beside him.

This gesture of consideration, coming from a being that was a complete stranger in more ways than one, had just enough of a warming effect on Connor’s sense of security to make him feel just that much safer. The stress of the situation was still there, yet he had enough presence of mind to know he wasn’t in any immediate danger. He finally felt able to speak freely... to the extent that he was willing.

It took Connor a moment to realize that the Princess was eying him expectantly, and a few moments more before suddenly remembering what it was she was expecting. He shook his head free of cobwebs before expressing the first thread in the bundle of curiosity knotted up in his mind. “Okay. First question, then... Just, what are you?”

The inquiry seemed to take Celestia a bit by surprise before she formulated her answer. “I don’t understand. Do you mean... what species am I?”

“I guess so.”

“Well, I suppose you could say I am what is commonly referred to as an alicorn, due to my having both wings and a horn,” Celestia explained briefly in a clinical manner.

“Alicorn, sure. And him, too?” Connor asked, motioning towards the soldier still stationed by the door, still tense and ready to act at a moment’s notice as he glared at the teenager from across the room.

“No, he is a pegasus.”

“O...kay... And all those other guys out there?” he questioned, this time motioning out the window towards the city beyond.

Celestia turned her head to peer past where he had pointed, realization of the true meaning of his question dawning on her face as she did so. “Oh, I see! You were asking about us in general. In that case, we are simply called ponies. Myself, this guard, everypony out there: just different species’ of pony."

At this revelation, Connor felt a bit incredulous, to say the least. “Ponies?”

“That is correct.” The Princess’ voice trailed off as she had a thought. “Curious... You speak as though you have never seen one of us before.”

“Well, it’s not that. I have seen... ponies... before. But where I’m from, they’re just called horses. And they can’t talk. Or build cities. Or hold office.”

“Interesting...” Celestia pondered, tapping a hoof to her chin in thought. And then she decided to change tracks and probe Connor with a question of her own. “So, you asked me before, where you were. Do you... not know?”

Connor felt the panic creep just the slightest bit back as he remembered the main reason for his consternation: being in a strange place with no recollection of how or why.

“I, um... I would think that was obvious. Wait, no, not that you wouldn’t know but...” he tripped over his words, trying his best to explain without it sounding like an insult. “No, I... I don’t know where this place is. I’ve never even heard of a place like this.”

Celestia simply watched the boy struggle for an appropriate answer, before taking it upon herself to break the silence. “Well, if you will allow me to alleviate the situation, this place...” she explained, motioning with one hoof to the building around her. “...is Canterlot Castle. Outside is the Royal City of Canterlot.”

She looked up at Connor’s face expectantly, but he showed no signs of recognition, shaking his head slowly.

“Capital of the country of Equestria?” the Princess inquired, an expression of disbelief slowly dawning on her face. Again, Connor shook his head. “Most prosperous and well-known kingdom in all of Equis?”

“Equis? Where is that?” he cautiously replied with another question.

Now it was Celestia’s turn to act surprised by this admission. “Equis is... No, that cannot be right. All ponies and other species the world over know that name; the name of this world itself. There is no way you could not know that, unless... Oh, dear.”

“What? What does that mean?” Connor asked the royal pony, voice tinged with worry.

“Tell me, the name of your home. Your own... world,” demanded the Princess with a sense of urgency. The nature of her strange request was lost on Connor for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization of what she was insinuating.

“No... No, you can’t possibly be suggesting that! This is Earth, isn’t it?” he asked in utter disbelief. “There’s no way it can’t be!”

But the Princess merely closed her eyes and inhaled ominously before opening them again. “I see. Everything makes sense now. I’m... sorry, Connor. Truly, I am,” Celestia explained, her voice channeling genuine sympathy and understanding. “And it pains me to have to tell you this, but you seem to be about as far away from your home as one could get.”

Connor wanted to deny it. He wanted to say it wasn’t true, that the entire notion was completely absurd. But that nagging feeling wouldn’t give up; the feeling that what this magically-inclined, winged, talking pony royalty was saying could be one hundred percent completely accurate.

He could now feel a tenuous sensation, as if the floor would suddenly come out from underneath him. He cast his gaze downwards, away from the Princess, who at this time had stood up on all fours.

“This must be quite a bit for you to absorb. I... think it would be best if you had some time to yourself. Yes, perhaps time will help,” she explained, before turning her head towards the door and motioning sharply. The pegasus standing guard gave a salute and a short "Ma’am!", before turning and exiting the room himself. She then turned back towards the stunned teenager.

“If there is anything you need -- anything at all -- please, don’t hesitate to ask. I shall leave somepony outside the door just in case. If you feel up to it later, I would ask you to talk with me some more, perhaps tonight.” And with that, Celestia turned and made for the exit, the sound of hooves clipping on the tile floor echoing around the hollow room before she stopped for a moment at the archway. “And remember just one thing: You do not have to face this alone. I shall help in any way I can. You have my word.”

With one last, lingering look, the Princess then stepped through the doorway, edging it closed with an application of magic and a resounding, final thump.

He heard her words; he understood what they meant, but at the moment he couldn’t be bothered to care. For the first time since he had awoken in this strange room, Connor was alone with himself and his thoughts. For a good long while, he looked down at the floor between his shoes, not really focusing on any one thing, simply letting his mind turn over like an engine block as it sifted through the information.

This... This isn’t right. It isn’t fair. Why? What did I do to deserve this? How is something like this even supposed to happen? Another world... planet... hell, universe, why not? It would make as much sense as anything else. This is a mess. This is a goddamn awful mess. I just... I don’t know. How do I deal with this?

A terrible feeling washed over him as he ruminated even more on the implications.

What do I do? What can I do? It’s too much... too much to handle now. I think... Oh, God. I think I’m gonna be sick.

Feeling a knot forming in the pit of his stomach, Connor pushed himself up out of the chair, looking around for the door that he had earlier confirmed led to the bathroom. The door itself was still ajar from when he had opened it and, fighting his nausea, he stumbled inside and made his way to the porcelain bowl of the toilet.

He coughed, trying his best to keep down the bile, and just sat, hunched over and trembling as his stomach did flip-flops.

Somehow, miraculously, he managed to keep himself from vomiting long enough to take some deep, steady breaths through his nose. A wave of weakness passed over him then, and he let himself slip to the side, into a sitting position with one arm draped across the bowl.

He then closed his eyes, and just listened to the steady sound of his own breathing.

Waiting for the nausea to pass.

Waiting for everything to be okay.

The First Day: Welcome to Equestria

You Do (Not) Belong

The First Day: Welcome to Equestria

Connor was not aware of how much time had passed, alone in the silence, propped up as he was against the ceramic base of the toilet. But when he finally opened his eyes again -- slowly, carefully -- he could see now that a drowsy, amber-colored light was peering into the bathroom through the open door, and he quickly realized it must be nearing sundown. He breathed deeply, blinking away the feeling of fatigue, and brought his right hand up, gently massaging the corners of his eyes.

Removing his hand and looking at it, he happened to note that the entire surface of it was flushed red; a consequence of using it to prop up his body for who knows how long. Even now, Connor could feel the blood rushing back into it, accompanied by that familiar, disturbing, pins-and-needles sensation. He squeezed his hand into a fist several times, trying to improve the circulation, then attempted to shake away the irritation.

Waiting for the feeling in his hand to return to normal while simultaneously trying to avoid thinking about his troubling situation, he took the opportunity to glance around and make observations of the area. Something he hadn’t had a chance to do earlier because he was busy either fighting off a blind panic, or fighting the urge to lose his lunch.

It was a fairly standard setup, yet that didn’t prevent there being a high quality to everything on display -- it was, after all, a bathroom fit for guests of royalty. The floor was made of perfectly smooth, marbled stone, with a maroon, yellow-tasseled rug laid out in the center. The walls and ceiling were completely covered in a mosaic of tiny, irregular tiles, each one a slightly different shade of turquoise blue. Set into the ceiling itself were two frosted glass domes which, curiously enough, glowed with a steady white light despite the lack of a light switch anywhere. And all of the fixtures -- including the bathtub/shower, countertops, sink, toilet, and storage cabinet -- were bright, polished, orderly, and perfectly clean, as if the room had never even been used once.

Figuring he’d seen all there was to see there, Connor had finally decided there was nothing more to be gained by just sitting and doing nothing, and he felt just well enough -- physically and emotionally -- to pull himself up into a standing position. He then felt compelled to give off a mighty yawn, raising his arms above his head and feeling his back and neck loosen up with a satisfying pop.

Adjusting his jacket and brushing the wrinkles from his clothes, he made his way over to the sink and mirror by the door, having a bit of a funny thought as he did so.

Well, I’ve been zapped to an alien world, in a castle ruled by a pony princess... and I’m in my pajamas. How appropriate, he thought, giving a weak chuckle in spite of himself.

As he stepped up to the marble countertop that housed the sink -- slightly lower to the ground than expected, which made sense, given the intended demographic -- Connor took a moment to look himself over in the large mirror. The face that stared back at him was not the most pleasant of sights.

His medium-length brown hair was a disaster, sticking up at a number of odd angles, his glasses were slightly askew, and he could both see and feel a thin layer of grime and sweat covering his skin.

“I look like a mess,” he remarked glumly to himself, as he brought his hand up to wipe his forehead, then grimaced as he rubbed his thumb and fingers together and felt their unpleasant, oily texture.

Connor removed his glasses and set them on the counter, then turned the water tap and held his hands cupped under the running stream from the faucet. He then brought his head down and quickly splashed the cool liquid up and onto his face. It felt good, equally bracing and refreshing at the same time, and he did it once more for good measure. Clearing the water away from his eyes, he looked to his right, spying a small square towel folded up alongside the sink, and he used it to dry off his dripping face, his chin, and around his neck.

Tossing the towel back down in a heap and reapplying his glasses, Connor took another look in the mirror, satisfied that he no longer looked quite as dirty or disheveled. His hair was still a mess though, and he used his hands to shake it up and smooth it down into a shape that was slightly more presentable.

After turning off the water, Connor just stood, arms propped up against the counter, giving a long, hard look at himself. After taking a deep breath and releasing, he tried his best to put on a brave face, but from his perspective it only looked forced, and he abandoned the effort before pushing himself away from the sink.

He cast a glance to the open door; the portal which contained on the other side the innumerable number of things he couldn’t understand. Things he didn’t want to understand. What he wanted was for everything to just go back to the way things were. Never once in his life did this kind of situation ever register as a possibility, and he wished it were simple enough to just go back to his normal, boring life where at least he could have a handle on things. Yet, he had to face the facts: This was reality. This was happening, and the sooner he accepted it, the easier it would become. At least, he hoped so.

Things could make sense. Things could get better... One step at a time. And the first step was going through that door and facing this new world.

Taking slow, determined steps, Connor crossed the threshold into the other room, then shifted the bathroom door behind him and leaned against it, sealing it shut with a sturdy "clunk" that sounded loud amidst the silence. He then released the breath he just realized he’d been holding.

So far, so good. Come on, pull it together... One step at a time.

The reddish-orange sunlight coming through the window drew Connor’s attention, flickering ever so slightly, and he found himself walking over to the writing desk. He pulled over the chair he’d sat in during his conversation with the pony princess, Celestia, and it gave off a slight creak as he sat himself down, arms folded and laid out on the table.

Connor then settled his head down on his arms, content to just watch the hazy glow coming off the setting sun as it peeked over the edge of the mountain in the distance and filtered between the spires and arches of the city. Canterlot, as Celestia had named it, looked even more striking in the twilight than it had before.

As that amber ball of light continued its almost imperceptible descent, Connor found himself thinking, unbidden, about his life back on Earth, wondering if perhaps his family was watching the same sunset.

No, that’s stupid. Of course they wouldn’t be. They’re probably looking for me. Freaking out, worried sick, over me. Maybe they think I ran away? he wondered, his eyes starting to grow moist. Like they’d even know where to look. This... this is...

The corners of his lips started trembling, feelings of guilt building inside him like water in a dam.

I fucked up. I never should’ve followed that light. Never should’ve touched that stupid rock. Now everyone probably thinks I’ve gone and disappeared and it’s all my fault!

The dam broke, and the tears were flowing freely now, punctuated by sharp sniffs and short sobs. Connor didn’t want to think about anything now, shutting his eyes and merely letting the despair run its course. He didn’t care how pathetic he looked; teardrops falling one by one and soaking into the sleeve of his jacket. He just wanted to stop feeling like this, and the only way to do that was to just let it all out.

After a long while, he tentatively opened his eyes, and through the bleary haze of moisture could just barely make out the last rays of sunlight dancing outwards from the distant horizon. Connor wanted to focus on it. This one thing, this one tiny aspect of nature, as if thinking solely about it would help to ease his mind. He found the waning light comforting. Slightly magical, even. Like it was alive, somehow. And as the colors and hues of the dusky sky shifted from a striking maroon, to gentle violet, to a gradually deepening blue, he felt the pain and the guilt slowly ebb away along with them. And after a time, the tears, mercifully, ceased.

By the time the first stars had long since started winking into existence in the fresh nighttime sky, and the city of Canterlot began its steady transition to nocturnal life, Connor was still in very much the same position. Simply watching the scene unfold gracefully outside with a faraway stare, breathing in and out steadily in a meditative rhythm.

It wasn’t until there was a sharp three knocks on the guest room door that he was jarred suddenly from his repose. In response to the sudden breach of silence, he jerked up in his seat and quickly wiped his face with a sleeve that wasn’t already crusted with dried tears.

“Uh, wh-who, who’s there?” Connor asked cautiously, now remembering the Princess’ earlier stated desire to meet with him again later. Perhaps she had returned.

“The Princesses request your audience with them in their private study. You will accompany me there,” came the reply, from an unexpectedly male-sounding voice that Connor figured must belong to the guard.

Taking a few seconds to understand what was going on, he decided to comply without hesitation. After the regrettable actions he had taken in his earlier encounter with the local royalty, it would be a grave mistake to not do what this princess (Or rather, princesses. What, were there more than one now?) requested.

“Okay. Alright, I’ll go with you. Just gimme a, err, I’ll be right there,” Connor called back, and he steeled himself as much as he could before he raised himself from his seat and walked, slightly apprehensive, to the exit and pulled open the heavy door.

On the other side was a somewhat unexpected sight. Yes, as he had figured, it was another pony creature, and it wore the same style of armor as the one from before. Yet there were obvious differences, not the least of which included the lack of wings and the presence of a horn like Celestia’s, only smaller. The color of its fur, too, was different, bearing a stony gray shade instead of a stark, white one. And its tail and helmet feathers were a mix of different ivory tones.

The pony soldier looked the human boy once over, then turned with a short huff and started walking away at a brisk pace. “Come with me,” he said. Short, brusque, and to the point.

Initially rushing to keep up with the guard, Connor nevertheless marveled at the magnificent architecture on display in the grand hallways of the castle. From outside the guest room and off in either direction, the hallway stretched on in a veritable parade of marble columns, flower arrangements, brightly colored banners, and the occasional masterwork statue of various objects or other ponies. The walls were a deep shade of purple, and edged with bold golds and oranges in a scheme that contrasted vividly, making them pop out.

Wondering where the area’s illumination was coming from, Connor got his answer when he looked up, seeing several immaculate chandeliers hanging a good twenty feet off the floor. They cast off a white, unfaltering luminescence which didn’t look electrical in nature, and was definitely unlike any fire he’d ever seen. He also had to crane his neck back to even see the ceiling, incredibly high as it was. If it were not for the presence of a garish red carpet lining the middle of the floor and its muffling effect, Connor was certain the steps made by himself and his escort would be echoing endlessly through the cavernous depths of the castle.

Apart from himself, the soldier, and a few other pony guards stationed at regular intervals, there was not another soul in sight. As he and the guard made their way past more shut doors, open stairwells, and branching halls, Connor’s pace had slowed considerably, taking in the sights while mouthing a wordless “Wow.” He was grinning in spite of himself, imagining how improbable it was that a race of beings without opposable thumbs could even attempt to build such a marvelous structure. And to think, he’d barely seen more than one hall.

“Ahem,” came a sound from far in front that grabbed Connor’s attention away from the castle itself, to find that the pony leading him along was now a good thirty feet away, standing in the middle of a large foyer.

“Right, sorry! I just got distracted,” Connor said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he jogged forward to make up the distance.

The pony, saying nothing, simply rolled his eyes and turned, hooves clopping up the steps of a center staircase and up to the left at a brisk pace, which Connor followed closely behind as they passed by three brightly colored stained glass windows which depicted a crescent moon, a sun, and a multitude of reds, respectively.

Together they moved through a slightly narrower hallway, with a less pronounced lighting scheme, for about a minute before the pony suddenly stopped in front of a tall, wide door made of polished silver metal. His escort’s horn then started to glow with a translucent purplish-gray, followed by a similar effect on the door, which edged open with a ponderous scraping sound until it stood about halfway ajar.

“Go on inside. They are expecting you,” explained the guardspony curtly, as he shifted to the side to allow Connor access.

“Um... Thanks, I guess,” Connor responded, bowing his head slightly before hesitantly moving towards the door, grasping the edges with his hands, and peeking over the rim into the room inside.

“Ah! Good evening, Connor,” came the graceful voice of Celestia from inside. “Please, come right in.”

From his vantage point by the door, Connor could see the Princess, lying serenely on a rug splayed out in the center of the room, along with a selection of round, pastel-colored pillows. Before he could even begin to study the rest of the room, however, his attention was drawn to another figure, sitting close to Celestia, whose large, blue irises were eying him cautiously.

This particular pony, while of a similar, if somewhat shorter build to its counterpart, did not have fur colored of ivory white, but of a dark, subdued blue instead. Around its neck was worn a pitch-black collar, emblazoned with a stark white moon that was also present as a mark located in the same position as that of the sun motif on Celestia. On its head it wore a small black tiara, and glimmering silver cuffs topped its hooves. Also like, yet contrasting to, the white princess, the stranger’s mane and tail shifted and shimmered of their own accord, a transparent cobalt hue that glittered from within with dozens of tiny, pointed lights. All of this added up to give Connor the immediate and obvious impression of a night-based theme, which became a piece of a puzzle that miraculously assembled itself in his mind.

It all made sense now: the color scheme of the castle, and references aplenty to celestial bodies. Confronted with this new evidence, it now seemed as plain as night and day. Literally.

I assume she’s the other princess, then, he guessed. A princess for the day, and a princess for the night. It was actually kind of cheesy, in a cliche Disney sort of way. Though he would never have cared to say so out loud.

“Uh... H-hi, Princess,” Connor said meekly with a short wave, as he passed the threshold into the study and quietly pushed the door shut behind him. “Or, I-I guess I should say, Princesses.”

Celestia nodded gently, a small smile on her face. “You would be correct. Come now, there's no need to be shy. This,” she explained, motioning to the one beside her. “...is my dear younger sister, Luna.”

To this, the blue one nodded in the affirmative, and she spoke out in a more formal, slightly younger tone. “Indeed. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young Connor. I admit I have been eager to meet you ever since my sister apprised me of your situation.”

“It’s uh... It’s nice to meet you too, Luna,” Connor replied, nervously rubbing his elbow, averting his gaze from the Night Princess and taking a glance around the study.

It was a large, open space, but against the rest of the castle it looked almost quaint in comparison. The two story room’s walls were lined with multitudes of cluttered bookshelves, along with desks and tables that held up a number of curious-looking objects. The floor was completely covered in soft, dark brown carpet that extended from the doorway all the way across to where Celestia and Luna sat next to a grand, ornate fireplace, in which a crackling blaze cast a warm, friendly light into all corners of the study. Behind them, a pair of open glass double-doors lead out onto a balcony, which offered a pure, unobstructed view of the night sky. This room had an altogether different feel than that of the guest room Connor had been given. It felt lived-in. Cozy. Safe.

It also didn’t hurt that there were no guards around to stare icy daggers at him.

As he stood by the door, none-too-subtly examining the room, he failed to notice Luna lean over and whisper something unintelligible to her sister, to which the elder replied with a brief chuckle. That he noticed, and his attention snapped back to the two princesses who were apparently sharing a moment at his expense.

“Hey, are you talking about me?” Connor asked accusingly, growing slightly flustered.

“Why, not at all. It would be rude to speak light of a guest while in their presence, wouldn't it, sister?” Celestia replied, casting a glance towards Luna even with the remnants of a half-hidden smile on her own face, to which the younger sister responded by looking away and nodding her head. “Now then, you are more than welcome to come here and take a seat with us. There's no need to be nervous, we just want you to feel comfortable.”

Connor nodded slowly, and took a deep breath to steady himself before stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets and taking regular, deliberate steps right up to the rug shared by the two royal ponies. He stopped right past the edge, and then lowered himself into a cross-legged sitting position. There was an awkward, silent pause as the three glanced across to each other, before Connor worked up the courage to speak first.

“Soooo...” he began, drumming his fingers together, his mind deciding then to cut off the stream of thoughts to his mouth. He breathed in through his nose, at a loss as to what to say next. “Yeah...”

Celestia, sensing his apprehension, decided to pick up the conversation, speaking in her typical wise, empathetic tone. “If you would not mind my asking: how are you feeling at the moment? When we last spoke, you were understandably... quite distressed.”

Connor’s ears burned as he recalled the anger-fueled tirade he regrettably took part in earlier that day. “I'm really sorry... about how I acted. That was really uncalled for. I just... I don't do well under pressure.”

"I understand, we all make mistakes sometimes. It takes great strength to own up to them. Thank you," Celestia said consolingly. "And how are you doing now?"

The human let out a shaky sigh, relieved to be so quickly forgiven by someone who no doubt had the power to make his life even more messed up than it was already. "Better than before, yeah. I'm still way outside my comfort zone, but... doing better. Thanks."

“It makes me glad to hear that, and you are quite welcome,” Celestia said, pink-rimmed eyes sparkling with cheer, while Luna remained silent.

The disarming nature of her conversational tone was starting to help Connor feel slightly less intimidated, and he did his best to convince himself that, while he felt nervous and out of place, there really was no need to be. Swallowing his apprehension, he then brought himself to carry on speaking.

“Well, then... I guess I’ll go ahead and--” he started, before being interrupted by a disturbingly audible groan originating from his torso. Eyes widening in a mortified expression, his hand shot to his grumbling stomach.

Neck and face starting to tinge red, he could only glance around apologetically after the sudden and unexpected disruption. Ominously, neither of the Princesses spoke a word, each maintaining stern poker faces in deadpan silence.

That is, until Luna’s hoof instantly went to her muzzle as she burst out in a fit of barely contained laughter. This earned her a hard look from her older sister, but one that could only be held for a matter of seconds before she too closed her eyes with a smile, letting a snicker or two escape her lips.

Connor could only watch, sweating with embarrassment, as the two ponies made light of his gastrointestinal faux pas. But, after a moment, their good spirits started to make him feel a bit differently. As if their mirth was contagious, Connor soon found that he was chuckling lightly himself. He breathed in to try and maintain his composure, but that quickly failed, and he sputtered out, laughing even more openly.

This continued for a good minute, all three of them finding immense catharsis in the absurdity of the situation. As soon as one of them would get a hold of themselves, a quick observation of the other two only served to set them off again. By the end of it, Connor had been laughing so hard he had to wipe a tear from his eye.

Just like that, all of the tension that had been present in the room had been blown out the door like so much stale air, and as Connor gasped in and out, trying to compose himself, Luna was the first to speak up.

“Well, now. That was rather unexpected. You have my apologies for conducting myself in such an unseemly manner,” the Night Princess said consolingly, to which Connor responded by raising his hand in a dismissive gesture.

“No, no. You don’t have to apologize. I think, whew... Heh, I think that was just what I needed.”

“They do say laughter is the best medicine,” Celestia chipped in. “And believe me, I happen to know a certain somepony who knows precisely what that means. Still, this is perfectly understandable. You mustn’t have eaten at all since you arrived here. Please, allow me.”

And with that, Celestia's horn lit up, and something located on a nearby table was enveloped in a misty yellow glow as it was raised in the air and floated over. As it grew closer, Connor could see it was a crystal bowl, filled to overflowing with a colorful assortment of various fruits. She settled it down on the rug in between them, then motioned with a hoof to suggest he should go ahead.

“Wow, thanks. Don’t mind if I do,” Connor said in gratitude, eagerly reaching over and plucking a large, shiny red apple off the top of the pile. He took a moment to appraise the larger than average fruit, noting its spotless surface and impeccable shine, before raising it to his mouth and biting down, savoring the crispness and the ripe, juicy flavor.

Oh, man. This is so... It’s just damn good.

“I shfink jish...” he started, before being reminded of present company, quickly finishing his bite and swallowing hard. “I think this is the best-tasting apple I’ve ever had,” Connor finished without a trace of hyperbole, before continuing with his meal.

“I would hope so,” the Sun Princess responded. “In fact, I have them specially delivered from the orchard of a very good friend of ours. I daresay we consider them the best in Equestria. Wouldn’t you agree, Luna?”

“Indeed,” Luna replied, casually using her own blue-tinged magic to pick up one for herself.

Halfway through his sweet, tangy treat, Connor paused, suddenly remembering what it was he wanted to ask before being rudely interrupted by his hunger. “By the way, I was wondering: why did you ask me to come here? I mean, what did you want to talk to me about?”

At mention of this, Celestia’s face took on a more serious expression and she nodded her head, reminded of the reason for this nightly gathering.

“Ah, yes. I suppose it is high time we returned to the matter at hoof,” she said, followed by a short sigh. Apparently she was regretting that the tone of the evening would have to shift so soon. “I confess there is a great deal that we simply do not know. My sister and I were wondering if perhaps you could clear away a few details, starting with the events leading up to your arrival.”

Connor looked between Luna and Celestia, both of whom now leaned forward expectantly and patiently. Building his own confidence, Connor breathed deeply and readjusted his glasses. “Okay, then... I guess I’ll just start at the beginning...”

The minutes passed by slowly as Connor recounted his tale.

He decided to open with the night of that strange and terrifyingly powerful storm, as it seemed improbable now that the odd circumstances surrounding it were entirely unrelated to what had happened just a scant three days afterwards. As he continued on, Connor spared no details as the royal sisters listened intently and without interruption.

When he arrived at the part involving the three-stone structure with the beacon of light at its base, Celestia looked upward and off in the distance, thinking of the implications of what he had described. She cast a quick glance to Luna, whose face mirrored her own ponderous expression, before turning her attention back to the teenager just as he wrapped up his story.

“...and then that’s when I woke up here,” he finished calmly. Shortly after, the white alicorn amended his tale, bringing Connor up to speed with the events that unfolded in the castle courtyard.

“It is intriguing...” Celestia mumbled, holding a hoof to her chin in consternation. “If what we have each witnessed is indeed some form of magic, then it's of a nature I have not heard much of before, if ever. Do you have any insights, Luna?”

“I fear I am as perplexed as you are, Tia,” Luna replied, her blue eyes slightly downcast.

“So it’s a mystery to you too, huh?” Connor posited rhetorically. He put his hands in his pockets, unsure of where to go after that. As the line of conversation trailed off into silence, Connor then figured he might as well indulge some of his more burning questions. “You know, something’s been bugging me for a while now. Like an itch in the back of my mind, you know?”

“And that would be?” the Sun Princess asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it’s a whole bunch of things, actually. For one, well, I’m a human. That’s my species,” he explained, finding it slightly strange to be describing himself in that manner. “And as far as you know, humans don’t exist here in, um...”

“Equestria.”

“Equestria, right. So, frankly, how can we be speaking the same language? I mean, it makes no sense when you think about it: Different world, different species, and we both speak English? That's a hell of a coincidence.”

“You make a very valid point, Connor,” Luna spoke up with an expression of interest. “Though, while it may be ‘English’ to you, to us, you are speaking common Equestrian.”

“And one other thing,” Celestia added. “We both appear to use the word ‘earth,’ yet while you use it to name your world, to us it simply means the ground that we stand on, along with how we describe those of our kind who are neither pegasus or unicorn: earth ponies.”

“Yes. Despite the obvious, it would appear our two worlds are remarkably similar in a number of ways, language included,” said Luna, deep in thought, as Connor crossed his arms, brow furrowed.

“Yeah. It’s almost like... I dunno, alternate universes. Parallel worlds or something, where a lot of stuff is similar but also different. Except instead of zeppelins flying around and Nixon on the twenty, I get talking ponies who can use magic. Heh, go figure.”

Despite his halfhearted attempt at making a joke, he got no response, the obscure human references apparently lost on the Princesses. As the white alicorn on his left tilted her head in slight confusion, her eyes suddenly widened and gasped in an expression of instant recollection.

“Oh, to think I almost forgot! Connor, I believe we have something which belongs to you,” she explained, before calling upon her magic and pulling some object from a closed casket across the room. Before he could ask her to explain, Connor balked at seeing what it was she had been referring to. It was something he had least expected to encounter, here of all places: his iPod, instantly recognizable in its light blue protective casing.

“What? But that’s mine! Where did you get that?” he asked, thoroughly baffled, as he reached out and plucked the device and the accompanying earbuds from Celestia’s magic field, after which Luna answered him.

“The guards who brought you in confiscated it from inside your jacket. They actually believed it might be dangerous, but my sister was doubtful of that. She made sure to keep it for you,” she explained. “Neither of us have touched it, but all the same, I must admit I myself am immensely curious. What is it?”

Connor turned the gizmo over in his hands, marveling at his own forgetfulness -- he often forgot to empty his coat pockets regularly -- and at the fact that it survived the trip to Equestria intact. He clicked the home button eagerly, and the display instantly came to life, greeting him with a wall of his most used applications.

“It still works. And hey, the battery's still full!” he exclaimed incredulously, finding himself in familiar territory as his finger swiped over its glossy interface and both ponies leaned forwards to have a look. “Oh, and to answer your question, it’s called an iPod.”

“That is... interesting,” the Sun Princess remarked, her face showing a keen interest. “This device, this ‘eye pod’ as you call it. What is it for? What can it do?”

“Oh, it can do a lot of things. Take pictures, watch videos, check the weather,” Connor listed off. “But mostly I just use it to listen to music.”

Upon hearing this, Luna’s ears perked up. “Music? That small device can actually play music? How? Where does the record go?”

“It doesn’t need a record. All of the songs are all right here.” Connor held up the iPod and shook it lightly for emphasis. “It’s got well over three thousand on it, which I admit isn’t as much as some people's but--”

“Could you play something?” the blue alicorn asked suddenly, an eager and expectant expression coming across her.

“Oh... Sure, why not? Here, lemme find something.”

At the Night Princess’ request, he hit the music icon and started tabbing through the list of bands and various artists. He muttered to himself as he did so, musing over the dozens of choices while shaking his head occasionally, thinking about some options and dismissing others outright. He felt as if he was about to show off his personal tastes in music to a complete stranger, and wanted to pick something that was easy to digest, entertaining, yet also representative of his collection as a whole.

No... No... Oh, God, no. That’s not something I would call ‘easy listening,’ he continued on and on, scrolling down the list before his finger stopped in its tracks, and a goofy grin slowly crawled its way past his lips. Yes. That’s perfect.

“Ladies, I give you the expert musical stylings of Jaime y Los Chamacos,” he said to the two incredulous Princesses as he bumped up the volume on the device, his finger came down on the selection, and a very peculiar song started emanating immediately from the iPod’s small speaker.

As the jaunty tune titled "Polkas y Huapangos" sounded out through the air, both Celestia and Luna slowly bore expressions of acute puzzlement as their ears twitched slightly. They looked at each other bemusedly, apparently at a loss for words. Watching their reactions with great interest, Connor nonchalantly reached over to grab another piece of fruit from the bowl in between them and started chomping away in an attempt to mask the stupid grin that stubbornly refused to leave his face.

A good thirty seconds of accordions and upbeat acoustic guitar had passed before either of them attempted to speak. By then, Luna had started almost imperceptibly nodding with the beat, while her older sister pursed her lips -- holding her ears flat to her head -- and was simply staring off into space. She didn’t appreciate polka all that much, apparently.

“I... think that’s enough of a demonstration, if you wouldn’t mind, Connor. Thank you for sharing,” Celestia stated flatly, causing her sister to droop slightly.

“Aww, okay,” Connor acquiesced with a hint of mock disappointment. With the press of his finger, the music ceased, and he clicked another button on the side of the iPod, causing the screen to go dark. He then pocketed the now-silent music player. “It’s just as well, I guess. Without a way to charge it back up, let’s just say I’ll have to ration the battery.”

“Still though, I think we can agree that it’s quite unlike anything we have here in Equestria,” Luna chimed in, eyes sparkling with wonder as she imagined the possibilities. “If such things are so prevalent in your world, it must be a truly fascinating place.”

Connor reached up and scratched the back of his head. “It’s really not that great,” he replied, trying his best to downplay her curiosity. “I mean, it’s nothing compared to what you have here. You guys can use actual magic! That alone blows anything we can do out of the water. How does that even work, by the way?”

The rest of the evening passed by in a flash after that. Minutes turned into hours as, like a child on a field trip to the local museum, Connor peppered the two royal ponies with question after question about the strange new world he found himself in. They discussed a wide range of topics, such as the basics of magic casting, the different races of ponykind, and the seemingly impossible ways that a modern society could function when its primary inhabitants had to use their hooves and mouths for pretty much everything.

Through it all, the sisters did their best to oblige him in a friendly, casual manner. And in return, Connor tried his hardest to answer their own occasional inquiries about Earth and humanity in general. Celestia in particular found it fascinating that, on his world, the heavenly bodies moved of their own accord; a completely foreign concept to the one whose primary duty was to set the sun on its path across the sky every day.

And in spite of everything that had happened, for once Connor was actually enjoying conversing with these two alien beings -- who were seeming even less alien by the minute. So much so, in fact, that until he was interrupted mid-sentence by a long and jarring yawn, he had failed to notice just how far along the night had progressed.

“Oooh, man, that was a big one,” Connor said drowsily, blinking a few times. “Feels like we’ve been at this forever. What time is it anyway? Wait, don’t answer that, I can just check myself.”

With that, he removed his iPod from his jacket and switched it on for a moment, glancing at the clock near the top of the screen. The tiny white numbers read 10:15 A.M.

“...Well, never mind. So much for that,” he admitted quickly, stuffing the obviously uncalibrated gadget back in his coat. “Do either of you have the time?”

Celestia glanced up at the grand fireplace, on which a gold-leafed timepiece sat mounted near the top, silently ticking away. “It is nearly past eleven. We have been at this quite a while, have we not? I must confess, I find myself growing tired as well,” she responded, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. “Perhaps it is best if we retire for tonight. Don't you agree, Luna?”

“Yes, it seems to be for the best.” The midnight-blue alicorn nodded. “I have my nightly court to hold, after all. And you need your rest if you are to be prepared for raising the sun in the morning.”

The Princess of the Day regarded her sister with agreement, and she got up to her hooves, stretching out her wings as she did so. She was followed soon after by both Connor and Luna.

“There is just one more matter to address before you can depart, if you wouldn't mind staying for a moment more,” the white alicorn said to Connor in a more serious tone.

Connor turned away from the door to look back at Celestia. “And what would that be?”

“It is about plans for the future. I feel I am safe in assuming you wish to return home as soon as possible, correct?”

Connor’s expression turned slightly dour, and he cast his gaze away, towards the crackling warmth of the fire. “Yeah... more than anything. Do you really think it’s possible?”

To this, Celestia offered that gentle, caring smile of hers, her voice taking on an aspect of acute hopefulness.

“Anything is possible. You standing here before me is proof of that, and I plan to do everything in my ability to help you in this regard. Starting tomorrow, I shall have the very best of my magical advisors and court scholars looking into this matter, and researching these circumstances to their fullest extent. If there is a solution, I am quite sure they will find it.”

“I... um...” Connor started to say, scuffing his shoe against the rug. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you. That means a lot.”

Celestia let the statement stand on its own, and as her sister slowly cantered towards the study door, she continued. “Until then, however, there is the matter of -- to be frank -- living arrangements. There is simply no telling how long this process will take, and I will not have you confined to this castle for any great length of time, I am sure you would agree.”

“Why not, though? It wouldn’t be all that bad, would it?”

Celestia sighed, and turned towards the open balcony.

“While I have managed to keep knowledge of your existence confined to these walls, the longer you stay here, the more risk we run of word creeping out into the city. And while it pains me to admit it, the residents of Canterlot are not the most... tolerant of ponies. It was hard enough downplaying the events of your arrival, especially after what everypony’s gone through this past week. Let's just say, if it was known that an alien being had dropped from the sky into their city, it would make things... difficult,” she explained at length, then turned back to face Connor. “Therefore, it is probably for the best if you stay somewhere outside Canterlot.”

Connor folded his arms and looked at the Princess skeptically. “And you have a plan?”

“I believe so, yes,” she replied with a nod. “Though it all depends on a number of factors, not the least of which being... Well, I will not keep you here for the finer points. Suffice it to say we will know for sure by tomorrow afternoon. Now, if you would excuse me, I have a letter to write. Good night to you, Connor. Sleep well.”

And with that, the night’s long conversation was over. Connor responded with a “Good night.” of his own, accompanied by a bow of his head, then turned to leave the sisters’ study, where Luna was waiting by the open door.

“Are you ready? If so, I would like to escort you to your room,” the blue alicorn spoke to him.

“Um, okay. It’s your castle,” Connor responded, motioning with one arm indicating that she could leave first.

Connor stood by the exit for a moment longer, pausing to take a lingering look back at the white royal pony, who had summoned some writing utensils from a nearby shelf and was busy transcribing onto a piece of parchment, quill held aloft by a yellow field.

After some slight hesitation, he then turned back towards the hallway and stepped outside, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. Princess Luna had already dismissed the guard apparently, so it was only the two of them as they made their way through the castle, neither one able to think of some piece of conversation to fill the void. Not until they had reached the foyer with the stained glass windows did Connor decide to break the awkward silence as they descended the center stairs.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You may,” Luna replied calmly.

“Not to sound ungrateful or anything like that, but why? Why are you two doing so much for me? After all the trouble I’ve caused already it’s not as if I deserve it...” he stated dejectedly, standing in place with his hand gripping the railing.

“It is not a matter of deserving anything,” the Princess said as she walked onwards, with Connor following behind shortly after. “Is it really so strange that we offer our help while asking nothing in return? Not everything needs a reason, you know.” They continued on down the cavernous hallway, side by side, for a few more seconds in silence, before Luna went on. “Besides... Celestia and I understand what you are going through.”

This statement made Connor look up and at the midnight blue pony with a questioning glance, before returning his gaze straight ahead. “Do you really? I find that hard to believe. Do you even know what it’s like, being separated from everything and everyone you know? Not knowing if you’ll ever see them again?”

Connor was so focused on his own issues, that he failed to notice that Luna had paused in her walking. But after a few steps, he realized she was no longer next to him, and he turned to face the alicorn, who had her head turned down, a look of sadness in her eyes.

“Yes... In fact, we know that all too well,” she said in a low, faraway voice.

“What happened? If you don't mind my asking.”

“I made a terrible mistake once. A long, long time ago...” Luna replied despondently. As she went on with her story, she picked up her hooves heavily and plodded ahead. “I was misguided and foalish, and due to my actions, I hurt my subjects... I hurt Celestia... In the end, she had no choice but to... to punish me for what I had done.”

Connor copied her steady pace, and held his attention on her, listening intently without asking her to elaborate.

“I was sent away. So very far away... alone. At the time, it was surely for the best, and granted, I was not quite myself when it happened. Yet, while I deserved my punishment... my own sister hardly deserved to be the one to inflict it upon me.”

The sadness in Luna’s voice was thick and plainly evident, and Connor had to fight to prevent it from causing himself to tear up. This revelation, depressing as it was, just happened to make a lot of things clear in his mind. In an instant, Connor felt he understood just a little bit more about the Sun Princess than he had gathered about her from their brief encounters.

That must be why. She feels guilty about what happened to her sister. And maybe, by helping me, she’s trying to find a way to redeem herself.

“I’m sorry,” Connor admitted, before hesitantly reaching out and placing a comforting hand on Luna’s smooth, furred shoulder. “I’m sorry for bringing it up... I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for you two.”

To this, Luna raised her head, sniffing loudly and blinking away any moisture that had started to collect, before she reasserted her calm demeanor. “Well, that is all in the past now. Things worked out in the end, as they always do. What is done is done, and now we must focus on the future. As for now, it would seem we have arrived.”

Connor was at first puzzled as to what she was referring to, until he looked around and realized they had come to a stop outside the cherry-red doors of his guest room. A few feet away, a unicorn of the Royal Guard stood impassively, eyes straight ahead. Connor stepped forward and grasped the door’s handle, before Luna interrupted one last time.

“Before you retire, I wanted to say something. To give you a piece of advice,” she said, eyes locked on his. “No matter how hopeless things may appear, and even if you fail to see so yourself... there is always hope. So long as there is a tomorrow, there is the potential for a brighter day. I just wanted you to know that.”

Despite the terribly cliche nature of her remark, Connor nevertheless found the words comforting. Words of experience, he had come to realize. He was about to respond, but just then the Princess spoke up again, almost as an afterthought.

“And one last thing. On behalf of myself, my sister, and the ponies of this land, I bid you welcome. Welcome to Equestria.”

“Thanks... Thank you for, well, everything,” Connor reciprocated in gratitude. “Good night.”

“And the same to you.”

And with that, the Princess of the Night turned on the spot, and proceeded down the hall from whence they had come, hooves scuffing lightly against the carpeted floor. Connor watched her go in silence, before turning his head slightly to face the stoic form of the soldier pony.

“And a good night to you, buddy,” he said with a smirk, and as expected, eliciting no reaction whatsoever.

Connor pushed down on the handle he held in his hand, opening the door with a soft creak, stepping inside, and closing it shut behind him. As he leaned back against the thick wood, he took a deep breath of air, and brought his hands up to run over his face and neck.

There was something about the words Luna had said to him at the end there. Something mildly... unnerving.

Welcome to Equestria.

Something about those words carried a distinct finality to them. It was the period on the end of a sentence that wrapped up nicely everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. And for whatever reason, they persisted in bouncing around his head like the back and forth of a tennis match. So much so that it combined with his acute drowsiness to form the onset of a mild headache that radiated from his temples. As he reached up to massage away the ache, there was only one thing he wanted now. And that thing was sleep.

Grunting lightly as he lifted himself away from the door, he walked across the room, which was lit by little else than a straight beam of pale light streaming in through the curtained window. He stopped at the foot of the extravagant bed by the far wall and sat down, kicking off his sneakers and placing them on the floor nearby. This was followed by his socks, which he then balled up and stuffed inside the soles of his shoes. Next came the glasses, removed and folded up to be placed on a nightstand by the head of the bed.

And lastly, he removed his blue jacket, tossing it to the ground with a flick of his wrist where it landed in a clump, followed by his white T-shirt. Now wearing nothing but his checkered pajama pants, he flipped over the covers and eased himself in between them. The plush underside of the mattress instantly depressed under his weight, and he felt himself sink into what he could only describe as "extreme comfort." All of the physical aches and pains his body had accumulated throughout the day gradually melted away underneath the warm, downy comforters.

Connor closed his eyes and buried his head in the pillow, wanting more than anything for the tumult of his thoughts to give way to blissful unconsciousness. Yet, even as he let himself slip away, and despite his best efforts, the words continued to cycle over in his mind, a constant reminder of the current reality of his life.

Welcome to Equestria.

Welcome...

Author's Note

If you're curious about the song that Connor played from his iPod, here it is: link.

The Second Day: Brave New World

You Do (Not) Belong

The Second Day: Brave New World

When Connor’s unconscious mind lightly skimmed across the surface of the waking world, his eyes were barely open a sliver, taking in the dreary gray light of early dawn, before he shut them again determinedly.

“Ungh... Don’ wanna getmmbrm...” he mumbled lowly, as he turned his head over on the pillow and screwed his eyes shut again. Typical of his “Just ten more minutes” philosophy regarding waking up in the morning, the only hint of a thought in his barely-lucid state was a simple desire for more sleep.

Connor would apparently get his wish, as when he opened his eyes for the second time that day, it was due to a tiny yet solid stream of orange light that beamed its way through the window. Like a targeted laser, it shifted ever so slightly as the seconds passed, making a path from the top of the ceiling, slowly down the wall, past the head of the bed, and edging its way towards the face of the blissfully unaware teenager. The moment the ray passed over his eyelid, the sunlight burned its way through the empty void of a dreamless sleep and yanked Connor to awareness.

Groaning in discomfort, he reflexively brought his hand up from underneath the bed covers to deflect the offending sunbeam, and he blinked a few times, lamenting the fact that it was now, quite possibly, time to actually wake up.

He shifted his head up to try and find the source of the light that had so rudely interrupted his relaxation, and through the half-waking blurriness could only see that the glinting origin of the beam came from outside the window. Yet, even without his glasses, Connor could tell it wasn’t the sun -- most likely just a reflection from one of the many unnecessarily garish gold-topped buildings of the city in the background.

This is exactly the reason why I keep my blinds closed, he thought to himself with just a hint of agitation.

It took Connor just a few seconds of staring blankly outwards at the scene before his brain threw up several red flags, and he suddenly noticed the very obvious unfamiliarity of his surroundings. His eyes snapped open fully, and he propped himself up on one arm, glancing around nervously at the room which was not where he expected to wake up in, until his memories of the previous day finally bubbled up to the surface of his psyche. He then recalled where he was, how he had gotten there, the people -- or ponies, he had met -- and the brief tension of the situation was eased, if not fully abated.

Connor flopped back down on the pillow with a light sigh, and brought his hands up to wipe away the remaining fatigue from his eyes.

Still here... in Equestria. Damn, I was still kinda hoping it was all just some dream.

Now fully awake and aware, Connor dropped his arms down to his sides, and was content to just stare contemplatively at the ceiling for a little while. It was almost completely silent in the room, the only sounds present being that of his own breathing, and the muted buzz of activity emanating from Canterlot outside.

His position stayed pretty much unchanged, until the compulsion to yawn widely suddenly came over him. It was then that he noticed, smacking his lips a few times, that there was a slightly unpleasant taste in his mouth, and it didn’t take long for him to reason why.

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t get to brush my teeth last night,” he stated out loud quietly, finding the sound of his own voice just a bit more comforting than the empty silence. “I’m gonna have to find a toothbrush somewhere. Do ponies even use toothbrushes?”

As this and other random and unimportant questions entertained his thoughts, Connor just laid back in the stillness, until eventually he started to wonder what his next course of action should be.

“What do I do? What should I do? I know the Princesses are taking care of things, but what if they can’t-- No. No, don’t let yourself think like that,” he berated himself, pounding his head lightly with his hands in an attempt to get a grip before he started down that troubling path.

That way lies madness... I need to occupy myself. Find something to do. And the first step to start with should probably be dragging myself out of this bed, Connor tried to convince himself, but in the face of contrary evidence, found his resolve wavering. This warm, comfy, giant bed.

It would have to be quick, like ripping off a bandaid, pulling a tooth, or some other appropriate metaphor. Connor steeled himself as his hands gripped the edge of the sheets, and began counting down. “Three, two, one... Oh, hell, let’s just do this.”

And with that, he tossed back the bed covers, feeling the snap of the chilly morning air against his skin. Following with one swift motion, he pulled his legs over the side of the mattress and pushed himself up into a standing position. He regretted this instantly, as it was soon accompanied by the inevitable rush of blood to his head. He felt moderately dizzy and stumbled forwards a bit, a rainbow of colors encroaching on his vision as he shut his eyes.

“Ow, ow. Bad idea. Stupid idea,” he moaned, massaging his temples and waiting for the pressure to subside until he was left with a mild, dull ache.

Connor breathed in sharply and held it, raising his arms over his head and stretching out as he let out the air. He then twisted around in place, hearing his back pop satisfyingly a few times before following suit with his other stiff joints. As he went through this morning ritual, another thought occurred to him.

“I haven’t taken a shower in days.” he admitted to himself, and with a hesitant whiff of his arm’s underside, confirmed the fact that maintenance of his personal hygiene would probably be in his best interests.

Having settled on a course of action, and eager to get his bare feet off the cold floor, Connor walked over to the bathroom, opened the door, and slipped quietly inside. He intentionally left his glasses on the nightstand. They would just get fogged up by the steam anyway, and he could see well enough without them, provided nobody needed him to read anything more than a foot in front of his face.

The bathroom was dark inside when he opened the door, but the moment he stepped through the threshold, the half-orbs situated in the ceiling started to gradually brighten with a soft, inner light.

“Huh. Motion sensitive, that’s pretty cool,” Connor remarked with a casual interest, before glancing around the room’s interior, noting its impeccable spotlessness and lack of clutter. “Wait. Where’s the soap? Or towels? Or...” he trailed off, eying the bulky wooden cabinet sitting next to the sink. Following his hunch, he stepped over to the cabinet and grasped the large, round handles, pulling the doors open as he did so.

Bingo.

Inside the container was a neatly stacked and ordered array of toiletries: everything from fluffy white towels, to colored bottles of various soaps and shampoos, to an assortment of fine brushes. Gathering what he needed, Connor snatched up one of the towels and a bottle of what he assumed to be some kind of body wash: something innocuously branded "Magic Springs." After giving up trying to find a simple comb, he settled for grabbing one of the many brushes on the shelf, then closed the casket.

He placed the brush by the sink, and the rest of the bundle he held in his arms on a countertop near the bathtub. He then reached over and turned the hot and cold nozzles of the brass fixture, holding his hand under the running water and adjusting until it reached the perfect temperature. Apparently, this shower worked just like the one he was used to at home, with a tab near the faucet to redirect water to the shower head, which Connor pulled up to start the shower. Then, in quick succession, he removed his pajamas and boxers and tossed them to the side, then stepped into the barely scalding water and pulled the nearby curtain closed.

Reveling in the soothing effect of the hot water on his skin, Connor took his time in scrubbing himself clean, using generous amounts of soap as he did so. He had to admit, this was just the sort of thing he needed to take his mind off his worries, as if all of his accumulated tension and fatigue was washed down the drain, at least for a little while. His only gripe came from the fact that the shower head itself was positioned about even with his chin, and he had to bend down uncomfortably to lather up his hair. It was obviously designed with ponies, not humans, in mind.

Ten minutes later, fully refreshed and feeling the exact opposite of grungy, Connor shut off the stream of water and pulled back the bath curtain, gingerly stepping out into the chill air. He then grabbed the towel lying by his side and proceeded to use it to dry off his hair in a vigorous rubbing motion, following up with his chest, arms and back, and finishing by wrapping it around his waist.

Connor closed his eyes and took in a deep lungful of the steamy, soap-scented air, and allowed himself a small, contented smile as he made his way over to the mirror. After wiping away the condensation, he grasped the nearby brush in his hand and began taming his messy, still slightly dripping hair. He had to wince a couple of times as the fine bristles caught on the innumerable amount of tiny knots and snags present in his brown locks. Again, he lamented the fact that while brushes were fine and dandy for creatures covered in fur, a simple comb would’ve gone a long way towards avoiding this mild torture. But he persevered, and in a short time succeeded in wrangling his hair flat against his head, save for those stubborn bits by his ears that even now started curling up as they dried.

Well, not much we can do about that.

Connor inspected his reflection for a few more seconds, then nodded, satisfied, and turned towards where he had tossed his clothes earlier. He gave his body one last once over with the towel to make sure he was completely dry, then slipped back into his boxers and pants and made way for the exit.

But as his hand grasped the door handle and pushed it open, Connor would find he was in for a mild surprise...

...for just as he entered the room from one end, someone else was coming in through the main door as well. Connor raised his gaze for just a moment, and jumped back slightly in shock from seeing the unexpected intruder.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, startling the dark orange pony who happened to notice him at precisely the same time.

“Oh, goodness me!” the pony replied in a thick, matronly voice, as she raised a hoof to her muzzle.

Connor, whose pulse had been raised just a notch at this point, spared a moment to examine the intruder, having to squint in order to compensate without his glasses. He was barely able to see that she possessed a horn, making her a unicorn, and that she happened to be wearing a black and white apron secured around her underside.

And just then, after a few seconds of stunned silence, Connor suddenly remembered that he was, in fact, bare-chested in front of a total stranger, and looked down quickly before raising his arms in an attempt to preserve some measure of modesty.

“Wh-who are you, and why’d you just come barging in like that!?” Connor shouted, more out of surprise than out of any kind of anger. He then backed away a couple of steps and brought the bathroom door around to block off his exposed torso, choosing to carry on the conversation with his head peeking out the side.

“My deepest apologies, sir. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I assumed you were not present,” the orange unicorn replied, though in a nonchalant, barely remorseful tone.

“O...kay... Well, that still doesn’t answer my first question. Who are you? Did Celestia or someone else send you?”

The stranger pony let out a brusque huff before continuing. “I suppose it was rather rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is Cozy Hearth -- though I prefer Miss Hearth if you wouldn’t mind. I’m the maid, to put it simply. I maintain the guest rooms and take care of the guests. Speaking of which...” Hearth trailed off, before using some of her magic to bring a loaded tray on wheels in through the door behind her.

In the undercarriage were what appeared to be a bundle of sheets and linens, along with an assortment of cleaning supplies. On top were two covered silver platters and a folded-up piece of parchment.

“The Princess did indeed task me with delivering your breakfast, along with a message. I’ll just leave these over there.” And with that, Hearth’s short horn glowed briefly, levitating the objects in question to the desk by the window and setting them down.

“Oh. Well, okay then. Um... thanks?” Connor replied, trying his best to downplay his embarrassment.

“No need to mention it. It is my job, after all. And while I’m here...” The unicorn cast her gaze to the floor, and her horn sparked briefly before Connor could see his white shirt, socks, shoes and jacket float upwards, held aloft in an orange field. “I can take these to be cleaned, if you like, along with that other garment you’re wearing.”

“Wait, what?” Connor questioned, looking down at his pajama bottoms before swiftly bringing his head back up and waving his hands in front of him dismissively. “Oh, no, nonono, bad idea. These are my, uh, well, my only clothes.”

To this, the maid pony just barely tilted her head in a curious expression. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Even in an uptight place like Canterlot, most ponies aren’t shy about walking about in just their fur.”

“Yeah, well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not most ponies. If it’s all the same to you, I want my clothes to stay on, thank you very much,” Connor stated flatly, starting to get a bit annoyed.

Miss Hearth held a thoughtful expression for a moment, before shaking her head and shrugging with one hoof, abandoning the issue.

“Have it your way, then. I certainly won’t tell you how to live your life,” she said, levitating the bundle in the air over to Connor’s position, to which he snatched them and proceeded to slip on his shirt and socks. “Though, if you simply must wear something all the time, you should maybe consider acquiring some other attire. I can use a spell I know to ‘freshen up’ what you have on, but it’s no substitute for a good cleaning.”

And with that, Hearth called upon her magic once more, and as Connor stepped out from behind the bathroom door, fully clothed, the area surrounding his body was briefly enveloped in her familiar ocher hue. Caught off guard, he was about to ask just what exactly she was doing to him, but almost immediately after she had started, the magic faded away, leaving his clothes both feeling and looking as if they had just come out the wash.

That’s convenient, he admitted to himself, even now still amazed by the seemingly infinite number of applications for magic in this world.

“Thank you, Cozy Hearth,” Connor sounded out the phonetically strange (to him, at least) name, which elicited a brief snort from the orange maid pony. “Sorry, Miss Hearth. And yeah, maybe you’re right, I kinda do need some extra clothes. Of course, where am I going to find anything here? I can’t exactly, you know, go down to the local retailer, or something.”

“Well, I cannot help you there,” she responded curtly, in a rather obvious tone that in essence meant "Not my problem," and turned her attention to her duties, rolling up the bedspread in a magic field and preparing the replacement.

“Hey,” Connor said to the maid pony, pointing at the nightstand. “Could you ‘float’ my glasses over here, please?”

“Certainly, sir,” she replied, before doing just that.

Connor then grabbed his glasses out of the air and slipped them on, the world around him once again crystal clear. As he walked towards the desk where she had set down his breakfast, a thought occurred to him, and he turned back towards Hearth, who by this point was smoothing down a fresh linen sheet on the bed.

“By the way, you seem to be being really casual about all this.”

“And is that a problem?” Hearth inquired without diverting her attention.

“Not particularly. But, I’m a, well...” he went on, scratching the back of his head. “How do I say this? I’m practically an alien, and you’re just talking to me like it’s no big deal.”

To this, Hearth sighed impatiently before beginning to walk around the bed to the other side of the room with her cart of supplies in tow. As she passed Connor, he noticed her black hair -- mane -- done up in a conservative bun, and also the presence of another mark similar to the Princesses’ adorning her flank, this one resembling a feather duster.

“The castle staff have been briefed about your circumstances, so everypony is aware we have a stranger in our midst. And besides, I was present when they carted you in here, unconscious. Who do you think prepared the room, hmm?”

“Yeah, okay,” Connor replied shortly, becoming even more irritated by the unicorn’s aloof attitude. But he decided to shrug it off; it simply wasn’t worth making an issue.

As Connor pulled out the desk chair and had a seat, looking over the two platters set out before him, Hearth continued into the bathroom while carrying on the conversation.

“Though it is a point in your favor, sir, that you’re hardly the worst guest I’ve had to deal with in a while. Why, just last month, the Princess played host to a griffin dignitary from the east, and his entourage.”

Griffins? There are griffins in Equestria too? Great... Pegasi, unicorns, griffins, what next? Fire-breathing dragons? Connor thought to himself, incredulous, as the maid continued her monologue from inside the bathroom, punctuated with the sound of a spray bottle.

“Not only were they of the most disdainful temperaments, but they were an absolute nightmare to clean up after. Fur, feathers, and scales, not to mention their claws scuffing up everything they touched.”

By this point Connor had successfully tuned her out, now focused on the more gratifying prospect of breakfast. Curious to see what awaited him, he lifted up the first platter to reveal a large, decadent-looking layered omelet, steaming and crusted over with baked yellow cheese and spices, alongside a short glass of orange juice and a pair of utensils. The smell alone was enough to make his stomach grumble with yearning, though the dish’s appearance also left nothing to be desired.

Oh, that looks soooooo good. Being a guest in a castle sure has its perks.

Connor then regretfully brought his attention away from the five-star omelet and glanced over to the other dish, prying off the silver top to reveal a bowl of mixed vegetables.

A salad, huh? Well, fresh greens are always good, I guess--

“Wait, what’s...?” He trailed off, inspecting the contents of the bowl a little closer to find a cluster of strange, yellow objects mixed in with the lettuce and tomatoes. He reached over and plucked one out, and upon cursory inspection, he grimaced as his initial thought was deemed accurate. They were dandelions. Dandelions!

“Come on. Who in their right mind would put... Oh.” Connor once again reminded himself of current company, and the floral addition to the meal now made sense.

I think I’ll pass on the salad, he agreed, pushing the bowl away and returning to the meal’s star attraction. Grabbing a knife and fork in each hand, a brief thought kept him from starting. Wait, these are a fork and knife. How the hell are they supposed to pick these up with hooves? Eh, whatever. Hungry.

As Connor eagerly dug in in earnest, he failed to notice that, behind him, the orange maid pony had finished her work in the bathroom and was cantering over towards the other end followed by her magically motivated cart. She paused at the exit, and turned to address the human boy. “I hope you have a pleasant day, sir. And don’t forget about the Princess’ message. She was quite adamant that you read it.”

Mouth full of delicious eggs and cheese, Connor turned in his chair, about to thank her, before thinking better of it and swallowing quickly with a swig of juice. “Ahh... Thanks. And thanks for the breakfast, too. My compliments to the chef!”

To this, Hearth simply chuckled lightly to herself, shaking her head at his impetuous behavior, before walking past the door’s threshold and closing it behind her.

Three minutes later, Connor placed his eating utensils down onto the empty plate and leaned back into the chair with a contented sigh, patting his stomach.

“Now, that was...” He wanted to say something along the lines of "wonderful," but the words escaped him, and he let it stand.

Afterwards, Connor was content to just sit back and stare at the purple and white tiled ceiling, picking at his teeth. That is, until he suddenly remembered the other thing that Cozy Hearth had brought in for him.

Oh, yeah. Celestia’s note. I’d better read that.

Looking down, he spied the folded up parchment lying next to his untouched garden (in more ways than one) salad, its edges stuck together by a yellow sun-shaped seal. Connor reached over and, picking off the seal, unfolded the message with a slight crinkling of paper. He silently read its contents, bold black ink strokes in an elegant, flourishing script:

Connor, I hope this morning finds you well. I would request that you come meet me in the castle foyer at around one in the afternoon. I am expecting somepony important to arrive then, and the two of you will have much to discuss. More will be explained when all are in attendance. When the time comes, simply ask the guard to bring you.

Regards, Celestia

Connor folded the note and placed it back down on the table, while pursing his lips and letting out a slow burst of air.

Well, that wasn’t cryptic at all. At least she spelled my name right. ‘Somepony’ important? I wonder what she's talking about. He furrowed his brow, deep in thought. One PM, huh? Wonder what time it is now.

Looking behind him and off to the side, Connor spied a small Victorian-style timepiece he had happened to notice earlier, sitting on the nightstand by the bed. He tried squinting to get a better look at the small hands and, failing that, grudgingly got up from his seat and walked over to the short table. From close up he had a better view, and by picking up the clock in his hands he could easily read its contents: 10:22 AM.

“Wow, I really slept in,” he remarked, setting the clock back onto the table. “Hmm... What to do for two and a half hours?”

While he thought it over, Connor decided to pull his iPod out of his jacket pocket and mess with the settings, changing the time on his device to better match that of the clock. After doing so and switching it off, he stared at the darkened screen for a few seconds in consternation.

There are a few games that could keep me busy for a while... but I’ve only got so much battery to use. Doing something like that would suck it dry in no time. Connor brought his hand up to scratch his chin, weighing his options like a pair of scales; battery life on one end, the depths of his boredom on the other. I could listen to music, if only for a little bit. If I’m careful.

Although, simply thinking about the slow, inevitable demise of his only worldly possession at the moment brought his stream of consciousness closer to more distressing topics. Sensing this, Connor immediately made up his mind.

Screw it. I want to put on some feel-good music.

With that, he pulled out his earbuds and jacked them into the iPod with a click. Placing the other ends in his ears and walking back to the desk to sit down, Connor tabbed through the available artists. He eventually settled on a decision, and hit the play button. Connor switched off the display as the song started, and sat back in the chair with a heavy sigh.

As the music of Owl City belted into his ears, he was content to just watch the outdoor scene through the window: that marvelous city containing hundreds of pony creatures going about their lives without a care in the world...

---------------------------Two Hours and Thirty Minutes Later-----------------------

Connor’s hands were jammed firmly in his coat pockets as he and the accompanying pegasus guard made their way down the cavernous castle corridors. A little while ago, he’d started on this way to the meeting with Celestia in a relatively good mood, but that mood took a blow with each furtive glance given him by the other ponies making their way down the same hall. Miss Hearth’s indifferent attitude now seemed downright pleasant compared to the curious and sometimes perplexed expressions worn by the other castle staff as they made their rounds. They may have been told about him already, but Connor got the feeling that none of them were truly prepared to see an unfamiliar creature like him prowling the halls. It was starting to make him feel uncomfortable and even more out of place, to say the least.

This is why, as he and his escort rounded the corner to the castle foyer, a feeling of relief washed over him when he saw the familiar face of the Sun Princess, standing calmly at the top of the steps. Accompanying her at her side was another pegasus guard -- though upon closer inspection he was a bit different than the ones Connor had seen thus far. He was slightly taller and stockier, for one, and instead of a turquoise star, his armor bore the symbol of a red and blue flag on top of a few crossed lightning bolts.

The pegasus’ eyes narrowed as his gaze followed Connor into the room, but the teenager paid him little mind as he jogged over excitedly, raising a hand in greeting to the Princess. “Hey, Princess! It’s nice to see a friendly face around here,” he addressed her casually, stopping at the foot of the stairs.

His particular enthusiasm seemed to come as a surprise to Celestia for a brief moment, before her expression became one of genuine cheerfulness again. “My, you seem spirited this morning. I trust you slept well?”

“Oh, yeah. That bed was amaaaazing,” he said, tilting his head back for emphasis. “And thanks for sending breakfast by the way. That was great, too.” Connor nodded affirmatively, eliciting a short chuckle from the Princess. “Although...” He was about to mention the flowers in the salad, and how he didn’t particularly care for them, when he noticed Celestia’s smile falter slightly.

“Although what? Is something the matter?”

“...You know what? It’s nothing, forget about it,” Connor finished, deciding it would be better to not make light of her generous hospitality.

All while the conversation was going on, the pony soldier stationed near the Princess had been growing increasingly agitated, and at this point let out an unnecessarily loud huff. Connor turned to him, noticing again that he was being stared at with a particular amount of menace.

“Uh, is something wrong?” he asked, cringing under the soldier’s gaze and taking a half-step backwards.

The armored pegasus breathed in deep and shifted on his hooves before speaking back in a voice of barely concealed annoyance. “No. No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with addressing Her Royal Highness in such an uncouth manner,” he said gruffly, the statement dripping with sarcasm.

His response drew Celestia’s attention and she turned her head slightly to the left, giving the pegasus a sideways glance. “Captain...” she let out sternly, putting stress on the word. “Connor is our guest, and a friend. You would do well to remember that.”

“Yes, Ma’am...” the apparent "Captain" admitted reluctantly, though while his expression softened just a little, he never did let his eyes off of the strange human.

Geez, does he have a stick up his ass, or what? Connor thought to himself, being wary of the abrasive pegasus, but at the same time comforted by the fact that Celestia seemed to be sticking up for him. Friend, huh? She actually considers me a friend?

Connor then noticed the Princess give a light flick of her head, and he heard the sound of hoofsteps clopping away from him, turning just in time to see the guard who escorted him return down the hall whence they came. After watching him go, Connor decided to take a seat at the halfway point up the steps.

Then, he let a puff of air escape his lips, and tapped his hands on his legs in a random beat, before electing to break the unwelcome silence. “Sooo, why’d you ask me to come here? We meeting somebody?”

“Yes, we are. And I know you must have plenty of questions, but rest assured, I will explain more when she arrives.”

“Okay... cool.” Connor turned back to face the large gold-colored double doors across the foyer, nodding despondently. Out of the corner of his vision, however, he noted that the pegasus captain was still regarding him coldly, and he could almost feel the hair on his neck prickle under his stare. Over a short period, it started eating away at him, until Connor felt that he just had to confront the stallion.

“Okay, do you have a problem with me or something? You’ve been giving me the stink eye ever since I walked in.”

Though it seemed impossible, the pony’s eyes narrowed even further, and he straightened up, the teenager’s accusation giving him all the reason he needed to tell the stranger exactly what was on his mind.

“Yes, in fact, I do have a problem with you. I couldn’t care less about what you are, where you came from or how you got here, but I don’t know you. I don’t know what your motivations are, and the fact remains that I. Don’t. Trust. You,” the Captain responded with a great deal of contempt, all but spitting out the words. “You may act all friendly and casual, courting Her Majesty’s favor, but that doesn’t change the fact that you do not belong here!”

“Captain, that’s enough!” Celestia interrupted then and there, staring down at the pegasus, a cross look in her normally kind eyes. “I will not stand to have you insult both myself and our guest with your venomous tongue. You will keep such thoughts to yourself and speak not a word more, or I will have you dismissed. Am I clear?”

The pegasus looked back and forth between the irate Princess and Connor once or twice, before locking his eyes on Celestia’s. Then, like a balloon rapidly deflating, his shoulders slumped and he let out a defeated sigh, nodding slowly in agreement. He backed away exactly two steps, and devoted his attention to thoroughly examining a portion of nearby wall.

All throughout the exchange, Connor watched in fascination as the pegasus got his well-deserved comeuppance. His words had stung deep. Deeper than he would want to admit to himself. He couldn’t imagine what, if anything, he could’ve done to deserve such ire. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that, just like humans, there were apparently both good ponies and bad ones. Some things are just universal like that. He now appreciated even more the fact that one of the good ones was in charge around here.

The Princess gave a weary sigh, then looked down at Connor with genuine remorse. “I am terribly sorry about that, Connor. Captain Sky Armory is... Well, he is the best at what he does, and he is merely concerned for my safety. But that does not excuse his behavior. Please accept my deepest apologies.”

“No, no, it’s nothing. I’m fine, really,” Connor said quickly, as much to himself as well as the Sun Princess. He rubbed the back of his neck as he attempted to distract himself, taking out his iPod to check the time just as the clock ticked over to 1:00 PM. Off in the distance, barely audible through the castle walls, a large brass bell sounded out exactly one time.

“So, when is this ‘special guest’ of yours getting here?” Connor inquired after more than a minute, eager to change the subject.

“She should be any moment now,” Celestia replied, eyes fixed on the tall doors across the room. “If there is one thing my student is known for, it is her punctuality.”

Student? Connor had barely enough time to ponder before there was a sharp creak from the direction in front of him, and he turned to see the large golden doors spread open, admitting a new arrival into the castle. Another pony -- though he was hardly surprised by that at this point -- a female unicorn by the look of it, with fur the color of lavender and a straight, dark purple mane and tail with a highlighted pink streak running through them.

As she cantered in at a slightly above normal pace, she appeared to be breathing heavily, as though she had been running just before she made her entrance. The unicorn angled her head down as she caught her breath, and began to speak.

“I’m really, really sorry I’m late, Princess. I got here as fast as I could,” she started off, speaking quickly between breaths. “Spike happened to be asleep when your letter arrived, and it somehow didn’t wake him up, so he only got it to me this morning. And then when the carriage you sent arrived I still hadn’t finished my preparations and given Spike my daily checklist.”

As she continued her explanation, she brought her head up slowly to look at Celestia at the top of the steps.

“And before I could even set hoof in the... in... in the...” Whatever she was about to say ended there, as she brought her gaze over to where Connor was sitting, hands folded, regarding her nervously as he chewed on the inside of his lip. The unicorn seemed very unsure of what to make of him, and she took a hesitant step backwards.

The lavender pony stared for a couple seconds more at the strange creature while tilting her head in confusion, before tearing herself away and looking at the Princess with a puzzled expression. “Uhhh, Princess? Would you... care to explain?” she said, her curious expression eliciting a brief chuckle from the white alicorn.

“Certainly. Although, seeing as you two haven’t met before, shouldn’t you introduce yourselves, first?” Celestia replied patiently.

“What? Oh! Yeah, sure,” Connor was the first to speak up. He raised himself to his feet, dusting off his pants, and turned to face the unicorn, giving a meek wave of his hand. “Hello, there. I’m... My name’s Connor. Nice to meet you?”

“I’m...” the violet pony started hesitantly, then closed her eyes and shook her head, as if trying to get a grip on herself. “I’m Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.”

“‘Twilight Sparkle’? That’s an interesting name.”

The unicorn named Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? And just what is that supposed to mean?” she asked in an accusatory manner.

“N-nothing!” Connor stuttered out, waving his hands defensively out in front of him. “Just interesting, that’s all.”

Twilight let out a sigh and shook her head as she made her way closer to the others. Once at where the stairs met the floor, she walked up the steps at a quickened pace while casting a furtive glance in Connor’s direction, before coming to a stop next to where Celestia stood and looking up at the taller pony.

“Princess, I’m still very confused. Your letter didn’t say anything about this. Whatever this is,” Twilight admitted, seeming to be more curious than wary at this point. “I mean, no offense to your 'guest,' but I’ve read pretty much every book about fauna the world over and I’ve never seen anything remotely like him before.”

“And there’s a good reason for that, my faithful student. Though I’m not quite sure how to say this,” the alicorn explained, taking her time to look for the right words. “Connor is... a ‘special’ case. He’s--”

She was cut off abruptly by Connor at that moment, clearing his throat to get the two equines’ attention. They turned to face him, noting his crossed arms and the annoyed look on his face as he adjusted his glasses.

“Excuse me, but as fun as it is being talked around, don’t you think I should be the one to explain?” He turned his head to address Twilight. “I wouldn’t be in any of those books you mentioned. And the reason is, well...” Connor breathed in deep before continuing. “I’m from another world. Or universe, whatever. I guess it really doesn’t make a difference.”

The unicorn’s violet eyes widened for a moment at his admission, but then she let out a short snicker and shook her head dismissively. “No... No, no, that would be impossible. The existence of multiple universes is just a theory! There’s never been any concrete evidence to support it,” she explained disbelievingly as she turned back to face Celestia. “This has to be some kind of joke, right?”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this, Twilight. What Connor says is the truth,” the Princess replied with a look of deadly seriousness.

The lavender pony’s eyes shifted around searchingly, as if she was running logistics over in her head. Still looking slightly skeptical, she looked back at Connor and took a breath, pausing for a moment as she considered, then continued to speak. “Okay. Let’s say for the sake of argument that I believe you come from some... other world. How did you get here?”

“Well,” Connor reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “The thing is, I really don’t know. I’d think it was impossible too if I wasn’t standing here talking to a couple of horses.” Immediately after saying so, he winced and gave an apologetic smile. “Ponies! Sorry, still getting used to things,” he confessed sheepishly, cursing his annoying tendency to speak before thinking. “Which I’ll admit is easier said than done. I mean, I’ve only been here one day and, well...”

Upon hearing this, Twilight reared her head back slightly, her eyes doing that same examining motion like she was adding two and two together. And apparently, the result did not please her in the slightest, as she gasped suddenly and cast a suspicious glance at the Princess, to which the alicorn responded by lowering her head, as if preparing for what was about to come.

“Wait, when I sent you a letter asking what all that commotion over Canterlot was, you wrote back saying it was just a lightning spell that went haywire... But it wasn’t. It was really him, wasn’t it?” She jabbed a hoof in Connor’s direction.

“Twilight...” Celestia pleaded, her eyes full of remorse. “Allow me to explain.”

“But I... I repeated what you wrote me to everypony in Ponyville. They were skeptical at first, but I told them that you assured me everything was fine, that you had everything under control. I wasn’t sure I believed it, but I thought, if anything was wrong, you would tell me,” Twilight continued, lowering her voice, and her ears with it.

“I know. And I truly am sorry for putting you through that. But please, believe me when I say I had my reasons.” The Princess looked to Twilight for affirmation, and after a few seconds, the unicorn nodded, indicating she could continue. “At the time, I wasn’t sure myself exactly what had happened, and until I could learn more about the situation, I didn’t want to risk anypony flying into a panic over this. I needed to play it safe. I didn’t want you to worry, and I knew that you would understand.”

The soothing, regretful sincerity of her words served to perk up the lavender unicorn somewhat, and she brought herself to look Celestia in the eyes with a hint of a smile on her face. “Of course, Princess. I... I do. You did what you had to.”

Meanwhile, Connor watched this exchange with a keen interest, feeling just a little bit nervous at the prospect of being caught up in an argument between the two. Needless to say, he felt relieved that it was over quickly.

Wow. The Princess really cares about what Twilight thinks of her, and vice versa, he gathered. I wonder what their deal is.

“But you could’ve at least told me what was going on,” Twilight continued. “Don’t you trust me?”

“I do!” Celestia replied quickly. “I do trust you. More than anypony else apart from my own sister,” she followed this up with a tired sigh. “And actually, that is why I asked you to come here today. Twilight Sparkle, I have a new task... No, not a task; a favor, to ask of you.”

“Of course, Princess! What do you need me to do?” came the unicorn’s reply.

“Well, as of late, we are focusing on finding a way for Connor to return to his own world, yet I admit to having no idea how long that might take,” the Sun Princess explained before pausing, perhaps unintentionally, for dramatic effect. “And until the time comes when we find a solution, I would request that Connor stay in Ponyville... under your care.”

At that moment, both human and unicorn did the equivalent of a spit take, minus the spit.

“What?” both of them not-so-subtly exclaimed out of a mix of surprise and confusion.

“Just hold on a second,” Connor launched into the conversation. “I thought the whole reason behind finding me a place to stay was that I should attract as little attention as possible. And now you want me to go to some town named... What was that you said? Ponyville? Just like that?”

“Are you really asking me to let him live in my home? We’ve barely just met! And he’s an alien from another universe!" Twilight chimed in, looking off to the side. "...Supposedly.”

“Now, now, calm yourselves. If you will just allow me to explain.” Celestia looked between Connor, who had his arms folded, and Twilight, who simply eyed both him and the Princess skeptically. The white alicorn took a deep breath, preparing to explain at length.

“I realize what I’m asking is no small task, and I wouldn’t be asking at all if I thought there was a better way. Unlike this city, Ponyville is relatively small and out of the way. There would be less of an impact should you happen to be seen there instead of Canterlot, which is still very much recovering from the changeling incursion last week. The people’s confidence is already shaky at best, and both myself and Luna agree that we don’t want to choose between thrusting you into the spotlight, or risking it becoming known that we are keeping secrets.”

The Princess paused, as she switched her tone from one of clinical exposition to one of tenderness.

“And to answer your concerns, Connor, keeping you sequestered and shut away from the outside world is the opposite of what you need at the moment. I can see you are trying to come to terms with your situation, and that is always a good thing, but I also can tell how difficult all of this is for you; how difficult it may be in the future. You need others in order to get through this. Somepony to talk to. Friends that you can count on to be there when you need them. For this, I can think of no better place than Ponyville.”

Connor said nothing, but nodded his head in hesitant agreement. He had to be honest with himself; There was no doubt he would’ve utterly fallen apart by this point without Celestia’s support offering him an emotional lifeline. This was something he needed.

“And that is why I am asking this of you, Twilight. Partly because I trust you to handle the responsibility, and partly because you, more than anypony else, know what I mean.”

To this, Twilight lowered her gaze, and there appeared to be a certain depth to her eyes. One that spoke of reflection and tightly held memories.

“I... I still don’t know about this,” she said in response, clearly understanding the meaning of Celestia’s request, but still unsure.

“That is perfectly understandable, and rest assured, the decision is entirely yours to make. I wouldn’t think of forcing something like this on you,” the regal mare said patiently. “You have plenty of time to think it over, and to talk amongst yourselves. Unfortunately, my royal duties demand my attention, and I am afraid this is where we must part company, as I have a meeting with the City Council shortly.”

With that, she nodded to Sky Armory, who responded with a curt "Ma’am," before edging himself past the lavender pony, and moving down the stairs where he waited for the Princess to follow. After reaching the bottom of the steps, Celestia turned to look over her shoulder, addressing the two for a final time.

“I expect to have your answer by six in the afternoon, if that’s reasonable. When the time comes, meet me in the Castle Gardens. Until then, feel free to use the time as you see fit, as long as you stay within the castle. I apologize if this seems rather abrupt, but I really must be going. Farewell, Connor. Twilight,” she finished, nodding to each of them before turning back and making for the open gold doors.

Connor, trying to sort through the information the alicorn had just dumped on him, took a few seconds to formulate a short response. “See ya, I guess,” he said, raising his hand in a brief wave before seating himself back down on the stairway.

Meanwhile, as Celestia made her way past the door’s threshold, Captain Sky Armory took a moment to look directly at Connor. He brought one of his hooves up in front of his eyes, then turned it to point at the teenager, in what he could only assume was the pony equivalent of "I’m keeping my eye on you." In response, Connor scowled and repeated the gesture in a mocking fashion, to which the Captain huffed in annoyance before turning himself around and exiting the same way the Princess had. Once through the doors, two other unicorn guards stationed outside grasped their large, ornate handles and pulled them shut.

And just like that, Connor and his new lavender companion were left to themselves in the wide, empty foyer.

“Great,” Connor breathed out in a dejected sigh. “One day here and I’ve already made an enemy. Seriously, what is with that guy?”

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Connor turned to face Twilight, who just so happened to be looking directly at him, unblinking, apparently deep in thought. After a while, Connor started feeling slightly unnerved.

“Um... Would you mind not staring at me like that? It’s kinda creepy,” he admitted, which snapped the unicorn out of whatever it was that captivated her attention.

“W-what? Who’s staring? I wasn’t staring,” came her reply, as she blinked a few times and looked away.

In response, Connor merely sighed again, bringing his hand up to his temples as he felt the oncoming throbbing of a dull headache.

I can already tell this is going to be a looooong five hours.

The Second Day: Departure/Arrival

You Do (Not) Belong

The Second Day: Departure/Arrival

Wake up...

Hey, wake up...

…

Connor bolted upright in his seat from the sudden noise of a heavy slam right next to him. “What!? I’m up! I’m-- Huh?” He looked around wildly, his heart rate spiking from the sudden disturbance. Twilight Sparkle stood near him, a few feet away from the plush chair he had decided to take a snooze in. Next to her on the table was a heavy brown book, just then bleeding away the last glimmers of her magic grip.

“It’s about time you woke up,” the unicorn said to him with an amused smirk. “I swear, you sleep just like Spike.”

“Spike? What?” Connor replied, shaking off the drowsiness as he twisted to relieve the cramps in his neck.

Twilight simply shook her head to dismiss the question before it could be asked. “It’s not important right now. Come on, it’s almost six o’clock,” she told him as she levitated the thick book to a nearby shelf and turned towards the door leading out of the Canterlot Library.

“Six? Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Connor mumbled, remembering Celestia’s deadline as he tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn. “It’s that late already?”

Twilight grunted in an affirmative gesture, and motioned once more towards the exit, Connor getting up out of the chair and going to follow. He only took a few steps, however, before his brain caught up with him, and he suddenly stopped. He let out an ashamed, semi-audible groan and looked down and off to the side guiltily.

One of Twilight’s ears jerked in his direction, and she stopped in order to turn and face him. “Something the matter?” she asked. It only took her a second to read the expression on his face and discern its meaning. Her brow furrowed. “Is this about what happened earlier?”

Connor looked back up at her, and he felt the base of his scalp prickle from the tension he was feeling, causing him to reach up and scratch it nervously. “Yeah... Look, I--”

Twilight interrupted him by raising a hoof in the air and shaking her head solemnly. “Please, you don’t need to say it. I forgive you.”

“Yeah, but-- Wait, you do?” he asked quizzically. The statement was not at all what he was expecting.

“Yes. I thought about it for a while, and I realized it was wrong of me to judge you. I know you’re dealing with a lot right now, and I shouldn’t have blown up at you like I did. You did apologize, so I forgive you.”

“I, uh...” Connor worked his jaw up and down soundlessly, trying to think of something. To be honest, he was immensely relieved that she apparently wasn’t holding anything against him, and he wanted nothing more than to allow the situation to continue mending itself, rather than say precisely the thing to make it careen back in an unpleasant direction. He settled for the simplest. “Thanks.”

A hint of a warm smile touched upon Twilight’s lips before she spun around again and cantered towards the exit. “Well, come on. I don’t want to be late.”

“Sure thing,” Connor replied, jogging lightly to catch up with her.

As the two passed the threshold and Twilight soundlessly closed the wide, solid oak doors of the library behind them, she spoke up again. “The gardens aren’t that far away, we should be able to get there soon.”

A solid minute passed by in silence, save for the sounds of their footsteps (and hoofsteps) on the carpeted hallway floor. Twilight kept her eyes straight ahead as Connor’s wandered around idly, admiring the way the golden amber light from the late afternoon sun that beamed through the windows added a rustic, ancient feel to their surroundings. It should’ve made him feel calm -- and to a certain extent it did -- but there was still a tiny bit of anxiety gnawing away at his conscience.

“Twilight, can I... explain why I reacted like that? If you don’t mind,” Connor asked quickly, before he lost his nerve. “I mean, I just don’t want to leave you with the impression that I’m crazy and/or insensitive and that I only apologized because it upset you.”

The unicorn eyed him with caution before sighing resignedly. “I’ll admit, I was a bit curious about that. And I didn’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you want to try and elaborate, go ahead.”

“Okay.” Connor inhaled deeply. “Well, to start with, you have to understand that things on Earth are... a lot different than here.”

“You don’t say?” Twilight deadpanned, to which Connor responded to her sarcasm with a half-annoyed glance.

“What I meant was that our society isn’t as, how shall I say... ‘nice’ as yours, if what I’ve seen and heard so far is any indication. I don’t want to get into specifics, but if you pay enough attention, Earth is actually a pretty rough place to live. Wars, crime, fights, murders, poverty, straight-up crazy people... I’m probably making it sound worse than it is, but my point is that it’s far from perfect. And absolutely none of that can be fixed by everybody holding hands and singing a song, you know what I’m saying?”

“I... I guess so.”

“That’s why what you said didn’t strike me as serious at first. On Earth, defeating some dastardly evil being with nothing but the power of love and friendship; it just doesn’t happen. It’s impossible. That kind of stuff only happens in kids' stories. And it sounds, well, kind of ridiculous, no offense. If someone went around on my world saying that kind of thing was possible, they’d be laughed out of town. That’s why I reacted the way I did... I honestly thought you were joking.” Connor sighed deeply, hoping that was enough by way of an explanation for her.

“...I think I understand.” Twilight nodded to herself. “It doesn’t change what you did, or how it made me feel, but I understand.”

“That’s good... So, things are cool between us?”

“Yeah, it’s all in the past. You can stop worrying about it now,” she assured him.

Man, that’s a relief, Connor thought to himself, finally liberated of the guilt he had felt smothering him like a sopping blanket. If there was one thing that made him uncomfortable, it was being the target of another’s animosity -- especially if he had done something to deserve it. And in this situation, he couldn’t afford to alienate everybody, or everypony, he met. Especially the one who was supposed to... Hey, that’s right. I wonder if she’s gonna let me stay at her place. Well, I kinda doubt it now, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“So...” Connor began in a low, disarming tone, but was cut off when Twilight suddenly stopped short at a set of tall glass doors framed in bright, polished metal.

“Here we are, the Canterlot Gardens,” she explained, turning her attention to what lay outside. “And it looks like we’re right on time.”

Without missing a beat, Twilight pushed open one of the doors with her hoof and galloped out, down the stone steps beyond, running up to greet the the ones who awaited them. Connor could see both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing side by side and eying him and the lavender unicorn expectantly.

As Twilight animatedly exchanged words of greeting with the alicorns, Connor took a few steps out the door, and found himself flinching from the bright, unobstructed light cast from the afternoon sun, sitting heavy and orange above the horizon. He squinted and brought his hand up in an attempt to block it. Blinking rapidly and waiting for his eyes to adjust, he took a moment to observe his surroundings.

In a lot of ways, they resembled a backyard -- granted, it was the backyard of a royal castle. A wide open space consisting of uniform, short-cut grass and well kept paths, winding their way through a collection of potted shrubberies, bushels of bright and exotic flowers, and marble statues on elaborately carved pedestals. The statues themselves depicted ponies of both genders in a variety of sizes and poses. Some of them held objects ranging from weapons, to flags, to musical instruments, while some appeared to be dancing, or in mid-flight, or simply standing at attention, but each seemed to represent something -- or someone --important.

To his left, the outer wall of the castle extended far into the distance, blending in as it curved around to a high wall of hedges that continued off to the right before ending at the entrance to some sort of hedge maze, he figured. Tall red and orange flag poles marked the boundaries of the area, waving lazily in the breeze while demonstrating the sheer size of the growth. The air itself was heavy with the fresh, invigorating scent of life, greenery, and sweet flowers.

And off to the far right end of the gardens was a statue altogether different than the others, placed in such a seemingly intentional way as to attract as little attention as possible. Connor couldn’t quite tell from this distance, but it was taller than the rest, with a long serpentine body, apparently holding its arms up in some kind of defensive gesture.

It was also very near to where the sun was setting, and at risk of burning holes into his corneas, Connor turned away and gave it little more thought.

Finally, positioned next to Twilight and the two Princesses, was a whimsical-looking chariot seemingly wrought from pure gold, harnessed up to two expressionless pegasus guards.

What’s that for, I wonder? Do they actually ride in those things? How could just two of them get it off the ground? a random smattering of thoughts flew through his mind, before an effort of will made them cease. Because magic, that’s how. I really need to get used to thinking like that.

After getting a good look around, Connor made his way briskly down the rest of the steps, stopping to within a few feet of the three ponies while raising his hand in a short wave. “Hey, how’s it going?” he addressed the royalty.

“We are quite well, thank you, Connor,” Celestia replied with a contented smile. “I trust your day went well?”

“About as well as can be expected,” Connor said sheepishly, looking in Twilight’s direction for half a second before another thought occurred to him. “By the way, where’s Grumps McGurk?”

Both Celestia and Luna turned to look at each other quizzically for a moment before the Sun Princess replied. “I’m sorry, who?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“You know, tall white and scowly?” Connor grinned, finding her confusion mildly amusing.

After a few seconds, Luna’s eyes widened slightly and she allowed herself a small smirk, leaning over to speak into her sister’s ear. “I think he means the good Captain, Tia.”

“Ah, of course.” The white alicorn’s expression changed to match that of her sibling as she understood the meaning behind the nicknames. “I asked Captain Sky Armory to... take an early leave for the day. I’m sure the time off will do him some good. It has been a stressful week -- for all of us.”

Hah! In other words, ‘Go to your room and think about what you’ve done,’ Connor imagined smugly. Serves him right. Jerk.

“But that is not important right now. It is time to address the matter at hoof,” she continued, turning to face her student. “Twilight, have you thought about what I asked of you?”

Connor braced himself. Moment of truth.

“Yes, Princess, I have. Quite a bit, actually. Though I kinda get the impression you already know the answer.” She cast a glance over to the waiting chariot. Then she looked back at Connor again before breathing in deeply. “I’d be happy to let you stay with me in Ponyville. The Princess is right, it seems like the best course of action.”

Connor was taken aback. “Wow, uh, really? I thought...” Doesn’t matter, thank her! “Um, thanks.”

“Then you agree with these accommodations?” questioned Celestia while wearing a satisfied smile.

“Of course. I mean, if it’s okay with Twilight, then I don’t really see why not.”

“Excellent. Now, I suggest the two of you get going right away, as sunset is usually the least busiest time; less of a chance you will be noticed by the casual observer.”

Twilight bowed her head to the diarchs. “Understood, Princess. It was nice to see you again, and you too, Princess Luna.”

“Likewise, Twilight Sparkle.” The Night Princess returned the gesture. And with that, the unicorn turned and made for their ride, while Celestia turned once more to address the teenager.

“I wish you nothing but the best, Connor. Ponyville is truly a wonderful place, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time there.”

“Not too much time, I hope,” Connor said, trying to match her lighthearted tone.

“Quite true,” the Princess responded with a chuckle. “Rest assured, myself and the others in the palace will do our best to bring you home as quickly as possible, you have my word.”

Connor thought it appropriate to end with a short bow to his gracious host before making his way across the grass to the chariot where Twilight was waiting, looking back and calling out as he did so. “Thanks again. Thanks for everything!”

As he walked away, Celestia leaned over to speak something to her younger sister. “It’s getting to be that time of day. What do you say we give the two of them a proper sendoff, eh, Luna?”

“I think that is a splendid idea, sister,” Luna agreed.

Back at the chariot, Connor passed by the two stoic forms of the pegasi guards harnessed in the front, and with a slight grunt of effort, pulled himself up and into the seat next to Twilight.

“Before you depart,” Celestia called out, elevating her voice slightly over the distance. Having gained Connor’s attention and without further explanation, both Princesses moved into a kind of formation: side by side, facing opposite directions.

“What are they doing?” Connor whispered to Twilight.

“Shush. You should feel lucky; not just anypony gets to see this in person. Now stop talking and watch.”

Taking her advice, Connor trained his eyes on the two royal sisters, wondering what in the world was about to happen.

The horns atop each of their heads started to glow brightly, as if preparing a spell. Both of them closed their eyes, and Luna dipped her head close to the ground, even as Celestia raised her own towards the open sky. As he watched, the light emanating from their horns gradually became more intense, starting to go from misty auras to solid cones of pale yellow and cobalt. And then, they started to move in tandem as the air around them took on an almost imperceptible shimmer. Luna’s head rose as Celestia’s bent forwards, and Connor began to notice something else moving as well. Out of the corner of his eye, the large orange sun -- having been still in the sky for a long while now, he realized -- began gently sinking lower, being swallowed by the distant horizon like it was melting itself into the earth. In the meantime, on the other side of his field of view, the gleaming wedge of a half-full moon peeked over the edge of the ground, charting the course of its own nighttime journey.

It all happened in a mere number of seconds, but they stretched on as if they were minutes as Connor beheld the subtle mysticism of the act. Watching these two entrancing figures exert control over the forces of nature like that was both exciting and humbling at the same time.

“Impressive. I can see where you were going with that Summer Sun thingy,” he commented to Twilight as the Princesses’ respective auras faded to nothing.

“Hmph. ‘Thingy’? You’re hopeless,” the unicorn responded while shaking her head. “Still, you’re right. It is impressive.”

With the celestial bodies now well on their way and the skies already shifting through a mosaic of twilit shades, the Royal Pony Sisters turned and raised their hooves in goodbye.

“Farewell!” Celestia stated simply, as there was really nothing more that needed to be said.

With that, there was a sudden lurch as the two pegasi soldiers spread their alabaster wings and started galloping forwards at a steady clip. Once they gained enough speed their wings began flapping, punctuated by heavy whooshes of air that accompanied the pounding of their hooves. There was a brief sensation of near weightlessness as the chariot suddenly lifted off the ground effortlessly.

“Whoa, whoahoh! This is so cool!” Connor shouted excitedly, grinning like an idiot as the ground beneath them flew past in a blur.

Then, all of a sudden, the verdant grass and bleached castle walls underneath gave way to the abrupt end of the cliff face, and now there was nothing except hundreds of feet of empty air between them and the valley floor below. It happened so fast that Connor was watching just as it happened, and he gave an involuntary shiver as he pulled his head back from the edge of the carriage and inched his way closer to the center.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights,” Twilight admonished him, poking fun at his reaction.

“I’m not afraid of heights!” he countered, though his grip on the rail in front him him tightened all the greater. “I’m just afraid of falling... from heights.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at that, and while she did, the pegasi towing them along angled themselves away from Canterlot, the magnificent city already so far away and getting farther by the second.

“It isn’t a long trip. We should arrive in about ten minutes,” said Twilight. Then she paused, and stuck one of her hooves up in the air. “Maybe more like fifteen minutes; there’s a headwind.”

Connor tried to relax and lean back, but a light jostling of the cart due to turbulence shot that idea down instantly and he stayed leaned forward, hands on the rail. “The sooner the better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the view. But I get shaky standing six steps up a ladder. Flying hundreds of feet over the ground in an open-air cart isn’t an improvement.”

“Relax, will you? There’s no danger whatsoever,” Twilight tried to reassure him. Then she breathed in quickly, a thought having occurred to her. “Oh, by the way, we should probably discuss some things you should know before we get there.”

“Mmmkay, go for it.”

“Firstly, I don’t live alone. There’s my assistant, Spike, my number two assistant, Owloysius, and Spike’s pet phoenix chick, Peewee,” Twilight listed off.

Assistants, sure. Phoenix, why the hell not? I’m not even surprised anymore. “I’m assuming Spike and Owl... something, are unicorns too?” Connor suggested offhandedly.

“No,” Twilight stated simply, shaking her head. “Spike’s a dragon, and Owloysius is an owl.”

Her statement caught Connor slightly off guard. “An owl and a... dragon? You live with a dragon.” If dragons in this world were anything like he imagined, Twilight must’ve had a pretty big house.

“Don’t give me that look. Spike’s one of the best friends I could ask for,” Twilight argued defensively. “We’ve been together since the day he hatched. He’s like a little brother to me.”

“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” said Connor in a slightly patronizing tone.

“Heh, don’t let him hear you say that.”

Connor pantomimed closing a zipper across his mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

“Anyway, it’s pretty late already,” Twilight opined, obviously considering something. “Once we touch down we should go right inside; no need to rush introductions, after all. You should have plenty of time after today to get to know everypony.”

“Yeah, can’t wait for that...”

In reality, Connor wouldn’t mind waiting. Meeting strangers for the first time had always been an issue for him in the past. Not so much that he was shy or insecure, he was just more than a little asocial. The prospect of going out and socializing with a town’s worth of people whom he had never met would have been daunting enough, if not for the fact that he was as much alien to them as they were to him. The suspicious glances and inspections from the ponies in the castle were just a taste of what was to come.

The anticipated awkwardness occupied Connor’s thoughts, even as he attempted to get over his vertigo and having a modicum of success now that he’d closed his eyes. After about a minute of silent, meditative breathing, he could almost imagine he was on solid ground, if not for the wind flowing briskly past his ears.

“Hey, the stars are coming out, don’t you want to watch?” Twilight offered, causing Connor to open his eyes and peer to his side at her, before breathing out a tired sigh.

“Sure, why not? I’m a sucker for starry nights.” And with that, Connor drew his gaze upwards.

Despite sunset having occurred a few minutes ago, the fiery orb had already completely descended beneath the horizon, and a larger-than-average silver moon lit up the steadily deepening maroon sky, making a few wispy clouds look coal-black in comparison. As Connor watched the colors of the sky shift ever darker into the cold blue of night, tiny, almost imperceptible pinpricks of light penetrated the darkness. After a while, the brightest stars had finished appearing, only leaving a smattering of smaller ones showing up in brief intervals. Connor was just about to look back down, slightly disappointed that the show appeared to be over, but then something curious began to happen.

Rather than slow down, the rate at which the sky brightened started to increase at an exponential rate. Stars -- dozens, then hundreds of them -- were no longer just appearing, but sweeping across the sky. It was as if a painter had dipped his brush in pure stardust, and was leaving bold strokes across the inky canvas of the heavens. In the span of just a few seconds, it seemed as if the world had been overlaid with an undulating blanket of twinkling dust, a breathtaking mixture of bright golds and blues, with undertones of purple. And right down the center, like a linear aperture in the fabric of space, was a massive cloud of material, lit from within like a beacon in the night. The whole of the Milky Way galaxy -- or its Equestrian equivalent, at least -- lording over the skies like a king of the cosmos.

And through it all, Connor simply stared, slack-jawed in amazement. “It’s...” he trailed off, at a loss for words. “I can’t even... Wow.”

“I know, I never get tired of watching it,” the unicorn said, sharing in his awe.

The image was so distracting, Connor almost didn’t feel the moisture welling up in his eyes, and he quickly brought a finger up to rub it away.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Twilight asked, looking over at him with an expression that was half-amused, half-incredulous.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. It’s just, I’ve never really seen anything like that before. Not in person, anyway.”

“Why not? You can see stars from Earth, can’t you?”

“Well, yeah. But there’s a problem with light pollution, in places where a lot of people live, and all the buildings are too bright. All this detail...” He motioned with one arm in a sweep over the scene above them. “...gets lost in the haze.”

“Sounds awful,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t think I’d be able to stand it.”

“Heh. You know, it’s actually been a longtime dream of mine to witness something like this. I’d always thought I would have to go really far away to do it.”

After another few seconds of observation, and with just a touch of morose quality to his inner voice, thought to himself, I just never imagined how far away.

“Thanks again for the ride!” Twilight called out to the two pegasi who had brought them from the royal capital, waving a hoof as they took off yet again without anything beyond a curt "Miss Sparkle."

The flight into Ponyville had been about as uneventful as the departure from Canterlot -- displays of heavens-bending magic notwithstanding. Even with the moon and the stars acting as night-lights, the quaint little town was subdued by the quiet dank of post afternoon. There were plenty of lights on in the windows of the timber-framed, thatched roof houses as they silently flew over, but the illumination they provided did little more than cast the area in a slightly purplish haze, and specific details were hard to make out. But he could get a better view of the town later, when it was brighter out, and Connor counted his blessings that there weren’t any ponies immediately in sight as they came to a stop in front of a large, two story, tree-shaped building. A building which, upon closer inspection, was actually a tree, with a door and windows cut into the bark almost as if it had grown that way.

The teenager was about to open his mouth and ask something along the lines of "You live in a tree?" But he tamped down on the notion, having long since decided to abolish the upper limits of surreality he was willing to put up with in this crazy world. Besides, treehouse or no, it was where he was going to be staying for a while, and insulting his host, again, was about the last thing he wanted to do.

A stiff breeze blew by just then, and Connor felt grateful he had his blue coat on and zipped up to combat the chilly night air. A sign out in front of the house bore the picture of an open book, which was kind of odd, but Connor paid it little mind as he followed the lavender unicorn right up to a front door bearing the image of a lit candle.

“Welcome to my home, Connor. And I suppose to Ponyville as well, but we’ll work on that later. Come on in,” Twilight offered sincerely as her horn lit up, pushing the door ajar and walking through, after which Connor ducked inside, careful to avoid banging his head on the low frame. “Spike! I’m back!”

As the door closed behind him, Connor scanned around the circular room, roughly thirty feet across, brightly lit from incandescent bulbs set into a simple chandelier on the ceiling in contrast to the pervasive gloom outside. The walls, floor and ceiling all took on the same healthy shade of salmon pink, inlaid with wood knots and tree lines to reinforce the idea that the domicile had been grown, not built. But the first thing he noticed were the books: shelves upon shelves of tomes in all shapes, sizes, and colors lined the area, set into the walls like natural extensions of the wood. Still more books lay scattered around, some of them opened, sitting on book stands, or on a large, low, circular table in the middle of the room which was topped by a stylized wooden bust of a pony’s head. Even the air itself held the faintest musty traces of paper and ink smell, mingling with that of fresh, living wood.

“Hot damn, that’s a lot of books. This place is like a library,” Connor commented on the extensive display of literature.

“That’s because it is a library. The Golden Oak Library, to be precise,” Twilight responded matter-of-factly, moving to the center of the room and calling out once again for her dragon assistant.

“You never told me you lived in a library.”

“You never asked,” the unicorn said with a shrug.

Connor opened his mouth, finger raised for a moment, before closing it and withdrawing his hand. “Touché.”

“Spike!” Twilight called out again, this time receiving a yelled response from beyond the stairs leading up to a second floor of the tree.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Jeez, Twi, I was just making sure Peewee didn’t miss his bedtime,” came a boyish sounding voice from that direction, as a short purple creature made its way down the steps at a brisk pace.

As Connor watched it descend, his brain tried its best to comprehend what he was looking at. If it was indeed a dragon, it didn’t fit with any of his preconceived notions of what a dragon should look like. The thing was short -- incredibly so -- standing at only a scant two, maybe two and a half feet tall. It was almost completely purple and covered in fine scales save for a pale green striped section running along its belly, and a line of stubby spines trailing from four big ones atop its head to a shorter row running to the tail trailing behind it. Two green finlike protrusions sat where he expected its ears to be, and its eyes were bright and alert, containing two emerald-colored irises surrounding a slit pupil. It walked upright on its hind legs like a normal person, waving its four-digit claws animatedly as it talked out of a short snout.

Connor didn’t quite know what to make of the situation, so he settled for raising an eyebrow and stuffing his arms in his jacket as he watched the dragon child descend the stairs, continuing his sentence.

“It’s about time you came back, too! I was starting to worry! What’d the Princess want that was so important... any...ways...?” Spike stopped mid-step as his eyes trained on Connor, and tilted his head back to look up at the being that was more than twice his size. “Uh... Who the hay are you?”

Right to the point, I see.

Connor had a small moment of inspiration, and snatched a clever line from one of his favorite book series. “I the hay am Connor. And I’m assuming you’re Spike?”

“...Yeeeeah...” The dragon child turned to Twilight. “Twilight, what’s going on here? Who is this guy? I’ve never seen him before.”

“That’s because Connor’s from... really far away,” the unicorn offered as explanation.

“How far away, exactly? Like, Trottingham far away?”

Twilight shook her head. “Farther.”

“What she’s trying to say,” Connor interjected. “...is that I’m, well, there’s no other way to say it, so I’ll give it to you straight. I’m from another world.”

“Reeeeeally?” Spike deadpanned, giving Twilight another questioning glance, to which she offered an awkward smile and nodded her head silently.

“Really really,” the human continued.

Spike’s expression went through several shades of disbelief, before he settled on one of cautious skepticism. “No foolin’?”

“If I’m foolin’, I’m droolin’,” Connor replied without thinking, then immediately groaned inwardly as he realized the uncharacteristic sloppiness of his attempt to be humorous. But at least Spike found it amusing, if not in the way he had hoped.

“Pffft! That was pretty lame.” Spike grinned a toothy smile as he folded his arms.

“I agree. Let us never speak of it again,” Connor said jokingly.

That actually elicited a chuckle from the short dragon. “Heheh... You know what? I like you. Connor, was it?” he said as he held up a clawed hand to shake, to which Connor bent down and returned the gesture. “So, you’re an alien, huh? I guess I can believe that, ‘specially if Twi says it’s true. You’re definitely not like anypony I’ve ever met, that’s for sure. How’d you even get here, anyway?”

Before Connor could respond, Spike gasped slightly and his eyes brightened just a bit more. “If you’re an alien, do you have some kind of spaceship?” he asked in wonderment.

“Actually, no. I came via magic rock. And it was kind of by accident.”

Spike visibly drooped. “Oh. Bummer.”

“It was actually more impressive than it sounds--”

The conversation was cut short by Twilight, who had raised a hoof to her muzzle and coughed loudly to get both of their attentions. “It’s good to see you two are getting along, but allow me to answer your earlier question, Spike. The Princess called me to the palace today in order to ask if I could look after Connor here in Ponyville while she tries to work out a way of sending him back home. Until she does, he’s going to be staying in the library. Is that okay with you?”

“Uh, sure, Twilight. I don’t mind; he’s funny,” Spike said back, jerking a thumb in Connor’s direction and giving another wolfish smile. Connor sincerely hoped he meant the good kind of funny, and not the sad, pitiful kind.

“Great! Well, then, while I’m showing Connor around the rest of the library, would you mind going to the kitchen and fixing up some dinner? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure thing, Twi. How ‘bout I heat up some of the leftover tomato rotini from last night? Do you like rotini?” Spike addressed Connor with the last bit.

Connor’s hand went unconsciously to his nearly empty stomach. “Sounds good. Just, no flowers, please.”

“No problem! Well, it was nice to meetcha!” the dragon gave a wave with one claw as he turned and bounded down a hallway next to the stairs.

Both Connor and Twilight watched him go for a few seconds before turning to face each other, wearing matching expressions of bemusement.

“Well, I think you made a good first impression.” The pony flashed a satisfied smile as she herself made for the stairs leading to the second floor, and Connor followed.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. He’s alright; pretty friendly. He did seem a little quick to trust, though. I wasn’t expecting him to warm up to me all that easily.”

“Well, that’s Spike. Remember, he is a baby dragon, after all,” Twilight said as they came up above the first floor, down a short enclosed tunnel, and into the spacious second floor. “Still, ‘If I’m foolin’--” She couldn’t finish the quote, as she was interrupted by an involuntary snigger. “I can’t believe you actually said that.”

“You should know by now, I act like an idiot sometimes,” Connor added bashfully, hoping to change the subject soon. “And I thought we agreed to never speak of it again. Can we just continue the tour?”

Twilight just sighed heavily and shook her head, slightly amused, and acquiesced.

In many ways the room resembled the ground floor, with the same reddish color and books scattered everywhere. There were also a couple of shelves that stored assorted knickknacks and decorative dish-ware, and an empty stone fireplace set along one wall with a horseshoe nailed to the top. A door set off to the side appeared to lead onto an outside balcony, and there was a second set of stairs nearby that led up to a loft overlooking the room. Twilight explained that that was where he would be sleeping, along with her and Spike, once she got the guest bed set up from wherever it was stored at the moment.

Departing the second floor, Twilight briefly pointed out to Connor the tunnel leading to the library’s basement, talking about how she used it mainly for storage and for a variety of scientific and magical experiments from time to time. The only other part of the library they hadn’t been through was a tunnel on the other side of the first floor, and as they walked through, Twilight indicated a door set into the left wall. Inside was the bathroom, consisting of a small, unremarkable area that contained the essentials. Including, Connor was relieved to see, a shower.

“The cupboards are fully stocked, too. I have spare soap, toothbrushes, anything you need.”

“Wow, that’s convenient. It’s almost like you were expecting company.”

“I like being prepared for just about everything,” Twilight said with pride. “Besides, my friends come to visit pretty regularly, so I’m used to having guests. Just, please try not to make a mess.”

They continued on, coming up to the door at the end of the short tunnel hallway; a plain wooden thing with no handle and a round window cut into the top. Twilight stepped forwards to nudge it, causing it to swing open on its hinges with a greasy squeak, and walked inside.

All in all, it was a fairly normal kitchen, really. A low, plain wooden table sat in the dead center of the room with a blue, flower-filled vase in the middle, and four placemats set, but only two chairs on opposite sides. Dark-colored cabinets and drawers lined the walls, and on the far side of the room were all of the fixtures and appliances, including a refrigerator, a sink with a small window situated above it, and a stove, above which Spike stood balanced on a stool, stirring something in a bubbling pot while humming a tune to himself.

The moment he stepped through the door, a spicy, sweet smell wafted across Connor’s path, and he inhaled the rich, delectable scent of the meal Spike was preparing, causing his stomach to voice its approval and imminent desire.

“Oh, hey guys,” Spike said, briefly looking back before returning his attention to the pot. “It’s almost ready, just gotta make sure it’s reheated long enough.”

The kitchen table had two places already set with dishes and tableware, and Connor took a seat in one of the chairs nearby, with Twilight sitting on her haunches in the spot to his left. She looked between the two plates once or twice, curious. “Spike? You only set two places.”

“Oh, yeah.” Spike hopped down from his stool, holding the pot’s handle in one claw, then taking up the stool in the other. “I didn’t know when you were gonna be done at the castle, so I already ate. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, Spike. Thanks for setting up for us. You’re the best assistant there is,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Aww, shucks Twi...” Spike tried to avert his gaze bashfully as he maneuvered the stool near the table and went up a few steps, taking the pot and dishing out the food, what looked like stuffed raviolis in a chunky, bright red sauce, to each of the plates. Once that was done, he set the container down on the table and jumped down. “Anything else ya need?”

“Actually, yes,” Twilight responded. “If you could find the box with all the spare bed parts in it, that’d be great. I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in the basement. I’ll be down after I’m finished to help you bring it up, okay?”

“You got it. After that’s done...” He turned to face Connor, who had already picked up his fork and was about to dig in with gusto. “...would it be cool if we talked some more? There’s so much I wanna ask you.”

It took Connor a second to realize the dragon was addressing him, and he blinked a few times, regretfully tearing himself away from the steaming hot meal in front of him. “What? Sure, whatever.”

“Cool! Alright, see ya in a bit. Hope you like the rotini!” Spike said as he padded out the door, swinging shut behind him as he left the two of them to their dinner.

Without any further distractions, Connor scooped up some of the little raviolis, blew on them a little, and unceremoniously gobbled them up, while Twilight took a slightly more measured approach, daintily wielding a fork in her magic and eating one at a time.

“Mmmm!” Connor voiced his approval of the dish as a medley of spices and other rich flavors assaulted his taste buds. “This is really good!” he continued after he swallowed more of the stuffed pasta. “Did you make this?”

In response, Twilight let out an amused snort. “I wish. Pretty much the only thing I trust myself to make is boiling water for tea. Spike’s the real culinary genius. You should really try his cookies.” She unconsciously licked her lips at the thought. “Just another thing that makes him my number one assistant.”

“Hey, yeah, that’s right.” Hearing the word "assistant" brought something else to Connor’s mind. “So where’s your other ‘assistant’? Owl, um...”

“Owloysius,” the unicorn stated sternly, sounding out the syllables slowly: Owl-oh-wish-us.

“Right, right. I’ll get that eventually,” Connor followed up with a placating gesture.

“He’s probably out finding some dinner of his own. Owls are nocturnal predators, after all.”

“Mmmhmm,” Connor grunted noncommittally as he speared another piece of rotini and placed it in his mouth.

The rest of the meal passed by in relative silence, the only sounds being small snippets of conversation and the sound of cutlery scraping on dish-ware. Connor idly thought to himself, again, about how absurd it was that the hooved ponies (barring the telekinetically inclined, of course) had a use for things like forks and knifes at all. But, like everything else that didn’t make sense, it was probably for the best to just go with it at this point. After everything he had seen so far since arriving in this subbasement of the Rabbit Hole, such inconsistencies were merely par for the course.

Swirling his last bit of pasta around the plate to gather up the leftover sauce, Connor looked up to see Twilight had already finished, holding a napkin with her horn and gently applying it to her muzzle before levitating it over to a waiting trash bin. She breathed out the contented sigh that often accompanies a full stomach, then climbed out of her chair, bringing her plate and utensils over to the sink just as Connor finished swallowing the last of his dinner.

“Uh, hey, if you wanna go help Spike with the bed, I’ll stick around and clean up,” Connor offered, taking his own dirty dishes in hand.

“Oh?” Twilight’s ears perked up, and she rotated in place to face him as she lowered her cutlery into the sink. “Umm, thank you.” She seemed slightly surprised as she said so.

“No problem. It’s the least I can do,” Connor said sincerely. It would feel good to do something constructive and helpful for once. That’s me: Mister Chivalrous.

He walked past the lavender pony as she made for the kitchen door. She cast one short, wary glance back at him, before shaking her head as if dismissing a thought, and continuing in a trot past the door and off to assist Spike.

Connor, in turn, located a sponge and a bottle of dish soap next to the sink, and proceeded to scrub away the filth on the dirty plates and cook-pot under the running tap water, whistling a bit as he did so. It only took about a minute, and after finishing with each one and setting them on the nearby drying rack, he leaned over to take a look out the glittering sky again, only slightly diminished as it was by the lights from the nearby townhouses. Something about looking out into the night, combined with the comfortable, sluggish fullness of his belly, served to remind Connor of how tired he was after the day’s exertions, signaled by his body as it produced a large and particularly stiff yawn.

“I don’t care if it’s still early in the night, sleep sounds like a good idea right now,” Connor groaned to himself before he cracked his neck reflexively.

He looked around briefly to make sure he hadn’t missed any dishes, then went to the door and made his exit, flicking the light switch as he did and bathing the room behind him in darkness. The door swung back and forth noisily behind him as he walked past the bathroom, paused, backed up a few steps and casually grabbed the handle, turning it and letting himself inside. He grasped around for the light switch and turned it on, illuminating the small area from a single bright bulb in the ceiling. It was fairly tidy inside, without much adornment aside from a rack that held some towels and a cup by the sink and mirror that contained two toothbrushes; one purple, one green. Connor could guess which belonged to who.

He rooted around in the wooden cupboards next to the mirror, eventually producing a plain red toothbrush and some off-brand toothpaste -- both still unopened in their packaging. It didn’t take long for him to pop them open and take them out. Connor then spent a minute fastidiously making sure his teeth and gums were clean, savoring the familiar, if bland, minty taste of the gel. Afterwards, he rinsed out his mouth and washed the toothbrush, placing it down on the counter next to the cup with the other two, and exited the bathroom shortly after.

Once Connor entered the library’s main foyer, he cocked an ear and could hear the faint sounds of talking coming from the upper floors. As he jogged his way up the stairs to the second floor, he could make out the voices more clearly: it was Spike and Twilight having a conversation -- presumably about him, no doubt. As the noise from his footsteps echoed out into the room and he exited the stairwell, the conversation abruptly ceased, and Connor looked up just as Spike poked his head over the lip of the loft and waved one of his stubby arms.

“Oh, hey, Connor! Me and Twi are just about done settin’ up the bed for ya,” he explained excitedly.

“Heh, thanks. What’re you guys talking about?” Connor asked as he rounded the room, going to the stairs that went up to the exposed loft.

“Oh, you know. Just stuff. Twi’s been tellin’ me all kinds of things about Arth.”

“Earth,” Connor corrected him as he came to the top of the steps and took a look around.

Up in the loft area was about half the available space as the other floors, most of it taken up by two beds: One was made of furnished wood with a blue blanket covered in stars and crescent moons (most likely Twilight’s bed). The other was more blocky, like it had been assembled from a set of pieces, and was topped by a simple square mattress and a pink sheet that Twilight was just finishing laying down with her magic. A countertop with a vanity mirror was close to the left, and also close by was a basket containing a pillow and a blanket that appeared to be just Spike’s size. Over on the far end was a wide ovular window, the sill of which held an even smaller basket, which for some reason was encased in a shimmering violet sphere, like a soap bubble, which attracted Connor’s curiosity.

“Hey, what’s that over there?” He pointed at the window.

“Oh, that? That’s just Peewee,” answered Spike.

“Peewee... The phoenix, right?” Connor questioned cautiously, taking slow steps over to the sill. “What’s the... bubble thing for?”

“That would be a simple soundproofing spell,” Twilight spoke up as Connor walked past her. “I cast it so he wouldn’t get woken up by me and Spike.”

“Ah.” Connor nodded once in comprehension, and continued over to the window in order to peer into the small basket.

If there was an official scale that measured adorableness, they would have to revise it based on what was inside.

“Awww...” Connor crooned reflexively as he beheld the tiny puff of orange that lay nestled on its side amongst a pile of blankets. Just a tiny bit bigger than a clenched fist, the only distinguishable features on the chick consisted of its bulbous curved beak, minuscule eyes screwed shut in sleep, and small tufts of red and yellow feathers that protruded from the fuzz around its wings, tail, and the back of its head. The feathers of its wings twitched intermittently, in a manner that reminded Connor of his dog when he was asleep and dreaming about... whatever it is that dogs dream about, and the sight was absolutely heart-melting.

God, that is cute, he thought as he was consumed with the desire to cradle the thing in his hands. But he held off -- barely.

“Yeah, he’s cute now,” Spike spoke up with a chuckle, drawing Connor’s attention back to him and away from the sleepy phoenix. “But when he’s awake he’s always getting into trouble. Most days I have my claws full just trying to keep an eye on him!”

“Uh huh,” Connor commented, not quite knowing what to say after that. He then breathed deep and made a long stretch with his arms, then walked over to the bed they had set up for him, sitting down and testing its firmness. “Hey, thanks again for putting up the bed for me. I’m actually thinking I might turn in early. It’s been a long day.”

Spike’s grinning face suddenly fell. “Oh, come on, really? I wanted to know more about the place you come from! We could stay up all night! I’m not even tired!”

Connor rubbed the bridge of his nose and cast a pleading glance at Twilight, who merely smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“He’s not going to give up that easily; you might as well,” she told him. Then, there was that glint of curiosity in her eyes again as she hopped onto her own bed and shifted her legs beneath her into a seated position, ears pitched forwards expectantly.

Connor let out a defeated sigh, then turned to face both dragon and pony, removing his black sneakers and placing them on the floor, before pulling his legs into an Indian style and leaning back onto his arms. “Okay, fine... For a little while, at least.”

“All right!” Spike made a gesture of victory with his fist. Then, without missing a beat, “So is it really true there aren’t any dragons on Arth? Like, at all?”

“It’s Earth...”

“...and then, after that...” Connor drawled on, blinking his eyes and reaching up to rub away the blurriness. “Uhhh. Wait, hold on. I lost my train of thought.”

The teenager shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of his drowsiness and recover from his brief spacing out. Now somewhat more lucid, he looked around to notice Twilight still looking bright and attentive. And Spike...

Spike sat with his elbows propped up on his knees, chin resting against his palms, and his head listing off to the side while his eyes were shut tight.

“How long has he been asleep?” Connor groaned, pointing at the dragon child who had apparently missed his bed time.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice,” Twilight admitted, looking over to her number one assistant. “Couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes.”

“Well, I think he has the right idea. I’m about to pitch over, myself,” Connor said, his statement punctuated with a wide yawn of obvious fatigue.

Twilight said nothing, simply nodding in understanding, before getting up on her hooves and coming off her bed with a light hop. She looked at Spike for a moment, shook her head in amusement, then her horn lit up with a violet glow that enveloped her scaly friend in a gentle aura. She slowly floated him over to his waiting basket, pulled aside the blanket, and laid him inside. Through it all, Spike barely stirred. Having completed that, the pony then walked past him, starting towards the stairs.

“Hey, aren’t you going to bed too?” Connor asked curiously.

“In a bit. I still need to set up tomorrow’s to-do checklist. There’s a lot I was planning to do today that I’ll have to plan around tomorrow,” she paused to say over her shoulder.

“Oh, sorry you had to mess up your plans because of me,” Connor replied with a touch of remorse.

Twilight shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s just a minor inconvenience. Now, you get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning. Lots to do tomorrow!” And with that, her head disappeared beyond the lip of the floor, the clopping sound of her hoofsteps circling around the room below.

There was the click of a light switch, and Connor suddenly found the library bathed in only the wan light streaming in from outside the window. The sudden change in illumination made everything pitch dark for a moment, before his eyes got a chance to adjust and he could make out his surroundings yet again.

Connor let out another yawn as he twisted around to relieve the stiffness that had built up from staying in that one position for as long as he had. Out of the corner of his eye, there was a brief flare of yellowish light emanating from the floor below, its flickering casting wide shadows across the walls. It was accompanied shortly after by the methodical scratching of quill on parchment.

Connor shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it over to hang on one of the bedposts, and removed his socks, balling them up and putting them in his shoes like last time. He elected to keep his shirt on though, out of courtesy. Then, he lifted up the sheet on the bed and slid himself inside, grateful that it was nice and warm from him having been sitting there. One thing he hadn’t counted on was the length of the bed; it was pony-sized, not human-sized, and he had to bring his legs up slightly in order to fit. But other than that, it was serviceable.

Finally, he removed his glasses and folded them up, reaching over to place them on the floor next to his shoes. Then he had a better idea, and put them in the pocket of his jacket instead.

After he had settled his head on the pillow with a grunt of comfort, he turned over, pulling the sheets up under his chin. Through the window, he had a clear view of the pale, partial disk of the moon, and he breathed out slowly, closing his eyes and trying his best to get some rest, though a few nagging thoughts conspired to hold his attention.

Another night in Equestria... Another night not spent on Earth, where he belonged. How many more nights would there be? He knew it was out of his hands, but Connor couldn’t help but feel responsible for every passing second, every wasted moment that would eventually add up to what felt like an enormous degree. How would he explain to everyone how he had completely disappeared for days at a time?

Or a week? A month?

...What if he never even got the chance?

Positive... Gotta stay positive. Remember what Luna said. Can’t give up hope.

What felt like seconds crawled by at an indeterminate pace, and Connor had one of those funny moments where there was a gap in his sense of awareness. The next thing he knew, there was the soft sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs, followed shortly after by a tired yawn and the rustling of sheets. And then there was silence in the library, save for the sound of faint breathing and the serenade of crickets.

“Hey, Twilight?”

“Gah! I thought you were asleep!” the unicorn replied in a startled half-whisper; a response that Connor couldn’t help but react to with a slight smirk. She was silent for a long pause, before speaking again in an accusatory tone. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to. Almost asleep. Just...”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to... thank you. For everything you’re doing. And to let you know... I appreciate it.” Connor’s words were shifting into half-audible mumbles at this point. “It’s nice to... you know... whatever...”

There was more silence. Off in the distance, an owl hooted in the night. It was what seemed like an eternity before Twilight responded.

“You’re welcome, Connor... Good night.”

But he couldn’t hear her; he was already fast asleep.

The Third Day: Best Laid Plans

You Do (Not) Belong

The Third Day: Best Laid Plans

There were no remarkable circumstances that brought Connor out of his otherwise unremarkable sleep on this, his second morning in Equestria. One second, he was asleep, the next, he was abruptly aware of his surroundings, and the myriad of pleasantries that came to his senses even as his brain was busy booting up.

Without opening his eyes, he could feel the comfortable warmth of the sun on his body, contrasting nicely with the subtle morning chill. The inside of the library was as silent and still as... well, a library, the only sounds present being the happy chirps and trills of who knows how many birds nesting in the boughs of the tree house. In fact, the noise was even more noteworthy, at least in his mind, for what was absent. No traffic, no lawnmowers, no planes overhead. No annoying honks and beeps from car alarms or inconsiderate motorcyclists gunning their engines for no reason. The everyday sounds of normal activity -- of people and industry going about their business -- were no longer present. In their place was silence, but a good kind of silence. It was calm, tranquil. Natural.

It was also a subtle reminder of where he was; or rather, where he was not. But he was able to wall off that notion for now, ignoring it in favor of just savoring the peace and quiet.

But there was one thing he couldn’t ignore: the unmistakable scent of breakfast barely wafting through the air, faint and fleeting, like that of a scented candle from across the room. Connor wasn’t quite able to place the flavor, but it smelled rich and buttery and was enough to entice his stomach into joining the call for rousing himself out of bed.

This is really nice. If only every morning could start like this, I wouldn’t so much mind having to get up at all, he thought contentedly as he opened his eyes. Better enjoy it while it lasts. With my luck, things will only go downhill from here.

Blinking a few times, Connor propped himself up on the bed and took a glance around the room, noting that Twilight, Spike, and even little Peewee had apparently gotten up before him. He cast off the bedsheets as he brought his legs out over the edge, then twisted to the side as he began his morning routine. Soon, he was rewarded with the familiar cracks, followed by a particularly loud pop, powerful enough to make him audibly groan from the sensation of released tension that ran along his spine.

“Ooooh, that was a good one.”

He got up on his feet to do a few more stretches, went to his jacket hanging on the bedpost, fished out his glasses and put them on, then shuffled his way over to the open window in order to get a better look at the eponymous Ponyville.

He was able to get a good enough look the night before, but that paled in comparison to the view in the daytime, even though what he saw would probably feel more at home in a Tolkien novel. Most of the town as far as he could see consisted of quaint two-story medieval-style townhouses, all timber frames and thatched roofs, with tendrils of knotted ivy snaking up the sides. The beige-walled buildings didn’t appear to follow any kind of rigid building code, as they were all different sizes and shapes, some placed in neat rows, others in clusters, or just scattered all around. In the daytime sun, everything popped out in sharp clarity and intense colors, framed in the background by rolling green hills, aquamarine skies with fluffy wisps of cloud, and the far distant silhouette of Canterlot looming in the distance, shrouded in dense morning fog.

And by God, the ponies... Ponies of all different colors littered the thoroughfare: mares and stallions, children and adults. Playing, relaxing, or just going about their daily business on an otherwise unremarkable day. There weren’t nearly as many as Connor had witnessed in the city, but there were still quite a few, all uniquely hued, their manes and tails in a multitude of styles, and with so many different cutie marks it was hard to keep them straight. And they all looked so very cheerful, in a saccharine sort of way.

All of it was every bit the place that Celestia and Twilight had made it out to be. Very idyllic, peaceful, and in the morning light, seemingly ripe with opportunity and wonder. It was almost as if the scene had been a set up, like an opening tableau for a story’s first act.

In fact, that’s just what ran through Connor’s mind as he grinned, cleared his throat, and brought out the most robust announcer’s voice he could as he raised his arms in a dramatic gesture.

“The city, of-- Well, no, it’s not really much of a city, is it? The town, of Pony...ville.” He lowered his arms abruptly while shaking his head. “Nah... It's just not the same. Aaaanyways, I think I’ve seen enough.”

Connor went and sat back down on the bed, picking up his socks and sneakers and putting them on. (No need to risk getting a splinter. Ouch.) Then he made his way down the stairs, fully intent on figuring out just what was cooking in the kitchen that smelled so damn appetizing.

Through the main hallway, he stopped outside the door to the kitchen, pausing with his hand on the surface as he took a cursory glance through the small window. On the other side, he could see Spike -- wearing, of all things, a frilly pink apron -- hard at work at the stove with his back turned, while Peewee sat on the counter nearby, a pint-sized chef’s hat adorning his tiny noggin, intently watching Spike’s work with laser-like focus. Twilight was sitting down near the table, taking a sip from something steaming in a small teacup while she held a large bundled scroll in front of her, looking it over. And sitting next to her atop the table was a beige-colored... Connor couldn’t quite tell what it was, other than the fact that it hadn’t been there the night before. It had tufts of grayish brown protruding off the back and top, but whatever it was, it was keeping perfectly, ominously still.

Well, I’d better go in and say hi before one of them notices me creepin’ in the window.

The door announced Connor’s arrival with its typical creaking sound, and he entered in after it while quickly speaking up to address its occupants. “Hey, mornin’.”

“Oh! Morning, Connor!” Spike called over his shoulder, before returning his attention to his cooking.

Peewee let out a short, chirping trill and adorably ruffled his tiny wings upon seeing him, then abruptly decided that monitoring breakfast was immediately more important.

“Morning,” Twilight responded noncommittally, waving a hoof while keeping her eyes on the scroll held up in her magic.

“Hoo,” came a fourth sound from somewhere in the room, causing Connor to look around searchingly, looking for the source.

“What was that?” he asked, just as his eyes centered on the odd object he’d noticed sitting on the table. Just as he finished talking, the thing’s entire upper half soundlessly rotated a complete one-eighty, revealing a face with large round eyes, beady black pupils, and the orange diamond shape of a beak, surprising Connor enough that he gave a startled “Gah!” and almost jumped out of his shoes.

“Hoo,” the thing opened its beak to say again, before hopping the rest of its body around on tiny orange feet to match the position of its head.

Once he had gotten over his initial surprise, it didn’t take long for Connor to add up the details. Wide eyes, squat stature, feathers, hooting; it was obviously an owl. This was confirmed when Twilight took a brief repose from studying her document to look up at the exchange.

“Oh, I forgot you two haven't met yet. Connor, Owloysius. Owloysius, Connor,” she facilitated introductions before going back to whatever she was reading over.

“Uh, hello, Owloysius,” Connor said with a wave of his hand.

“Hoo,” replied the enigmatic owl with a flutter of his wings. As impossible as it seemed, the basic response carried the inflection of a returned greeting.

“Can he understand what I’m saying?” Connor asked hesitantly to nobody in particular, to which Owloysius replied again with another simple “Hoo.”

This isn’t getting anywhere, he thought, shaking his head in bewilderment. Is ‘Hoo’ all it can say? Well, of course. It’s an owl, duh. Hmmm...

The tiny kernel of a joke planted itself in his mind just then, and he felt the unbidden urge to act on it. “Your favorite band is The...”

“Hoo.”

“Horton hears a...” The smile on his face grew wider.

“Hoo.”

“Doctor.”

“Hoo.”

Yes! Connor followed up with a fist pump, rather visibly amused.

“What on Equis are you doing?” Twilight asked without removing her gaze from the rolled up parchment, her voice laced with a hint of annoyance.

“Oh, uh, nothing. Just having a little fun,” Connor explained, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. Twilight merely gave a slight snort and continued her reading. The joke was pretty much over at this point, so Connor sighed, deflated, and took a chair, sitting down to join Twilight and Owloysius at the table. “By the way, just what are you reading that has you so... enraptured?”

“Hmm?” Twilight barely glanced at him, distracted. “Oh, I’m just triple-checking today’s to-do checklist.”

“Huh. Try saying that five times fast,” Connor muttered. “Wait, didn’t you do that last night?”

“No, last night I made the checklist, and now I’m checking to make sure everything on the checklist has been checked over to be sure it’s all there.”

“Sure...” Obsessed? Maybe? Just a little? Connor wondered, giving the pony a look that was equal parts bemused and worried. A followup question was on the tip of his tongue, but it never got the chance, because at that moment Spike appeared almost out of nowhere, jumping up on his stool from past the lip of the table.

Immediately more noticeable than the dragon child himself was what he was holding in his purple claws: a wide tray containing dishware, utensils, a bottle of syrup, and a plate stacked precariously high with a tower of steaming, golden-brown pancakes.

They absorbed all of Connor’s attention, rekindling his hunger as Spike went about setting the table with plates, napkins, and kitchenware. Once that was done, he reached over, piling a good amount of the delicious-smelling golden delights on each of the plates, before undoing his apron, casting it aside, and finally taking his own place at the table.

“Oh, man. If these taste half as good as they look, I think I’m in for a real treat,” Connor commented, having to keep himself from salivating openly.

“Oh, stop,” Spike waved a claw bashfully with a light chuckle at the praise. “Actually, you can keep going if you really want to."

Twilight paused while she telekinetically carved up her portion with a knife and fork, giving Spike a wary glance. “Be careful, Connor. You don’t want to inflate his ego too much.”

Connor was inclined to agree. Right. Less talky, more pancakey.

After applying a good amount of syrup from the bottle on the tray, and digging into his own plate with gusto, Connor looked over to his side to see Spike fiddling with some kind of wooden device closely resembling a pepper grinder with a hand crank on the side. As he watched, the dragon child popped off the top and inserted some kind of lustrous blue object before closing it again and screwing it into place.

“Hey, what's that?” Connor asked as Spike began to turn the crank, and rough chunks of glittering blue were produced from the bottom, accompanied by a gravelly grinding sound.

“Sapphires,” Spike explained matter-of-factly, as he scooped up the combination of precious stones and flapjacks and began chomping away with a sound like sticks of chalk breaking in half. “They go good on anything!”

“Sapphires? Seriously?”

Twilight looked across the table to Connor, at this point prepared to explain whenever he encountered something else he didn’t understand about their world. “Gemstones are a natural part of a dragon’s diet. It’s really no big deal.”

“No big... You know what? I’m just going to take your word for it,” Connor said, finding it decidedly easier to just take this information in stride. “What I want to know is how can you afford to pay for those things when Spike’s just...” He looked over to the dragon, whose cheeks were bulging cartoonishly with the pancake/sapphire mixture.

The dragon stopped chewing and put on an innocent expression. “...Whuh?”

“...wolfing them down?” Connor finished.

Twilight glanced over to her assistant, also finding the sight just as ridiculous as it seemed. “Don’t forget to chew, Spike,” she admonished playfully. “As for your question, we don’t need to pay for them. My friend Rarity hunts for all kinds of gems to use in her dressmaking, and the ones that are scratched, dull, or lower quality, she gives to Spike to eat.”

“Heh, low quality for her, maybe,” Spike piped up after swallowing audibly. “Doesn’t make ‘em taste any different.”

“Oh! Speaking of Rarity,” Twilight said, picking up the conversation. “That’s actually the first thing on today’s list: visit Rarity and see to getting new clothes for Connor. I remember you saying something about that last night when we were talking, and seeing as you insist on wearing what you have since you got here, it seemed like the logical first step.”

“Makes sense, I guess. But how exactly can ‘Rarity’ help?” Connor asked the unicorn, raising an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine anywhere here in Ponyland stocks clothes in my size, if you catch my drift.”

“Which is why I’m going to ask her to make you something. She’s the best tailor in all of Ponyville, and she’s put together some amazing outfits in the past. Something like this would be no problem for her, I’m sure of it.”

“It’s true,” Spike chimed in, scraping the last few morsels off his plate. “She made a Spike-sized tuxedo just for me before the wedding last week. Fit me perfectly!” He trailed off, sighing dreamily with a toothy smile and clasping his claws together. “Of course, everything about Rarity is perfect.”

Ooo...kaaay. Don’t know what that’s about, and I don’t think I want to, Connor thought, turning his attention back to Twilight. “That sounds like a good plan. Just...”

“Just what? Is there a problem?” the unicorn asked.

“No, no problem,” Connor replied hastily. “Just... I don’t know, it seems a little convenient, you know? That you just happen to know somebody that can fix me up with some new digs on a moment’s notice.”

“Well, she is a tailor; it’s her job,” Twilight restated. “And she’s always been more than happy to help a friend in need. I just hope she’s not too busy today. I’d hate to interrupt her if she’s working on a big order or something.”

“Yeah, whatever. I don’t mind either... either... uh...”

Connor didn’t finish his sentence. He was interrupted immediately by an aching pressure that felt like it was originating just behind his eyes. It was the telltale sign of a dull throbbing headache that happened to be coming on at just that moment. Groaning in discomfort, he blinked a few times and raised his hand to his temples, pressing down.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked him from across the table, seeming genuinely concerned.

“It’s nothing, just, man. Ow. Killer headache just now,” he complained, screwing his eyes shut and bemoaning both the intensity and the abruptness of the migraine-level ache. To Connor, it felt like a hot coal had nested itself in his brain, pulsing freshly with each heartbeat, and he described it as such to Twilight, who herself wore an inquisitive expression from the news.

“That’s... interesting.” The pony raised a hoof to her chin, staring off into space for a time before returning her focus to the human. “Do you often get headaches like this?”

“Ugh, no. That would suck if I did. Chronic migraines, no thanks,” Connor moaned, before opening one eye and tilting his head back. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just that, yesterday I noticed you were getting quite a few of them. I counted at least three in the time we spent talking.”

“But that’s not...” Connor’s first thought was What does it matter? followed by You were keeping count? until he actually delved back into his recollection of the previous day, thought about it some more, and realized she actually had a point. “Hey, yeah, you’re right, actually. Maybe I’m coming down... with...”

His innocent suggestion suddenly took a turn for the worse in his own mind as his eyes shot open with a disturbing idea, and he gasped audibly. “What if I have some kind of pony disease? Something my immune system is totally unprepared to handle, like smallpox with the Indians!”

Twilight held out her hooves in a placating gesture. “Whoa, whoa. Slow down, you’re not making any sense,” she calmly explained as she attempted to talk him down from what he considered an all too real possibility. “I doubt it’s some kind of illness. I don’t know much about human anatomy, but cross-species transmission is a highly unlikely scenario. There’s bound to be some simple explanation.”

“Oh? And do you--” he started, in an overly loud and aggressive tone, surely a product of the steady ache in his head and his very real uncertainty. He caught himself before he said something he would regret and breathed in deeply and slowly, resuming where he left off sounding a bit more amicable. “Do you have any ideas?”

“Well... No, not really,” Twilight seemed slightly ashamed to admit. “It could very well just be stress, which is understandable. Or maybe some kind of lingering trauma from whatever it was that brought you here. In any case, overreacting isn’t going to solve anything.”

Twilight’s statement was followed up by a sarcastic snort from Spike, who had just come back to the table after bringing his dishes to the sink. “I don’t know about that, Twi. It hasn’t stopped you from trying,” he joked, spiritedly nudging her flank with his shoulder.

“Ha ha, Spike. Very funny,” she regarded him flatly. “Anyway, give it some time. Who knows? Maybe it really is nothing, and you’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

Yeah, or maybe my brain is bleeding. It sure feels that way. But, hey, what do I know? Probably less than a magic pony who lives in a library, that’s for sure. “Maybe you’re right.” I hope you’re right.

Connor’s worrying was interrupted by a series of sharp pokes in his side, and he looked over to find Spike standing up next to him on his stool. Having grabbed his attention, the dragon child pointed at Connor’s plate, still about a third full of his unfinished meal. “Are you finished with that? If so, I can take it away for ya.”

“Ugh, sure. Go ahead.” Connor pushed the plate over to the edge of the table, the pain in his temples having completely done away with his hunger. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

As Spike cheerfully fulfilled his duties as housekeeper -- just one more job added to the list of his apparent responsibilities -- Connor sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair with his head upraised, moaning piteously. “Can tomorrow come faster, please? This suuuuuucks.”

In response, Twilight simply rolled her eyes. “I think I have something that might help in the meantime.”

Connor heard the sound of a cupboard opening behind him, and with some effort, managed to twist his neck around to see what it was. His eyes locked and narrowed on a small orange capsule levitating itself out of what looked like a medicine cabinet. It bobbed and swayed in Twilight’s magic grip, before making its way over to the table and plonking itself in front of him, its contents rattling inside the plastic.

He picked it up, inspecting the featureless orange canister and its round, white, pill-shaped contents. “Pills?” he asked incredulously.

“Relax, it’s just mild pain medication. The generic stuff, not prescription brand. It’s totally safe for both ponies and animals alike.”

Connor took only half a second to parse what she had said, and another half second for him to see the plainly obvious, though obviously unintentional, slight in her statement.

“So that's really what you think of me, huh?” he said, with just the lightest touch of indignation. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a goodnatured scoff at her poor choice of words.

Twilight, to her credit, caught on immediately and recognized the fault in her wording, course-correcting and apologizing at once in a stammering rebuttal. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean-- W-what I meant was that--”

“It’s alright. I know what you meant,” he interrupted with a chuckle and a grin. “Jeez, I’m just poking fun at you, lighten up.”

“Oh... I see,” Twilight said quickly, covering up her embarrassment by clearing her throat loudly. “Well, then. I think I should be getting back to the main room. There are a few odds and ends I need to get together before we go out today.”

“Wait, by ‘we’ you mean...”

“Um, of course. You’re coming along, too. What, did you forget the reason the Princess wanted you here in the first place?” The unicorn eyed him suspiciously, before turning with a flick of her bangs and heading for the door. “Besides, how is Rarity going to make you a new outfit if she doesn’t know what you even look like? Am I supposed to describe you to her?”

“Alright, fine. I can take a hint,” Connor grumbled. “Can I at least take a shower first?”

“Sure. Wait, hold on.”

Twilight closed her eyes, and her horn lit up once more. In a flash of purple light, her bundled checklist appeared in the air and unfurled before her. She then studied it intimately before speaking up again.

“Try to keep it under fifteen minutes,” she advised him, closing the scroll and sending it back from whence it came. “Anything more than that and we’d be cutting into the time I have scheduled for ‘unscheduled delays.’”

And with that, she nodded once and quickly made her exit through the door, calling for Spike to follow, himself being trailed by the diminutive Peewee, waddling at full speed to keep up with the dragon. As Connor dully watched the kitchen door swing to and fro on its hinges, the underlying meaning of what Twilight just said suddenly came to him.

She schedules interruptions? It’s official: OCD, thy name is Twilight Sparkle.

With nobody now for company aside from the enigmatic Owloysius, Connor grabbed the small bottle of pills in his hand, turning it over absently while taking stock of the situation.

He currently had a mind-numbing headache for no apparent reason...

He was due to pull off the metaphorical alien walk of shame down the streets of Ponyville Central...

And he just found out he was living with the equine equivalent of Adrian Monk.

In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that he had predicted as much just that morning after getting out of bed.

“Why me?” he groaned, tilting his head and casting an empathetic glance at Owloysius.

“Hoo.”

I’m probably tempting fate here, but maybe today won’t be as bad as I thought, Connor figured to himself, finding it predictably easy to knock on wood as he made his way up to the library’s loft to retrieve his jacket. After availing himself the use of Twilight’s shower, his outlook on the day had grown to be generously more optimistic, based on two factors.

First, his headache was gone, and he praised the high heavens for that. Whether it was due to the pills his unicorn friend gave him, the steam from the hot water clearing his head, a combination of the two, or something else entirely, Connor was simply glad that it no longer felt like his brain was being smashed between the cymbals on one of those windup monkey toys.

Second, an idea occurred to him as he was showering (And don’t they always?) about how to best handle the oncoming exposure to the other ponies in town while drawing as little notoriety as possible. It was an idea that was near genius in its execution; at least, he liked to think so. If it worked, and if Twilight went along with it, it would go a long way towards preventing the predictable outcome of the news that an extradimensional alien had magically appeared and was walking around their peaceful little town.

That’s the plan, anyway.

Shrugging into his coat and zipping it up halfway, Connor walked down the stairs to the ground floor of the tree house just in time to see Twilight magically fastening a pair of saddlebags to her body. They were a light gray in color, embroidered with the pointed starburst that was her cutie mark, and looked to be packed tightly with her aforementioned "odds and ends." She and Spike were apparently just finishing up their preparations, though Connor wasn’t paying any particular attention to the things Twilight listed off to her assistant, who trailed behind her with checklist and quill in claw, marking things off in neat order.

“Check, check, aaaand check,” Spike said, punctuating the last statement with a flourish of his wrist. Twilight looked behind her to her diminutive dragon friend and nodded appreciatively, smiling.

“Well, then, I think that’s everything. Now we just need to wait for Connor and-- Oh, never mind, there you are,” she said, just then taking notice of the human making his way down the stairs. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Much better, actually. Thank you,” Connor replied, touched by her immediate concern for his wellbeing. “Those pills must’ve done the trick. By the way, do you want these back?” he asked her, taking the orange container out of his pajama pockets and shaking it around.

Twilight simply shook her head. “You should hang onto them for today, just in case.” Connor shrugged and put the pill bottle back as he came to the foot of the stairs. “So, are you ready to go outside and meet everypony?”

He couldn’t honestly say that he was. Connor glanced off to the side nervously and took a breath of air, letting out in a loud puff. “Define ‘ready.’”

“Completely prepared or in fit condition for immediate action or use,” Twilight said after a moment of thought, with deadpan seriousness, as if she was reading it straight from a dictionary.

Connor would have facepalmed just then if he didn’t mind smudging up his glasses. He settled for a deep sigh instead. “Define ‘facetious.’”

Twilight glanced at him curiously. “Not meant to be taken seriously or...” Her face gradually shifted into openmouthed realization. “Ohhh. You were being...”

“Yeeeah,” Connor said, raising his eyebrows and nodding slowly.

“Well, you could’ve just said no,” Twilight muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing while her tail gave an errant twitch, like she was shaking away a fly. She swiftly decided to divert the subject. “Why are you being so apprehensive, anyway? Don’t you want to go out and meet my friends and everypony else?”

Connor’s hands started fidgeting as he made a reluctant admission. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s... Okay, yeah, I really don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“I’m just... Errgh, how do I say this? I’m just not very keen on feeling exposed like that. I mean, we both know I’m not supposed to even be here, and I’m reeeeeally not looking forward to reminding myself of that with everyone we meet.”

Meanwhile, Spike had finished whatever he was doing and was walking up to Connor, addressing him. “You’re worrying over nothin’. The ponies here are some of the nicest you’ll ever meet!” The dragon child reached over to pat his leg in a reassuring gesture. “They’re gonna love ya. You’ll be the talk of the town!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Connor said with a grimace. In truth, he was more than slightly familiar with being talked about...

All through his elementary and middle school years, he was no stranger to being ostracized. Indeed, though he now seldom thought of or even cared about what happened then, there was a time in his life when he had precious few friends of his own, and many of the others who weren’t referred to him as the "weird kid." There was the name-calling, the talking behind his back, sitting alone at the lunch table, and one -- thankfully, just one -- occasion where he was physically beat up. He experienced firsthand just how cruel his peers could be. He didn’t let it get to him too much, though, and by the time high school rolled around, most of his former tormentors had finally grown up and left him in peace. The point is, it was an experience Connor was reluctant to repeat, especially when the people involved weren’t even people at all -- at least, not the kind he was used to.

In his mind’s eye, Connor could see the scene: Him, walking between the brick and thatch houses, colorful ponies stopping what they were doing as he passed. Words of conversation transformed into hushed whispers. Unbidden stares from shop stalls and street corners, watching him like motion-sensitive security cameras. Children pausing in their rambunctious behavior to stand, gawking at the stranger in their midst, their wide, expressive eyes filled with a combination of awe and bafflement. He felt like a man sentenced to the stockades, head and arms clasped in a block of wood as he was paraded through town.

He could almost hear the imagined whispers:

Hey, who... What is that?

I heard somepony say it’s an alien.

What’s it even doing here?

Connor gave an involuntary shudder as he forcibly shut off his imagination. He had only spaced out for a second, but judging by the waiting expression on his lavender companion’s muzzle, he thought it appropriate to quickly segue into his main point.

“So, anyway, I’ve come up with a pretty good idea that should keep that kind of stuff to a minimum.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, like she had already guessed what he was about to say. “I already told you, you aren’t going to spend all your time cooped up in the library.”

Connor shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”

“So you’re just going to avoid everypony?”

“I didn’t say that either, and stop jumping to conclusions. What I mean is that there’s an easier way than walking up to everyone in town and being like ‘Hey there, I’m an alien from another universe! Will you be my friend?’”

“That’s hardly what I had in mind,” Twilight scoffed. “What, did you actually think that’s what we were going to do?”

“Well, no. Maybe. Not exactly.” Connor scratched his scalp, then threw his hands up in a half-shrug. “Just, look, what I’m saying is that my idea would go a long way towards dispelling some of the awkwardness that’s bound to happen when the townsfolk see me.”

“And just what is this brilliant idea of yours?”

“Okay.” Connor clasped his hands together. “What if, instead of telling everyone I’m from another world, we just tell them I’m visiting from the far... very far away country of A-mare-ica. Get it? Eh?”

“Sooo, you wanna lie to everypony?” Spike spoke up, looking up at him skeptically out of the corner of his eye.

“Technically it isn’t lying. More like a different interpretation of the truth. We can explain that I’m just visiting Equestria for a while. Who’s to say the place I’m from doesn’t exist just because they’ve never heard of it?”

“I... I don’t know.” Twilight didn’t look very convinced, looking back and forth, deep in thought.

“Look, this way, instead of all those ponies out there thinking I’m an alien outsider, they’ll just assume I’m some goofy-looking foreigner, like a tourist. And then they’ll think nothing more of it.”

“You got the goofy-looking part down, at least,” Spike said with a straight face. Connor simply tilted his head and gave him a bemused look, which was met with a toothy grin in response. “Sorry, you set yourself up for that one.” Finished joking around, he then started to walk away to the other part of the library, mumbling something about trying to track down a particular phoenix.

“That... actually might work,” Twilight said, nodding to herself with a hoof raised to her chin. “It wouldn’t fool me, of course. Or anypony with a cursory background in geography. Or anypony with an atlas on hoof.”

“Stop poking holes in my master plan!” Connor cut her off quickly with a hint of mock indignation.

“You’re right, you’ve obviously given this a lot of thought,” Twilight chided snarkily with a sly smile. “Fine, we’ll give your idea a shot, if only to get you out the door.”

Twilight turned and clopped over to the library door, the cherry-red wood starting to glow in her magic aura as she talked over her shoulder. “Though, take my advice: if you really want to keep a low profile, then for the time-being you should probably steer clear of--” Right in the middle of talking, the door swung open just as Twilight turned to face it. “--Pinkie Pie!” The end of her sentence was upturned with a startled noise and she jerked nearly a foot in the air.

“Hi, Twilight!” came a bubbly, high-pitched voice from beyond the door’s threshold.

Acting quickly and without thinking, Connor instinctively ducked behind the table in the center of the room. He only caught a brief glimpse of a pink, puffy, pony-shaped mass before moving to put the wooden bust between him and whoever was standing at the door. Out of sight and with his pulse slightly elevated, Connor sat completely still and listened closely while Twilight conversed with the newcomer.

“H-hello, Pinkie. Um, uh, w-what brings you to the library?” Twilight stammered out, coming down from her sudden shock.

“Itchy-hoof, twirly-tail, creaky-neck,” the enthusiastic voice apparently belonging to "Pinkie" offered as if that could explain everything.

Twilight was silent for a few moments before speaking up, her tone more hesitant than surprised now. “I’m not sure I’ve heard that one yet. What does it mean?”

“It means there’s something super strange and super new and super exciting in Ponyville! And it’s a doozy! I’ve been itchin’ and twirlin’ and creakin’ since I woke up!”

Twilight tried to casually look back over her shoulder into the room, catching Connor’s glance just as he was peeking lightly over the lip of the bust. As soon as he caught the look in her eye, he ducked back behind the table, and Twilight turned back to address Pinkie again.

“And soooo... why’d you come here?”

Pinkie gave an exasperated sigh. “Well duuuh! Because you’re the smartest, cleverest, curiousest, strange-thing-investigatingest pony I know! And if anything interesting was going on in Ponyville, I’m sure my best friend Twilight would be aaaall over it!” she said in rapid-fire form.

“Aww. Thanks, Pinkie,” Twilight said bashfully, looking away and scuffing her hoof on the wooden floor. “That’s nice of you to-- Pinkie?” The unicorn raised her head to find the entrance to the library completely bare, her pink friend having disappeared without a trace. “Where’d you go?” she asked, leaning past the door and craning her neck around.

His curiosity piqued by Twilight’s confusion, Connor tentatively stood up and peered at the doorway, just as baffled as her, and wondering what to make of the pink pony’s sudden appearance... and disappearance.

Is she gone? Who was that? What the hell was she talking about? Connor’s train of thought was interrupted as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. And why do I feel... like... somebody’s...

Connor felt his shoulders unconsciously stiffen, and he turned his neck ever so slowly, eyes glued to the corners of his vision. Halfway through the turn, he suddenly shifted his entire body to face the somebody he had sensed behind him. Reacting instantly, it suddenly jumped up, uncomfortably invading his personal space. “Hi!”

“Whoa!” Connor shouted, startled by the wall of pink that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. As close as she was, Connor got a good look at her, taking in the details of the swirly, curly, cotton candy masses of her mane and tail, her sparkling blue dinner plate eyes, the trio of balloons on each side of her flank, and especially the impossibly large smile that seemed somehow too big for her muzzle.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he voiced the first question that came to mind: “Where the hell did you come from!?”

“Outside,” she said simply.

“How did you get in!?”

“I used the door,” she went on, giggling like he had just asked if the sky was blue.

“Um... Uh...”

“I’ve never seen you around here before. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen anypony like you around here before. And I know everypony and every not-pony in Ponyville, so you must be the super strange, super new, super exciting thing! I’m Pinkie Pie!” The pink pony paused in her accelerated talking style to hold out a hoof to the bewildered human.

Connor returned the gesture, hesitantly grabbing her furred hoof and shaking it up and down slowly. “I’m uh... Connor.”

“A connor?” Pinkie asked inquisitively, tilting her head.

“Um, no. I mean my name is Connor.”

Pinkie Pie pivoted her head in the other direction. “You’re a connor named Connor? That’s silly! That’s almost as silly as a griffin named Griffin! Not that I’ve ever met a griffin named Griffin, but if I did, it would be pretty silly! Have you ever met a griffin before? I have! Her name was Gilda, and she wasn’t a really nice griffin. Me and Rainbow Dash--”

The motormouthed equine was suddenly cut off by a walled sphere of translucent purple light, which grew up out of the floor and encased her inside. Though, she seemed not to notice, her mouth still moving but producing no sound as she bobbed her head during the one-sided conversation. Twilight, her horn dimming from the recently cast spell, stepped up next to Connor.

“And here we go,” she stated dully, like she expected as much to happen.

Connor turned to look down at the unicorn. “I’m really confused. Who is this? What is she talking about?”

“This is my friend, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight explained after a heavy exhale. “Don’t worry, this is completely normal. For Pinkie, anyways.”

Meanwhile, the fuchsia-colored pony was still going at it, and Connor regarded her off behavior with intrigue. When is she going to stop for breath? “How did she get in here? She sneaked right up behind me like a freakin’ ninja!”

Twilight shook her head. “I’ve learned to stop asking those kinds of questions a loooong time ago.”

Suddenly there was a low reverberating sound, like a bass drum, coming from the sphere. Apparently, Pinkie had stopped talking and was now tapping on the surface with her hoof, a stoic look on her face. With an amused snort, Twilight’s horn glowed again, and she resignedly dispelled the soundproofing enchantment.

“Thanks, Twilight. Now, where was I?” The smile returned. “Oh, yeah! Because you’re new in town, you get to have your very own, Pinkie Pie special, ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party!”

With her exclamation, the exuberant equine experienced an immediate vertical displacement of nearly seven feet, excitedly jumping into the air and spreading her hooves, accompanied by a simultaneous blast of confetti. She landed squarely without any rebound, looking up at him and expecting his reaction.

“A party? Seriously?” Connor regarded her incredulously, his mind still trying to play catchup to what he was witnessing before him.

“Thaaaat’s right! And everypony’s invited!”

Connor’s face fell slightly. “Every...pony?” he asked nervously, already afraid of where this was going.

“Yup, everypony in Ponyville! They’re gonna be so excited; I haven’t thrown a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party since Cranky Doodle came to town!”

Twilight interjected, choosing her words slowly and carefully. “Actually, this time I don’t think that’s... quite a good idea right now.”

Pinkie turned to face her unicorn friend. “Why not?” Her wide smile fell away instantly, replaced by a dour, serious expression as she turned back to Connor. “Don’t you like parties?”

The look on Pinkie’s face was downright pitiful, like that of a lost puppy. Connor could only stare and open his mouth wordlessly, not quite sure how to react. Thankfully, Twilight quickly grabbed Pinkie’s attention by waving a hoof in between them.

“No, no! I’m sure Connor would love your parties,” she attempted to explain. “He just... wants to take things a little slow. Ease into it. Because he’s, well...”

The pink pony’s features screwed up in concentration before apparently having an epiphany. “Oh, I get it. You’re just shy!”

“Yes! Very shy,” Twilight agreed instantly, nodding animatedly. “Can’t stand crowds. Isn’t that right, Connor?”

Connor noticed she was addressing him just then. “Uh... Yeah, uh huh. What she said,” he confirmed, only partially following the tangled thread of logic cast in front of him.

Pinkie’s smile returned instantly, her eyes once again bright and full of cheer. “Well, that’s no reason you still can’t have a welcoming party! Hmmm. Think, Pinkie Pie, think.” The party-obsessed pony walked back and forth through the library entirely on her hind legs, one forehoof rubbing her chin with the other held behind her back.

After a few seconds, she suddenly stopped, resuming a three-legged stance while the hoof behind herself inexplicably produced a yellow light bulb, which she held above her head just as she exclaimed, “I got it! How about we have just a teensy tiny party with just our friends?”

Twilight spoke up with slightly forced enthusiasm. “I think that’s a great idea, Pinkie. Why don’t you go set that up? Connor and I have a lot to get done today, if you don’t mind.”

“You betcha, Twilight. Just one more thing before I go.” She turned to face Connor once more. “You gotta promise me that eventually, I can throw you a party and invite everypony. And I mean everypony. Got it?” Pinkie looked him squarely in the eyes, and he couldn’t be sure, but he swore he saw a dangerous glint in her bottomless pupils.

“A-alright. Alright, fine.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

The teenager gave her a confused look. “Huh?”

Pinkie sighed again, acting as if what she was talking about was common knowledge. “It’s easy, I’ll show you. Cross my heart...” she began, making an X over her chest. “...and hope to fly...” The second part was accompanied by the pantomiming motion of flapping wings over her shoulders. “Stick a cupcake in my eye!” She finished by placing her hoof squarely over one of her eyes.

Connor blinked a few times before responding. “Ooo...kaaay. Cross my heart and hope to fly... Stick a cupcake in my... eye?” he repeated the promise, mimicking Pinkie’s motions as he did so.

Seemingly satisfied, Pinkie’s nodded enthusiastically, her grin growing even wider. “Okey-dokey-lokey! See you guys at the party!” She sang out merrily, bouncing up and down in steady rhythm as she made for the door leading out for the library. As he watched her leave, Connor could swear she was humming the tune of Yankee Doodle.

And just like that, the library was deathly silent once again. Connor’s brain idled for a moment as he tried -- and failed -- to make sense of pretty much everything that had just occurred regarding Twilight’s insane friend.

The bouncing, the confetti, that face... Where did that light bulb come from!? Where did it go!? At a loss, he looked down at Twilight with a grimace, and voiced what exactly was on his mind. “What the hell just happened?”

Twilight breathed out a sigh. Whether it was one of relief or resignation, he couldn’t be sure. “Pinkie Pie happened. Don’t worry, you get used to it... eventually.”

“Riiiight.” Connor held out his hand, the one he used to make the "Pinkie Promise," and stared at his palm. “Why do I have this feeling like I just signed a contract in blood?”

“Because you might as well have. Come on, we’ve wasted enough time as it is. Let’s get going to Rarity’s.” The lavender mare seemed all too eager to move on, galloping back to the door in a hurry. She stopped just past the opening, turning to regard Connor with an air of impatience. “Well? Come on.”

“Right. Okay.” Connor snapped out of his reverie. Following in Twilight’s wake with slow, determined steps, he attempted to psych himself up for the inevitable. You can do this... You can do this...

He stopped at the door frame, bracing his slightly sweaty palms against the grainy wood, and looked out into the open for a good many seconds. He then shut his eyes closed and breathed in a lungful of the air, feeling somehow rejuvenated and invigorated by its freshness.

Connor released his breath slowly and steadily, opened his eyes, dropped his hands to his sides... and took a single step forwards.

The Third Day: Toast of the Town

You Do (Not) Belong

The Third Day: Toast of the Town

To anypony else, the day would have been considered nearly perfect in most regards.

Anypony else would have appreciated how the air carried a relaxing, decadent hint of flowery fragrance mixed with the sweet scent of apple blossoms blowing in from the nearby orchard. Anypony else wouldn't help but smile at overhearing the nearby sounds of delight made by young fillies and colts enjoying a day off of school, townsfolk bonding over a bit of gossip, or the full-bodied laughter of good friends sharing a joke. And anypony else would have been grateful to feel the gentle touch of Celestia’s Sun sitting high and proud in the sky, warding away the early spring chill with its warmth.

Anypony that is, aside from the one individual in Ponyville that was about as far removed from a pony as one could possibly get. An individual who was quick to attribute his profuse sweating to that very same sun, blazing away as it was, as opposed to blaming it on the one thing he refused to think about.

One, two, one, two, one, two... Connor droned in his head, looking straight at his sneakers and counting his steps, as he tried to avoid eye contact with any of the locals until Twilight finished escorting him to her friend Rarity’s place of business. But although he could keep his vision in check, he couldn’t help but hear the reactions as his presence was noticed. And there was virtually no way he couldn’t be noticed as, standing at a respectable 5’10”, he was easily the tallest living thing around in a town populated by a bunch of pastel-colored quadrupeds that barely broke 4’.

Connor found himself thinking that he was having a lucky -- or, perhaps, unlucky -- string of predictions this morning, as he walked on by numerous colorful forms that he caught in his peripheral vision. He could hear the conversations cut short mid-word, the absence of noise almost painfully apparent, and it wasn’t long before they started up again, this time with the topic changed to something completely different.

“Hey, you see that?”

“See what? Oh... Now, there’s something you don’t see every day.”

“Who is that? What is that?”

“Dunno. Never seen anypony like... him? It looks like a him, right?”

“What d’you suppose he’s doing with Twilight?”

As far as he could make out, that was the general gist Connor got from the barely audible mumblings he could pick up in earshot. Unable to concentrate on his shoes any longer, he steeled his nerves and brought his gaze slightly upward, taking a cautious look at his surroundings.

Only confirming what in his mind he already knew, almost every one of the ponies that he and his purple-furred companion walked past had their unsettlingly large eyes trained on the odd man out. Connor was by no means an expert in reading pony facial expressions, but it was easy enough to pick out the general consensus of interest and bafflement. Although, not a one of them bore any sign of fear or suspicion, even though they were keeping their distance, which was small comfort indeed as Connor’s preconceptions were already coloring his interpretation of what he saw.

Uh huh. That’s right. One of these things is not like the other~ One of these things just doesn’t belong~ Are we almost there, yet? Is it hot out here? It’s really hot out here.

Nervously pulling at his neckline, Connor forced himself to look forward to see Twilight walking along completely casually, at least appearing to be oblivious to the fact that her occasional greetings to the ones they walked past went unanswered. Desperate to fill the awkward void with something, anything barely familiar, Connor found his voice, and wasted no time in airing his grievances.

“I knew it. I knew this was a bad idea. I am very uncomfortable right now and I don’t mind saying so.” Connor said, his voice taking on a bit of a wobble.

“Will you relax?” Twilight called out behind her. “Jeez, you look more wound up than Rainbow at last year’s Best Young Flyers competition.”

“Can you see the way they’re staring at me?” Connor replied in a hushed whisper, completely ignoring the fact that he didn’t know what the hell she was talking about just then.

“They’re staring because you look like you’re about to jump out of your own skin. If you don’t calm down, other ponies are going to assume something’s wrong.”

“All the same, I’d feel a whole lot better if I was invisible right now.” Connor paused for a moment as the thought gained traction. “Say, you don’t suppose--”

“No, I can’t.” Twilight cut him off, predicting his request before he could even suggest it. “Well, technically, I can, but that’s beside the point.”

“The point?” Connor scoffed. “What point? Is there a reason I’m being paraded through town like some sideshow?”

He had more to say on the matter, but in a moment of foresight decided not to continue on that line of thinking, as his big mouth was liable to say something even more inflammatory. Unfortunately, he had already said enough, and in the prolonged silence that followed, Twilight stopped walking on the spot and sighed, turning to face him as they continued their conversation beside a large stone fountain with a pony statue at its center.

“You’re the only one to blame for making this hard on yourself,” she chastised him, trying to seem reasonable yet apparently nearing the end of her tolerance. “The point of all this is to get you to open up to other ponies. Actually talk to some of them instead of pretending they don’t exist. You want to feel like you’re welcome here? Say hello to somepony. Introduce yourself. Be friendly. At the very least act like there’s nothing wrong. Soon enough, they’ll get on with their business and we can get on with ours.”

She was right, of course, Connor realized as he swallowed a lump in his throat, unable to come up with some kind of response right away. He took a deep, shaky breath and adjusted his glasses before talking again.

“You’re probably right... I just need to get over myself. I’m not usually like this, I swear. I just...” he paused, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “I just don’t know where to even start.”

Then, as fate would have it, Connor would get his chance right then and there, as both he and Twilight were diverted by another pony calling for their attention.

“Hello~! Good morning, Twilight!” came a cheerful, spritely, though older-sounding female voice, originating from an earth pony mare with washed-out, tan-colored fur cantering towards the fountain at an easy clip.

Her mane and tail were an understated wispy silver that resembled a billow of steam, and jostled ever so lightly as she moved. Though Connor couldn't quite see from this angle, her cutie mark looked like that of a rolled up scroll tied with a blue ribbon. But truly setting her apart from the undressed multitudes of other Ponyville residents, she seemed to be wearing some kind of white dress collar with a puffy green adornment displayed on the front. Curiously enough, her blue eyes, hidden behind a comically undersized pair of half-moon glasses perched on her snout, betrayed none of the wary caution Connor had witnessed in the other ponies.

Twilight instantly spoke up in recognition of the new arrival. “Oh! Hello, Mayor! Good morning to you, too,” she said happily with a wave of her hoof. “What are you up to today?” she followed up with, as the pony who was apparently the mayor came right up to the two of them, smiling.

“Thank you, dear. I was actually on my way back from the post office just now, and I just happened to spy you and your curious friend here,” she regarded Connor with a sense of calm intrigue. “I’ve never seen you around Ponyville before, so I assume you must be new in town?” the mayor asked in a very straightforward manner.

She’s awfully forward, Connor thought for a second, before he felt a soft nudge on his leg where Twilight was poking him with her hoof.

“Well?” she muttered to him when she had grabbed his attention. “Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

Connor took a quick breath and turned back towards the tan pony, scratching at his scalp. “Uh, hi, my name’s Connor, and... and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mayor, um...”

“Mayor Mare, though most ponies just call me Mayor. Please feel free to do the same,” the Mayor replied disarmingly as she extended a hoof.

“Okay, Mayor,” Connor said, taking her hoof in hand and shaking it lightly.

“I must say, you are quite the interesting individual,” she continued as she lowered her hoof. “If I may ask, where are you from? You understand, as mayor I take it upon myself to know these kinds of things when we have a new arrival in town.”

Looking to Twilight for a quick affirmation, Connor saw her raise her eyebrows and nod her head a bit, signaling the go-ahead for him to see if his plan was going to work. “I’m from a place called... Amareica.”

“Amareica? Can’t say I’ve heard of it before...” Mayor Mare held a hoof to her chin as she thought. “Though I’m not too surprised, seeing as I’ve never met an Amareican either! It’s fairly far removed from Equestria, I take it?”

“Oh, yeah. Really far away,” he explained, hoping that she wouldn’t press for any more specific details, as he had none prepared.

“Well, then, on behalf of myself and the rest of us here, allow me to officially welcome you to Ponyville. I can see you’ve already met our resident librarian.” She cast a quick look at Twilight, who then sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck with one foreleg. “Tell me, Connor, what brings you to our fine town? Business or pleasure?”

“Uhh... Not... sure?” he answered cautiously. “Coincidence? It wasn’t really planned.”

“Oh, I see.” The mayor flashed him a knowing smile. “Spur of the moment vacation, I take it? Fancy yourself a bit of a globetrotter?”

“You could say that.” Connor looked off to the side, wondering for how much longer the politician pony was going to be grilling him. He had to admit to himself, though, that first contact was going far smoother than he had anticipated.

So far, this unassuming mare had, without warning or hesitation, treated the wayward human with an altogether unexpected degree of warmth and familiarity. Her sincere expression of welcome was definitely not the general reaction he had expected, being an alien suddenly thrust into open pony society without cause or explanation. If circumstances had been like anything he could imagine on Earth, the news crews would already be on the way... followed closely by helicopters, army jeeps, and tall, imposing men in black suits and sunglasses.

...Carrying very big guns.

“Well, I believe anypony would agree that you couldn’t have picked a finer place to visit,” Mayor Mare explained, her tone taking on the aspect of a well-rehearsed pitch. “Our cozy little burg hosts some of the kindest and most charming citizens you’ll ever meet, and the local attractions are--”

“Excuse me, Mayor, sorry to interrupt,” Twilight interjected while the tan pony was forced to put the brakes on her spiel. “But while I’m sure Connor would love to hear all about Ponyville, there’s time for that later, and we really should get going. I hope you understand.”

The Mayor looked at Twilight and blinked a few times before getting the message. “Oh, of course, of course. Terribly sorry. Sometimes I just get a bit carried away, you know?” Mayor Mare said with a laugh that sounded a bit forced. She then coughed loudly into one hoof before continuing. “Well, I certainly won’t keep you from your business any longer,” she followed up apologetically before turning to Connor one last time. “I do hope you enjoy your stay in Ponyville. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please feel free to stop by Town Hall anytime.”

“Uh, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Connor nodded slightly. “It was nice meeting you,” he added after some hesitation.

Mayor Mare responded with a warm smile and a short, courteous bow. “Believe me, the pleasure was all mine. Well, then. Connor, Twilight, have a wonderful day. Toodeloo~!” the tan pony said merrily before calmly passing around the two and cantering off to her destination.

Both human and unicorn watched her go, neither one saying anything for a couple of seconds before Connor let out a puff of air between his lips and broke the silence. “Soooo, that happened.”

“It sure did.” Twilight chuckled and gave Connor a wry grin. “See? That wasn’t so bad, now, was it?”

The teenager countered by rolling his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. What can I say? You were right,” he grudgingly admitted, accepting the fact that he just might have been worrying himself to death over nothing.

Connor took a moment to once more look around his immediate vicinity. To his surprise, many of the ponies who were paying exclusive attention to him moments before had indeed went on to continue whatever it was they were doing. Of the remaining few who were still looking in his direction -- or at the very least sneaking furtive glances -- Connor had the impression that their actions were merely an expression of curiosity, and nothing else. Certainly not any indication of fear, malice, stigmatization, or negativity, he soberly observed, having been relieved of his initial anxiety.

“Of course I am. Now, do you think you can keep it together long enough to get to Rarity’s?” Twilight chided him.

“I think I can manage,” Connor responded sardonically. “Let’s just hope for no more surprise encounters. After all, we’ve got a schedule to keep, right?”

“I couldn’t agree more,” the unicorn said, satisfied. She then turned around and started walking again at a brisk pace while Connor followed shortly behind.

And in stark difference to his behavior at the beginning of this outing, it was while managing to keep his head up and his eyes forward, emboldened by this small victory and almost confident that he could handle pretty much whatever came next, even if he still wasn’t particularly jazzed about it.

It was certainly no Leonard DiHoovsie, but Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but admire her drawing’s progress as she hunched over the sheet of paper in front of her. Her features screwed up in determination, the unicorn filly paused for a moment in her furious scribbling to reach out a hoof and grab a different color crayon off of the pile lying nearby on the round table in the foyer of her sister’s home/boutique. Returning her attention to the paper, she proceeded to fill in the rest of the colors in the curled pink and mulberry mane that belonged to the representation of herself.

After another minute of adding details and refinements to the setting, as well as the images of the two ponies she shared it with, she held up her nearly completed work in front of her with an amused smirk of appreciation.

“Why, Sweetie! That’s gotta be the durned nicest cutie mark Ah ever dun seen!” she announced in an exaggerated role-play of her close friend and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader, the farm-pony Apple Bloom.

"I think so too!” Sweetie said again, in a different, slightly raspier tone. “It’s so cool, it’s even cooler than Rainbow Dash’s! Way to go!”

“Aww, thanks, girls! It really is nice, isn’t it?” she followed up in her natural high-pitched voice. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll both get yours really soon!”

Sweetie looked hard at the drawing for a moment more, her expression slowly fading before giving a tired sigh and laying the paper back on the table.

Glumly, she turned her head to peer at her own flank: an unbroken expanse of grayish-white fur, bemoaning it for the fact that it and her two-dimensional duplicate shared the same thing in common. Sadly, not even her robust imagination could come up with a solution to the constant conundrum presented to her and her two friends, hence why the result of her little arts and crafts session remained "nearly" complete.

Sighing again, she rested her chin on her hooves and leaned forwards on the table, staring at the paper as if, through sheer force of will, she could make her cutie mark appear spontaneously in front of her. If it did, it would certainly be the most exciting thing likely to happen that day.

Suddenly, Sweetie’s ears perked up at a hollow knocking sound that echoed throughout the room, and her sea green eyes were drawn to the source of the disturbance: the boutique’s front door. She watched it for a moment, then huffed with indifference and continued sulkily staring forward. A few more seconds passed until the knocks were repeated, louder this time.

“Sweetie? Could you be a dear and get the door, please?” called out the voice of her older sister from up the stairs leading away from the main foyer.

“Ooookaaaay...” the filly called back in halfhearted acknowledgment. With a slight grunt, she lifted herself to her hooves and plodded her way to the door, and as she did so, she could hear a muffled voice coming from the other side.

“I’m just sayin’. Golden Oak? Carousel Boutique? And they look like that? I’m sensing a theme, here.”

Sweetie pondered the odd male voice for a pause, having never heard it before, then shrugged it off just as quickly as she reached up to the door handle to undo the latch...

----------------------Moments Earlier-----------------------

Staring up at the tall, three story building, only one word could come to mind in order to describe it: Extravagant.

Connor let out a low whistle as Twilight led him up the path leading to the front door of the establishment. “Fancy-shmancy,” was the term he had aptly decided to apply to the building, with its garish, flowing curves, spindly columns, tall oval windows, and a layered, pink and blue checkered color scheme. It was like a Renaissance-themed wedding cake, adorned on the sides of the top half with a number of pony statues mounted on poles, making the Carousel Boutique quite live up to its name.

“If there was one way to describe Rarity, that would probably do it,” the Twilight noted with a chuckle. “She actually designed this building herself, you know.”

The two of them stopped in front of the entrance: a smooth purple door bisected horizontally down the middle, and inlaid with two diamonds of frosted glass. Twilight wasted no time in raising a hoof and knocking gently on the door.

“You ponies sure seem pretty literal when it comes to naming your establishments,” Connor mentioned offhandedly, as he tried to peer through the glass into the room within, but with no success.

Twilight cocked her head slightly and thought for a few seconds. “I don’t understand what you mean,” she admitted, before turning again to face the door, knocking for a second time, only a bit more forcefully.

“I’m just sayin’. Golden Oak? Carousel Boutique? And they look like that? I’m sensing a theme, here.”

At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a candy store in this town that was actually made of candy, thought Connor.

“Hmm...” Twilight made a half-agreeing, half-concerned grunt as she scrutinized the door which still had yet to be answered. “Maybe Rarity isn’t--”

She was interrupted suddenly as the sound of a latch clicking came from the other side. A second later, the two halves of the door swung inwards accompanied by the light tinkling of a door chime, revealing the small white unicorn who stood behind it. She was obviously very young; most likely a child, as she was at first glance barely taller than Spike was. This was confirmed as the pink and purple-maned, stubby-horned filly droned on in a bored, disinterested tone that seemed out of place with her high-pitched voice.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where everything is--” She stopped suddenly, as her half-lidded eyes registered Connor’s form, and she followed it up, and up, and up, until she was craning her neck to look directly at his face while wearing an utterly blank expression.

The filly’s light green pupils remained locked on for an uncomfortably long number of seconds until Connor, saying nothing, merely raised an eyebrow. This at least elicited a reaction from the muted pony, who slowly tilted her head to the side without breaking her fixed, baffled gaze.

Finally unable to bear the silence any longer, Connor spoke first. “Uh... Hi? Helloooo.”

Again, no response, aside from her pivoting her head in the other direction. Twilight, meanwhile, was looking back and forth between the two before she rolled her eyes with a huff and addressed the filly by name.

“Sweetie, this is Connor. He’s a friend of mine,” the mare said in the low, patronizing tone one normally reserves for dealing with children. “Is Rarity around? I need to talk to her.”

The pony named Sweetie shifted her gaze for a moment to look at Twilight, as if just then realizing she was there, then she blinked a few times as the tiny gears in her head started to spin again.

“Uh... Sure, Twilight,” she said, hesitantly looking back up at Connor with a wary eye. “I’ll... go get her... Wait here.”

Sweetie took a slow half-step backwards, cautiously peering out between the door and the frame until the very last second as she slowly nudged it closed once again. Once again left to themselves, Twilight and Connor looked at each other, sharing similarly bemused expressions. Connor, for one, found the situation to be just slightly amusing.

“Well, that wasn’t awkward at all,” he commented sarcastically, sincerely hoping that her reaction wasn’t going to be indicative of a trend.

Twilight shook her head. “I wouldn’t worry about it. She was probably just surprised.”

“Deer in headlights might be more accurate,” Connor muttered. Or would that be pony in headlights? Heh, he thought wistfully. “Cute kid, though. Is that just a nickname or is her name really Sweetie?”

“Sweetie Belle,” Twilight explained, nodding. “She’s Rarity’s little sister. Rarity foalsits for her parents when they’re out of town sometimes.”

“Okay...” Connor took a second to deduce what she meant by "foalsitting," then mentally filed it away in his ever growing list of ponyisms.

Their short conversation was then interrupted, when he heard the light sound of hoofsteps running up to the door, and a split second later, it swung open yet again with the sound of the bell chime.

Standing in the doorway now, Connor could only assume, was the illustrious owner of the Carousel Boutique herself. She was a unicorn mare like Twilight, but that was where the similarities ended, for her fur was a crisp, snowy white, and perfectly spotless save for the three azure diamond shapes adorning her flank. Also unique about her was the way her deep purple mane and tail bounced ever so slightly before settling into a wavy, curved, carefully coifed configuration. Finally, the pony’s royal blue eyes, masked underneath a light dusting of blue eyeshadow, seemed to shine with youthful vigor as they went to Twilight, and the mare launched right into conversation.

“Hello, Twilight!” she said as she greeted her friend, positively beaming with enthusiasm. “I must say, I wasn’t expecting--”

Suddenly, she noticed Connor was also standing at her doorstep, and her cheery smile gradually gave way to a look of mild concern. Whatever she was about to say was lost as she examined him, slowly looking him over as if she was unsure of quite how to react, which made Connor cringe inwardly just a bit under her scrutinizing gaze.

“Hi. You must be Rarity,” Connor said innocently, trying to break the ice.

He was holding out hope that this encounter too would go just as smoothly as his run-in with Mayor Mare. However, no response to his greeting was rapidly forthcoming, and there was a brief period where he was uncertain whether or not Rarity was going to space out just like her sister. But to her credit, she rebounded much more quickly than Sweetie did.

“Oh, um... Yes, that is correct,” Rarity said finally, slightly taken aback. She then turned to face Twilight. “Twilight, dear, would you care to explain?” she asked, clearly choosing to defer to her friend in a situation that was understandably beyond her grasp.

Twilight gave her a weary smile. “Of course, Rarity. His name’s Connor. I met him yesterday, and he’s gonna be staying in town for a while. I know he looks a little strange, but he’s okay once you get to know him.”

At her friend’s welcome reassurance, Rarity’s demeanor relaxed just a bit, though she still spoke cautiously. “I see. And where is he...” She paused, quickly shaking her head, then decided to address Connor directly. “My apologies; where are you from?”

“It’s a place called Amareica,” he responded casually, his former hesitance gradually disappearing with practice, as he was finding it increasingly easier to talk as the day wore on. “I’m not surprised if you haven’t heard of it. It’s really far away.”

“Amareica... You’re right, I haven’t heard of it. Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Rarity said genuinely, and the smile she sported earlier returned as she spoke once again to Twilight. “Now, darling, as much as I’m glad you stopped by, I get the feeling it wasn’t just to introduce me to your new friend.”

“Nothing gets past you, does it?” Twilight returned with a chuckle. “Actually, yes. There is a favor I wanted to ask you. If you’re not too busy, that is.”

“Oh, not at all, Twilight! I always have time for my friends.”

Twilight seemed visibly relieved. “That’s great! But first, can we come in? It seems kinda silly to stand around talking about it on your patio.”

“Of course, by all means! Right this way,” Rarity insisted, inviting them further into the boutique with a flick of her head as she turned to enter herself.

This is turning out easier than I expected, Connor thought to himself. Don’t screw this up now, just gotta play it cool. Let Twilight do all the talking.

Following the alabaster pony, Connor, followed by Twilight, stepped through the door and got his first good look at the inside of Rarity’s place of business. The primary thing that struck him was just how purple everything was. The floor of the boutique was the barest shade of mauve, but it might as well have been white in relation to the solid pink color of the walls and the richer crimson hues of the curtains that were stylistically draped around the room. Off to the right side was a small circular table, with papers and coloring implements scattered all around, surrounded by three full-body mirrors. Other than that, there wasn’t much else besides a door to the left, a hallway with some stairs leading off the side, and a couple of stands hosting more mirrors and baskets of styling tools. He also noticed that Sweetie Belle was apparently making herself scarce, but that wasn’t surprising, given her initial reaction.

And as Twilight closed the door with an application of magic, Rarity continued talking.

“I’m absolutely delighted you came to visit, by the way. As it happens, ever since that unfortunate fiasco at your brother’s wedding, there’s been a bit of a dry spell in terms of orders from Canterlot. And that dreadful ‘lightning spell’ or whatever you said it was certainly didn’t help matters at all.”

“Uhhh, heh heh... Yeah, I guess not.” Twilight looked off to the side as she uncomfortably rubbed one foreleg against the other.

“It’s been so terribly dull lately,” the white mare continued as she paced around the room. “Even trips to the spa start to feel stale when you’ve already gone four times in the past week. And since I have to stay here and watch Sweetie for the weekend, I’ve taken to rearranging my upstairs workroom for lack of anything better to do. It’s been simply driving me crazy.” Rarity complained heartily, holding a foreleg to her head in dramatic fashion.

She’s quite the drama queen, Connor thought dryly to himself as both he and Twilight listened to Rarity air her multitude of grievances for the better part of a minute. At one point though, she seemed to notice that either they were patiently waiting for her to finish, or that no expression of sympathy was going to be forthcoming. Only then did the debonair unicorn decide to cede the conversation to her guests.

“Ah... But enough about my problems,” she said with just a hint of modesty. “What was it you needed, darling?”

“Yeah, about that. It’s not so much what I need, but what he needs.” Twilight jerked her head in Connor’s direction. “Connor needs something else to wear, and as you can probably tell, he can’t just get new clothes from any old shop in Ponyville. So, I was wondering if...”

Rarity’s eyes widened by a degree, and almost took on a bit of a sparkle as Twilight talked. “If I could design something for him?” she interrupted with a tone of barely restrained anticipation.

“Yes, actually.” Twilight seemed thrown off slightly by her friend’s enthusiasm. “That is, if you didn’t mind, of course.”

“Would I mind?” Rarity asked, while her smile evolved into a full-on grin. “Of course not, Twilight! In fact, I’d be delighted! It will be a challenge, surely, but that’s exactly the kind of thing I need to pull myself out of the doldrums.”

She turned once again to Connor, and she looked him up and down, this time with a look of avid appraisal. “Yes, we’ll definitely be able to do something with this. Oh, it’s been ages since I made anything for a... well, for someone like you. Aside from Spike, of course, but designing for him is hardly stimulating. Don’t you worry, dear. Once we’re finished, I’ll have you looking absolutely fabulous. You’ll be the toast of the town!”

“Uh,” Connor answered her nervously. “Thanks... I think.”

“Thanks a lot, Rarity. I knew I could count on you,” Twilight said to her friend, who was now spiritedly humming as she pranced towards the door that led further into the boutique. “I have other errands to attend to, but I’ll be back later to see how everything’s going.”

“Wait, you’re leaving me here?” Connor asked the lavender mare as she turned to leave, a look of worry coming over him as he registered her comment.

“Relax, I’ll be back in around an hour.” She looked back at him with a smirk. “Trust me, Rarity knows what she’s doing. You couldn’t be in more capable hooves.”

“Okay, if you say so,” Connor responded, though not entirely convinced.

As he watched the only familiar face he had come to know in town open the front door with her magic and canter out with a declaration of “See you later!” his attention was diverted when Rarity loudly cleared her throat from the doorway to the other room.

“Right this way, dear. Let’s get started!” the white unicorn said with an obvious eagerness edged in her voice.

Connor gulped slightly. It wasn’t quite "Welcome to my parlor," but it was close enough.

“Now, take off your clothes.”

If Connor had been eating anything at the time, he surely would have choked. He hadn’t even spent ten seconds in the fashionista’s workroom before the scenario veered in a completely different direction.

“E-excuse me!?” he grimaced in disbelief at the fashion designer’s sudden and unexpected request. In return, she simply raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a serious expression from behind a pair of orange-reddish glasses she had recently put on.

“Well, I can’t get perfectly accurate measurements unless you do, now can I?”

“Wha... No! No, I’m not going to do that.”

“Whyever not?” Something about Rarity’s candid expression told him she was being completely serious.

“It isn’t obvious?” he asked dubiously, to which she responded by simply shaking her head. “Ugh. Look, I... I can’t believe I have to explain this,” he muttered lowly in disbelief, teetering on the edge of outright mortification. “I’m not stripping down to my boxers in front of a total stranger.”

“I simply don’t understand why it’s that much of an issue, unless you’re simply being modest.”

“I... I don’t...” Connor rubbed his forehead, already feeling the vanguard of another headache coming on. “I’m just gonna spell it out for you. You’re a pony. You have fur, which means that clothing is optional for you. I, however, do not. You see where I’m going with this?”

Connor watched as the shades of expression played out over Rarity’s face, from confusion, to careful contemplation, and finally, to understanding, as her cheeks flushed with a slight tinge of red at the connotations.

“Oh... Oh, I-I see. Yes, well... In that case, I can understand your... trepidation,” she bashfully admitted, pawing at the ground with a hoof as she tried to look for something serve as a distraction.

“Okay. Just so long as we’re on the same page.”

Connor felt a little bad at having to all but bash the mare over the head with the implication, but it served its purpose, putting the kibosh on a situation that had been rapidly turning out for the very, very awkward.

“Look, how about a compromise? I’ll take off my jacket and shoes, but that’s as far as it goes.”

“Yes, quite. Thank you,” Rarity said shortly. “Although, I do hope you don’t mind if the measurements aren’t exact.”

“Trust me,” Connor strained. “It’s not an issue.”

“Very well. Oh, but, one more thing, dear.”

“Yeah, what is it?” Connor asked while he shrugged out of his jacket.

“What are ‘boxers’?”

Connor let out a tired sigh as he fished around in his pockets for the bottle of painkillers Twilight had given him. He had the feeling he was going to need them.

And so it went for almost the whole session, though what transpired after the opening volley of awkwardness didn’t reach nearly as high on the scale.

The actual measuring consisted of Rarity going around with her tape measure held firmly in a blue field of telekinesis, taking and retaking sizes and writing down the results in a small notepad she kept close by. All the while trying to fill the silence by asking Connor an array of questions. Questions that were similar in style to the kind Twilight asked the day before, about himself and humans in general, though not nearly as in depth. But the conversation would, more often than not, turn to the topic of clothes or fashion.

Rarity, for one, was surprised to hear Connor’s admission that his current attire was not indicative of human trends in fashion, and was, in fact, nothing more than his sleepwear. This led, naturally, to the revelation that they were indeed the only clothes he had to his name at the moment, and that Rarity’s services were more necessary than she had been led to believe.

Connor found it especially difficult to explain away such an obvious lack of consistency without having to give away his big secret. In a last ditch effort, he took the easy way out and simply stated that he would rather not talk about it. This, thankfully, seemed to placate the Rarity on the subject -- for the time being, at least.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity but was in fact only about ten minutes, the mare rolled up her tape measure and placed it on a nearby table.

“Well, I think that’s everything.” Rarity nodded as she spoke, after another quick look through her notepad’s contents before setting it next to the measure.

Connor sighed with relief. “Great. So, I’m done here?”

“Not quite. There are just a few more things I need to know before I get to work.”

“Such as?”

“I would like your opinion on the finished product. Customer input is very important towards the design process. Within reason, of course,” she added, smiling at what must have been something of an inside joke.

“Okay, go ahead,” Connor said wearily, as he went about picking up his jacket and shoes from where he left them earlier.

“Firstly, what kind of ensemble do you usually wear? You know, unless you’d rather not talk about it,” asked Rarity, flashing him a sly smirk.

“Ha ha,” Connor responded humorlessly, before breathing in deep and thinking for a second. “Well, usually it’s not too much different from what I’m wearing now. Just swap out the pajamas for a pair of blue denim jeans, and the T-shirt usually has some witty comment written on it. And my jacket, usually.”

On that topic, for a moment, Connor wished that he could’ve shown some foresight before he stumbled into another dimension, and gone out wearing one of his shirts that said, in big, simple letters, "I’m really excited to be here." Oh, the irony.

“I see...” Rarity commented, clearly not impressed by Connor’s fashion sense -- or lack thereof.

“I know what you’re thinking, but I’m just not very picky when it comes to clothes.”

“Obviously not,” the mare deadpanned, though Connor was content to let that comment slide. “Well, moving on. What kind of color scheme do you usually find yourself drawn to?”

“Uhhh, let’s see...” Connor thought for a spell, momentarily thrown off by the question. “I’m usually a fan of dark blue, kinda like my coat. I also like a sort of, you know, black and blue kinda thing, I guess.”

Rarity clucked her tongue in response to the somewhat poorly worded statement. “Oh, no. Trust me, darling, you are not a cool color. What you need is something bright. Something bold, that complements and contrasts your natural colors. Hmm... Contrast...”

Connor had no idea what she was rambling on about, but she at least appeared to know what she was doing when her horn suddenly flared to life, and a bulky roll of bleached white fabric edged out from a cabinet on the far side of the room. She held the cloth in her magic field as she floated it in front of Connor, mumbling incoherently to herself and making mental notes.

“Hmm. Let’s see if maybe...” Rarity trailed off as another bundle of fabric joined the first one, this time colored an inky black. For a few seconds, she levitated both items in a seemingly haphazard fashion, bunching it in some places and forming overlapping patterns while Connor waited patiently, chewing on the inside of his lip. “Yes, that might work. Needs a bit of color, though. Yellow? No, no, no. Too flashy. Maybe...”

The white and black were soon accompanied by a deep red, and all three of the rolls floated in front of the unicorn like she was weighing and comparing pieces of fruit at a supermarket.

“Yes. Mmmhmm, with that taken into account... and with that design... Some stitch-work around the edges... Yes. Yes! Eureka!” The fashionista’s sudden outburst started Connor out of his stupor.

“I take it you have something?”

“Indeed I do! The perfect blend of casual and striking. Form and function. Oh, you’re going to absolutely love it, darling! But now your part is done. I need my privacy in order to work,” she said excitedly while the workroom became a flurry of activity. Connor ducked reflexively as a pair of razor-sharp scissors whizzed past his head, and other measuring devices, sewing implements, and all kinds of cloth materials were brought out of the cabinets and circling around, all managed by Rarity’s horn.

“The idea is there but it won’t be for long! I must strike while the iron is hot! Now, out with you. Out, out, out!” Rarity suddenly threw open the workroom door, and not very subtly started shoving him in its direction with both front hooves on his back.

“Alright! Jeez, I’m going, I’m going! Don’t push!” Connor yelled as he stumbled forwards and out past the door’s threshold, whereupon it suddenly slammed shut behind him with a loud bang. “Man, what got into her?” he asked sorely as he massaged the spots on his back where the unicorn’s hooves had rather forcefully served to vacate him from the room.

Connor closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose, exhaling it in a loud sigh. Well, at least it’s over with.

“Now what do I do?”

Bending and stretching to work out the kinks from standing still for so long, he took another glance around the boutique, but dismayed at finding no chairs or benches to rest on. “Guess it’s the floor, then,” he said with a sigh, as he walked over to the part of the foyer taken up by the round table and mirrors.

With a grunt, he set himself down, propped up against the short table, and with a lack of anything better to do, started biting his fingernails while thinking about ways to whittle away the hour until Twilight returned. His iPod came to mind, but he dismissed that notion almost immediately. While he would’ve liked nothing more than to waste some time playing a few rounds of Angry Birds, he figured it really wasn’t worth draining the battery for the sake of his own boredom.

Looking off to the side, he noticed the papers and coloring implements scattered across the table and saw that one of the sheets had a drawing on it. He picked it up, chuckling at the crudely drawn image of what were apparently three ponies on a background of grass, trees, and some misshapen houses that would make Escher proud. One of the pony-shaped objects sported colors that were similar to Sweetie’s, so he assumed she must have been the artist.

“Heh. Cute,” he remarked before setting the paper back down. Just then, there was a very small movement that he saw out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head just in time to notice a hint of something small and white pull itself behind the dividing wall between the foyer and hallway.

Aww, look who it is, Connor thought, assuming the individual who was now hiding just out of sight to be Rarity’s little sister, who until this point had yet to show herself since he had walked in the door. Her actions weren’t all that surprising, frankly, and Connor felt he could sympathize with the little girl who must have been intimidated -- yet at the same time surely curious -- about the alien in her sister’s home.

Well, it’s something, at least. Connor figured that if he could engage the kid in a conversation, it would be way more interesting than staring at the ceiling for an hour. And besides, he could use the practice. “Hey, Sweetie Belle, right?” he asked in a tone that he hoped was disarming. But after waiting a few seconds, there was no reply from behind the wall. “I know you’re there.”

Connor groaned inwardly. God, I hope that didn’t sound creepy.

Regardless, this attempt was no more successful at coaxing out the shy filly than the last one. At a loss, Connor crossed his arms and pitched his head forwards with a sigh. It was then that he again noticed the drawing on the table, and it gave him an idea.

“Hey, is this drawing yours?” he asked, picking up the paper and holding it up. “It’s really nice. I like it.”

...Still nothing.

Now he was starting to doubt if there was actually anyone behind the wall, the idea that he had only imagined what he saw now seeming distinctly plausible. If so, Connor figured he must have looked pretty stupid talking into thin air, and he was about to simply give up entirely and find something else to do.

So one could imagine the pleasant surprise in store, when the pink and mulberry swirl of Sweetie’s mane inched its way out into the open, stopping when about half of her face was left hanging in view. The filly blinked a few times, her one exposed eye betraying the unsure nature of her response.

“Um... thanks?” she piped up meekly, in a soft tone of voice Connor had to strain in order to hear.

That’s adorable. Connor marveled at how the timid filly’s demeanor served to enhance the near epic levels of cuteness of the situation. But he couldn’t let himself get distracted. Bolstered by his success at luring Sweetie from her hiding place, he would have to capitalize on it by keeping the conversation relevant to her.

“You’re welcome. Now, if this one here is supposed to be you,” he said, pointing to the version of her on the drawing. “...then who are the other two?”

“Those are my friends. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo,” the filly explained, taking exactly two tiny steps forward.

“Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Alright. Sooooo--”

“What do you want?” the filly interrupted brusquely, causing Connor to draw back slightly at the nature of her remark.

“What? Who said I wanted anything? I’d just like to talk, that’s all,” he said, injecting a bit of a hurt tone into his words.

“Oh... Sorry.” Sweetie looked down and scuffed a hoof on the floor. “It’s just, whenever most ponies wanna talk to a filly like me, it’s just ‘cause they want something.”

Connor smirked. “Well, I’m not most ponies, but I think that goes without saying.”

“Heehee.” Sweetie let out a bubbly little giggle at his attempt to be humorous.

Now we’re getting somewhere, Connor thought, emboldened. “So whatcha been up to today? Just staying inside with your sister?”

Sweetie’s small smile fell into a glum straight line as she glanced over to the door that led to Rarity’s workroom, behind which the tack-tack sound of a sewing machine was now rattling away. “Yeah, pretty much,” she said with a sigh, and shifted to sit down on her flank.

“Sounds like you two don’t get along that well.”

“Oh, it’s not like that! Rarity’s, like, the best sister ever!” the filly asserted. “It’s just... well, she’s not a whole lot of fun when she gets into one of her ‘moods.’” Sweetie punctuated the last word by mimicking air quotes with her hooves, which Connor found strangely amusing.

“I can imagine. Well, what about your friends? It’s a nice day outside -- actually, it’s a really nice day outside. You could be out having fun with them.”

The unicorn filly shook her head. “Not today. Apple Bloom’s busy helping her brother and sister up at Sweet Apple Acres, and Scootaloo...” She looked off to the side, her face scrunched up in annoyance. “Scootaloo’s parents grounded her for the weekend.”

“Oh, no!” Connor brought his hands to his face in mock surprise. “What horrible thing did she do to deserve that?”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes with a grin. “She rode her scooter into the neighbor’s rose bushes, after they told her, like, a billion times not to practice near other pony’s houses.”

“That sucks. So you got nothing to do all day and you’re stuck inside with Rarity?”

“Yup, that's right,” she agreed, before her forelegs gave out beneath her, and she flopped to the ground like a popped balloon. “It’s soooo booooring.”

“I know what that feels like,” Connor said, propping his head up with his arm on the table. “You don’t have a TV?”

Sweetie gave him a strange look. “What’s a ‘teevee’?”

“Didn’t think so. What about a radio?”

She shook her head. “Nuh uh. Rarity doesn’t like having one around the boutique. Says they’re a ‘distraction.’”

“Huh,” Connor said, scratching his chin and looking around the room. “Well, hey, we have paper and we have crayons. I’m sure there are a couple games we could play.”

“Games?” the filly said inquisitively as her small ears perked right up and she raised her head off the floor.

Bingo.

Sure, he looked pretty weird. And acted pretty weird, too. Actually, pretty much everything about Connor struck Sweetie Belle as more than a bit odd. Including a feeling he gave her that the unicorn filly couldn’t quite place, niggling at the back of her mind like one of those annoying itches at the base of your tail that you want to scratch but you just can’t quite reach. But after just a few minutes spent talking and playing with the stranger, her initial misgivings quickly fell away. Some time after their fifth or sixth round of Tic-Tac-Toe, she couldn’t even remember why she felt so intimidated before.

She supposed it helped that she had taken the opportunity to eavesdrop on the stranger and her sister when they were doing whatever it was they were doing in her workroom. She almost tripped herself trying to scramble away when the door suddenly opened with her ear pressed firmly against it, but she managed to gather as much intelligence as she could about Connor before Rarity forced him out. She had never even heard of a place called Amareica, or "humans" for that matter. Those parts sounded more than a bit suspicious to the inquisitive filly, and she thought that perhaps she could ask Miss Cheerilee about it in class the next day. Her favorite teacher knew a lot of stuff like that.

But after spending the better part of an hour keeping each other company in the main room of the boutique, Sweetie was almost feeling bad for having spied on him... Almost. Especially since Connor seemed to be making an honest effort to keep them both entertained with a bunch of simple games, some of which she had never played before. And honestly, she could tell there were times when he was intentionally letting her win, though she kept her muzzle shut whenever she suspected him of doing so.

They carried on this way for almost an hour, though it only seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. The end of their activities came when, after a prolonged period of relative silence from Rarity’s workroom, the door suddenly swung open, and out walked Ponyville’s premier fashion designer, who took slow, heavy steps that showed her tired state. She even appeared to be sweating just a little, and a length of tape measure hung limply around her neck like a wet noodle.

“It... is... complete!” she gasped out, suddenly standing up on her hind hooves and gracefully falling to the side just as a puffy red couch, enveloped in a blue aura, appeared from nowhere and slid perfectly into place to catch her.

“Are you alright?” Connor asked, standing up and looking worried about Rarity’s apparent state of exhaustion.

Sweetie, on the other hoof, just brought a hoof to her face and shook her head, embarrassed. “She’s fine. She’s always doing stuff like this.”

“I do not!” Rarity retorted, opening one eye to glare at her younger sister while she remained on the couch with her legs splayed out around her. “Well, not always.”

“So where is it? What does it look like?” Connor asked the fashionista.

“Go see for yourself, darling. I left everything on the table in there, you can’t miss it.” Rarity waved a hoof in the direction of her workroom. “Go on, hurry up and change! I can’t wait to see how it looks on you.”

“Alright, alright,” Connor said with a chuckle. “Don’t need to tell me twice.”

And with that, the human walked over to the open doorway and slid inside, closing it shut behind him and leaving Sweetie and her sister to themselves in the foyer.

Rarity propped herself up and turned her attention back to Sweetie Belle. “So, what have you two been up to while I was busy working?”

“Oh, nothing special. Just playin’ some games,” she said dismissively as reached over and grabbed one of the papers on the table, holding it up for her sister to see. It was almost completely covered in boxed grids randomly filled in with numbers. “He was showing me how to play something called ‘sue-doe-kew,’ whatever that means. I didn’t get it, though. He wasn’t really good at explaining it.”

Rarity was watching intently as Sweetie put down that paper and picked up another one, this time scrawled upon with a bunch of circles, straight lines and blank spaces where the human had her guess which letters made up the word he had in mind.

“And this one he called ‘Hangman.’ Beats me what these lines are for, but you take turns coming up with a word and have the other player guess the letters. That one was fun! Connor knows a lot of big words.”

Her enthusiasm caused Rarity to light up with a warm smile. “Well, I’m glad to see you’ve made a new friend, Sweetie. It’s so nice of you to help him feel welcome.” she said contentedly, causing Sweetie to beam at the praise.

Just then, the casual back-and-forth was suddenly interrupted by a trio of knocks at the front door.

“Oh, that must be Twilight, how convenient! Come in, darling!” Rarity called out, raising her voice so that it would carry through the door. Soon after, it swung open with an application of purple magic and the tinkling of the door chime, and in walked the lavender mare.

“Hello, girls. I’m here to pick up our friend,” she said chipperly, looking around the boutique to spot her bipedal companion. “Speaking of whom, where is he?”

“He’s in there, changing into the outfit I just finished up,” Rarity explained, nodding to the workroom. “Oh, it’s such an extraordinary ensemble, Twilight. Considering what I had to work with, I do believe I’ve outdone myself.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Rarity. Thanks again for doing this, I really appreciate it.”

“Think nothing of it dear, it was my pleasure.”

Jeez... There’s such a thing as being too polite, Sweetie thought sardonically as she watched the two close friends jabber on about this and that. It only made her wish she could hang out with the other Crusaders even more.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Twilight said suddenly before looking back at one of her saddlebags and using her magic to flip it open, and what appeared to be a brightly colored flyer levitated itself out. “I found this taped to your door.”

“What is it? Let me see,” Rarity inquired as she brought herself off her couch with a slight grunt of effort and trotted over to where her friend was standing.

“Me too! I wanna see too!” Sweetie joined in, and the three of them crowded around the paper as Twilight held it up for them to see. Printed in bright pink, blue and yellow, and featuring a reasonable facsimile of Connor wearing a party hat and surrounded by balloons, it read:

You are hereby invited to Connor the connor’s ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party! Planned and prepared by Ponyville’s premier party planner, the perpetually pleasant, positively perky, Pinkie Pie! There will be punch, pie, party poppers, and much, much more, so don’t miss out!

Tonight! Applejack’s barn, at seven o'clock sharp!

“A welcoming party for Connor? So soon?” Rarity remarked.

“I know, right? Pinkie definitely works fast,” Twilight agreed, placing the invitation down on the table. “I would imagine Fluttershy and Rainbow would’ve gotten theirs by now too.”

“A party at Applejack’s? That means Apple Bloom’s prolly gonna be there! Can I come, please, Rarity? Can I? Can I?” Sweetie was practically jumping in place with wide-eyed enthusiasm.

Her little sister’s antics causing her to stifle a snicker, Rarity couldn’t help but acquiesce. “Oh, I don’t see why not. But we’ll have to be home before it gets too late. Don’t forget, you have school in the morning.”

“Yay!” The filly reared back in excitement. Her outlook on the day had already ticked upwards earlier, and this was just icing on the cake. And most definitely, there would be cake in the near future.

Just then, there was the sound of a latch turning, and all three ponies took notice when the door to the workroom inched open just barely.

“Hey, sounds like you guys are having fun out there,” came Connor’s voice from beyond the threshold. “And did I hear Twilight just now?”

“That’s right, I just got here,” the lavender unicorn said back. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, just gimme a few seconds.”

“Don’t take too long, darling. I’m positively tingling with excitement!” said Rarity, and from the tone of her voice, she probably was.

“Yeah, yeah.” The ponies could hear Connor take a deep breath and exhale. “Welp, here goes.”

Twilight, Rarity and Sweetie Belle backed away from the door and waited a few seconds before, with a gentle nudge, it creaked fully open, and out stepped Connor wearing an outfit that was strikingly different than the clothes he was wearing previously.

Instead of the light pajama bottoms from before, on his legs he now sported something resembling a long pair of jeans, dark blue and stitched together in such a way that they appeared to be cut from the same length of denim, though they still looked crisp and well made.

On his upper body, he had traded in his plain white shirt for one of solid black, and instead of the jacket he had worn coming in, the coat he wore now was quite obviously where a majority of the design took place. Slightly bulky, yet formfitting, the garment was some kind of vest, with a zipper down the front, that alternated between a white as clean as driven snow, and a deep red, stylized flame pattern that licked its way across the edges on the bottom and the sleeves. Along the borders of the design was a gold-colored filament that made the rich hues pop out, almost as if they were in motion. To finish it off, around the back of the neck there was a thick hood, colored the same red as the embroidered fire and connected to two woven tassels that dangled around the front, each topped with a single gleaming sapphire the size of a marble.

Though Rarity was the only one who audibly gasped in beholding the scene, the other two ponies were still pretty impressed with her hoofiwork, and in the quiet, Connor nervously stuffed his hands into his new coat’s pockets, waiting for somepony to say something. And that somepony would just so happen to be Sweetie.

“That’s really... cooooool.”

“Heh, you think so?” Connor responded, reaching up to scratch his head. “Yeah. I agree, it is pretty awesome.”

“‘Awesome’ doesn’t nearly do it justice, darling. It looks absolutely marvelous, if I do say so myself.”

“It definitely looks fancy,” Twilight commented. “How does it fit?”

“Oh, it fits perfectly,” Connor said, shifting around in his new outfit before turning to address the designer. “It’s really great. I love it, thank you. And thanks for including socks and a new pair of boxers. That was really thoughtful.”

Rarity returned the compliment with a graceful nod of her head. “You don’t know how pleased I am to hear you say that. Customer satisfaction is my number one concern.”

“Well, consider this customer satisfied.” Connor blinked a few times before sudden realization dawned on his face. “Oh, crap, I just realized I don’t have anything to pay you with.”

But Rarity just shook her head, her styled mane bouncing back and forth as she did so. “I never expected any kind of payment, dear. This was a favor for a friend in need; nothing more, nothing less.”

“Wow. That’s really generous of you.”

“Yes... I suppose it is,” Rarity added with a knowing smile.

“Well, I’m gonna go grab my old stuff, then I guess we’ll be taking off,” Connor said as he went back into the workroom for a few moments, coming out with the rest of his clothes wrapped up in the bundle of his old jacket.

“I’ll take care of those,” Twilight told him, using her magic to snatch up the bundle and stuffing it into one of the bags she wore around her midsection. Securing the straps while nodding to herself, she then turned back to Sweetie and Rarity one more time as Connor walked over to her side. “Thanks again, Rarity. I guess I’ll see you girls later tonight?”

“We’ll definitely be there,” the ivory unicorn replied with a smile. “Take care, you two.”

“See ya later, Connor!” Sweetie piped up, enthusiastically waving a hoof. “Thanks for playin’ with me!”

“No problem. Catch you later,” the human said with a wave goodbye to the two sisters, before he turned to follow Twilight out the front door of the boutique. As they moved further away, and before Rarity could get around to closing the door, the two unicorns could hear a brief snippet of the duo’s conversation.

“So, what’s happening later tonight?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot... Pinkie’s party?”

“Oh, pfft. Duh. Completely forgot about that.”

And with the sound of the door chime, the two of them went out of sight and hearing. Rarity gave a contented sigh before trotting over next to her little sister. “I never would’ve guessed the day would happen to take such an... interesting turn.”

“I’ll say!” said Sweetie, looking up at her sibling. “I can’t wait for the party. It’s gonna be so much fun.” And in her own mind, Sweetie allowed herself a private, humorous thought:

Scootaloo’s really gonna be kicking herself for getting grounded when she finds out what she’s missing.

The hustle and bustle of the Ponyville Markets on most days could reliably be considered "lively," but the activity of this day in particular happened to take on a very specific kind of flavor. As Twilight had accurately described earlier, the details surrounding the ponies’ newest and strangest guest had spread through the town like a wildfire riding a tidal wave of gossip. So it would have come as no particular surprise to the market-goers upon seeing the stranger from the far-off land of Amareica casually strolling past the stalls, not far behind the town’s librarian and oftentimes savior from certain destruction, Twilight Sparkle.

But what would probably seem most surprising was the fact that Connor didn’t particularly mind this at all -- at least, not as much as he would have, given the circumstances. Now having had two successful encounters with the locals -- or three, counting Sweetie Belle -- he was feeling pretty confident in his ability to handle the situation, even if he still wasn’t eager enough to go out of his way and meet new ponies on the side of the street.

Of course, having something shiny to distract him helped to a certain degree.

“I still can’t believe this is a real sapphire,” he commented, holding up one of the braided tassels of his brand-new hooded jacket and bringing the shining blue jewel topping the end up to catch the glint of the sunlight.

“It shouldn’t be too surprising, given that hunting for gemstones is Rarity’s special talent,” Twilight responded, finding it slightly amusing that the human found the simple gem as entrancing as he did. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised those two are the only ones she used. Most of the time her outfits are more jewels than fabric,” she added with a smirk.

“Not that I’m complaining either way. I have to hand it to her, she really knows her stuff. I feel like such a badass wearing this,” Connor said as he gave his attire another once-over, admiring the fact that, regardless of Rarity’s assertions, it seemed to fit him perfectly. And despite it not being anything like he had imagined, he had to admit that the whole ensemble was probably the coolest thing he could see himself wearing -- in this, or any other world.

Twilight merely gave a short snicker and shook her head, while Connor diverted his attention from the tassels and started toying around with the front zipper.

“Sooo, what’s next for today?” he asked blithely, and the purple unicorn looked back up at him with a curious expression, mildly surprised at his recent change in attitude.

“You sure seem to be in a good mood. This morning you were a nervous wreck, and now you can’t seem to keep that ridiculous grin off your face.”

Reacting to her words, Connor made a conscious effort to relax his jaw muscles, but wasn’t quite able to achieve the desired poker face. “Why? Is there a problem with that?” he joked back.

Twilight shook her head. “No, no problem at all. In fact, it’s refreshing to see.”

“What can I say?” Connor shrugged. “I just feel... happy, for some reason. I don’t know, maybe it’s just that all the bright colors are starting to get to me.”

“Or maybe it’s the fact that you’re making friends and enjoying it?”

“...Could be,” he reluctantly replied, still not quite ready to admit that the purple bookworm could be right about that too. “What’s with the analyzing my behavior all of a sudden? Who do you think you are, Counselor Troi?” he attempted to deflect.

“What are you talking about?” Twilight queried, obviously thrown off by the reference. Deflection successful.

“Oh, nothing. It’d take too long to explain.”

Twilight huffed in annoyance, before sagely deciding to not get worked up by it and move on. “Anyways, I was thinking that--”

“Twilight! Twilight!”

The mare cut off suddenly as her ears perked up in the direction of someone who was desperately shouting her name.

Both human and pony looked about the market, trying to locate the source of the lilting, slightly accented male voice that was clamoring for her attention. Twilight saw him first: a chestnut-colored stallion with a spiky brown mane galloping towards them at a steady clip. But what was far more interesting than his fur color -- and Connor took note of this as well upon following Twilight’s gaze -- was the absolutely outlandish getup he was wearing. And Connor would have guessed that this was even by pony standards.

Across his chest, the stallion was wearing a crisp, white, button-down shirt along with a short-sleeved, leathery brown vest, complete with an array of pockets, a side-mounted pouch, and, of all things, a bright red bow tie. Above his eyes, which were a cold, dark blue and seemed to contain a deep sense of urgency, was a pair of large goggles strapped around his ears. And along one of his forelegs appeared to be some sort of band, containing an intricate timepiece and a small rod with a softly glowing crystal top strapped to the inside. As for the rest of the pony’s body, it was uncovered, displaying the stallion’s cutie mark: an upright hourglass, with the sands trapped in mid-fall.

The mysterious newcomer wasted no time in running straight up to the pair, stopping just short of ramming into them and breathlessly exclaiming while his eyes darted between the two, before settling on the unicorn.

“Twilight! This is very important. You need to tell me what’s going on, right now!” the unnamed pony demanded, casting a quick glance at Connor, who recoiled slightly under his intense expression.

“Uh... I’m sorry?” Twilight backed up a step, clearly confused and intimidated by what was happening. “Do I know you?”

“Twilight, really,” the stallion huffed impatiently. “This is no time to be playing-- What did you just say?”

“I said, I have no idea who you are,” she stressed, obviously not amused by the chestnut pony’s brash behavior. “You obviously know who I am, but you’re a complete stranger to me. And I think I would remember meeting somepony so... distinctive.”

The hourglass-marked equine’s expression fell into openmouthed disbelief almost instantly, and he stammered for a bit before gathering his bearings. “B-but Twilight, it-it’s me. The Do-- I-I mean, Doctor Clockwork,” he hastily corrected himself as he looked around his surroundings.

“Doctor who?”

Twilight’s perfectly innocent question sparked an unbidden series of snickers from Connor, drawing the attention of both ponies as he tried to play off the fact that they wouldn’t understand even if he had tried to explain the joke.

“Oh, sorry. Heheh. Ah, don’t mind me. It’s, ah... It’s nothing,” he played it off, sniffing loudly and looking away while trying to mask his grin.

The stallion looked at him curiously, before apparently deciding that his issue with Twilight was immediately more important.

“But that’s impossible... Unless...” Doctor Clockwork trailed off as his expression grew intense and deadly serious. “Twilight, what year is this?”

“Excuse me?” she responded, dubious.

“The date, Twilight. Give me the date.”

“It’s 1002 C.R. How could you not know that?”

Clockwork’s face went blank. “That’s... correct. But if you never... And if I... a-and he...” the stallion started to mumble incoherently, his eyes jumping erratically between Connor, Twilight, and the watch-like object he wore around his leg. “If that’s the case, then... Oh, dear. Perhaps that turbulence was a little worse than I thought.”

Both Connor and Twilight watched as the eccentric doctor was apparently having some kind of nervous breakdown, staring off into space and muttering some unintelligible scientific-sounding nonsense. After a while, though, he seemed to remember where he was, his head snapping back to attention and addressing his very confused audience.

“I, um... appear to have the wrong mare. Terribly sorry. Carry on. As you were!” he rambled out before swiftly turning on the spot and running off in the direction he had come. After a few paces, he suddenly stopped to take one last look at the two of them, though giving slightly more attention to Connor. He then blinked and shook his head roughly, mumbling something along the lines of “No time. No time!” before continuing on and disappearing into the crowd.

And just like that, the mysterious stallion was gone.

Twilight, for one, was nearly speechless. “I... I don’t even... What?” she asked to no-one in particular, her face scrunched up in a concerted effort to make sense of what had just transpired.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Connor was inclined to agree.

“I don’t understand. What was he talking about? Half of the things he said made absolutely no sense.” She puzzled, deep in thought, before turning up to face Connor. “And the way he spoke... It was like he didn’t just know who I was, but like he knew me personally.”

Connor gave a defeated shrug and let out a puff of air. “Beats me. Maybe he was just nuts. Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.”

“I don’t think so... but I suppose it’s possible. Still, I’ll be sure to ask this ‘Clockwork’ about it if I ever see him again. Right now there are more important things to do,” Twilight said with a nod and a final look off into the crowd where the chestnut stallion had disappeared. She then turned on the spot and continued trotting on their original path.

“And that’s it?” Connor questioned as he fell into place behind her. “A possibly crazy person in a steampunk outfit yells at you for a couple minutes and you just brush it off? If that kind of thing had happened to me, I’d be looking around for those nice men with the straightjackets.”

“Well, there’s really not much I can do about it now. And besides, stranger stuff has happened in Ponyville.”

“Really? Like what?” the human asked, and a second later followed with an addendum. “Besides the Nightmare Moon thing, obviously.”

Twilight let out a short laugh. “Well, did I ever tell you about the time the whole town was almost eaten by a swarm of gumball-sized insects?”

“You have to be kidding... Continue.”

“...and then it turned out that by the time we got there, Rarity had them practically eating out of her hooves! They were even calling her ‘Miss Rarity,’ can you believe that?” Twilight almost breathlessly explained in between whittling away at the basket of hay fries on the table in front of her.

As it happened, Twilight had been ahead of schedule for the day, so it was much to Connor’s agreement that she decided to take a short break at one of the local cafes and get a quick bite to eat. Along the way, she had been relaying to him some of the more illustrious adventures shared by her and her friends over the years.

“Well, having experienced her firsthand, I’m not finding it too difficult,” Connor said in response, while taking a sip from his own tall glass of lemonade.

“Heheh... yeah. Afterwards, Spike was so disappointed that he didn’t get to play the brave hero rescuing his damsel in distress.” Twilight sighed contentedly, thinking back on the memory fondly.

Man, her and her friends get into a lot of crazy stuff together, Connor remarked inwardly, while also thinking it was really charming how the normally straightlaced and serious Twilight Sparkle got all warm and sentimental whenever she started talking about her friends.

“Alright, bit of an off topic here,” he led on after contemplatively staring through his glass at the scenery, and continued after Twilight gave an affirmative nod. “So, I’ve been hearing an awful lot -- mostly around the castle, you know -- about some big fancy wedding that happened a week ago. And then just today, your friend Rarity mentions your brother getting married. Am I right in assuming the two aren’t unrelated?”

“Yup. Shining Armor -- that’s my brother, by the way -- got himself married to the... well, to one of the most wonderful ponies I’ve ever met: Princess Cadence.”

That last comment made Connor sit up straight in his stool. “Whoa. Slow down, there. You’re saying your brother married a princess? Like Celestia?”

“Celestia’s niece, actually.” Twilight looked at him funny, as if puzzled why he would find this of particular importance. “You seem awfully surprised by this.”

Connor scoffed. “And you aren’t?”

“No, why would I be?”

“Uh, hello? You’re related to royalty!”

“I guess so. Not directly. In any case, why should it matter?”

“It... Well... Huh, I don’t know. I just thought that it would,” Connor admitted, thrown off by Twilight’s utter lack of superficiality on the subject, as if she really didn’t care as much about the status of her extended family.

“Well, it doesn’t. Cadence is such an amazing and sweet pony, and my brother is happier than ever. I’m more than glad she’s a part of my family, and it doesn't matter if she’s a princess or not.”

“Wow,” Connor said, touched by the sincerity and resolve in the unicorn’s statement, and unexpectedly, he found himself respecting her that much more for it. “She really sounds great. Your family must feel really lucky.”

“Yeah... we do,” Twilight said softly, and in the strangely awkward silence that followed, started to lightly push around her half-empty basket of hay fries with her hoof. After a while, she spoke up again. “Say, what’s your family like? I don’t think I’ve heard you mention them once.”

And with good reason. Connor stiffened suddenly at the mention of his family, and just like that, the fragile veneer of lightheartedness he had been feeling fell away like a flower wilting under the harsh light of the sun. Now he couldn’t help but think about the fact that, in spite of how well things were going, he was still trapped in a desperate situation with only the chance of remediation, and the thought of the people he had left behind only served to drive the point home. This was physically reflected in his features as his shoulders sagged and he looked off to the side despondently, while Twilight took notice and added up the result instantly.

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry! Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to... If you’d rather, we can talk about something else.”

Connor took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, not faulting the purple unicorn for her innocent mistake, and not willing to let the circumstances change the fact that, for everything she was doing for him, she at least deserved an answer.

“No, it’s alright, really. I just... wasn’t expecting that.” He picked up his drink and took another slow sip before placing it back on the table. “Well, let’s see... I have a brother, like you. His name’s Brian, and he’s three years older than I am. It’s funny... He was always doing that older brother thing and calling me out whenever I did something stupid -- which was often, when we were kids. Oh, if only he knew...” Connor chuckled weakly, shaking his head. Twilight stayed silent and still, listening patiently.

“No other siblings, but both my parents, thankfully. Other than that, I have like, a dozen uncles and aunts, God knows how many cousins, and some of the nicest grandparents you’d ever meet.” He paused, having to swallow a lump in his throat before continuing. “I even have a great-grandma still. Ninety-eight years old if you can believe that.”

He had to stop there, choking off the words, as simply talking about them now was almost too hard to bear. It took everything he had not to break down right out in the open, and he breathed deeply and shakily, closing his eyes and bringing a hand up to his forehead in an attempt to gather his wits about him. But he opened his eyes suddenly afterwards, when he felt something hard and warm touch his other hand lying in front of him.

It was Twilight, reaching out a hoof in comfort from across the table. Her face was a mask of stoicism, but her eyes, though a tad watery, held within them a steely determination.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be back with them soon enough, I’m sure of it. And don’t you go thinking otherwise,” she said plainly and with conviction.

Connor let the words sink in gradually, working up just enough effort to sniff loudly and blink away the moisture in his eyes before it could manifest. “Thanks... I needed that,” he muttered after a while.

Twilight nodded stoically and brought back her hoof. Meanwhile, Connor, very much yearning for the kind of day he was having before this unpleasant detour, made a concerted effort to lighten the mood. “Well, that went to a bad place for a second there. I could definitely use something distracting right about now.”

It wasn’t quite "Sorry, lost the happy. But the happy’s back!" but it was a start, at least.

“I’m sure we can find something,” Twilight pitched in, and Connor could sense her eagerness to put what just happened behind them as well. “There’s still some stuff on my to-do list. Or we could stop by the library and drop off your old clothes if you prefer.”

“Whatever works for you. Remember, I’m just tagging along.”

“Great. Just gimme a minute to finish off my fries. There are only a couple left, are you sure you don’t want to try one?” she offered, holding the basket out in front of her.

“No thanks. I can imagine well enough,” Connor said, managing to crack a smile, and imagining that, whatever they tasted like, it would be more comparable to a bag of yard trimmings than actual french fries.

As Twilight proceeded to get her snack out of the way, Connor stood up from his seated position to take a long stretch and a yawn, before bending over and picking up his own refreshment. As he tilted the glass back to empty it of the rest of its contents, however, he started to hear something... peculiar, just within the range of his hearing.

Not quite able to place what it was, he cocked his head to the side, trying to get a better read on the sound that was slowly but surely gaining in volume and definition. It almost sounded like... music. Like someone was singing.

“Do you hear that?” he asked Twilight, who noted the puzzled expression on his face.

“Hear what?”

“It’s music, I think. Is there a radio playing nearby?”

“Hmm... I don’t think so.”

Connor looked around, trying to find whatever direction the intangible tones were originating from. It happened gradually, but the sounds of conversation from the nearby patrons of the cafe happened to diminish to the point where he could make out the words of the song... and the yellow-coated mare that was singing them.

Her puffy orange mane swinging about as she tilted her head with the lyrics, the green-eyed pony cantered slowly across the road some distance away from the cafe, apparently lost in her own world as she sang with a rich, honeyed voice.

Every single day, the same arrangement,
Take the bits and close the sell.
Flash a little smile, small talk and entertainment.
“How are you today?”
“Hope you’re feeling well.”

But now everything’s changed.
Yes, nothing’s quite the same.
Ever since the day he came
To my humble carrot staaaand!

He should have been another customer, just another face.
But with just two words, he set my heart to ra~ace!

“Twilight, are you seeing this? She’s just singing. Out in the open!”

“Looks like it. I had no idea Golden Harvest had such a nice singing voice,” the unicorn candidly remarked.

“That’s all you can say?” Connor gave her an inquisitive look. “You don’t at least think it’s weird that she’s singing about her crush in public?”

“Nope.”

Her one word denouncement served to stun Connor into silence, and he could only watch now as, miraculously, the tone of the song picked up a beat and Golden Harvest‘s voice rose ever higher.

And Connor had to take off his glasses and clean them in order to make sure he was seeing properly, when out of the background came three unassuming stallions... who also began to sing out in perfect pitch and clarity.

“Oh, no. Please, please don’t tell me this is turning into a musical number.”

But the human would end up being sorely disappointed as the three stallions, soon joined by yet more candy-colored ponies, fell into lockstep behind the mare with the orange mane, serenading all in the vicinity with a timing that had to be anything but spontaneous.

“Okay, I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff in the past few days but what I’m seeing now is literally impossible.”

Things like this don’t just happen. he tried to reassure himself in the face of such blatant surreality. Not in real life. This has to be some kind of joke, like a flash mob. It has to be.

As the chorus ended and the song picked up in tempo, all eyes in the area went to the one pony who was quite literally stealing the show. And while Connor’s were the only ones that displayed anything but casual interest, he made one startling realization as he witnessed the choral procession.

Oh, God... They’re coming this way.

And that was when the instruments kicked in.

The Third Day: Ain't No Party Like a Pinkie Pie Party

You Do (Not) Belong

The Third Day: Ain't No Party Like a Pinkie Pie Party

The door to the Golden Oak Library swung open with a slight creak, letting in both the steady light of the afternoon sun and a very relieved human being. Taking a few steps inside the arborical atheneum, Connor stopped, a tired smile on his face as he reached up and stretched to alleviate the soreness in his back.

“Oh, man. I never thought I’d be so glad to be in a library,” he said, both physically and mentally exhausted from the trials of the day. His comment drew a roll of the eyes from Twilight, who just then followed him in through the door and closed it using her horn.

“Quit being so dramatic. It’s only five o’clock,” the mare responded chidingly while she used magic to unbuckle the saddlebags around her midsection and lay them down next to the door. “And I don’t understand what the big deal is. I thought it was a pretty normal day.”

“Pfft. ‘Normal,’” Connor commented, using his hands to make air quotes around the word. If any other sane person had shared the experiences he had been put through since the moment he woke up that morning, they too would have considered a plain, boring library to be akin to a refreshing oasis parked in the middle of a desert of absurdity.

In some ways, he was relieved that the day was pretty much over, and there was nothing left to demand his immediate attention. In other ways, this only meant that he was free to think about one particular Equestrian quirk that he had stubbornly refused to dwell on for as long as possible. That is, after it was done gnawing away at his incredulity like a determined beaver.

As the event had nearly seared itself into his memory, it was easy for him to think back to the cafe, with nearly a quarter of Ponyville singing and dancing in the streets around him to an array of instrumentals that literally came from nowhere. Connor had only spared a moment to beg Twilight not to join in. If that had happened, he was afraid he might never be able to take the unicorn seriously again. (And if a unicorn was supposed to be his baseline, that’s really saying something). Then, he very resolutely laid his head on the table and buried it in his arms, simply waiting for the circus to end.

And all the while he was thinking that, not even were he on drugs, could the situation possibly get any weirder.

Probably for the best that I just try to forget about it, or else my brain might cook itself in my head, Connor thought to himself before focusing on something, anything else.

A quick glance around the room told him that nothing had really changed since that morning, but a short sniff of the air brought something new to his attention. The library smelled sweet for some reason. The normal, rustic scent of old books and fresh wood was mixed in subtly with the smell of something rich and heavy. And whatever it was, it smelled good.

“Spike?” Twilight meanwhile called out for her draconic assistant, raising her voice so that it echoed throughout the empty wooden chamber. “Spi~ike?”

She was answered moments later, when both her and Connor could hear the door to the kitchen down the hall swing about on its hinges, followed shortly by the diminutive dragon padding out into the main room. He was busy wiping his claws on a small towel, wearing the same frilly apron he had on during breakfast.

“Hey, guys. What’s-- Whoa.” He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Connor, standing close to the table in the center, donning Rarity’s work. Spike paused in his motions for a few seconds while he looked the human up and down, analyzing the change of dress. After a short while, he nodded in approval and flashed him a toothy grin. “Lookin’ fancy there, Connor.”

“Heh, thanks,” he responded, casually straightening the jacket. “Rarity does a good job.”

“She sure does. I told ya so, didn’t I?”

“Yup, that you did,” Connor agreed before changing topics. “So, are you baking something? It smells really good.”

“Oh, yeah!” Spike jerked a thumb back towards the kitchen. “I’m whipping up a batch of white caramel fudge cookies for the party tonight. Gotta say, they're turning out pretty good.”

The smell of the cookies, combined with Spike’s specific combination of words to describe them, almost set Connor to drooling. “That sounds amazing. What party would that be?”

“Oh, brother. You forgot again?” Twilight huffed impatiently, drawing his attention to the side.

“Uh...” Connor started, trying not to look the unicorn in the eye as he scrambled to cover for the fact that yes, he had once more forgotten about Pinkie’s party until just then. “Kinda, yeah.”

Twilight merely rolled her eyes a second time and cantered past him as she set about emptying her bags of items and levitating them around the library.

“Hey, in my defense, it’s been kind of a weird day for me,” Connor followed up, before he walked over to the stairway leading to the second floor and sat down on the third step, stretching out his legs and lying back with a sigh. He then reached his hands up and began rubbing his temples, hoping that the building pressure behind them wouldn’t require him to knock back another painkiller. “My poor brain needs a vacation from this world.”

Spike looked back and forth between him and Twilight, an expression of puzzlement plain in his features. “I don’t get it. Did something happen while you guys were out?”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Connor scoffed. “We were just sitting down for a break, then all of a sudden I find myself in the middle of a scene from 'The Sound of Music.' And I hated that movie.”

While Connor continued to keep his eyes shut, Twilight took it upon herself to clarify with a hint of amusement. “It’s nothing to worry about, Spike. There was just a song in town today, and for some reason Connor’s not all too happy about it.”

“Oh, really? Who was it?” asked Spike.

“Golden Harvest. It was all really nice. Apparently, she’s fallen head over hooves for somepony.”

“Ah. Well, good for her, then.”

Et tu, Spike? Am I the only sane one here? Connor thought. With a grunt, he brought himself upright, rubbing his eyes before staring bemusedly at the dragon child.

“I just don’t understand what it is about Equestria that makes spontaneous singing and dancing to invisible music such a casual thing. I--” Connor paused, setting his jaw before shaking his head, defeated. “I give up. Not gonna talk about it any more. You ponies can have your crazy musical shenanigans; I wash my hands of this weirdness.”

Connor punctuated the point by (perhaps over-dramatically) folding his arms and looking up and off to the side, not saying anything more. While Twilight ignored him and went about her business, Spike only stared, eyebrow raised, before nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

“Sure, you do that. Meanwhile, I’ve got cookies to check up on,” the dragon stated, turning on the spot and quickly heading back down the hall leading to the kitchen. “Wouldn’t wanna bring a plate of burnt lumps to the party!”

“Yeah, about that,” Connor muttered slowly as he watched Spike pad away, before shifting to address his librarian friend. “To be perfectly honest, I think I’ve been through enough today. Do I reeeeeally have to go to this thing?”

Without looking back at him, Twilight continued keeping busy, using her magic to move a bundle of papers into a nearby cupboard while she responded. “Sorry, but I’m gonna have to say yes. Seeing as you’re the guest of honor, it would kinda be rude, don’t you think?” The mare chuckled softly to herself. “Besides, you made a Pinkie Promise, remember? And trust me on this, you do not want to find out what happens when you break a Pinkie Promise.”

“Why? What’ll happen if I do?” Connor asked in a challenging tone.

“Well, come to the party and you won’t have to find out,” Twilight said coyly, turning slightly to the side and giving him a smirk. Connor responded by staring back at her blankly for a few seconds, then breathing in deeply and releasing it in a long sigh.

“Alright, alright. Fine, I’ll go. You happy now?” The human knew it was a foregone conclusion anyway, but arguing about it at least made him feel like he had a say in the matter.

Twilight tilted her head at Connor and gave him a cross look. “Are you always this difficult?”

“Hey, given the circumstances, I think I’m pretty much entitled,” he shot back playfully. “And besides, I like being difficult.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed.”

Now it was Connor’s turn to roll his eyes as he put his hands on his knees and forced himself upright, groaning with fatigue as he did so. “Okay, so what time was this thing even supposed to start?”

“The invitation said some time around seven, so we should probably head out around fifteen to,” came Twilight’s reply.

“And it’s just after five, soooo...” Connor trailed off as he ran the options in his head. Upon reaching a decision, he raised a finger into the air in a declarative fashion. “I am going to take a nap.”

And with that, he turned and started going up the steps to the library’s second floor, looking forward to a well-deserved lapse in consciousness. As he came up close to the lip of the ceiling, he finished by saying, “Feel free to wake me up when it’s time to go. Or not. I wouldn’t mind either way.” And then he disappeared past the threshold of the stairwell.

As for Twilight, she found herself welcoming the silence, as there were now no more distractions to get in the way of getting everything settled before it was time to leave. But as she emptied her saddlebags by removing Connor’s old clothes from them, the silence was broken by the thumps of his sneakers hitting the stairs again, and he came back just a few steps down into the first floor.

“Oh, and one other thing. Yooooooou~ were mistaken,” Connor told the lavender unicorn, grinning from ear to ear.

“Wait, what?” Twilight drew back, looking up at the teenager with perplexity and surprise written all over her muzzle. “What do you mean? Mistaken about what?”

“About the Pinkie Promise. You said it was that I would go to this party, but in fact, I actually promised I would go to the next one. I am under no such sworn obligation to attend tonight’s festivities.”

“And you feel the need to mention this because?”

“Meh, no real reason. Just wanted to let you know that you’re not always right all the time,” Connor replied smugly.

Connor’s triumphant expression was quickly and unexpectedly wiped off, as the pile of clothes in Twilight’s magic field became a telekinetic missile aimed straight at his face. Though not enough to knock him clear off his feet, the force of the assault did catch him off-guard, and he scrambled to grab the bundle before it fell apart and he would have to pick it up off the floor.

His old clothes now secure in his arms, Connor couldn’t help but snicker even louder as he retreated back upstairs and out of sight.

And once she was absolutely certain the human had gone away and left her in peace, Twilight too allowed herself a short laugh at the shared moment of silliness, before bemusedly shaking her head and picking up where she left off.

Watching her pink friend balance precariously on her hind hooves at the top step of a ladder -- while simultaneously hanging up festive, multicolored streamers -- was giving Applejack a mild sense of unease.

Then she reminded herself that her friend was Pinkie Pie, and her worries were instantly put to rest.

“Y'all sure ya don’t need any help there, Pinkie?” the orange-coated earth pony called up to her friend in her customary accented drawl.

“Eeeeyup!” Pinkie responded, giving her best impression of Applejack’s older brother before having a small giggling fit at her little joke. “I got everything covered, don’tcha worry.”

“Okay, so long as yer sure,” Applejack said with a shrug. “If y'all need anythin', just holler.”

With that, she turned away from Ponyville’s resident party mare and took a look around the generously sized barn they were in, which up until a half hour ago was completely bare, save for a few bales of hay and some stray farming equipment. Since Pinkie arrived, it had been transformed into a room fit for a shindig of the highest caliber, with tables piled high with delectable food and drink, party games such as the classic Pin the Tail on the Pony, and enough balloons to lift a full-grown pony clear into the air. All that remained was for the guests to arrive.

To say that Applejack was a little dubious about the whole thing would have been an understatement. Normally, whenever Pinkie requested the use of her family’s barn for one of her parties (in the cases when Sugarcube Corner wasn’t available), she wouldn’t hesitate to oblige. But with all the craziness of the past week or so, on top of the rumors she was hearing about strange goings on in town, it was only Pinkie’s reassurances that everything would turn out perfectly that kept her skepticism in check.

Pinkie had no reason to lie to her, and as far as she could tell, was absolutely certain the situation was completely under control, so there was nothing to worry about... right?

Though, while Applejack might’ve been able to keep a cool head underneath the large stetson hat she always wore, the only other guest to show up so far that evening: a certain fretful yellow pegasus, was apparently having a harder time of it.

While Pinkie continued her work, Fluttershy remained seated on a hay bale by one of the tables, keeping to herself and occasionally looking around with her wide aquamarine eyes while nervously smoothing out her long pink mane with her hooves. With a pang of sympathy, the farm pony casually cantered over to her friend with a disarming smile across her muzzle.

“Hey there, sugarcube. What’s wrong? Y'all look more nervous than a cowpony headin’ to her first rodeo.”

Fluttershy looked up, her bangs falling away to frame a face that more resembled a timid mouse than a pony. “O-oh... it’s nothing...”

“Sure don’t look like nothin’.”

“Well, I guess...” The shy pony resumed shuffling her hooves as she gazed down at them. “I’m just thinking about... who’s coming to the party. This... ‘Connor.’ I’ve heard... rumors.”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Me too. Ya know, somethin’ just don’t sit right with me about this. What with all this crazy stuff happenin’ the past week, and now there’s some feller we ain’t ever seen or heard of before stayin’ at Twilight’s all of a sudden.”

“I heard he’s not even a pony, but that he’s...” Fluttershy took a long, slow gulp. “...something really different.”

“Mm-hmm. Ah heard that too. Ah just hate the fact that Ah know next to nothin’ ‘bout what’s goin’ on here. A’course, Pinkie saw the fella, even talked to ‘im, but she still won’t tell me nothin’ 'bout him.” The farm pony gazed over at Pinkie, who was busy excitedly stringing blinking lights across the rafters, then shook her head, chuckling softly. “Tryin’ to get information outta Pinkie Pie is like tryin’ to squeeze apple juice from an orange.”

“I just hope he’s not mean... or scary... or mean and scary...” The pegasus took a gasp of air and raised a hoof to her lips. “Oh, dear. What if--”

Fluttershy’s apprehensiveness was interrupted by a sudden knocking on the barn’s wide, heavy oak door, and she nearly jumped out of her seat while uttering a short, barely audible “Eeep!”

Moments later, the door slowly swung open, admitting the mare who had just announced her arrival: none other than the princess of punctuality herself, Rarity. Closely in tow behind the white unicorn was her little sister, Sweetie Belle, and the two of them comfortably entered onto the hay-covered dirt floor. With the initial surprise having gone, the group of good friends greeted each other as they always did, sharing a happy embrace, before settling down at a table to catch up with each other.

And after about a minute of staying quiet and off to the side while the adults talked about this and that, an impatient Sweetie gently poked Applejack on her cutie mark to get her attention.

“Hey, Applejack, where’s Apple Bloom at? I really gotta talk to her,” the filly inquired, wondering about her fellow Crusader.

The cowpony looked over to the little unicorn and cracked a smile before thinking for a few seconds. “Hmm... Well, last Ah knew, she was in the kitchen with Big Mac, cleanin’ up after dinner. If y'all hurry, she’s prolly still there.”

“Thanks!” Sweetie exclaimed quickly as she zoomed off and away out the barn door, leaving tufts of hay floating in her wake.

“Heh, what’s she so excited fer?” AJ addressed Rarity with a snicker.

“Oh, she’s just being her usual excitable self,” Rarity said with a wave of her hoof. “She’s probably off to tell Apple Bloom all about her time with Connor.”

The simple pronouncement of the name caught Applejack completely off-guard, causing her green eyes to widen and lock on to the ivory mare. “What’d you say? Connor? Y'all met ‘im!?”

Rarity, equally shocked by her friend’s outburst, drew back slightly. “Why, Applejack! It’s nothing to get so worked up over.”

“Like hay it ain’t! At this point, y'all know more ‘bout him than Ah do,” Applejack countered, before leaning forwards on the table and eying the unicorn closely. “So spill.”

“Please, darling. I am a lady, and it would be absolutely uncouth for a lady such as myself to indulge in petty gossip,” the unicorn stressed, holding a hoof to her chest while holding her head high in a debonair fashion. She held that position for a long few seconds...

...before her eyes fluttered back to the blonde-maned earth pony, and she flashed her a sly grin. “But if you simply must know...”

With a certain degree of vigor, Rarity launched into her story, describing in great detail about how the mysterious stranger had come to her doorstep alongside Twilight, propositioning her talents as a designer in a quest for some new clothes. The mare went on to explain what transpired during the time she spent taking measurements and asking questions, while both Applejack and Fluttershy listened intently. Finally, she ended on her personal opinions about her guest, after she finished mentioning how he was kind enough to make time to play with Sweetie Belle while he waited on her to complete her commission.

“Overall, I would say that he was really rather charming, if a bit flighty. And perhaps a wee bit high strung, if you ask me. But he was certainly friendly,” Rarity finished with a nod. “Oh, and he simply loved the outfit I made for him, so I can tell he also has good taste.”

“Um... Rarity?” Fluttershy spoke up bashfully, hoping she wasn’t interrupting. “Is... is it true that Connor isn’t a pony?”

“Oh! I got so caught up, I completely forgot to mention!” the unicorn said with mild astonishment as she held a hoof to her head. “Yes, Fluttershy, dear, it’s true. In fact, I’m pretty sure the word he used to describe himself was ‘human.’ And believe me, he doesn’t look like anything you’ve seen before.”

The exchange was immediately interrupted by a puffy pink mane, interjecting itself between the three ponies from directly above the table they were sitting. The mare it was attached to turned to face Rarity, a happy, upside-down smile on her face as she spoke. “Silly Rarity! He’s not a human, he’s a connor! He said so himself!” Pinkie exclaimed exuberantly, causing Rarity to chuckle.

“Oh, Pinkie. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I do believe you’re mistaken. I’m quite sure you simply misunderstood him,” she lightheartedly corrected her friend, with a casual attitude that spoke of her experience in doing so more often than not.

The party mare merely shrugged (while still hanging upside-down) before raising herself back up and out of sight. Meanwhile, Applejack remained skeptical about everything that Rarity had been telling her for the last couple of minutes.

“Ah gotta say, Rarity, this all sounds a might farfetched if ya ask me. Ah’ve never even heard of a ‘hew-man’ before,” the cowpony admitted, sounding out the syllables to demonstrate the word’s unfamiliarity.

“That’s not all that surprising, really,” Rarity continued. “I’ll admit I hadn’t either, and he said it’s because he comes from the land of Amareica, which if I understand correctly is quite a ways away from Equestria.”

“Pffft!” Applejack couldn’t help but sputter out a laugh as a disbelieving expression crossed her face. “Amareica? Now Ah know yer pullin’ mah leg. That’s gotta be the biggest load a’ horseapples Ah ever heard.”

“I’m only telling you what he told me,” the white mare covered, slightly put off by her friend’s lack of confidence. “He seemed an alright enough sort, and he certainly didn’t strike me as dishonest. Do you really think he’s lying for whatever reason?”

“Can’t say Ah know anythin’ fer sure, but one thing’s certain: ain’t nopony that can pull one over on me.” Applejack leaned back on her hay bale, pulling back on her stetson before folding her forelegs together. “Not that I don’t trust ya, Rarity, but Ah’ll wait till he gets here before Ah make up mah mind about ‘im.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy stayed quiet, shifting uncomfortably in her seat and casting wary glances out the window nearby as the light of afternoon gradually gave way to dusk.

Celestia’s Sun had only recently set, and the stars in the sky were just barely beginning to peek out by the time Twilight, Connor, and Spike found themselves at the edge of the Apple Family’s orchard. Groves upon groves of blossom-laden trees stretched far along the road behind them, lined the whole way by a stark white picket fence, but this was apparently the true point of entry for the farm proper. There to greet them was a finely wrought wooden arch set up over the dirt road, wreathed in thick green vines along the edges, and framing a hanging wooden block with a simple relief of an apple carved in the middle. In the dimming light of dusk, the trio could still clearly make out the pale yellow lights emanating from the townhouse located at the top of the gently sloping hill, along with the large frame of the nearby barn that was to play host to the night’s festivities.

While Spike devoted his attention to the tray of cookies held firmly in his claws, this left Connor and Twilight mostly to themselves during a majority of the trip. On the way from the Golden Oak, the two talked for a time about various unimportant topics, mostly to fill the silence with something other than chirping crickets and the sound of dirt crunching under foot and hoof. But now as they passed beneath the entry to the rustic villa, Connor found himself shifting the conversation to more relevant areas.

“So, this is Sweet Apple Acres, huh? Nice place,” he commented, looking around casually and taking note of how, despite the name, Applejack’s expansive farm also had other fields devoted to a number of other vegetables.

“Mm-hmm,” Twilight grunted in the affirmative, looking straight ahead as if distracted by something. For a good few seconds afterwards, nothing else was said between them, leading to another awkward pause before a brisk wind blew through, causing Connor to inch the zipper on his new jacket up some more.

“Pretty chilly out, isn’t it?”

“I guess so,” came the unicorn’s reply, the nonchalance of her answer giving Connor the impression that she barely even noticed.

Probably all that fur keeping her warm. Must be nice not having to worry about stuff like that, thought Connor as he redirected his attention back to the homestead on the hill, which was still a good few minutes’ walk away. “So, how many people are, uh... I mean ponies are gonna be there, you think?”

“Well, let’s see...” Twilight started, pausing only for a moment to think. “Me and Pinkie, obviously. Also Rarity and her sister, Applejack and her two siblings. I doubt Granny Smith would be up for a party this late in the evening. That just leaves Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy if they’re coming too. So nine in total, plus you and Spike, of course.”

“Sure, okay,” Connor said, barely able to keep up with the bunch of names Twilight listed off, beyond the ones he was already familiar with. “Nine doesn’t sound too bad, right? Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

Silence came once again as they continued up the hill, with Connor trying to psych himself up by repeating to himself that there was nothing to worry about, and as long as he stuck to his story, meeting Twilight’s friends would be a piece of cake.

Then he noticed his unicorn companion’s steps gradually start to slow, until she stopped moving altogether and planted her hooves in the dirt with a heavy sigh, almost causing Spike to bump into her before he caught himself and sidestepped around.

“Why’d you stop? Something wrong?” Connor asked Twilight out of concern, causing her to look back at him with an indefinable expression in her eyes.

“Actually, yeah. Something’s been eating at me for a while now, and I think I finally know what it is,” she said back, lowering her eyes and breathing out slowly. “I don’t feel like I can lie to my friends anymore.”

“What do you mean, ‘lying’?”

“You know, about what you really are; where you really came from.”

Uh oh, Connor thought, the back of his neck starting to feel hot despite the cold atmosphere.

“But I thought we agreed that it wasn’t really lying,” he countered, hoping that this wasn’t going where he was afraid it was going. “And besides, it worked well enough with Rarity, and the mayor. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal? Look, let me just explain something to you.” Twilight’s tone of voice shifted, becoming slightly more forceful as she locked her stance into what Connor assumed to be an assertive position. “We’re talking about my best friends. My best friends. And to you that might not mean very much, but to me, my friends are everything. We don’t lie to each other and we don’t keep secrets.” There was a steadfast fire in the unicorn’s deep purple eyes as she said her final peace. “They trust me, and I trust them. Keeping this from them feels like I'm betraying that trust. They deserve to know.”

As the pony and human stood off, neither side saying anything more as what Twilight had said was digested, Spike innocently poked his head in between them after watching the drama unfold. After he managed to grab their attention, he backed away slowly in the direction of the hill, the tray of cookies still held firmly in his claws.

“I’m, uh... gonna go on ahead,” he said, bowing slightly. “See you guys at the barn.”

As quickly as his burden would allow, the dragon swiftly made his way down the dirt path and up the hill, leaving Twilight looking up at Connor expectantly. As she waited patiently for his response, he tried to look at anything but her eyes, breathing in some of the crisp night air and let it out in a slow, steady sigh.

“You’re really putting me on the spot here,” he told her, obviously conflicted about letting yet more ponies in on his true origins. “You do know that, right?”

“I know what I’m asking might be asking a lot. But if you want my friends to be your friends too, then a good place to start would be to leave everything on the table,” Twilight explained, and the conviction in her voice left no doubt in Connor’s mind as to the sincerity of her next statement. “And if you don’t tell them... I will.”

Connor considered his next move carefully.

So far, he had managed to get by in this new world with very few of the locals knowing about his otherworldly origins, and those that did mostly consisted of Celestia, Luna, and the one unicorn they seemed to trust the most.

But what about the ponies she knew?

He'd already met Pinkie and Rarity, and they seemed like okay sorts. But as for the others, namely, the ones she called Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and more... could he trust them not to react like he expected? Hell, would they even believe him at all?

He supposed they would eventually, given that Twilight would most certainly back him up, but what about after? Would they then go off to tell all of Equis about him? About how he was unique and alone, and utterly foreign to the ponies’ world in plenty more ways than one?

And there was one more thing that came to his mind as he reviewed the events of the past few days in his mind. As he thought about how, time and time again, this strange place had defied his expectations.

The thing was... did it even matter anymore?

Almost every pony he had met so far had treated him with respect, courtesy, and a very visible inclination towards friendship, entirely in spite of his strange outward appearance. Would they care at all about where he came from and how he got there? Was it possible that in this world, those kinds of things really didn’t matter?

Connor thought long and hard about that one aspect of being in Equestria, and how it defied nearly everything he had come to believe about relating to other people -- strangers, even.

And he came to the conclusion that... no. No, those things didn’t matter. At least, not here.

“Alright, I’ll do it. No secrets,” the human finally said, reluctantly, but apparently to the immense relief of his pony friend. “But can you promise me that this stuff’ll stay between us and your friends? I still don’t want to draw attention to myself if I can avoid it.”

“Absolutely. It won’t go past them, I promise,” Twilight replied, a satisfied smile on her face as she turned and continued up to the barn, a terrible weight having been lifted off her shoulders.

I doubt it’ll stay that way for long, though, Connor thought, skeptical that the “secret” -- that would soon be far less secret -- would stay between Twilight and the others. But hey, in for a bit, in for a... well, whatever’s bigger than a bit.

“Well, here we are.”

Twilight and Connor found themselves standing about twenty or so feet away from the Apple Family barn, that distance and a barely open door all that was standing between them and the party within. From the look of it, said party already appeared to be in full swing, as an upbeat, generically catchy tune wafted out into the night air, and the occasional shadow flitted across the light that splayed outwards onto the dirt ground.

After making her rather obvious statement, Twilight turned and looked up at the human disarmingly. “Are you ready to meet my friends?”

Connor paused for a second, looking up at the two-story and some change barn that seemed intimidatingly larger than it had when they first came into the orchard. From a distance it looked quaint and charming, painted bright, fire engine red and liberally decorated with apples and white trim. But up close, it practically loomed over him, to the point where he had the dim, irrational feeling that it might fall down and crush him.

Connor swallowed. “Define ‘ready,’” he finally said after a while.

“Oh, no, you don't.” Twilight shook her head. “I’m not falling for that one again.”

“Dangit,” Connor cursed with a sideways expression, trying to mask his apprehension with a humorous gesture. He managed to make Twilight chuckle lightly, before she breathed in and out in a huff.

“Would you like me to go in first? Sort of set you up, I guess?”

“That’d probably be a good idea.”

“Okay.” Twilight nodded in understanding. “Wait right here, I’ll tell you when you can come in.”

With that, she turned once again and started galloping to the barn’s entryway, pausing just outside the door to open it slightly wider with her hoof and slip inside. Connor only caught the first end of her announced greeting, before her voice became masked by the sounds of the music coming from the party.

Left to himself, Connor could only imagine what the purple pony was saying in there, and the uneasiness was starting to make him antsy. Out of habit, he started cracking his knuckles, while he took note of the fact that his heart was beating slightly faster than it should have been.

Connor closed his eyes, breathing in and out in a steady rhythm and trying to calm himself down. He was starting to get tired of this: the constant worry and anxiety. It was unnecessary and unwarranted, and he tried to convince himself that, if anything, his time in Equestria had shown him that he had nothing to fear from these ponies. All he had to do was remember such events as his night with the Princesses, walking the halls of Canterlot Palace and chatting with Twilight, and sitting down for some lighthearted fun with Rarity’s kid sister, and that would make what was to come next seem like less of a big deal. At least, that was the hope.

Connor was jarred from his concerns abruptly when Twilight succeeded in grabbing his attention from the open barn door with a clearing of her throat.

“Come on in,” she said to him, poking her head outside and urging him on with a hoof. “Everypony’s waiting.”

“Right, coming,” Connor answered, taking a deep breath and starting to take determined steps towards the barn.

Come on, man, get a grip. You’re not some social misfit. You can do this, he berated himself as he came up to the wide wooden door. Without a second thought, he reached out, emboldened, grasped the edge in his hand, and pulled. It’s party time.

The first thing that he noticed upon entering was the fact that the music ended abruptly with a very real and very appropriate record skipping noise. An uncomfortable silence reigned as Connor took in the scene before him, as did the assembled ponies.

Among those in attendance, there was Twilight and Spike standing immediately off to the side on his left, the prim and proper Rarity sitting on a hay bale next to a table along the wall, absently flicking her mane behind her head, and the enthusiastically grinning Pinkie Pie near the center of the floor, seeming to be almost vibrating of her own accord. That took care of the ones Connor was familiar with. As for the others...

Standing next to Pinkie with an openmouthed stare apparent on her lightly freckled face was an orange mare, an earth pony, wearing a large brown cowboy hat on top of a blonde mane held back in a ponytail. On her flank she bore the symbol of three small, red apples, making her out to be one of the Apple Family, most likely. And located behind the two earth mares, hiding behind them as if she was trying to be invisible, was the subtly quivering form of a yellow pony with wings, a flowing pink mane and tail, and three tiny pink butterflies as a cutie mark. From between Pinkie and the orange pony, Connor could see her soft blue eyes dart up from the floor to sneak a peek at him. Apparently upon realizing that he was indeed tall enough to see over her cover, she cringed even lower to the hay-covered ground in a manner that was downright pitiful.

Aside from the ponies (and one dragon), the barn itself was as formulaic a party setup as one could imagine. A number of tables had been set up along one wall, with cream-colored tablecloths, surrounded by a bunch of small hay bales for use as seats. Streamers of many bright and spectacular hues hung from the ceiling and across the banisters, along with strings of blinking lights. And the balloons... There were so many balloons clustered along the ceiling, tethered to the tables, or simply free floating, that he found himself wondering how there was possibly room for anything else.

Back towards the far end of the barn was a long, wide table where the refreshments were set up, and though he couldn’t see exactly what was on display, there was apparently a large selection of snacks and sweets available, accompanied by an absolutely massive bowl of punch.

They only other thing in the room that was immediately noticeable was a large, boxy metal turntable device and speaker setup sitting on the other side across from the seating, on which a single record was still spinning with the needle askew. For a fraction of a second, it sparked a curiosity in Connor’s mind, as the Equestrians seemed to be bereft of things such as TVs or telephones, but they had turntables and surround sound? It was an interesting display of priorities, if nothing else.

Regardless, eager to project an air of confidence, Connor straightened up, adjusted his glasses a bit, and tried to make an honest attempt at starting off on the right foot. “Hi... I--”

“Hooooly smokes,” the be-hatted pony interrupted, in what was plain to Connor as a southern accent, as she looked him over with emerald-green eyes.

“Applejack, really,” spoke up Rarity, sending a chastising glance in the cowpony’s direction. “Hasn’t anypony ever taught you it’s rude to interrupt?”

“Oh, uh, mah apologies,” the mare called Applejack quickly stated, taking off her hat and holding it in front of her cordially. “Y'all just kinda... caught me off-guard, is all.”

“Oh, it’s... it’s fine, really. I don’t mind.” Connor reached up to scratch his neck. “So, Applejack, right?”

“That’s right,” AJ said with restrained cordiality, replacing her hat back on top of her head. “Pleasure ta meet ya... Connor.”

“And Pinkie, Rarity...” he continued, pointing to each one in turn and receiving a nod from them in kind. He paused when he came to the pegasus in the back, evidently trying to make herself look as small as possible. “Um... Are you okay?”

“I’mfinethanks,” the butter-yellow mare responded in barely a whisper, though Connor plainly doubted this as she desperately tried to avoid making eye-contact. Her body language spoke volumes as her ears were flattened straight against her head, and she proceeded to crouch even lower to the ground to the point where her chest almost scraped the floor. The whole scene was making him feel the intense urge to apologize to the pony, despite not knowing exactly what he would be apologizing for.

Unsure of what to do, he turned to Twilight with a pleading gesture, and she shook her head with a smile as if to say, “Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy,” she said softly, taking a few light steps in the pegasus’ direction. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Connor just wants to be friends.”

Both Applejack and Pinkie stepped to the side as Twilight approached the timid mare and offered her a hoof for support. Fluttershy looked up into her friend’s eyes and took a shaky breath, ostensibly steeling her nerves.

“...Okay...” she mumbled, just loud enough for Connor to hear, as she reached out and took Twilight’s hoof in her own and was brought up into standing position, though she still seemed a bit wobbly. Fluttershy finally managed to bring her eyes in Connor’s direction as she bowed her head, her pink mane falling to obscure half of her face before she spoke in the same tone of voice. “...Nice to meet you.”

Too damn cute! She cannae take no more, Captain! Connor opined on the situation in his best Scottish accent while he struggled to maintain his stoicism.

“Nice to meet you too, Fluttershy. Uh...” he trailed off, looking around the barn that seemed prepared for a greater amount of guests than this. “Is that everyone? I thought you said there were more.”

Twilight turned, about to respond, but was cut off by another sound coming from behind the door on the far end of the party. As Connor listened, it became evident that the high-pitched noise sounded like... barking?

As the barking came closer, the heavy door was suddenly nudged open slowly by a little brown, wet nose belonging to a white snout, sniffing at the air as it was followed by the dog it was attached to. It vaguely resembled a Border Collie, though smaller and slighter, only a foot and a half high with scruffy brown and white fur. Around its neck was a red collar with a golden tag, and the animal took one look around the room before wasting no time rushing up to meet the newest arrival, barking all the way.

Tail wagging excitedly, the dog edged its way past the ponies and right up to Connor, sniffing him all over curiously.

“Awww. I didn’t know you had a dog,” said Connor, smiling, as he bent down to pet the exuberant, furry creature, which leaned into his hand in appreciation.

“Yep, that’d be Winona,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Look’s like she’s taken a likin’ to ya. A’course, she likes everypony, anyways.”

While Connor started to scratch Winona behind her floppy ears, much to her rapture, a new voice came from the direction she had come from; a similarly accented voice like Applejack’s, only younger-sounding.

“Winona! Y'all get back here! Yer not supposed to run off like that!”

The voice belonged to a small, custard-colored pony that rushed on through the open door, her bunchy red mane and big pink hair bow bouncing as she ran as fast as her little legs would allow. She was followed closely on her hooves by another filly that Connor recognized as Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle, who similarly ran in, heedless of what was going on. And the new arrivals didn’t end there, as she in turn was followed in by a much, much larger pony. A sizable specimen of earth pony, it was shaped more closely to what Connor had come to know as a male of the species, with deep red fur, bright green apple cutie mark, and thick, unshorn hooves that thumped heavily on the dirt and hay floor. Around his neck he wore a heavy wooden yoke, but he seemed to carry it with an ease that was evidenced by his muscled frame.

As the two fillies came closer, he stopped, eyes half-lidded as he silently regarded Connor with an unreadable expression. But before he could wonder what the stallion was thinking, the younger pony with the bow shot past the group of older mares and, upon catching sight of the human, fumbled at her hooves and skidded to an abrupt halt. She looked at him, blinking a few times, as Sweetie came up next to her and waved a hoof.

“Hi, Connor! Glad you came!” she said in greeting, a bright smile lighting up her features.

“Hey, there, Sweetie Belle,” he returned, his hand still occupied by Winona. “Is this one of your friends?”

“Wow, Sweetie,” the yellow filly spoke up, her eyes full of wonder. “Y'all weren’t kiddin’!”

“See? I told you!” Sweetie nudged her friend playfully with her shoulder before turning back to face Connor. “Yep! This is Apple Bloom. She’s AJ’s sister.”

“Hey, Ah can introduce mahself, thank you very much.”

“And over in the back there is Big Macintosh!” Pinkie chimed in suddenly, having felt left out of the conversation. She waved a hoof over to where the tall red pony was standing. “Say hi, Big Mac!”

The stallion named Big Mac slowly looked from side to side, before nodding his head in the direction of the others.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Connor observed passively.

“...Nnnope,” Big Macintosh replied in a low baritone as he shook his head.

“Ah... To each his own.” The teenager shrugged. His attention was soon demanded by a high-pitched whimper from beneath him, and he looked down at Winona, who had rolled on the ground and was presenting her soft, warm belly. “Aww, does someone want a tummy rub?” In response, the dog barked once, her tongue lolling out in anticipation, and Connor proceeded to enthusiastically grant her request. “Fine...”

Fluttershy, who until now had decided to stay as out of the way as possible, took notice, speaking up clearly for the first time since the human had arrived. “You... you like animals?” she asked meekly.

“What? Uh, I guess so. I mean, I don’t not like animals,” Connor said, unsure of where she was going with this. “I happen to have a dog, too. But I’ve always been more of a cat person, really.”

“Oh...” The pegasus once again looked down and away, pawing at the ground with her hoof. “That’s... good. I guess.”

“A cat person? Is that so,” Rarity called out from her seat. “In that case, I should introduce you to my cat Opalescence. I’m sure you two would get along swimmingly.”

“Pssst!” went Spike, trying to get Connor’s notice as he moved up next to him and leaned in towards his ear, holding up a claw. In a low whisper, he said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Her cat doesn’t like anypony except her.”

“Noted,” Connor whispered back and, deciding he had lavished enough attention on Applejack’s dog, he stopped petting her and stood back up to his full height, stretching out his legs after kneeling for so long. “So, is that everyone?”

“Not quite,” answered Twilight, looking around. “We’re still missing--”

“OUTTA THE WAY!”

That was all the warning given before something moving incredibly fast tore through the barn’s main entrance, missing Connor’s head by a matter of inches and leaving a multicolored streak in its wake. A split second later, it was followed by a gale of wind that ruffled his clothes and hair and nearly blew him back entirely.

Connor, momentarily stunned, could only watch as the rainbow blur resolved itself into the shape of a pony: a female cyan blue pegasus, to be exact. Wings pumping furiously, and with a mane and tail running the whole spectrum of colors, she figuratively put on the brakes, throwing out her hind hooves and stopping her momentum mere moments before she would have crashed into the wall on the far side. Almost as quickly as she came in, the mare crawled to a stop just as the tip of her hoof touched the wood of the wall, having averted what would have been a fairly spectacular wipeout.

Her eyes having been clenched shut in exertion, she opened them now to take stock of the situation. She then pumped a foreleg in the air, apparently pleased with the result.

“Ho, yeah! Now tell me you guys aren’t impressed!” she shouted triumphantly in a raspy, androgynous tone, still hovering a good four feet off the ground while her wings continued to flap silently.

“Need I remind you you’re still technically late, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity remarked offhandedly, in a fashion that also conveyed just how impressed she wasn’t. “Fastest flyer in Equestria, indeed.”

“Hey, gimme a break. I got here as fast as I could.” The mare, who was apparently the aptly named Rainbow Dash, floated upwards towards the ceiling, and proceeded to fly back towards the entrance in a lazy, upside-down manner. From this angle, it was easy to see her cutie mark: a flash of lightning in red, yellow and blue. “I had to drop off Tank at the vet’s on the way here.”

“At least give us a little more warnin’ next time, sugarcube. Y'all almost ran right smack into the guest of honor,” Applejack scolded.

“Yeah, yeah...” the aloof pegasus brushed off, before tilting her head backwards and, upon catching sight of Connor, flipped a one-eighty to right herself and flew down to his level. “So, you’re the guy everypony’s been talking about.”

Rainbow started to fly around the human in a slow circle, looking him over with her piercing magenta eyes like a predator sizing up its prey, while he just stood there, still recovering from almost having his head taken off.

“You know, you don’t look quite like what I was expecting,” she said after a few seconds.

“Well... what were you expecting?” came Connor's response.

“Dunno.” The cyan pegasus shrugged. “To hear the ponies in town say it, you look kinda like a shaved diamond dog.”

Rainbow Dash’s remark served to elicit a few half-concealed snickers from the gathered ponies, though Pinkie was the only one who audibly laughed. Suffice to say, Connor didn’t get the joke. “I take it that’s not exactly a flattering image.”

“Heh. Not a chance. Don’t worry, though, you don’t look that weird,” Rainbow said, though the inflection in her tone sure didn’t sound like a compliment. “Dig the outfit, though. It almost looks like something I’d wear.”

Apparently done with her appraisal, she came to ground, folding her wings to her sides as she shifted her attention to her fellow friends, leaving Connor to inwardly remark about how the seemingly-cavernous barn somehow seemed filled to capacity with all the activity. He thought for a moment about all the new faces present, and how even after the expected awkwardness of their first encounters, it was all over rather quickly, and he was left with the impression of being almost... welcome in their little circle. It wasn’t true in the literal sense, of course, as they had all barely gotten to know him yet.

Connor sighed, resigned to the fact that things were about to get much more difficult, very quickly. Unfortunately for him, it was proven just how quickly it would be as Twilight called for everyone’s attention by tapping one of her hooves loudly on the floor.

“Alright, girls, listen up,” the unicorn stated once her friends finished talking and trained their eyes on her. “Now, before we get everything started, I think that Connor has something he’d like to say.”

Unsettlingly, all those sets of large eyes turned on him, causing Connor to swallow out of reflex. “Uh... Thanks, Twilight.”

Thanks a lot.

Connor raised a hand to mouth and coughed a few times, then breathed in deep, building up the nerve to speak. “First of all, I guess, thanks for coming. Um... Thank you, Pinkie, for setting this up. I... appreciate it.”

“Yoooou’re welcome!” the party mare responded cheerily, positively radiating enthusiasm.

“Now, then. This is the part where I say... I know I’m not really like anything you’ve seen before.” The human self-consciously rolled his eyes. “Obviously. And there’s a reason for that.”

“Oh, you need not worry about it, darling,” Rarity spoke up. “I took the liberty of explaining, so I’m pretty sure most of us already know about humans and Amareica and so forth.

“Heh, thanks, Rarity. But...” He paused to send a brief, pleading glance at Twilight, who seemed to understand, and shot him a reassuring nod and a gentle smile. “There’s something you all need to know. I wasn’t... exactly... honest about that.”

Trying to ignore the mix of shock and confusion that ran through the ponies at this admission, particularly in Applejack, Connor sighed and pitched his head forward, resigned to telling an all-too-familiar story...

It started innocently enough with him dropping the fact that he was not of this world quickly in order to get it out in the open, and drawing more than a few surprised gasps from everypony save Twilight and Spike. Connor was afraid that this alone would be enough to completely derail the already uncomfortable admission, and while there was one sudden interruption by a certain pair of incorrigible fillies, a quick shushing by their elders took care of that in short order.

From there, his audience was mercifully silent as he continued, flowing between the freak thunderstorm and the ethereal lights that led him to the rock formation that would derail his life, to waking up in Canterlot Palace and having an “enlightening” chat with the ruler of Equestria. From later that night, when he sat with Celestia and her sister and learned of exactly what his options were, and of his chances, admittedly intangible as they were, of returning home.

To the next day, where he was introduced to Twilight Sparkle, and how the events that followed culminated in her decision to let him stay at Golden Oak. How he would stay in Ponyville for the time-being, making connections that would help him stay grounded while the Princesses in Canterlot went about finding a solution to his dilemma. And that all led right to this moment, laying everything on the table for the friends that Twilight would go to any length in order to preserve, and hoping beyond hope that he wasn’t making a huge mistake.

“...and, so, here we are,” Connor wrapped up quickly, at this point staring at the floor from his seat on one of the hay bales with his hands folded, and trying to ignore the fact that his shirt was soaking through with sweat. “That’s it. The truth. End of story.”

Connor breathed out a final shaky breath, and against his better judgement, lifted his gaze to judge the reaction of his audience. For the most part, the ponies’ expressions were unreadable, as they tried to process the information he had given them, and presumably tried to make it fit into their understanding of the world.

They watched him for a tense few seconds, before finally, Applejack was the first to speak, getting up off her haunches to stand upright and address him. “Is... is all that really true?”

Connor sighed, but to his surprise, it was Twilight who stepped forward then, taking the opportunity to give him a well-deserved break from talking.

“Every word.” The violet pony nodded to her friends. “As he said, I went to Canterlot yesterday to talk with the Princess, and she assured me that’s exactly what happened. I’m ashamed to admit it, but that whole story about the ‘lightning spell’ over the city was just a cover. I swear, if I had known the truth, I wouldn’t have...”

“Oh, stop it, Twilight,” Rarity interrupted, catching the other unicorn before she got too emotional. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m sure everypony understands why Celestia did what she did.”

“Yeah, but who cares about that?” said Rainbow, waving her hoof dismissively before turning her attention on Connor. “You’re actually an alien? And you came from another universe? And you rode in on a huge blast of light and crashed right into Canterlot Palace?”

“...More or less,” the human confirmed.

“That... is so...” The blue pegasus raised her forelegs to her face as it took on an expression of wonder. “...awesome.”

“Ah’ll say!” little Apple Bloom piped up from in front. “That’s an incredible story!”

“It sure is,” Sweetie Belle added, though she was decidedly less enthusiastic. “But why didn’t you just say so in the beginning? Why did you keep it a secret from me and my sister?”

“Look, I...” Connor attempted to explain, affected by the sad, almost betrayed look on the little filly’s face. “I’m sorry. It was never about lying or keeping secrets, I just... Well, think about it. What would happen if it was made publicly known that an extra-dimensional being had just appeared in Equestria out of thin air?”

Everypony was silent for a second as they wore thoughtful expressions, until Applejack spoke up hesitantly. “Well, if Ah had to guess, somethin’ like that’d prolly end up in every newspaper from here to Fillydelphia.”

“Exactly,” Connor said, pointing at the cowpony. “And I think we all agree nobody wants that kind of publicity.”

“Speak for yourself, darling,” Rarity commented loftily while she tossed her mane back with her foreleg. “But I do see your point.”

“And you’re really stuck here? You can’t go back?” Fluttershy queried, her tone denoting a hint of sadness at the state of affairs.

Connor swallowed again, his mouth dry, trying to choose the right words to say. “I... don’t know for sure. It’s probably impossible to know. But until I hear from Celestia whether or not she can do it, I have to keep hoping there’s a chance.”

“And that’s all anypony’s asking of you.” Twilight came up next to him, bringing up a hoof and patting him on the arm. She then turned to address her assembled friends. “So, how about it, everypony? Are we gonna help Connor feel welcome, or what?”

Without hesitation, they answered.

“Darn tootin’.”

“Ah will!”

“Me, too!”

“Eeyup.”

“A-absolutely.”

“Of course, dear.”

“Totally.”

“You betcha, Twi!”

Connor watched as each of the ponies (and one dragon) stepped forwards in turn, offering their unflinching support in favor of being friends with someone most of them hadn’t even met before that day.

The sincerity, the heartfulness... As dopey as it sounds, it was almost enough to cause him to tear up right there.

“I... Thanks, you guys. I mean it, this is just... really nice,” Connor said, trying to maintain his composure, until he happened to notice that one particular mare had yet to speak up. In fact, she hadn’t said a word since the human began his story, sitting cross-legged and wearing an expression of deep concentration as she held a pink hoof up to her chin. “What about you, Pinkie? You’ve been pretty quiet for a while now.”

“I know. I was just thinking,” she replied, looking up and focusing on him as if she had never stopped paying attention to what was going on. “If what you say is true, then a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party just isn’t gonna cut it. I need to throw you a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ party! No, wait!” Pinkie’s eyes steadily widened, taking on a sparkling glimmer as she held up a hoof. “A ‘Welcome to Equis’ party! Noooo, even better!” the party mare gasped suddenly, and Connor could almost see her brain exploding as her thoughts came so a single, logical end. “A ‘Welcome to the UNIVERSE’ party!”

Pinkie shouted the last bit, throwing her forelegs up in a spastic display of excitement at the possibility, her far-too-wide grin in full effect. Then, suddenly, her legs dropped, and like a shift from day into night, her expression became deeply poignant again as her hoof went once again under her chin. “I’m gonna need a lot more balloons.”

At that, it finally ended up being too much for Connor...

...and he instantly burst out laughing. A pure, heartfelt, joyful laugh brought on directly by the off-the-walls absurdity displayed by the hyper pink pony, but more indirectly by just how good he was feeling just then. And he wasn’t alone, as the laughter was infectious, spreading around the room and simply filling the air with a shared feeling of mirth, until everyone was laughing so hard it felt like they would never stop.

Just like that, everything clicked, and there was nothing remaining of the nervous apprehension, the doubts and the worries, the fear of rejection or alienation, leaving Connor with the feeling that he had known these ponies his whole life.

Eventually, after a solid thirty seconds of nothing but gleeful cracking up, everyone managed to calm down to the point where they could actually try to speak, though Spike was the first one to attempt it.

“Well, uh... Heheh. You might wanna hold off on that for now, Pinkie,” he said, bringing up a claw to wipe the end of his snout and sniffing loudly. “After all, aren’t we supposed to be having a party right now?”

Pinkie gasped, her eyes shooting open. “You’re right, Spike!” With that, she got up and zoomed over to the turntable, still spinning away but making no sound. With a flick of her hoof, she tapped the needle just to the edge of the record, and once again the air was filled with vibrant, airy music. “IT'S PARTY TIME!”

“So, let me get this straight,” Rarity asked, an amused expression lighting up her features. “On your world, everyone wears a full set of clothes... all the time?”

“Well, most of the time,” Connor replied, scratching at his forehead. “Definitely not like here. On Earth, in most places, anyway, walking around wearing nothing at all is considered ‘public indecency.’ In fact, it’s a crime.”

“No...” the fashionista gasped, before she got a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes, obviously imagining the commercial possibilities.

At this point, the party had been going on for a good half an hour, with Connor being the center of attention as an ever-changing lineup of ponies monopolized the space around the table he was sitting at, eager to hear more about this exciting place called “Earth.” But he didn’t mind so much. Unlike Twilight and Celestia, the questions being asked this time around were a lot less academic in nature.

They asked questions about what humans did for fun, what they ate and, most recently, what they wore, as well as topics such as famous places, interesting technology, and varieties of animals, including the typical Earth-native equines. There were also a few personal questions sprinkled in, regarding things like what he did for a living, where he went to school and specifically what he had been taught -- Twilight had asked those; she was particularly impressed with the fact that he knew calculus -- and what his home life was like.

While he was more than able to cope with questions of that specific nature, he was still a little afraid that it could get uncomfortable quickly. So he gave short answers without too much elaboration, and thankfully, his new friends didn’t press him much further on the issue.

All the while, the conversation was set to the sound of the music Pinkie had put on, and while understandably of the party fare, after a while Connor couldn’t help but feel the bland, samey pop tunes start to grate on his hearing. Eventually, when there was a lull in the talking as some ponies dispersed to either get more refreshments or have their own little conversations, Connor felt safe in pulling aside the party’s purveyor, who seemed to just be having the time of her life.

Then again, Connor got the impression that’s how she was all the time.

“Hey, Pinkie, can I ask you something?”

“Sure! You having fun?” Pinkie perked up, as if the question was loaded with the weight of the world to her.

“Oh, I’m having an absolute blast. I just wanna ask if there’s, well, something you could do about the music in here.”

The mare's ears drooped slightly. “Why? You don’t like it?”

“No, no.” Connor raised his hands, wanting to do anything but give that impression to his gracious host. “I was just wondering if you had anything else to play.”

“Oh, sure!” The pony’s mood returned in full force. “I got a buncha stuff over there. Tell ya what. Why don’tcha go take a look? Feel free to put on anything you like. It’s your party, after all.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that,” he returned with a nod, and Pinkie nodded back, still smiling, before she turned and went back to the party as Connor in turn made his way over to the turntable near the far wall.

He was by no means an expert in how turntables worked, but it definitely seemed simple enough: record plus needle equals music. Nestled next to the wide base of the machine and the two four-foot speakers at either side of it was a small cardboard box that was filled front to back with record sleeves. Connor bent down to leaf through the selection, absently looking at the covers with a slightly baffled attitude.

Weather Patrol? The Hoofbeats? Johnny Trombone and the Unicorn Trio? Man, I don’t know any of this stuff, he thought as he sifted through what was available, the colorful illustrations of scenery, ponies, and various instruments leaving no indication of what kind of music was actually contained within.

With a sigh, he placed the pile back in the box, mulling over his options. On a whim, he reached into the pocket of his coat and removed his iPod, looking at it thoughtfully. Thinking about it, he wished he could play some of his music; at least, the stuff that was appropriate for a party. It would’ve been nice to give his new friends a taste of Earth culture while he could, even if it meant sacrificing a few bars of battery life.

He considered this for a few more seconds, before a sudden presence beside him decided to make its presence known.

“What’re you doing, Connor?”

“Wah!” He jumped slightly, turning to see none other than Sweetie Belle, gazing curiously at what he held in his hands. “Oh, it’s just you, Sweetie.”

“What’s that thing?” The filly tilted her head, pointing a hoof at Connor’s iPod.

“Oh, this? It’s a bit of tech I brought with me from my world. It’s a music player.”

“Wow, really? Something that small?” She moved closer, sidling up to the human to get a better look at the device. “How does it work?

“Oh, it’s easy,” Connor explained, proceeding to demonstrate by turning it on. “First you click this button here, then slide this across here with your... uh...” His finger hovered over the unlocking graphic on the touchscreen, and he took a second to wiggle it bemusedly. “Well, anyway, you do that, then just tap the music icon to get to the songs.”

The pink and mulberry-maned pony watched intently as he went about the basics of browsing the varied selection available, stopping on his half a dozen playlists, one of which was very obviously titled, “Party Playlist.”

“Then you just tap the song and there it goes,” he finished, stopping short of actually playing something, but still leaving Sweetie thoroughly impressed.

“That’s really neat! I wish we had cool gadgets like that here in Equestria.” She paused a beat before speaking again. “Why’d you stop? Aren’t you gonna play something?”

“Well, that’s the thing: I only have one pair of headphones, and you can’t exactly play music for a party like that.” Connor chuckled lightly to himself, reaching out a hand to lay it on the cold metal of the speaker system. “Of course, it would be all too easy to just jack it into these things, but I seriously doubt it's compatible.”

“Why not? Did you even check?”

Connor shot the small pony an incredulous look, but then, started to wonder...

He stood back up, looking down at the turntable searching for what he expected to be some kind of “Audio Out” port. It didn’t take long to find, as there was indeed a plug on the lower right of the machine labeled just that. With an ounce of trepidation, he slowly reached down, grasping the plug firmly in hand before gently removing it from the slot.

Immediately, the music that was playing at that moment instantly cut out, drawing some surprised exclamations and questioning glances from the other partygoers, which caused Connor to wince sympathetically.

“Sorry, my bad. I’ll fix it,” he reassured them with an embarrassed smile. Returning his attention to the plug in his hand, he looked it over, and his eyes went wide with what he saw.

It looked like a typical audio jack; exactly as it should have, even though, in the face of all logic, it shouldn’t have.

No fucking way, he wondered, amazed at the coincidence. But then again... Hey, they speak English and somehow use silverware. I shouldn’t be surprised.

Connor raised the speaker jack in his right hand, iPod in his left, looking between the two. He then cracked a smile, shaking his head. Yeah, it would use up the battery, but as he looked at the meter in the upper-right corner, it was still just barely depleted. An hour or two wouldn’t hurt that much, and besides, it was a party.

“Hey, Sweetie, you’re in luck.” He turned to look down at the small unicorn as he inserted the plug into his iPod’s headphone slot. “Allow me to play you the songs of my people.”

It was a simple matter of bumping up the volume and pressing play, and then he put the gadget into sleep mode and placed it down on the turntable. As he left the music station and went to rejoin the party, grinning cheekily along the way, something the ponies were guaranteed never to have heard before started emanating from the speakers...

”Are you ready, Steve?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Andy?”

“Yeah.”

“Mick?”

“Okay.”

"Alright, fellas. Let's goooooo!"

Oh, man, it all looks so good, Connor thought as he once again availed himself to the snack table. The sheer variety of cakes, chocolates, cupcakes, cookies, chips, dips, fruits, chocolate-covered fruits, chocolate-covered chocolates... truly a mind-boggling spread if there ever was one. He could’ve sworn he was getting a cavity just by being in proximity.

He’d sampled a few pieces of the party fare here and there beforehand -- especially Spike’s cookies, and Twilight had been right: they were delicious -- but hadn’t yet tried more than a fraction of what was available, and Connor was afraid of running out of room in his stomach before the night was over. Plate still in hand, he looked over and back again, still thinking about which one to grab next. Meanwhile, one of the ponies cantered up next to him outside his peripheral vision, though he didn’t know which particular one it was until she opened her mouth to speak.

“Wow. That sure is a loooot of food,” said the mare, but to Connor’s distinct surprise, the bubbly, enthusiastic voice did not belong to any of the ponies he had been introduced to earlier that night.

Turning around to look at her, Connor could see that this pony wasn’t one of Twilight’s friends; at least, not one that he was aware of. This particular pony was a pegasus, with light gray fur and a messy, pale blonde mane and tail. Her cutie mark, which was plainly visible, was a cloud of bubbles, for whatever reason.

“Uh... hi? Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” Connor addressed the new arrival in a friendly way. “Are you one of Twilight’s friends?”

The mare’s ears perked with a start, and she turned her head to face him, a look of genuine surprise on her muzzle. That was when another thing about her became immediately apparent to the human: her eyes were looking in two completely different directions.

“Oh, hello!” the gray pegasus said cheerfully. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Uh...” Connor watched, slightly perplexed as one of the pony’s lopsided eyes trained on him, while the other just sort of slid lazily in the opposite direction. He shook it off, remembering his manners. “I’m Connor. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too!” she responded, smiling pleasantly. “My name’s Ditzy Doo!” Suddenly, her smile drooped a little, and her brow furrowed thoughtfully as she tilted her head. “But everypony calls me Derpy, for some reason. I don’t know why.”

Connor had to fake a coughing fit then and there to prevent from laughing inappropriately at a joke that the mare obviously didn’t get, judging from her vacant expression. “Are you okay, mister?”

“Yeah... yeah. Just... swallowed when I should’ve breathed.”

“That happens to me sometimes, too!” Ditzy noted, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. Then, she must have thought the conversation over, as she immediately turned back to the food on the table, face scrunched up in contemplation. “Aww, it doesn’t look like they have any muffins.”

“Uh, well...” Connor said, momentarily thrown off by the absentminded mare’s odd behavior, and her oddly specific craving. “There’s cupcakes,” he offered. “And you know what they say: a muffin is just a bald cupcake.”

Ditzy gasped audibly, and she turned back to Connor, a look of astonishment evident in her (still lopsided) yellow eyes. “I never thought of it that way. This changes everything! Thanks, mister!”

“You’re... welcome?” the teenager spoke cautiously, as the blonde-maned pegasus proceeded to load up a plate with three or four carefully considered cupcakes. She swiftly then scooped up the plate in her teeth and turned on the spot, balancing the food carefully as she trotted over to the exit, which was lying with one of the doors held wide open.

She stopped, right in front of the door that was closed, and flared her wings, as if preparing to take off. Then, she seemed to hesitate, blinking a few times, before slowly, carefully, sidestepping to the left. Now positioned towards open air, she then flapped a few times to gain altitude before shooting out into the night, unnoticed by anyone except for Connor, who was watching her with profound fascination.

Ooooookaaaaaay.

Whatever that was about, it was over now. Connor was just about to simply forget about it and chalk it up as yet another weird thing he had seen that day, when his brain took a moment to register just what song his iPod had chosen to start playing during his encounter with the appropriately named pegasus.

"...to appear sad... with the same 'ol decent lazy eye..."

“Oh, Goddammit.”

Face, meet palm.

“...and then she says, ‘No! Not my barrel, that barrel!’”

Rainbow delivered the punchline of her joke with a dramatic waving of her forelegs, causing a wave of snickers and laughter to pass through the ponies in the vicinity. Namely, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity. Connor, however, merely chuckled out of courtesy, the entirety of the joke having blown over his head without the proper context. To be fair, though, he missed a good half of the build up, as he was focused on listening to one particular song while his iPod merrily marched through his playlist.

As Connor quietly sipped from his cup of fruit punch, the cyan mare shot him a look of annoyance. “Oh, come on. That was funny! Why aren’t you laughing?” she accused him, sounding almost insulted.

“Sorry, Rainbow. I guess I just don’t have the right cultural background to understand the meaning,” he offered.

The pegasus tilted her head. “Huh?”

“He doesn’t get the joke,” Twilight leaned forwards to clarify.

“Whaaat? But it’s a classic!” Rainbow exclaimed disbelievingly.

“I said I was sorry,” Connor repeated, amused at least by the boastful pony’s overblown reaction.

“Ain’t your fault, sugarcube,” Applejack assured him, before sending a sly smirk in the pegasus’ direction. “‘Sides, Rainbow ain’t nearly as funny as she thinks she is.”

“Oh, really, AJ?” Rainbow countered, folding her forelegs. “I’d like to see you do better.”

“I have an idea,” Rarity spoke up. “Why doesn’t Connor tell a joke that he knows?”

All eyes turned to Connor as the other ponies voiced their agreement with this idea. Put on the spot, he only faltered for a moment to put down his drink and raise a hand to scratch his chin.

“Hmm... Well, I do know one that’s pretty good.” Connor cleared his throat in preparation, all four of the others listening intently. “Okay. So, one day, a... pony is walking down the side of the street, along the tall, white fence of a mental institution.”

The human paused in order to ask if Equestria even had mental institutions. A quick nod from Twilight served as his answer, and he continued where he left off.

“Along the way, he can hear strange chanting coming from the other side of the fence. ‘Ten! Ten! Ten!’” Connor punctuated his example by pumping his fists with each word. “Curious, the pony stops when he finds a hole in the fence, and peers through it, wondering what’s going on. Suddenly, a pointy stick comes out of the hole, and pokes him right in the face!”

Connor stopped just for a beat to produce a bit of dramatic tension before delivering the punchline: “‘Eleven! Eleven! Eleven!’”

It took a few seconds, but eventually, everypony understood the meaning, though each of them reacted in their own way. Three of the ponies raised a hoof to their face: Twilight’s to the bridge of her snout, closing her eyes and groaning; Applejack’s to the front of hers, stifling a few giggles; and Rarity’s accompanied by a gasp, put off by the apparent crudeness of deriving humor from a pony’s theoretical injury.

As for Rainbow Dash, she had by far the most overblown reaction of the quartet. Her lips sputtered out and she clenched her eyes, bowling over with laughter. It was forceful enough that she ended up banging a hoof on the top of the table repeatedly as she continued guffawing.

Unfortunately for Connor, it was also far too much for his drink to handle, and the pegasus’ actions caused it to unceremoniously tip over, spilling its contents all over his hands and the front of his jacket.

“Oh, what the!? Way to go, Rainbow!” he cursed in annoyance, standing up and shaking his hands free of the sugary liquid.

“I’m s-sorry!” she stuttered, still trying to regain her composure by breathing in short bursts. “I didn’t m-- hahaha... mean to do that.”

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked Connor.

“Yeah, just... man, now this coat’s gonna get all stained and... blegh.” Connor reached out for some napkins lying on the table, trying to soak up as much of the punch as he could before it set in. “And after all the work Rarity put into it.”

“Oh, you have nothing to worry about, darling!” the white unicorn replied, surprisingly uncaring of the fact that her most recent commission was just sullied. “In fact, I was meaning to bring up something I forgot to mention back at the boutique. You see, in light of your ‘wardrobe issues,’ I took the liberty of weaving a few enchantments I know into the fabric as I was sewing it. You’ll find that everything you’re wearing is, to a certain degree at least, stain-proof, wrinkle-proof, odor-resistant, and also water-repellent.”

“Wow, really? All that?” Connor questioned, taking notice of the fact that as he mopped up the spill, none of it appeared to be sticking to his clothes. “That’s really convenient. Thank you, magic!”

“Yes, indeed. Although I should also mention that the spells aren’t permanent; they’ll only last a week or so.”

“That’s fine. Thanks anyways.” Connor nodded, though now he was looking at his hands and trying to wipe them off on the napkins unsuccessfully, an unpleasant look on his face. “But my hands are still all messy. Is there somewhere I can go to wash them?”

“Sure thing, Connor,” Applejack spoke up, raising a hoof as she prepared to give directions. “Y'all can go right into the house and use the restroom. From the front door, take a left, then a right, then you’ll see it plain as day. Please try to keep it down, though; Granny Smith is sleepin’ upstairs.”

“I’ll be careful, thanks,” Connor assured her. stepping back from the table. “Be right back.”

With that, Connor swiftly excused himself from the party and ducked through the wide barn doors and into the open outside. The sudden chill caused him to shiver briefly, before he looked around for the large building that served as the Apple Family’s main residence. Humming a light tune to himself as the sounds of the party faded in the background, he fast-walked across the small, grassy field between the barn and the house, the unobstructed moon and stars above offering plenty of light to see by.

As he came up to the house, also painted red and stylistically similar to the barn, he took the steps up the front porch two at a time, sneakers thudding heavily on the wood until he reached the top. Connor stopped on the spot, then remembering that he was supposed to try and keep the noise down, before he reached for the door and quietly let himself in.

Despite the only source of light being the sky outside, the inside of Applejack’s house still seemed comfortably quaint and cozy. The walls were papered in a subdued green-on-blue color scheme, continuing with the apple motif, as the shelves and floor around him were occupied by plenty of carved wooden furniture, framed pictures, and family knickknacks. All in all, it was a very homey place, standing in contrast to the orderly, almost businesslike affair of Twilight’s library.

After he felt like he had taken a good enough look around, Connor then recalled AJ’s directions, navigating his way down the halls of the house until he found what he was looking for. Once there, it was a simple matter of walking in, flipping on the light, washing up, drying his hands, and turning the light back off before leaving the bathroom and softly closing the door behind him, all accomplished in under a minute as he was eager to return to the festivities.

Once again braving the cold night air, he slipped out of the townhouse, cutting back across the field in a brisk jog. Reaching the threshold of the barn, one thing became clear to him: at that moment, his playlist had apparently just started to play "Flathead" by the Fratellis.

And as he peeked his head in through the door, another thing became clear: the ponies inside were dancing to “Flathead” by the Fratellis.

Still unnoticed, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of half a dozen equine forms moving in time with the music, utterly without shame and appearing to be enjoying themselves immensely. Pinkie especially seemed to be the most prolific of the group, sashaying about to the beat with wild abandon, twirling and dipping in perfect sync with the song as if she had rehearsed it beforehoof.

But to him, even more surprising than the fact that Twilight was also taking part in moving her hooves was that a certain yellow pegasus was not among them. Instead, she was sitting by herself at one of the nearby tables. Although, it was obvious she wasn’t feeling at all left out as she watched her friends cut loose with the touch of a smile on her face; she simply appeared to be sitting this one out.

Connor subtly reentered the barn, careful to stay clear of the flurry of activity in the center, and made his way over to where Fluttershy was, hooves in her lap as she noticed him come closer.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked the mare rhetorically as he motioned to a nearby hay bale.

“...No, you can take it,” she replied, nodding slowly and fidgeting a little in her own seat while Connor accepted the invitation.

He propped an elbow up on the table, and tried to make conversation as the two of them continued to watch the show. “So, Fluttershy, why are you over here all by yourself?” he asked innocently, though from what he could judge of her personality, it wasn’t hard to imagine.

“Oh... I’m just not much of a dancer, really. I’m fine right here.”

“Yeeeah, me neither. I’m not about to go making a fool of myself in front of you guys when we’ve only just met.”

The pegasus nodded once, using a hoof to softly move the mane out of her eyes, but saying nothing more.

After a while, Connor spoke up again. “Hey, you mind if I ask you something?”

“Um... no, go ahead,” Fluttershy said hesitantly, though the thought seemed to make her a smidgen more uncomfortable.

“Okay. Not accusing you or anything, here, but why were you being so... What’s the word?” The teenager paused, trying to think of something innocuous enough. “...‘timid’ when I first arrived?”

The yellow mare’s eyes turned downwards as she talked softly. “Oh, it’s not... I mean, it’s not you, it’s me. I’m just... usually not very good at dealing with new things,” she explained, hunching her shoulders as she shuffled her hooves together. “I was just nervous. I guess I’m still nervous, really. I’m sorry."

“Please, you don’t need to apologize, I understand,” Connor said quickly, afraid that he was hurting her feelings by her own admission. “In fact, I was pretty nervous too before I got here.”

“Really?” At this, Fluttershy looked up at him, mildly surprised.

“Oh, yeah. Almost petrified,” he went on, embellishing just a bit. “I was worried about what all of you might think of me, you know, being what I am and coming from where I do. Of course, I was proven wrong. You’ve all been really great so far.”

“That’s... that’s good. Thank you. That’s nice of you to say.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The two of them were silent for a time, producing a slight amount of awkward tension before it was broken, unexpectedly, as Fluttershy was the one to speak up. “Can I ask you something?” the pony queried, the shyness in her expression momentarily replaced by one of measurable empathy.

“By all means.”

“How are you? Are you doing okay?” From the cautious inflection in her voice, she clearly cared deeply about what she was asking, and was intently focused on his answer.

“I don’t understand,” Connor said, thrown off by the curveball of a question and the apparent weight behind it in the eyes of the fretful pegasus.

“I mean, how are you feeling, about being so far away from your home?”

“Oh... that.” Connor’s expression fell, as he realized just what exactly Fluttershy was getting at.

“I’m sorry. I only ask because, well... I noticed earlier, when you were asked about your family. You weren’t exactly, um... forthcoming.”

Connor breathed deeply, scratching his head and thinking for a while as the yellow mare waited patiently, never taking her gentle eyes off him. “Yeah. It’s difficult sometimes, to think about it,” he divulged, folding his hands in front of him. “I’m coping as best I can, but... it’s still always there, you know? I can’t just forget about it, even when I want to.”

“I understand.” Fluttershy nodded her head solemnly, as she went back to observing her friends out on the dance floor. “I couldn’t imagine being in that kind of situation, myself. My friends are like family, they mean the world to me; I couldn’t bear to be separated from them. I don’t know how you can manage.”

“Well, I’m trying.” He breathed in and let it out in a puff. “I’m doing the best I can.”

“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy spoke up, turning back to face him and displaying almost none of her shy nature as her tone turned motherly and reassuring. “Everything will turn out just fine. I know it will, and we all have your back.”

“Thanks,” Connor uttered, managing to turn up a smile at the pony’s attempt to comfort him. He then chuckled lightly, a thought having occurred to him.

“What is it?” The pegasus tilted her head, curious as to what he found amusing.

“Now that I think about it, in some ways, I should consider myself lucky.”

“How so?”

“Well, when I touched that rock back on Earth, I suppose it’s possible that I could’ve ended up anywhere,” he explained. “And yet, this is the place I turn up. And not only am I still alive, I found folks who are more than willing to help me out, even though I really have nothing to give in return. All things considered, things have actually been going pretty well, so far.”

Fluttershy raised a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment, before she smiled warmly at the human. “And they can only get better from here,” she added sagely, causing Connor to utter a short laugh.

“Careful now, don’t jinx it.”

Fluttershy returned the gesture, then went back to watching the rest of the party. Connor too was intent on doing the same, wondering when exactly the other ponies would happen to tire out, as the original song had ended a good couple of minutes past.

And yet, alas, fate chose exactly that moment to turn cruel, as the train of good feelings suddenly and abruptly gave way to a spiking, throbbing pain centered directly on Connor’s forehead.

“Ugh... Goddammit, not now.”

Fluttershy, shocked at the sudden turn of phrase, shifted to face him again, noticing that he was holding a hand to his head and was grimacing in discomfort. “W-what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” she asked urgently, leaning forwards.

“It’s... ugh... It’s nothing, just a really bad headache,” Connor replied through grit teeth. It was all it took for him not to grind them, as instead of the dull throbbing he had experienced earlier in the day, it now felt like a hot poker was slowly pressing into his skull. “I’ve been getting them since I got here, but they’ve never been as bad as this one.”

“Oh, my...” Fluttershy’s hooves shot to her muzzle out of worry. “Is there something I can do to help? Do you want me to get the others?”

“No, no.” Connor reached out a hand to calm her down before she got too flustered at his expense. He then reached into his pants pocket, taking out the bottle of pills he had been carrying with him the whole day. “Twilight gave me these. They help... a little.”

Gently, in order to prevent blood rushing to his head and making the migraine even worse, he stood up from his seat, clenching his eyes a few times to try and relieve the pressure.

“Listen, I’m gonna go get some more punch to wash these down with,” he explained, one hand holding the canister and the other massaging his temples. “Want me to get you anything while I’m over there?”

“Oh, no... I’m fine, thanks,” Fluttershy said bashfully, looking back down at her hooves. “I hope you feel better.”

“Heh, you and me both.”

Trying his best to avoid aggravating his current condition, Connor left the yellow mare behind him and made his way over to the table, all the while feeling the pain in his head somehow increase with every step.

Jesus Christ! It was never this bad before! Why now? What the hell is going on? he thought through the pain, his own internal voice nearly drowned out by the sound of every heartbeat coursing through his ears like a raging torrent.

He thought the earlier such events he had been having throughout the day were painful, but this felt like something different entirely. Before he had come to Equestria, what he would have considered a bad headache then would have been a mosquito bite compared to whatever he was feeling at this moment.

He was breathing heavily now, his mouth unpleasantly dry as he started to feel sweat percolating up and down his body in the time it took him to take only a dozen steps to the snack table. But to him, it definitely felt like a lot more than that. To Connor, every step now felt like he was trudging through molasses, his limbs weighted with lead.

As he took a final, stumbling step up to the table, he now had to use both of his arms to prop himself up, taking short lungfuls of air through his nose, and feeling as if he was going to throw up with each exhale. Through the mind-numbing haze that now dominated his temples, he struggled to even remember what he had gotten up to do.

Ugh... What was... Oh, right... medicine... was all he could spare as he poured what was left of his focus into a single task.

Taking a breath and holding it, it was a supreme effort to balance himself as he took his hands off the table and brought them together around the orange medicine bottle. Connor’s hands shook of their own accord as he fumbled with the lid, just barely managing to pop it off before a flash of white-hot lightning tore through his already battered psyche.

As the bottle fell to the table, spilling its contents, time slowed to a crawl. As soon as it came, the angry, unimaginable spike of pain passed, leaving Connor shellshocked as he struggled to stay conscious now, his surroundings starting to blend into a kind of tunnel vision effect.

“What... the--”

Another flash. Another pang of agony coursing through his spine and radiating up into his forehead, feeling almost as if something was pushing its way out of his skull. The tunnel deepened as sensation started to fade, the sounds of the party falling away as Connor jerkily stepped back from the table.

He wanted to cry out, wanted to call for help now, but his mouth wouldn’t move -- his throat seized up. The pain crowded out everything. There was barely room to think, let alone do anything but try to stay upright. And even that now was a challenge, as Connor could feel his grasp on consciousness slipping, while at the same time he could sense another bolt of fresh torment gearing up to finish the job.

I... can’t...

Connor never got a chance to finish that thought.

He was out cold before he even hit the ground.

Time and time again, Twilight somehow always ended up being surprised by her eccentric pink earth pony friend. As impossible as it seemed, she would inevitably end up throwing parties that were always better than her last. But then again, maybe that was all on her, as every day spent with any of her fellow Elements of Harmony typically felt better than the last.

Regardless, it was hard to feel anything but positive as the air itself felt charged with happy vibes. And what wasn’t there to feel good about? She had managed to introduce Connor to all of her friends, freed herself from worry over having to obfuscate any details from them, and best of all, everything just seemed to be working out.

Since the party had started, her human friend had been able to shed his understandable -- if slightly overblown -- inhibitions, and simply enjoy himself in the company of her and her friends. They seemed to be getting along great, and everypony had found something to like about the visitor from Earth, allowing Twilight to let loose a little and simply enjoy the fruits of Pinkie’s talent after a stressful couple of days.

All of this led up to her near-spontaneous decision to, at her friends’ urging, join in on the activity taking place in the center of the floor: a carefree, "anything goes" dancing event set to music performed by bands and musicians that were literally unlike anything she had heard before.

Twilight had to be honest, at first she was a little worried about the implications as soon as Connor figured out how he could hook up his small computer gadget thing to Pinkie’s sound system, allowing him to exhibit songs from his world for the enjoyment of the assembled guests. But she soon felt her fears unfounded after the first couple of tracks, which were actually quite catchy and entertaining.

And, she had to admit, some of them were indeed quite danceable to.

Although, so focused was she on carefully managing the placement of her hooves so as to not trip over herself on accident, neither she, or any of her friends for that matter, noticed when their newest companion got up from his seat next to Fluttershy, clutching his head and grimacing.

Nor did they notice his very obvious state of distress as he shambled over to the refreshment table and propped himself up on it like he was about to pass out.

In fact, the only time they realized something was wrong was when the sound of the music pumping through the air was overcome by a noise not unlike a heavy sack of potatoes hitting the ground, followed by a shrill exclamation.

“OHMYGOSH!”

Suddenly, everything came into focus, and everypony was shaken out of their reverie as they turned their attention to Fluttershy, who had instantly shot up in the air and was flying over to where Connor now lay.

Splayed over on the hay-strewn floor. Unmoving.

There was a stampede of hooves over the ground as everypony came over to where all the commotion was happening, except for Pinkie, who, in an appropriate move, rushed over to the turntable to power off the speakers and allow for clear silence before joining the others. Gathered in a small cluster, the barn was alive with confusion at what had just occurred.

“Ohymygoshohmygoshohmygosh!”

“What in tarnation!?”

“What happened!?”

“Girls, calm down!”

“Is Connor alright?”

“Is he hurt?”

“What’s going on here?”

“Girls!”

Twilight’s forceful shout did its job, silencing the din of questions long enough for her to try and sort everything out. With all of the ponies’ faces wearing expressions of shock and worry to match her own, Twilight nonetheless tried to get a handle on the situation and talk down her fretful pegasus friend, who herself seemed on the verge of hysterics.

“Calm down, Fluttershy. What happened? What did you see?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know!” the yellow mare uttered quickly, hovering a few feet over Connor’s limp body and trying her best not to hyperventilate. “H-he was complaining about a-a-a headache, and then got up to get s-something to drink, and th-then he looked like he was in pain and-and then he just f-fell over! Oooooh, is he okay? Please be okay!”

“Everypony, make some room.” Twilight assumed a deadly serious expression as her friends obeyed, allowing her enough space to get up close.

“Well, Twilight? Do you know what’s wrong?” Pinkie Pie spoke up, bearing no trace at all of the bouncy, happy mare she usually was.

“Not yet, give me a moment,” the unicorn answered as her horn lit up with a ghostly purple aura, and she gently lowered towards the human, passing it back and forth down his form. After a couple of sweeps, her horn dimmed, and her brow furrowed in concentration. “I don’t understand. He’s definitely alive, and he doesn’t appear to be injured, but I can’t sense anything else.”

The lavender mare took a step forwards, placing a hoof over Connor’s side. “Somepony help me turn him over.”

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac, and he swiftly made his way to the side opposite Twilight, levering a hoof underneath Connor’s body as gingerly as he could.

On the count of three, they lifted, gently, and turned the human boy onto his back. Immediately apparent was his face, as it was flushed red and slick with sweat. In addition, his glasses lay askew, bent back at one of the hinges while one of the lenses remained on the floor, having been forced out of its wire frame. In short, he looked a long way from okay.

With a touch of hesitation, Twilight reached out her hoof again, laying it against Connor’s neck. She gasped lightly. “I don’t know much about human anatomy, but I’m pretty sure his pulse isn’t supposed to be going that fast,” she explained, her voice fraught with worry. “And he’s got a fever. He’s burning up.”

Slowly, she shifted her touch up to his forehead to get a better feel for his temperature. But once there, she felt something else that caught her breath in her throat. “What’s...?”

“What is it, Twilight?” asked Apple Bloom, balancing on the tips of her hooves to try and get a better view.

“Yeah, tell us!” piped up Sweetie.

Hesitantly, Twilight slowly brushed her hoof across Connor’s head, moving his brown hair out of the way.

What it revealed drew a startled gasp from all in attendance.

“Ooooooh...” Rainbow cringed. “That is one nasty-looking bump. He must’ve hit his head pretty hard.”

“Rainbow,” Twilight muttered, shaking her head slowly. “I... don’t think that’s a normal bump.”

Rarity took a step forward, her expression disbelieving. “Twilight? Surely you can’t be suggesting...”

The Element of Magic was silent for another moment, eyes shifting rapidly as she tried to get a grasp on what exactly she was looking at. After a while, though, her characteristics hardened, and she shook her head again, this time more forcefully.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on... But I do know one thing for sure.” Twilight looked up, a flash of urgency and determination coming across her features. “We need to get him to the hospital, now.”

Author's Note

Featured music, in order, for anyone who's interested:

Ballroom Blitz by Sweet

Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups

Flathead by The Fratellis

The Fourth Day: Prepare for Unforeseen Consequences

You Do (Not) Belong

The Fourth Day: Prepare for Unforeseen Consequences

“Hello?”

The lone voice echoed out into the surrounding area, bouncing off of bleached white walls and carrying past tall, curling spires that stretched impossibly into the sky before finally dying away.

“Is anyone there?”

Again the voice called out into the bleak atmosphere; the only sign of activity in this mute, lifeless landscape. For a few seconds, the sound spread out, growing steadily fainter until silence reigned once again.

“Helloooooooooooo...”

Finally, the one behind the calls came out into the open, as Connor stepped gingerly through the opening of an alleyway that was only slightly wider than his own body. After listening to his own voice echo hopelessly into the distance, he lowered his hands from where they had been cupped near his mouth and sighed dejectedly, scuffing his sneaker on the dusty gray ground.

Stuffing his hands back in his jacket, he raised his head and took a look at his surroundings, disappointed at the bland sameness of it all.

He found himself standing on a large, open roadway, reminiscent of a ghost town from one of those old western movies. Except instead of dilapidated wooden buildings covered in dust and weathered by time, this street was lined by solid walls of white stucco with the shapes of doors and windows carved in them. On the roofs of these things which could loosely be described as “buildings,” a haphazard assortment of arches, domes, and checkered patterns took up the skyline, as well as curved towers that reached up for miles with no discernible end, mocking the laws of physics with their mere existence. To top it all off, everything appeared to have a grainy, staticy sort of quality, like it was a real life representation of a photograph from the nineteenth century.

Combined with the eerie silence and the fact that the only difference between sky and scenery was a few shades of darker gray, it all made for a pretty disturbing scene. But, then again, it didn’t really disturb Connor all that much.

After all, it was just a dream, even though this specific fact was implicitly lost on him.

As far as this subconscious version of himself was concerned, what was there to get worked up about? The only thing that really bugged him was the fact that there was nobody else around, human or pony -- and absolutely nothing to do.

Dream-Connor was terribly bored.

As this was not, in fact, an imagining of the lucid variety, the only action available to him was to keep walking along the lonely streets of Bizarro Canterlot, alert for any signs of activity and disappointingly finding none. After a while, it was starting to get rather lonely.

And so it was for an indeterminable amount of time, the only sounds being his footsteps against the dirt road, waiting for something interesting to happen.

Then, just as he was contemplating a reenactment of the “Ministry of Silly Walks” skit for lack of anything more productive to do, something on the road ahead gained Connor’s attention. Squinting to get a better look, it appeared to be a cloud of dust, billowing out from the horizon and growing larger by the second. After a while, a hazy black form came out of the cloud, like a mirage materializing in midair, which slowly resolved itself into what appeared to be the hood of a car. As it came closer, more details became apparent.

The car was, in fact, not just a car, but a shiny black limousine, with two waving flags on the front corners reminiscent of the limo often seen ferrying the President of the United States from place to place. Instead of the Stars and Stripes, however, these flags featured a small, stylized orange and yellow sun against a white background.

The seconds passed by slowly as Connor patiently waited for the car to come closer, folding his arms while he watched it with a half-interested expression on his face. Finally, it neared his position, turning to its left and circling around to park in front of him as the brakes squealed and the car slowly came to a halt. Then, the limo simply sat there, as if daring the teenager to make the first move.

“Do I have to do everything around here?” Connor sighed after a while, before incredulously walking up to the driver’s side window of the car. For a moment, he gazed at his reflection in the tinted windows, trying to peer inside but having no luck. Finally, he let out a puff of air through his nose and raised his hand, lightly tapping on the glass.

The reaction was instantaneous, as the pane smoothly rolled down halfway into the door, accompanied by the whirring sound of the lowering mechanism. As soon as there was room in the opening, a wave of cascading colors rippled out into the air, lapping soundlessly in a nonexistent breeze against the sides of the car. And in the center of this pastel mass of magical hair was the muzzle of none other than the ruler of Equestria herself, Princess Celestia.

Wearing a chauffeur's hat, no less.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Connor remarked casually, a hint of annoyance lacing his voice.

“Get in,” the Princess replied shortly, and with a glow of yellow magic, the passenger door of the limo was enveloped in a like-colored aura, clicking and swinging open.

Connor stared at the now open door for a few seconds, blinking a few times before he shrugged his shoulders. “Okay,” he quickly agreed, accepting the invitation from the pony demigoddess who, by all rights, shouldn’t have been able to fit her quadrupedal form so easily in the driver’s seat of a car.

Nope, nothing conspicuous about this at all.

Connor stepped around and entered the limousine’s snazzy, professional interior, and just as he sat down on the black leather seat, the door closed behind him with another click. With a slight lurch, the vehicle once again surged into motion, and through the passenger window the landscape started to move past.

Inside the limo, across a section of short, scruffy carpet, Connor could see Celestia’s head, half hidden behind the portal separating the front end from the back. The wheel in front of her, grasped in her gilded hooves, turned occasionally as the Princess made slight adjustments, but other than this, she did nothing else to acknowledge his presence.

“Sooooo, are you gonna take me home?” Connor asked after a while.

“That depends,” Celestia answered, keeping her gaze fixed on the featureless road ahead. “Where is your home?”

Connor gave an amused snort. “Come on, you know where it is.”

“Do I?” The Princess turned her head, one of her sparkling pink irises training on him. “Do you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Connor asked incredulously as he scratched his scalp.

“Are you really looking for home? Or simply a place to call home?” the alicorn replied cryptically.

Connor paused on her words for a moment, the corner of his mouth turning up in a thoughtful expression. Eventually, he narrowed his eyes on the white pony and turned his head slightly before giving voice to his suspicions. “You’re fuckin’ with me, aren’t you?”

Celestia was silent for a while, before her lips slowly pulled back to reveal a wide, toothy smile, which she held for several seconds before turning back to face away from him.

“Figures,” Connor muttered, rolling his eyes.

And then, before any more could be said on the matter, the other occupant of the limo decided to make herself known. Leaning to the side so that her face, as well as her velvety starlight mane, came into view next to her sister’s, was Luna, Princess of the Night. She was wearing a large pair of shiny aviator sunglasses on her snout, and as Connor watched, she reached up a hoof to pull them down so that her midnight eyes were visible, before speaking up.

“Dawn of the Fourth Day,” she said quietly. “Seventy-two hours remain.”

Connor raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing the significance of her words. “Really, Luna? A Legend of Zelda reference?” He crossed his arms and eyed her suspiciously, more amused than surprised by the fact that a pony princess would be a fan of video games. “You didn’t even say it right.”

“Look up,” she told him simply, and without any indication as to why.

“Huh?”

“Look. Up,” Luna repeated, before slipping the sunglasses back over her face and turning her back to him, saying nothing more.

Connor raised his hands in a defeated gesture. “Whatever.”

And with that, he tilted his head to get a view of whatever it was Luna wanted him to see through the limousine’s small sunroof.

What he saw there was definitely not what he expected.

Looming overhead and utterly dominating the sky with its presence was an object of truly massive scale, the size of a planet. In fact, it was a planet, and not just any. The dark blue oceans, brown and green landscapes, and wispy white clouds -- not to mention the shape of the continents themselves -- gave it right away. It was Earth. But this Earth had a feature that the original surely lacked.

Specifically, the massive face adorning its surface, with its wide, bloodshot eyes and frighteningly malicious expression, like that of a crazed murderer. It looked exactly like the surface of the moon from the very game Luna had referenced, and it was an image that Connor was well familiar with.

And as he watched, eyes wide in horror, he noticed that it was falling, coming closer to the surface.

Fast.

“Hoooooly shit!” he exclaimed in spite of himself. Frantically, he turned back towards the front of the limo, heart hammering at a mile a minute. “Celestia, put your hoof on the gas! Get us outta here!”

But the Princess did not reply; the driver’s compartment was completely empty. Both Celestia and Luna had disappeared.

Connor’s breath caught in his throat as his thoughts skipped a beat, before he snapped out of it, vigorously shaking his head to fight off the panic as he shifted towards the passenger door and grasped the handle. Or he would have, if there was a handle to grasp in the first place.

Connor cursed his luck as his hands swept over the door’s surface, but it was all in vain, as the only way to the outside refused to divulge its secrets. Desperately, he pounded his fist against the glass window, even as the ground around him started to tremble and shake.

Realizing his efforts at escape were utterly futile, he flipped over on his back to peer back up at his doom, watching the maniacal ball of destruction hurtling ever downwards. Connor tried to raise his hands in some kind of defensive gesture, but then, as realization dawned at the futility of such a thing, he dropped them, knowing it wouldn’t have mattered; he was done for.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, resigned to his fate delivered via video game-themed apocalypse. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Connor’s eyes gently fluttered open, took half a second to decide it was far too bright for their liking, then closed shut almost immediately.

The human breathed in a deep lungful of air through his nose, noting how it carried the faintest traces of something that smelled... odd. Bitter, almost. Disinfectant?

With a grunt, he leaned upright from his laying position and brought his hands to his face, rubbing the corners of his eyes. He then tried to clear his head of the images that now stood out in his most recent memory, even as they started fading away almost as soon as he had awoken.

Man, what a crazy dream, he thought as he shook off the mental cobwebs. It wasn’t typical for Connor’s dreams to be so vividly detailed, or to contain such strange and, at the same time, oddly contextual contents. But then again, it was just a dream, and he had never claimed to be a psychoanalyst to any extent, so it all meant nothing to him.

In any case, it was scarcely worth devoting too much attention to, especially since he had more immediate concerns. Namely, where was he, and why did his head feel so hot?

In order to answer the first question, Connor lowered his hands, cautiously peering out between his eyelids and giving himself time to adjust to the lighting. Not that it was particularly bright or anything, but all the same, he felt like taking things slow right now.

The first thing he noticed upon opening his eyes fully, was that everything had a slightly fuzzy aspect to it; not surprising since he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Now that he thought about it, his shoes and Rarity’s coat were also conspicuously absent from his person, leaving him in only his black silk T-shirt and blue jeans, covered by a blanket.

As for what he was currently sitting on, it seemed to be just a simple bed, nothing fancy -- though still a size too short for his frame. And sitting next to him at the bedside was a squat wooden nightstand, holding up a desk lamp, a box of tissues, and nothing else. Other than that, the room he was in was small, square, and barely furnished, save for a table and some chairs next to a single window. On one of the chairs he could spy his jacket hanging off the end, situated above a pair of black sneakers lying on the floor.

Well, that’s one mystery solved, at least.

The room’s lighting came from a white fluorescent light set into the green-colored ceiling, and it glowed steadily against the tiled floors and wood panel walls that were half covered in a wavy-patterned blue wallpaper, as well as two plain, windowless doors.

Now having placed his immediate surroundings as reminiscent of a cheesy 1950’s motel, Connor was free to turn his attention to the second question, and he tentatively reached up to examine what it was that felt like it was applying pressure around his head.

What he felt there appeared to be some kind of cloth -- a bandage, most likely -- wrapped snugly and thickly around his crown. He traced its path along the circumference of his head, wincing only slightly when he passed the densely packed wad near his forehead.

So that’s why it feels like my head’s being squeezed like a stress ball.

But this revelation only brought with it more questions, chief among them being why his head was bandaged up in the first place.

Before he could think more about the issue, however, the knob on one of the room’s only two entrances turned, and the door swung open with a creak, permitting entrance to a pony that Connor couldn’t say he recognized. She took a few steps inside, in the middle of humming a lofty tune to herself when she noticed him sitting upright in the bed, causing her ears to perk up.

“My, my! You’re finally awake!” the mystery mare spoke up in a folksy, cheerful tone reminiscent of a Canadian accent.

A warm smile plain on her features as she seemed pleasantly surprised, the sky-blue earth pony cantered in. Even without his glasses, it was plain to see her close-cropped auburn mane, and though he couldn’t be sure, her cutie mark resembled a white pillow with a tiny pink heart in the center. On her head she was wearing a small white cap with a red circular emblem that Connor couldn’t make out exactly, even as she closed the distance between them.

“And how are you feeling today, umm...” She paused at the foot of the bed and grabbed a clipboard posted on the end in one of her hooves, taking a second to glance at its contents. “Connor, is it?”

“Uh... Fine, I guess?” Connor responded hesitantly, still fairly confused, yet at the same time finding himself comforted by the blue pony’s cheery disposition. “You have me at a disadvantage, though.”

“Oh! Please excuse my rudeness, dearie,” the pony gasped lightly as she dismissively waved a hoof, her cheeks tinging the barest shade of red. “My name’s Bedside Manner, but you can just go ahead and call me Betty. Most of the nurses around here do, don’tcha know.”

“Okay... Betty.” Connor found it surprising to actually come across a pony in this world with a normal-sounding name (even if it was just a nickname). Then he dialed back his attention to something else the affable mare had just said. “What do you mean, ‘nurses’?”

“I mean the nurses that work here, myself included.” Betty nodded as she pointed out her nurse’s cap, before proceeding to explain. “This is Ponyville General, don’tcha know.”

“Ponyville Gen...” Connor trailed off as he put the pieces together, shooting the nurse a curious glance. “I’m in a hospital? Why am I in a hospital?”

That explains the bandages at least, he concluded, after the nurse nodded in the affirmative, though it still didn’t explain why his head was dressed like that. “How did I get here?” came his next question.

“You’re friends brought you here last night. They were very worried about you there, don’tcha know,” the blue pony told him. “I wasn’t on shift at the time, but I’m told you were out colder than a windigo’s freezer when they checked you in.”

“Last night...” Connor unconsciously reached up, gently rubbing the mass of cloth covering his forehead and getting phantom flashes of remembered pain, reminded of the pure anguish he had experienced moments before losing consciousness. “Wait, how long have I been out?”

Nurse Manner craned her head around to the side, looking at a simple wall-mounted clock to her left. “Oh, I’d say about a good fourteen hours, at least.”

“F...fourteen hours?” the teenager stuttered slightly, barely able to wrap his mind around the number. He himself was no stranger to sleeping in, but this was ridiculous.

“That’s right, dearie.” Betty’s smile shifted downwards, as if sensing the alarm in Connor’s voice, and she put on a more empathetic expression. “Those friends of yours are really something special. They’ve been out in the foyer all morning waiting for you to wake up.”

When she mentioned this fact, some of the tension visibly drained from Connor’s face, and for some reason he felt himself relax in the knowledge that some of his new friends were close by. “They’re still here?”

“My, my. You sure are full of questions today, aren’t you, dearie?” Betty said with a chuckle, her cheerful demeanor back on in full force. “Indeed they are. In fact, I could go get them now, if you like. I’m sure they’d be happy to see you’ve recovered.”

Connor nodded to the nurse. “I’d appreciate it. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. That’s what I’m here for, don’tcha know.” With a friendly wink, the nurse pony turned around and trotted out the door, leaving it open behind her.

After Connor watched her go, he had the sudden urge to remove himself from the hospital bed and coax some life into his stiff limbs. Fourteen hours of lying asleep was making him feel all kinds of achy. So he tossed the bedsheets off to the side and shifted around, planting his feet on the tiled floor as he went about twisting his joints to relieve the stress. With a satisfied grunt, he pulled himself upright and stretched as far as he could, wiggling his fingers as he did so before breathing out.

He then cracked his neck twice and, trying to ignore the unpleasant taste of morning mouth, walked calmly over to the window on the far side of the room, curious about where in relation to Ponyville this hospital was.

Now that he was close enough to the window that his lack of corrective lenses didn’t matter, he could see that the panes were frosty with condensation, and a steady sheet of droplets ran down the outside surface along with the pitter-patter of a light drizzle. With a disinterested look on his face, he propped himself up on the sill, gazing out through the distorted image at the shapes of hills and houses set against a dreary gray background of clouds.

As he spent his time just watching the rain, it occurred to him that he never asked Nurse Betty about his apparent “injury,” but at the same time, he was certain his friends could clear some things up as soon as they arrived. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to wait long at all, as he soon heard the sounds of multiple hoofsteps clicking on the tiles in the hallway, followed by the nurse’s saccharine voice coming from outside the door.

“He’s right inside here, girls. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know, okay?”

Connor turned around just in time to hear Twilight’s voice respond in kind, and moments later the purple pony quickly walked in, looking visibly relieved. Connor found himself smiling at the sight of his friend, and he took a single step forwards as he raised a hand in greeting.

“Twilight-- URK!” was all he managed to get out, before a ballistic missile of cotton candy fur barged in next to unicorn and came right up to him, scooping him up in its forelegs in an emotional embrace.

“You’re okay! I’m so happy I could practically burst!” shouted Pinkie Pie as she nearly lifted Connor off his feet while simultaneously squeezing the life out of him.

“Gkh... Nice... to see you, too... Pinkie...” he managed to choke out as the pink mare nuzzled her furry face uncomfortably close to his chest, while still standing upright on her hind legs and holding him in a vice grip with her other two. “Please...! Can’t... breathe...!”

“Pinkie, let him go. He’s starting to turn blue,” Twilight cautioned her excitable friend.

“Oh! Sorry!” The party pony didn’t seem all that apologetic as she mercifully released Connor, and he was able to take a few deep, gasping breaths. After taking a moment to recover, he still managed a brief chuckle even as he felt the blood flow returning to his upper body, increasing the feeling of pressure against his bandaged head.

“Well, if I wasn’t awake before, I definitely am now,” he commented wryly as he straightened up, looking over his two pony friends and alert for any more surprise glompings. “Is it just you two?”

“Unfortunately,” Twilight confirmed, nodding. “Everypony else wanted to be here, but they all had other things to do. Applejack and Rarity had to make sure their sisters got to school okay, Fluttershy had to go tend to her animals, Rainbow Dash has a shift with the Weather Patrol, and I sent Spike back to Golden Oak a couple hours ago to open for the day.”

“Oh...” Connor said, slightly crestfallen. “Well, at least you guys are here. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it! That’s what friends are for, right?” Pinkie said, her ever-present grin on full display. “Besides, I wanted to give this back to you.”

With that, Pinkie reached a hoof behind her back, and somehow produced a rectangular blue object out of thin air, which Connor instantly recognized as his iPod.

“Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that thing,” he remarked, trying to ignore yet another of the pony’s incongruous behaviors. “Here, you can go ahead and stick that in my coat if you want.”

“Okey-dokey!”

As Pinkie passed beside him to get to his jacket on the chair, slipping the gadget into a pocket, Twilight took the opportunity to speak as well, stepping forwards as her horn began to glow.

“I also have something that belongs to you.” The spell Twilight had been preparing resolved itself in a small flash of purple light in the air next to her, revealing Connor’s glasses, neatly folded and encased in her telekinetic aura. She continued talking as she floated them over to him. “They were broken after what happened last night. I fixed them up with magic, good as new.”

“Thanks, I was wondering where those were.” Connor reached out and plucked his glasses from the air, putting them on while simultaneously noting that the accumulated scuffs and scratches on their surface had completely vanished as well. As the world around him once again became clear as crystal, he felt comfortable enough to use the unicorn’s words as a segue into asking the question on the tip of his tongue. “Speaking of, what exactly happened last night? Does it have something to do with why my head looks like a botched mummification?”

In response to Connor’s query, Twilight’s shoulders hunched slightly, and though he couldn’t see it, a few beads of sweat started running down her neck. “Um, well... about that. It’s just... uh...” she said slowly, her eyes darting off and to the side as she spoke. The combination of her unsteady speech and nervous body language started setting off all kinds of alarm bells in Connor’s mind.

“Twilight, you’re hesitating,” he pointed out, unsettled by the kind of behavior he wouldn’t have expected from the intelligent pony. A pony who, so far as he knew her, had always been quick to the point.

“I-I know. I’m just trying to...” Twilight pursed her lips, reaching up a hoof to smooth down her dark mane. She then closed her eyes and breathed a steadying sigh, apparently making up her mind. “Maybe it’s better if I just show you.”

“Show me what?”

“Sit down, I’ll unwind the bandages.”

Finding himself affected by his lavender friend’s nervousness, he nonetheless did as she asked, backing up to one of the chairs by the window and taking a seat. With heavy steps, Twilight came forwards, and at the same time, both her horn and the upper periphery of Connor’s vision took on a violet aura.

As Pinkie stood off to the side, watching expectantly, Connor tried not to fidget while Twilight undid his covering. The squeezing sensation he’d been feeling lessened as more and more layers were peeled away, rolled up into a ball in front of the one using the magic. About ten seconds through the process, Twilight paused to look him right in the eyes. “Whatever you do... try to keep calm.”

Connor stayed silent, nervously contemplating her words and the serious expression she wore, before hesitantly nodding. Twilight nodded back, and proceeded to continue at a quickened pace. As the last layer was taken off, Connor shut his eyes out of reflex bracing himself for... Actually, he didn’t know what he was bracing for.

But he was about to find out.

Painfully aware of how fast his heart was beating, he slowly reached a slightly shaking hand up to touch his forehead, expecting to feel something along the lines of a gaping wound or some other terrible injury, going off of Twilight’s dire attitude.

It was immediately apparent that this was not the case, but the reality was no less disconcerting, as Connor’s fingers felt the surface of his skin a moment earlier than they should have. His eyes shot open and he gasped lightly at the sensation he got from gently probing the... He didn’t know what it was, but it was present on his forehead nonetheless. Pressing down with a little more force, he caused himself to wince as a tiny jolt of pain emanated from his skull.

“What... What is this?” Connor breathed out in a whisper, completely at a loss to describe this recent development.

Twilight gulped audibly, and turned to face the only other pony in the room. “Pinkie? Could you get a mi--” She was interrupted as Pinkie thrust a hoof in front of her, containing a small hand mirror with a handle. The unicorn looked between her friend and the inexplicably produced object several times, before shaking her head and grabbing it herself, then holding it up so that Connor could peer at his reflection.

The teenager’s face froze, and his body went stock still. He blinked at the image several times before he remembered once again to breathe as he took in the details.

It was sort of like a... bump. And a rather large one at that, standing out around a good inch and a half from the surface of his forehead. Colored the same as his skin, the smooth protrusion tapered off to a very obvious point, taking on a blunt, conical appearance. Connor ran his hand across it again, pulling and pinching the tender object as gently as he could in his trembling grip, feeling not the soft resistance of flesh, but rather, a hard surface underneath.

Then he raised a single finger, and tapped on the thing with his nail. The sound was muffled by the skin, but that didn’t make it any less recognizable; it sounded like bone.

Connor suddenly raised his gaze from the mirror, looking straight at Twilight as his mind tried to run away from what his senses were telling him. “Twilight... wh...what...” he barely managed.

“It’s a... well, I can’t say for certain,” Twilight explained, lowering her head, her voice low. Next to her, Pinkie was trying her hardest to keep quiet, but it was obviously a losing battle as her smile grew ever wider. “But I think... it’s a--”

“You have a horn!” the pink mare suddenly exclaimed, her expression going to full-blown ecstatic as she waved her forelegs in the air. “Look at it! It's so tiny and cute! It looks just like Pumpkin Cake’s, doesn’t it!?”

“Pinkie!” Twilight turned to scold her excitable friend. “This isn’t the time! Can’t you be a little more sensitive? This is obviously very shocking to him!”

“Come on, Twilight. Why do you gotta be such a downer?” Pinkie continued, steadfastly refusing to take a hint. “I think it’s really neat! I had no idea humans could grow horns like that! You think maybe he can use magic too? That would be awesome!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said through clenched teeth, very much not in the mood to put up with her antics at this moment. She then breathed in and snorted loudly, bringing a hoof up to the bridge of her snout. “Maybe it’s best if you go. I think the two of us need to talk about this -- without distractions.”

The party pony sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “Fiiiine. I should be heading back to Sugarcube Corner anyways; The Cakes are probably wondering where I am,” Pinkie reluctantly agreed, the smile on her face lessening to a shadow of its former self. She shifted around and trotted over to the door, stopping for a moment to look over her shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want me to--”

“Pinkie...” Twilight stressed the word to make her point clear.

“Alright, I’m goin’.” Pinkie shrugged, deciding it would be prudent not to press the issue. “See you guys later!”

With a wave of her hoof, the fuchsia mare exited, leaving Twilight alone with the still shellshocked human. During the entirety of the two ponies’ conversation after Pinkie’s rather blunt remark, Connor remained transfixed on his reflection in the mirror, unable to keep his eyes nor his hand off of what the manic pony had labeled a “horn.”

And even as he desperately wanted not to believe her, the evidence was staring him right in the face.

“Are you alright?”

Visibly shaking in his seat, Connor snapped out of his daze, his attention drawn to Twilight as she focused on him with those large eyes of hers.

If the revelation that a horn was slowly but surely growing out of his forehead could be compared to a figurative crowbar being thrown into the clockwork arrangement of gears and cogs that represented his thoughts, the unicorn’s simple question was the jarring impact required to set them in motion again. And they were making up for lost time.

“Am I... Twilight, do I look like I’m alright!?” he shouted suddenly, causing the mare to flinch and lower her ears. With a start, Connor got to his feet, his whole body trembling as he struggled to stave off the panic that was rising in the back of his mind. “Look at me! I don’t... I’m... I’m a...”

Outright denial came to mind; a typical response, surely, in the face of a possibility as obviously unreal as this. But as a consequence of being in Equestria, after witnessing so many things he would have once thought impossible, what was one more thing added to the heap? One might say he had been inoculated from deniability at this point.

Connor could only stare at the mirror in his hand, grasping feebly for the right words to describe what stared back at him.

Changing.

Mutating.

...A freak.

“Connor, please! You need to calm down,” Twilight pleaded with him, having had enough experience in going off the deep end once or twice herself to recognize when things were about to spiral out of control.

Even Connor himself knew that panicking wasn’t going to solve anything, but in this case, rational thought had flown out the window as soon as that last bandage was lifted away, and there was nothing he could do to prevent himself from losing it.

Unless... he found a way to redirect it. And the unicorn present in the room with him was as convenient a target as any.

“Calm down!? Don’t you tell me to calm down!” Connor found himself saying, his fevered thoughts turning into words as fast as he could think them. “You’re not the one who has a...”

The human’s eye twitched as he saw the obvious flaw in the logic of his next statement. He then turned away from Twilight, lips pulled back in a snarl.

“Goddammit!” Connor reared back with the mirror in his hand, letting it fly against the wall with all the force he could muster. With a thick cracking sound, the plastic around it impacted the wood-paneled surface, and it unceremoniously fell to the ground, still intact but with two large breaks running down the back.

Breathing heavily with his fists clenched at his sides, Connor sadly couldn’t derive any feeling of catharsis from the violent action, while Twilight did her best to console him, coming up to his side and laying a hoof on his arm.

“Don’t worry... We’ll find a way to fix this,” she said, her voice tinged with a healthy dose of concern, and a tiny dash of fear.

Connor flinched at the contact, brusquely shoving away her foreleg as he turned to address her. “Oh, really?” he spat bitterly. “And I suppose you know a handy spell that’ll make everything better. Just wave a magic wand and it’ll all go away.”

Twilight looked down and to the side with a sense of shame clearly evident. “Well... no, I don’t know if I can... I just don’t know.”

“Well, fan-fucking-tastic! Figures, since this is pretty much your fault, anyway.”

“My fault?” Twilight balked, taking a few steps backward as she regarded him with indignation. “How is any of this my fault!?”

“You’re the one who said it was nothing to worry about!” Connor shot back sarcastically, throwing his hands up in the air as he bore down on his friend. “I thought it might be something serious, but noooooo! Here, take an aspirin! You’ll be fine by tomorrow! What’s the worst that could happen!? THIS!” He pointed at the object of his distress. “THIS COULD HAPPEN!”

Connor’s words cut into the lavender pony like sharp daggers, causing her to cringe as if she’d been struck, even though she had done absolutely nothing to deserve them. She then raised a hoof and planted it down assertively, trying to maintain her composure even as she fought back tears of her own.

“I don’t understand why you’re taking this out on me! This isn’t like you!” Twilight countered angrily, before her expression grew more sullen and reserved, and she managed to lower her voice somewhat. “Why can’t you see that I’m only trying to help?”

Even though more venting seemed like a good idea at first, Twilight’s words, and the hurt and conflict reflected in her features, managed to just barely break through the wall of jumbled thoughts and emotions that was clouding Connor’s judgment. He balled up his fists again, still trembling with suppressed anguish, and found that he couldn’t bring himself to look the pony in the eyes.

Connor had no choice but to turn away and stare at the wall, wishing he could be anywhere but in that room. “You can help by leaving me alone. Just... leave,” he told her, making it clear in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t welcome.

The two of them held an uneasy silence for a long time.

“Fine. If that’s what you want. Take all the time you need to sort yourself out,” Twilight finally said after a while, trying to mask the tone of resentment lacing her words. With his back turned, Connor could hear the sound of her hooves moving away from him, until she spoke up again from the hallway outside. “I should warn you, though. You’ll have to find your own way back to the library once you’ve decided to stop acting like a foal.”

“Oh? Are you still here?” Connor grumbled, driving home the fact that he wanted her gone.

“Ugh!” the unicorn exclaimed, disgusted, and the next sound Connor heard was the warping sound of a magic field, followed by the sharp and reverberating slam of a door.

The teenager breathed out in very loud and audible sigh, trying to sort out his jumbled thoughts before they evaded his attempts to pin them down. But he didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what it was he was supposed to do now. At least, in the pervasive silence that hung in the air after his argument with Twilight, he could finally take time to collect himself.

The panic was gone, as was the anger. And in their place he felt... nothing. He’d been emptied; ran out of fuel, so to speak. He’d managed to cling to his sanity in the face of this newest predicament, so, mission accomplished, at least.

All it took was to possibly sacrifice the friendship of one of the only friends he could claim to have in this world. Not to mention the possibility of losing the rest of them, if Twilight felt the need to relay what had just happened between them to her fellow Elements of Harmony. He couldn’t blame her if she did, though.

Not even he wanted to be around himself right now.

Despondently, Connor plodded over to the bed and slowly went to his knees. Then he placed his arms on the mattress and buried his head between them, shifting around so that he wouldn’t have to feel any sensation from the alien appendage adorning his crown.

He didn’t want to think about anything, didn’t want to feel anything, didn’t want to do anything.

From the pit of regret and helplessness he currently found himself trapped in... all he wanted was for the world to just stop.

Connor had stayed in his defeated position for who knew how long, only interrupted when Nurse Betty returned to the room, bearing both a tray containing a serving of hospital food, as well as a few carefully chosen words of empathy. Yet, it seemed she was also keen enough to understand that privacy was what Connor required at this point, and she mercifully left it at that and went on her way.

Roused from his stupor, Connor managed to drag himself over to the tray and sit down to examine what the nurse had brought for him. It was unsurprising, as far as hospital food goes: a glass of apple juice, a sizable slice of bread with some butter, and some kind of unidentifiable green vegetable glop. Not feeling particularly hungry, Connor partook of the bread and drink, neglecting to even touch the unappetizing third item.

Feeling he might as well try to understand the fullness of what he was facing -- as much as he didn’t want to -- Connor then decided it would make it easier to figure out what to do next.

So it was that Connor found himself yet again staring at his reflection, in the mirror of the hospital room’s simple bathroom, and the haggard face that was shown in the bathroom mirror’s image spoke volumes as to his current state. Yet he was able to ignore the tired lines under his eyes and the unkempt nature of his hair, in favor of focusing on the unsightly extension of flesh and bone jutting out from his features.

Some artful placement of his bangs was moderately successful at hiding the diminutive horn. Not that it mattered, as he could still feel its presence through the contact with his skin, accompanied by a dull sensation of pressure in his scalp that communicated to him that the ordeal wasn’t even close to being over.

Also, as far as he could tell, the damn thing wasn’t even useful, as no amount of staring intently at a bar of soap could coax it to move via telekinesis. Not so much as a single spark.

And so, feeling cheated out of the only thing that he could consider remotely close to a silver lining in all this, his thoughts once again turned to what he should be doing next.

Connor looked back at the horn... his horn... and shuddered, feelings of resentment threatening to well up once more. Why did this have to happen to him? Why now? What did it mean? Would things ever go back to the way they were before?

As this and other questions swirled around in a torrent within his mind, he felt the urge to raise his fist and press it feebly against the glass, wanting the image to go away but not having the will to make it happen.

I’m just... so confused. I feel like I wanna just break something, but, Connor sighed, leaning his head forwards against the cool mirror and angling at the last second to barely avoid smacking into it with his forehead. But that wouldn’t solve anything. Just like taking it all out on Twilight didn’t solve anything.

Fresh feelings of regret and shame washed over him as he remembered what he’d said to her, and he couldn’t stand the thought of having to face her again after that. He’d give anything just to start the day over and avoid making the wrong decisions again.

This whole thing is going to drive me crazy if I keep thinking about it. I need to do something.

Connor raised his eyes and looked at the blank and sterile surroundings of the bathroom, and the plain and oppressive interior of the hospital room outside.

“I need to get out of here,” he concluded to himself. “Need to take a walk... Clear my head.”

Grateful at least for a course of action, Connor took one last look at the mirror and turned away, feeling disgusted at himself. He then made his way back into the room, past the bed over to the rest of his clothes, and numbly slid into his jacket and shoes. He paused for a second at the window, noting that it was still softly drizzling outside, before deciding he really didn’t care at this point. Right now, this hospital felt like a prison, and he needed to escape.

Without a second thought, he went over to the door, opening it gently and slipping outside, before quietly closing it behind him. The hallway of this wing resembled the patient room, just with different color walls and ceilings, along with some orange domed lights along the top that led off in either direction. A few potted plants and a thick blue carpet added a touch of hominess, but they weren’t important enough to notice.

What Connor was looking for, and eventually found, were the signs and markers adorning the walls, spelling out directions to different parts of the hospital. Upon discovering the way to the hospital foyer, he proceeded to follow the arrows down the hall, passing by an array of other doors, and the occasional patient or staff pony. Some of them regarded him oddly, but he paid them no mind, and they thankfully had the wisdom to see that he wasn’t in a pleasant mood and left him alone.

Connor eventually came to the hospital entrance, bypassing the waiting area and making a beeline for the door to the outside. About halfway across the room, however, a voice called out from the kiosk located between two branching hallways. “Um, sir!”

Connor turned to notice the hospital attendant: a lime-green pegasus mare with a curly blonde mane. She was sitting behind the desk, obscuring the lower half of her body, with a magazine open in her hooves. As he observed, her full attention had been diverted to him, and she spoke with a degree of concern as she held an outstretched hoof in his direction. “Where do you think you’re going? You haven’t been discharged yet,” the pegasus pointed out.

Connor lowered his head with a sigh, hardly willing to put up with any more difficulties today. “To answer your question, outside,” he said, his voice conveying a sense that he was far from amused. “And in response to your statement, do I look like I care?”

The mare drew back, unprepared for the aspect of negativity the human was giving off. “But, patients aren’t supposed to leave until they’ve been cleared by--”

“Sorry, I don’t have time for this,” Connor snapped, further offsetting the attendant who was really only doing her job. “Are you going to force me to stay here?”

The mare blinked for a few times, unsure of how to respond to his obstruction, before slowly lowering her hoof and slumping back in her seat, speechless.

“Didn’t think so.”

The teenager turned around, reaching out an arm to touch the door to the outside, when the pegasus pony spoke out again. “Wait!”

Connor twisted his neck to face the attendant again. “What is it now?” he growled.

The pony’s jaw worked up and down soundlessly, before finally managing a response. “It’s... raining out.”

Connor huffed in annoyance, before making a point of reaching up, drawing the red hood of his coat and throwing it forwards around his head. He then grabbed onto the sapphire tassels and yanked on them, securing the hood tightly in place.

And with that, he once again turned to face the hospital’s threshold, and without hesitation pushed the door open and stepped outside. He was greeted with a rush of cold air that made a shiver run down his spine and blew light mist onto his face. Grimacing, he pulled the lip of his hood down across the top of his head, serving a dual purpose of keeping the light rain out of his eyes as well as obscuring his horn from any passive observers. Not that there were likely to be very many ponies outside on a day like this, but all the same, the less attention he garnered, the better.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Connor picked a direction and started walking, his sneakers squishing on the road that was covered in a thin layer of mud.

He didn’t particularly care where he ended up, but it didn’t matter.

Until he could decide on what he was supposed to do next, it was easier to empty his thoughts and simply focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

The Fourth Day: Reflections

You Do (Not) Belong

The Fourth Day: Reflections

So you showed me around your town.

To hell again and back.

I love the certain way you need

all the friends you depend on.

All Connor was trying to do was put on some music that felt appropriate to both his mood and his current setting. But as he heard the opening lyrics to Broken Bells' "October" on high volume through his earbuds, he found his selection to be rather frighteningly accurate, given the events of the day before.

As the song on his iPod continued to play, its listener continued in the fashion he had been doing for at least a good half an hour at this point: wandering aimlessly down the streets of Ponyville as steady sheets of rain poured down from above.

This particular fact might have given the average person -- or pony, for that matter -- an understandable reason to want to seek shelter from the storm. But it was thanks to Rarity’s foresight in crafting a set of clothes that caused water to just slide off their surface that Connor didn’t find himself completely soaked through by now. Granted, it did little against the cold, or the fact that his sneakers weren’t similarly enchanted, but the human found that he really didn’t care enough to want to find someplace warm and dry.

After all, where would he go?

Returning to the hospital wasn’t an option, as that was the last place he felt like being. And at the moment there was really no other place in town that he could think of where he could stay.

Well, that’s not really true. There was the Golden Oak, but...

Connor knew for certain he wasn’t welcome there.

But what you don't know

is you're too young and eager to love.

Seething, I see.

You're about to get into

the ditch that you opened up.

Don’t see how that first part applies to any of this, Connor mused as the song played on. But that part about the ditch sure feels familiar.

Connor sighed, watching his breath turn to fog that quickly dissipated, flowing up under his hood and past the growth on his forehead that was responsible for all of this. Even though he had tried listening to music in order to get his mind off of both his unwelcome, horn-shaped addition, and the well of emotions, mostly regret, that he was feeling about his fight with a certain unicorn, it just wasn’t enough.

As for his plan to try and sort out his thoughts on an improvised walkabout through the equine township, that wasn’t going so smoothly, either. Every time he tried asking himself even the simplest of questions: “How?” “Why?” and “What do I do now?” he just ended up right back where he started. And seeing as he was starting with nothing, it was hard to argue that he was going to get anywhere anytime soon.

And so there was really nothing he could do except to keep moving through the empty streets, thankful at least to have a modest degree of privacy, as it seemed the rest of the town had a lot more sense than he did.

Should you want to cross the line,

which way do you want to fly?

Pretend that love could help you find your way.

But you got me wrong.

Yeah, you got me wrong.

As the song ended, and the final note faded away to a background of rain pelting the ground and the houses around him, Connor paused for a moment to reach into his pocket and palm the device. Using his other hand as a shield from the rain, he brought it out and turned on the display, while preventing the iPod from simply cycling to the next song down the list. As Connor started to think about what kind of song he felt like listening to next, he found his eyes drawn to the upper right corner, where the tiny battery indicator told him a sobering fact: surely due in no small part to his idea to play his music at Pinkie’s welcoming party, the small white bar had been shortened to a decent amount below halfway.

“Well, isn’t that just perfect,” Connor said aloud to nobody in particular, not caring to mask the bitterness in his voice at how his outlook of the day had apparently hit a new low.

He clicked a button on the side of the device, shutting off the screen before pocketing it along with his earbuds, as he had decided that from now on, he wouldn’t turn the thing back on unless the situation truly demanded it.

Connor then breathed in deeply through his nose, taking the opportunity to take stock of where he was.

To be honest, every street in Ponyville really did look similar to the next. It was only the occasional building standing out from the others that signified a change in location, and as Connor looked up, it was plain to see that he hadn’t yet been to this particular intersection.

Standing right in the middle of the square was a three-storied building that instantly brought Connor’s thoughts to the tale of Hansel and Gretel, as with peppermint-colored pillars, chocolate-covered roof with white icing trim, and a top that resembled a pink frosted cupcake, the place looked to be almost one hundred percent edible. He assumed it couldn’t really be made out of food, but all the same, the lengths these ponies went to in order to stand out never ceased to amaze him.

So I was wrong. It’s not a candy store made of candy, it’s a bakery made out of gingerbread, Connor thought incredulously as he beheld the sweetshop in all its faux delectable glory.

Bright pinkish-yellow light shone out through the clear windows and into the dreary gloom, and from his position about twenty feet away, Connor could make out the shapes and silhouettes of a number of ponies enjoying themselves inside the confectionery. He found himself wondering what they were up to in there; how much fun they could obviously be having in a place as whimsically decorated as this. But instead of feeling comforted by the thought, it only ended up reminding him of everything currently absent from his life.

These ponies didn’t know how good they had it. Everyone was friends with each other. Everyone lived in an arguably near-perfect society, free of strife and hardship. Everyone was happy.

Everyone had a home to go back to.

...

Connor tore his eyes away from the delectably covered bakery, turning sharply to the left and continuing on his way while directing his gaze straight down at the cobbled streets underneath his feet.

“Who here’s ready for a scrubba-dub-dub in the tub!?” Pinkie Pie asked exuberantly, smiling widely as she prepared to give her favorite filly and colt their daily baths.

As for her audience, they voiced their immediate approval, both the blue-eyed yellow unicorn and her brown-eyed twin pegasus brother babbling incoherently and splashing the water they were immersed in with excitement.

It always made Pinkie feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see the expressions on Pumpkin and Pound Cake's faces when they got to spend time with her, and today both Cup and Carrot Cake were busy enough downstairs in Sugarcube Corner that they required Pinkie’s expert foalsitting for the day. Not that she was complaining, as bath time with the foals was one of her especially favorite times, next to nappy time, snacky time, and “stay-away-from-the-kitchen-when-mommy-and-daddy-were-baking-a-really-really-big-order” time.

She was a teensy bit disappointed that it had to be raining that day, preventing her from maybe taking the twins out for a walk in the park like she would’ve wanted, but at least it wasn’t like she couldn’t still entertain them in the bathroom.

“Who wants to meet Mr. Quackums?” the party pony asked, and in response, Pumpkin and Pound went completely silent while at the same time each raising a foreleg as high into the air as they could manage.

“Okey-dokey! Now, where did I see him last?” Pinkie made a show of scratching her head with a hoof, lips turning up in a consternated fashion until she made an exclamation with openmouthed realization. “Ah! I remember! I think he was right over...”

The mare leaned forwards over the tub, reaching a hoof behind Pound’s ear and suddenly producing the sought-after rubber ducky she had promised. She then held it up in front of the twins and gave it a squeeze, resulting in a squeaky quacking sound that absolutely delighted the months-old ponies.

“Here you go!” Pinkie said, placing Mr. Quackums in the water between brother and sister. “Now, you two play nice while Auntie Pinkie goes to get the soap!”

The pink pony then got up on her hooves and turned on the spot, cantering over to a shelf near the opposite side of the bathroom where she went about digging around for the bubble bath solution. Upon finding what she was looking for, Pinkie suddenly heard a sound that she always hated to hear: that of one or both of the twins’ frustrated grunts as they fought over who got to play with the new toy first, as young siblings are wont to do.

Pinkie turned around to see what was going on, just in time to watch Pound, the stronger of the two, yank the yellow rubber duck from the grip of his sister. The reaction was immediate, as Pumpkin’s face scrunched up, lips trembling, before letting out a pitiful, high-pitched wail.

“Ooooh, please don’t cry, Pumpkin!” Pinkie pleaded with the filly as she rushed back over to the tub to remedy the situation. With a stern look on her normally-pleasant features, Pinkie directed her gaze at Pound, who tried his best to look as innocent as possible as his sister continued crying beside him.

“Now, now, naughty foal! Aren’t I always telling you that you need to play nice with your sister?” she chastised, holding up a hoof and waving it at him. “Be a nice little pony and share Mr. Quackums, understand?”

The diminutive pony looked back and forth between Auntie Pinkie and Pumpkin with his wide brown eyes, eventually settling on his sister and suddenly feeling ashamed about the mean thing he did. Without a second thought, he took the bath toy in his hoof and held it out in front of her, giving it a gentle squeeze.

In response, Pumpkin slowly ceased her crying, and with a few sniffles, looked up at her brother for a second before hesitantly reaching out and grasping the duck, giving it a few squeezes of her own and managing to bring a small smile back to her lips.

“There, now, isn’t that better?” Pinkie commented, smiling warmly as she watched the two foals so quickly reconcile themselves as they often did, so long as she was there to remind them. “Why is it that you two can’t just play nice all the time? I mean, really, is this how you guys are gonna behave when you grow old enough to--”

Pinkie stopped mid-sentence as an all-too-familiar feeling started creeping up her spine.

“Hold on, folks! Pinkie Sense incoming!” She held a hoof up to signify a pause, causing the twins to look up at her curiously as she waited for more information to come through her unorthodox prediction mechanism.

The feeling migrated down her body, towards the base of her tail, and with a tingly, itchy sensation, caused it to swish back and forth across the tiled bathroom floor.

“Hmmm. Swishy-tail... That usually means somepony’s about to-- Wait... Wait a second,” Pinkie interrupted herself, as she became aware that the Sense was not yet finished. Without warning, an unpleasant, buzzing ache started to emanate from the knee of her left foreleg, and the significance of this news caused Pinkie’s expression to drop.

The pink pony sincerely hoped that her random spasms would occur a third time, because this particular combination so far meant something not all too pleasant was occurring nearby. But after a few more seconds of holding out hope, Pinkie sighed, her features falling and her ears drooping as her Pinkie Sense was apparently finished relaying the message.

“Aww... Somepony’s really, really sad right now...” she explained dejectedly to the two inquisitive foals in the bathtub, wishing she knew who exactly was responsible for triggering her predictive quirk -- and where s/he was -- so that she could drop in to administer a direct dose of Pinkie-brand cheer. But, unfortunately, she had a responsibility to the two young ponies in front of her, and couldn’t just leave them on their own simply to fulfill her role as Element of Laughter, no matter how much she wanted to. It was a thought that saddened her.

A sudden rubbery quacking sound filled the air just then, causing Pinkie to look up and see Pumpkin and Pound both holding out Mr. Quackums in her direction, both carrying hesitantly hopeful expressions on their faces. The simple, heartfelt gesture was enough to bring the party pony back out of her temporary funk, smiling once again as she brought her hooves up to rub the manes on the filly and colt’s tiny noggins.

“Thanks, you guys. You’re so sweet,” she said to them, causing the two ponies to mirror her renewed cheer as they all proceeded to continue with the task at hoof.

And yet, as she started to pour out a generous amount of bubble bath into the tub, Pinkie still couldn’t shake the notion that somepony, somewhere out in Ponyville, was seriously in need of a friend. So much so that she found herself wishing she could be in two places at once; something which, even for somepony like her, just wasn’t possible.

At some point in the day, the rain shifted over from a gentle drizzle to something lighter. By the time Connor noticed the change, the rain had already become barely more than mist in the air, even though the sky remained the same shade of gloomy gray.

Looking up and taking a good look at his surroundings for the first time in a while, Connor found himself in some kind of park area, with stretches of open grass cut through with meandering paths and the occasional tree or bench. No ponies were around at the moment, though, just like elsewhere in town.

The path on his right led up to a squat, mauve-painted bridge, situated over a depression in the ground that must have been a small stream, and without much thought, Connor decided to walk in that direction, thinking it was as good as any other. Drawing closer, he could begin to hear the sound of water running beneath the bridge, and while it wasn’t quite “babbling,” it was still a welcome reprieve from the only sounds being his breathing and the wet dirt beneath his shoes.

On a whim, the teenager paused by the bank of the river just next to the crossing, taking a moment to find and pick up a few weathered, flat stones, before placing them in his pocket. He then made his way up the gently sloping wood of the bridge and stopped at the apex, turning to face out towards the river and leaning forward, propping his arms up on the wooden railing. The surface was still slick with moisture from the morning shower, but thanks to the waterproofing qualities of his sleeves, it hardly mattered.

With a sigh, Connor kept his gaze on the horizon as he fished around in his pocket for one of the stones. Then, he looked at it contemplatively for a moment, before tightening his grip, rearing his arm back, and letting fly with a flourish of his wrist. The rock whizzed out over the surface of the river, managing three short skips before finally landing with a modest splash.

He did this again and then once more, with the third attempt succeeding in a grand total of five skips. Then, he stopped, idly fingering the last remaining stone in his pocket, before deciding to stop looking out at the rest of Ponyville and instead turn his gaze downwards, towards the water. While the river beneath him was obviously swelled from the rain and flowing past at a steady clip, the surface was still smooth enough that Connor could easily make out his reflection in the water.

From his position several feet up, and with his hood and hair hanging over the front of his face, he could almost convince himself that there was nothing wrong with him; that everything was normal. Almost, because no matter what he saw with his eyes, what he felt was still ever present. He could still feel the unnatural weight of the horn, slight as it was, pulling his forehead down. How every tilt of his head caused his bangs to brush against the alien protrusion that was now a part of him.

Connor reached up to touch it again from under his hood, feeling the smooth texture and hard toughness of the bone underneath, running over the blunt tip several times with his fingers. Such a small change, such a tiny detail, but as Connor gazed at his reflection in the placid surface of the water, he felt as though he might as well have been looking at a stranger.

The human felt a brisk shiver run down his spine as he looked on, but it had nothing to do with the cold.

Then, after a couple more seconds of silent contemplation, something else reflected in the water grabbed his attention, and he focused on it while simultaneously lowering his arm. Whatever it was, it looked like a puffy, blackish-gray lump, standing out against the gray backdrop of clouds, and if Connor’s sense of depth was accurate, it almost seemed like it was...

Connor turned abruptly and raised his head upwards at a forty-five degree angle, confirming his suspicion that the mysterious form was in fact hovering just a few feet away. He instantly recognized it for what it was: a cloud. Specifically, a black cloud, uniformly lumpy and softly undulating in place.

“You can’t be serious,” Connor muttered incredulously, utterly baffled and more than a little pissed off that, apparently, a black cloud had been following him for who knew how long. Oddly appropriate, given his mood, though he couldn’t help but feel as though the world itself had started mocking him.

I really am living in a goddamn cartoon, he thought bitterly as he regarded the oddball cloud formation with contempt. But then, something caught his eye, down near the base of the object and seemingly poking out the back side of it. It looked like a short tuft of hair.

And yet, hair wasn’t supposed to be composed of green, yellow, orange and red strands all at the same time. Unless that hair in fact belonged to a certain androgynous pegasus mare that Connor had happened to be introduced to the night before.

His eyes narrowed as he remembered hearing that pegasus ponies had the uncanny ability to manipulate condensed water vapor, and everything fell neatly into place. With a dejected sigh, Connor turned back to face the river, and brought his hand to his mouth, loudly clearing his throat to communicate that the jig was up.

After a moment with no obvious reaction from the cloud, he tried it again, more forcefully this time. Still no reaction, and by now it was obvious that the obfuscated pony wasn’t going to take a hint, so Connor sighed again and decided to speak up. “I know you’re there.”

The park was silent except for the sound of the river.

“Stop messing around, Rainbow. I’m not in the mood,” said the human, starting to get annoyed.

This finally managed to induce a reaction, and with a sound like someone punching a soft pillow, Connor watched a shaggy multicolored mane pop out of cover, accompanied by the cyan pony that was attached to it.

“Aww. How’d ya know it was me?” Rainbow Dash asked with a disappointed look on her face. Connor tilted his head and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Clouds don’t have tails,” he pointed out blankly, causing the mare to crane her neck around and notice that her tail was indeed showing outside of her hiding place.

“Oh. Heh, I guess not,” Rainbow chuckled in spite of herself, but Connor was not amused.

“What do you want, Rainbow?”

“Nothin’, really.” The pegasus proceeded to extract the rest of her body from the cloud, wings beating silently in the air, before pressing down on it with her hooves and bringing both it and herself down to his level. Then, she landed on top of the cloud, assuming a relaxed posture like she was laying on a bed, with her chin propped up between her hooves. “I was just taking a break from working on the storm, saw you walkin’ around, and decided I’d surprise you.”

“Hmph. So much for that,” Connor grunted, continuing the conversation in spite of his initial hope that Rainbow wasn’t going to stick around for long. Now, though, he was starting to reconsider, given that the talking was so far providing a much-needed distraction from the issues plaguing his thoughts. Connor still wasn’t feeling particularly sociable, but he wasn’t about to turn her away outright, either.

“No kidding,” Rainbow responded, curiously peering over the edge of her improvised seat to look down at the water and try to see what the human was looking at. Unimpressed with the view, she gave a half-shrug and returned her attention to him. “So what are you doing out here all by yourself?”

“...I felt like taking a walk,” he answered after a while.

“Huh. Funny time to take a walk considering, well, you know...” The pegasus followed up by motioning a hoof at the overcast skies.

“I just needed to get out of that hospital,” Connor explained quickly, and his comment caused Rainbow’s ears to perk up with a sudden realization.

“Oh, yeah! Sorry I had to take off when I did, but the weather wasn’t exactly gonna make itself, right? I’m actually surprised they let you out so early.” The mare took a quick breath, cutting the teenager off before he could think about correcting her. “You know, now that you mention it...”

I knew she was going to ask eventually.

“Is it really a... ‘you know what’?”

Connor sighed heavily, folding his hands together as he stared out along the river’s path. “Yeah, it’s a ‘you know what.’”

“Can I see it?”

Connor turned and shot the lounging pegasus a half-irritated, half-confounded look at her sudden question, while Rainbow returned his glare with an honest, wide-eyed curiosity of her own. That, and the hint of an expectant smile on her muzzle, indicated that her request was born from genuine interest, and not from a morbid desire to make light of his predicament, as he had initially assumed.

He held her gaze for a few seconds, watching the corners of her mouth slowly turn upwards in anticipation, before he decided it would be safest to just get it over with. Connor brought his hand up just for a moment to rub the bridge of his nose, before reaching higher, grasping the lip of his hood, and jerking it back in one quick motion before he got any second thoughts.

As soon as he did so, Rainbow leaned in closely, examining the newly revealed, cone-shaped horn that could now plainly be seen poking through his hair.

“Whooooa. It really is a horn,” she commented, awestruck, as Connor just stood there impassively. “That is so cool.”

“No, it’s not cool!” Connor snapped, causing Rainbow to draw away. “It’s the opposite of cool! It sucks!”

“Really? What makes you say that?” the pegasus asked with a puzzled expression. “Doesn’t it mean that you can, you know, do magic or something?”

With a huff, Connor turned away and back towards the river, tucking his arms together around his front. “No. It’s useless,” he admitted. “It’s wrong. It’s unnatural. I want it gone.”

“Whoa. Alright, I get the picture, jeez. Horn equals bad.” Rainbow put up her hooves in a defensive gesture, before she went silent for a moment, bringing a hoof to her chin in a thoughtful manner. “So... how exactly are you gonna get rid of it? Cuz I don’t think wandering around in the rain is helping very much.”

“I don’t know. I just. Don’t. Know.” Connor sighed, using a hand to rub his face as he was reminded of just how lost he really was. “Everything’s just a complete and total mess right now. I don’t know where to start.”

With that, Rainbow laid down flat on her cloud, angling her wings in such a way that they propelled it around and to the side so that she was in front of the human. “Have you tried asking somepony for help?” she asked innocently. “Seems to me that’d be the easiest thing to do.” Then Rainbow suddenly perked with inspiration. “Hey, I know! Why don’t you just ask Twilight? You guys already know each other pretty well, and she’s, like, the smartest pony in Ponyville. I’m sure she’d know what to do.”

Connor visibly winced at the mention of Twilight’s name, having a momentary flashback to a sudden and unexpected reveal, a very unnecessary shouting match, and a door slammed in anger. He got a faraway look in his eyes as Rainbow waited patiently for his response.

“I... don’t think that’s such a good idea at the moment.”

“Why not?”

“Look, it’s just...” Connor sighed, very much not wanting to revisit that moment, much less explain to the blue mare how exactly he spurned Twilight's friendship with a few choice words. “Twilight... doesn’t want to talk to me right now.”

“Oh, really?” Rainbow’s expression became cross, and she looked at him accusingly, just as Connor suspected she might. “What happened?”

Well, she’s gonna find out sooner or later... So I guess I might as well.

Taking a deep breath, and with his chest aching with fresh feelings of remorse, he tried to explain in the least offensive way possible. “When she showed me... this thing... I kinda lost it, big time,” he said, absently rubbing the object sticking out of his forehead. “Things got a little heated and I... I said some things I really shouldn’t have. It got pretty bad.”

Connor bowed his head and breathed out, hoping he was ready to absorb whatever retribution the pegasus had coming to him. But what she said next genuinely surprised him.

“Is that it?” The teenager raised his sight to look at Rainbow, who was wearing a blank face and staring back at him with incredulity as she continued. “You two had an argument? That’s the big deal?”

“You wouldn’t understand; you weren’t there.” Connor shook his head, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Everything I said... that I did... I just wish I could take it all back.”

“Then why don’t you?” the cyan mare questioned matter-of-factly, giving him an amused snort. “I mean, I’m not gonna tell you how to live your life, but it seems to me that you should at least try apologizing before you assume she’s never gonna talk to you again.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Of course it’s that simple!” Rainbow cut him off brusquely, kicking off of her perch in order to hang in the air a foot in front of Connor’s face, folding her forelegs while her wings beat silently to keep her aloft. The amusement was gone, replaced by a certain sternness that implied she was starting to get annoyed.

“Let me just explain something to you, since I know you haven’t been in Ponyville for very long,” Rainbow said, jabbing a hoof in his direction. “Twilight’s been my friend for more than two years now, and in all that time, not once -- not once -- has she ever turned her back on me, or anypony else. Even when we sometimes gave up on each other, she never gave up on us.”

Connor could only listen as she continued to lecture him, stunned by the pony’s forwardness and the way she spoke with conviction.

“Twilight is the one of the kindest, most forgiving ponies I know. She’s not about to stop being friends with you just because of some stupid little fight!”

“But, Rainbow--” Connor started, only to be cut off by a raised hoof.

“No buts!” the mare interrupted, shaking her head, before looking him right in the eyes with her wide, piercing magenta irises. “I changed my mind. I’m gonna tell you exactly what you’re gonna do. You are gonna march yourself over to the library ASAP, knock on the door, and when Twilight opens it, the first words outta your mouth are gonna be ‘I’m sorry.’ Got it?”

“I don’t--”

“Yes, or no, Connor?”

Rainbow’s gaze drilled into him in an effort to nail the point home, leaving him with no doubt that the pegasus pony believed what she was saying right down to her core. Connor closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting it out slow and trying his hardest to cast aside his own fear and doubt in favor of trusting Rainbow to know what she was talking about.

After a good long few seconds of her waiting for his answer, Connor’s last barrier of obstinance fell away. “...Yeah. I got it.”

“Good.” Rainbow Dash nodded curtly, holding her expression for a moment more before it softened somewhat. Taking her eyes off of him, she then reached up to rub the back of her neck, giving him a sheepish grin. “Glad to hear it, cuz, uh... my break’s almost up anyways.”

Her sudden change in attitude, while not quite enough to clear away Connor’s funk, nonetheless brought the smallest of smiles to his lips. “Right. Wouldn’t want to keep you from your important job making it cold and wet outside.”

“I know, right!?” Rainbow tossed her hooves in the air exasperatedly, giving a chuckle. “Nopony appreciates the fact that sometimes you need rainy days. It can’t always be sunny all the time.”

Connor’s smile faded, and he looked down and off to the side, recognizing the poignancy of the weathermare’s statement even if she didn’t herself.

“Welp, with that, I’m off!” Rainbow Dash turned and gathered up the bundle of water vapor she had brought with her in her hooves, and her wings started to pump, pushing her and her cargo up towards the sky. “See ya later!”

“Rainbow, wait,” Connor spoke up, catching the mare off guard as she stopped and turned to face him.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“I just... I...” The human let out a puff of air, trying to find the right words to say. “Why are you trying so hard to fix things between me and Twilight? Not to sound offensive, but it’s really none of your business, anyway.”

“Hey, when my friends are in trouble, I make it my business.” The blue pegasus raised a hoof to her chest with pride. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, after all. I can’t just ignore somepony when they could use my help. Besides, that’s just the kind of stuff friends are for, know what I’m saying?”

Connor was about to respond... but something gave him pause. For some reason, Rainbow’s words made him stop and think for a second; something about that sentiment causing a twinge to come unbidden from the area around his chest. He was silent for a long time, reflecting on everything that had happened so far that day. The lengths that these ponies went to in order to hang on to the friendships that were precious to them. How they tried so very hard to do so, and how they expected the same thing from him, nothing more, nothing less.

An expectation he had been only too willing to fall short of.

“Yeah... I think I’m starting to,” he finally said to noone in particular, for when he looked back up at the sky, the colorful pony had disappeared, leaving nothing but heavy grayness stretching as far as the eye could see.

Off in the distance, he could hear a low rumble of thunder, jarring him from his thoughts and reminding him that he still had something he had to do. For what it was worth, the pegasus was right, and he couldn’t hope to solve this dilemma on his own, leaving him no choice but to swallow his pride and face up to the mare he had wronged... again.

Before that, however, Connor found himself leaning out over the edge of the bridge, looking down once more at his image reflected in the river. Once again, without his coat’s hood for protection, the horn was plainly visible, and he stared at it for a while as his opposite stared back.

Connor’s hand went to his jacket pocket, feeling the weight of the last remaining stone he had picked up. He brought it up in front of him, turning it over in his palm and feeling its smooth, flat texture. Then, without a second thought, his grip loosened and the stone slipped from his fingers, plummeting to the water’s surface below with a soft plop and causing a cascade of ripples across it, rendering the image reflected in it as nothing more than a broken jumble of colors.

And when the water finally did settle after this minor disturbance, there was nothing left for it to show, except an empty bridge and the open sky.

Author's Note

Link to the music featured in the beginning: October by Broken Bells

The Fourth Day: Something to Hold On To

You Do (Not) Belong

The Fourth Day: Something to Hold On To

It had taken a fair amount of wandering the streets of Ponyville, with more than a few occasions of getting turned around on himself, but finally, at last, Connor found himself standing at the base of the tree housing the Golden Oak Library.

And it was about time, too. It had been at least half an hour since his little “pep talk” with Rainbow Dash, and in that time, just as she had promised, the storm had only gotten worse. A far cry from the gently falling mist of the early afternoon, the rain was now coming down in thick sheets, each droplet feeling like a hail of pebbles on the hood wrapped tightly around Connor’s head. Sunset was still a ways off, but one wouldn’t know it from the way the thick, billowing clouds in the sky cast everything in a dank, claustrophobic dimness.

Connor stared straight ahead, his arms wrapped around his body to ward off both the cold and the moisture that, despite Rarity’s enchantments, had at least partially soaked into the fabric of his coat. The candle graphic inlaid in the wood of the library’s door brought forth a yearning to be inside, where it was warm, dry and comfortable.

And all he had to do in order to fulfill that desire was to face up to Twilight, and leave his pride at the door.

A part of him really wanted to believe Rainbow when she said everything was going to work out just fine; that the scholar pony would just welcome him back as if nothing had happened. He even tried convincing himself that it wouldn’t be so bad, but that failed the moment he started to imagine the chewing out she would have had hours to prepare for. And whatever was in store for him on the other side of that door, he was one hundred percent convinced that he deserved every bit of it for how stupid and selfish he’d been acting.

A sudden clap of thunder emanating from above jarred Connor from his thoughts, and brought his attention back to his current situation.

Nothing’s going to get done if I just stand here dreading it, he thought, as a brisk shiver ran down his body. Whatever’s gonna happen is gonna happen. Might as well get it over with now.

His sneakers squelching in the muddy ground, Connor took a few steps up to the library’s entrance, his hand outstretched and balled into a fist. He held it up for a moment, shaking slightly, before he breathed in and quickly rapped on the wooden surface three times.

Seconds passed by with no obvious reaction, and Connor let go the breath he had been holding as his arm fell to his side. Listening as intently as he could, he didn’t even hear any indication of movement on the other side.

Maybe she’s not home, he figured, before shaking his head negatively. No, the lights are on. Somebody has to be home.

Connor stood still in the rain for a few more seconds, before he raised his hand again to attempt knocking a second time. This action was interrupted, however, when the door suddenly became encased in a shifting violet aura, and with the click of a latch and the creak of hinges, both halves slowly swung inwards.

Looking up, Connor peered inside the library’s interior to see both Twilight and Spike, settled amidst a haphazardly arranged landscape of books both open and closed, almost as if an earthquake had come along and knocked the contents of the library’s shelves all over the floor. As for the pony and the dragon themselves, neither one of them spoke up, and merely looked at the human standing forlornly in the doorway with steadfast expressions on their faces.

Silence reigned between them for an uncomfortably long time, and an unpleasant sensation settled in the pit of Connor’s stomach as his mind scrambled for a response. While he hesitated, however, Twilight ended up being the first to speak.

“Well?” she said simply, expectantly raising an eyebrow.

Connor swallowed reflexively, his face burning as he finally managed to find his voice. “I... I take back everything I said,” he blurted out, hoping that he sounded sincere, at least. “I didn’t mean a word of it. I wasn’t... I-I just...” Eyes turning down to the wood-knotted floor as he trailed off, Connor let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry.”

Finally able to choke out the words, Connor meekly lifted his gaze up to gauge Twilight’s reaction.

The lavender mare looked at him for a few seconds more, then closed her eyes, lowering her head and breathing in deeply. And when she opened them again... she was smiling. “Well, are you going to come in, or not? It’s raining pretty hard out there.”

With a start, Connor’s jaw fell slightly at this quite unexpected development. He had assumed she would at least have scolded him a little; reiterating what he’d said and done, explaining in detail how it made her feel, and demanding that he promise it would never happen again. But no, none of those things. Just a calm acceptance of his apology, and a gentle smile to communicate that all was forgiven.

After taking a few seconds to fully absorb the situation, Connor then wasted no time gratefully ducking past the door’s threshold and closing it behind him, shutting out the storm. Once inside, he was instantly greeted by a wall of warm, dry air, and he relished the feeling. He was visibly relieved to be out of the pouring rain, which was made all the more evident by his body’s steady shivering and how his clothes were still dripping wet.

Getting up from her perch between two rather large piles of books, Twilight gingerly stepped around them and made her way over to where Connor was standing. “Look at you, you’re soaked,” she remarked as she looked him up and down. “Wait right here, I’ll go get you a towel.”

“Thanks,” Connor managed without chattering his teeth, and with a short nod, Twilight turned and departed down the hallway leading off towards the right.

He listened to the sound of her hoofsteps carry off, before he reached up to remove his hood and pull down the zipper of his waterlogged jacket. He then shrugged out of it, eager to get it off of himself, and casually hung it up on the head of the wooden pony bust on the center table to air out. After that, he kicked off his shoes, likewise slick with rain, and put them over by the door lest he track mud all over the place. Satisfied, Connor then took a moment to examine the state of the library a little more closely.

While the floor of the library was largely clear between the front door and the hallways that led off in either direction to the basement and the kitchen, the area between the table and the stairs was a different story. Built up like mountains, several piles of thickly bound tomes rose up from the floor, with a good deal more spread out surrounding them. A few were opened, like the one held in Spike’s claws as he sat perched atop one of the piles, but the rest were laid out in a sort of organized chaos that felt strangely both like and unlike the fastidious pony who owned them. If Connor didn’t know better, it was almost as if Twilight had built herself a fortress of books, like something one would expect from a young child.

He chuckled lightly at the thought, before his attention was drawn by the sound of Twilight returning to the main foyer, a big, fluffy white towel encased in her magic as it floated beside her. She stopped, and with a gentle flick of her head, ferried the towel over to Connor, which he eagerly accepted and wrapped around himself.

Connor’s eyes closed and he shuddered with relief. The towel was incredibly warm, as if it had just come out of a dryer, and he could literally feel it leeching away the cold and the moisture from his skin and T-shirt.

“Ohhhh, this is nice,” he said with a smile. “Thanks a lot.”

With one hand, he brought up one end of the towel to dry off his hair and forehead, pausing hesitantly when it made contact with the unwelcome horn that remained fixed to the center of it. Suddenly reminded of its presence, he was a little upset by the fact that he had apparently forgotten about it for any length of time. He didn’t know which was worse: that he had simply forgotten about it, or that he had so quickly gotten used to it being there.

Meanwhile, taking notice of his slight grimace, Twilight looked up at the teenager, her expression turning to one of calm concern. “How is your, um...” She hesitated, not wanting to say something possibly upsetting.

“It’s alright,” Connor sighed, lowering his arm and again bundling the towel around his form. “You can say it.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“Thankfully, no.” Connor shook his head. “It just sort of aches a little.”

“Would you mind if I take a closer look?” Twilight asked innocently.

Taking a second to realize what she was asking, Connor nodded slowly and knelt down to her level. The unicorn took a step forward, tilting her head as she studied the small horn with an analytical expression.

“I thought so,” she said after a while, Connor feeling as though he was a patient being examined by a doctor. “It’s definitely bigger than it was this morning.”

“Wonderful,” Connor grumbled, wondering just how far this development was going to go before it stopped. Like he hadn’t suffered enough, already.

“Don’t worry. If there’s a solution, I’ll find it,” Twilight reassured him confidently as she took a step back and allowed Connor to stand up straight again. She then made her way through the narrow path forged between the piles of books back to her -- for lack of a better word -- “nest” among the mounds of literature.

“Is that why this place looks like a tornado came through here?” Connor asked glibly, remarking on the disheveled state of the normally pristine library.

“That’s right. I’ve been looking through everything in the library that could possibly be relevant to the situation,” Twilight explained, waving one of her forelegs in the direction of a nearby pile of books that looked to be really thickly bound. “I’ve already gone through most of the encyclopedias, as well as some of the more obscure magical reference manuals.”

“And have you found anything?”

Twilight sighed, hanging her head slightly. “Sadly... no. I haven’t come across anything to clue me in to what’s affecting you.” She looked to another pile of books, as well as the one currently open in front of her. “But there’s still a lot that I haven’t gone through yet. The answer could still be here, somewhere.”

“Can I help?” Connor spoke up quickly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I could help you read through some of these, to help things go faster,” he explained hopefully. “It’s the least I could do. I’d feel guilty if I just sat around doing nothing while you guys worked.”

“Well, thanks for the offer, but...” Twilight trailed off, eyeing the pile next to her with a small bit of concern. “I get the feeling most of this stuff would simply fly over your head. No offense.”

“None taken. I understand,” Connor conceded, sighing deeply. It went without saying that magic was not something he could claim to have any familiarity with.

“Hmm... Maybe...” Twilight raised a hoof to her chin in thought. “I think I have some lighter material on the second floor you just might be able to grasp. Let me get that for you.”

“Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” Connor called back to her as she went to ascend the staircase, leaving just him and Spike in the library’s main room.

Now feeling sufficiently dry enough, Connor removed the towel and placed it on the table in the center before sitting down next to it and crossing his legs. As he propped his arms up on the table and set his chin in his palms, he noticed how quiet the room had become, and his eyes darted over to the dragon sitting a few feet away, who had been conspicuously silent since he had walked in the door.

And as he saw now, Spike was looking right at him, not bothering to hide the somewhat nasty glare he was directing right at the human.

“What?” Connor addressed to the reptile, puzzled by his expression.

“You know what.”

Connor closed his eyes and sighed, using a hand to rub to corners of his eyes. “She told you, didn’t she?”

“Didja think she wouldn’t?” Spike asked rhetorically, putting down the book he was holding and folding his arms together.

“I don’t know... To be honest, I thought she was really gonna let me have it, given how angry she was when she left.”

“Oh, she was angry, all right,” Spike pointed out. “But of course, Twilight being Twilight, she eventually got over it.”

Connor opened his mouth, but didn’t have any words prepared. Looking off to the side in thought, he closed it again, and Spike took his cue to continue talking.

“You know, you’re lucky Twi’s such a great friend. If I was there when you said that stuff, you’d have a lot more to worry about then a horn growing out of your head.”

“I know, okay? I know,” Connor said irritatedly. He didn’t need Spike to continue layering on the guilt at this point. “I feel absolutely awful about what happened, and I just... I just wish I could’ve handled things differently. With everything she’s done for me, Twilight deserves better. All of you do, I realize that now.”

Connor found himself thinking back to the night before, of meeting Twilight’s friends and how they were so quick to include him and make him feel welcome, as if he was never a stranger to them; simply a potential friend. It was difficult to imagine a similar scenario happening on Earth, and yet here, it was perfectly normal. Encouraged, in fact.

In so short a time, he had met the most wonderful group of people he could think of. And if he kept on going how he was, he was in danger of losing them just as quickly.

Unexpectedly, just the thought of it almost made him feel sick. No, he couldn’t let that happen. Something had to change.

“Things are gonna be different now. I want to be the friend all of you expect of me. I want to be better,” Connor confessed, suppressing a small choking sensation in his throat. “I’m never going to take that friendship for granted ever again, I promise. Twilight... Everyone... I owe them at least that much.”

As difficult as it was for him to admit, it was the truth, and he meant every word. In response, Spike quietly looked at him a moment more with his slit green eyes. Then, he nodded approvingly, giving him a small grin and showing a few of his pointed teeth. “For your sake, I sure hope so.”

Just then, the sound of a creak from the stairwell brought both of their notice to the top of the stairs, where Twilight had just appeared, carrying a selection of tomes in her telekinesis. Her ears flattened slightly at the attention before she started her way down.

“I, uh... got those books for you,” she mentioned as she reached the bottom steps, and she levitated the items in question over to where Connor was sitting.

“Thanks.” Connor snatched the topmost book off the stack, titled Common Equestrian Magical Maladies and cracked it open, while Twilight settled down into the little nook she had stocked with a thick blanket and a few colorful pillows.

Less than a minute later, and barely a page into the prologue, Connor already had the impression he was way out of his depth. Thankful at least that it was written in plain English, half of the words still felt entrenched in another language. With words like “leylines,” “keratin,” and “sub-magical interference,” accompanied by the admittedly dry nature of the writing, he could already feel the contents numbing up his brain.

“You call this ‘light’ material? This stuff’s gonna put me to sleep in minutes.”

“Hmm...” Twilight looked up from her own work, and considered for a moment. Then her ears perked up with an epiphany. “I have an idea. How about we brew up some tea? That ought to keep you awake,” she said with a wink. Then, she turned to her scaled assistant. “Spike, could you take care of that, please?”

“Sure thing, Twi. What’re you in the mood for tonight?” the dragon child asked enthusiastically as he closed his book and hopped off his perch.

Twilight’s muzzle scrunched up in thought before coming to a decision. “I think I’ll go for the peppermint this time.”

“Peppermint, got it.” Spike nodded, then turned to Connor. “What about you?”

“I’m not much of a tea drinker, really,” Connor said, scratching the back of his neck. “Something light, I guess. Green, if you have it.”

“Two mugs of tea, comin’ right up!”

“Thanks, Number One Assistant,” Twilight regarded Spike with a warm smile, already anticipating the rich, savory flavor of her favorite herbal brew.

As Spike quickly bounded off towards the kitchen to get busy brewing, Connor turned his attention back to the book in front of him.

Only a few more lines in, he couldn’t help but think to himself, Man, I usually enjoy reading, but I get the feeling this isn’t going to be a fun night.

While it often takes some time for them to become apparent, varying according to the frequency and intensity of bites, symptoms of humbug infestation typically manifest within hours of initial exposure. The first signs are usually a pronounced decrease in positive emotions, followed by a general irritability and inflammation of the skin around the eyes...

Taking his eyes off the page, Connor tilted his head back in order to let out a mighty yawn. Even with the chemical boost he had gotten from his mug of tea (which lay off to the side, having been emptied a long time ago) he was having trouble focusing on the task at hand.

It also didn’t help that the bombard of information being spewed at him from one of the books Twilight gave him had combined with his tiredness to produce a buzzing ache originating behind his eyes. Groaning slightly, Connor reached a hand up to massage away the pressure in his temples, trying his hardest to focus on the words in front of him in the hopes that they could provide the answers he sought.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he also registered a slight itching sensation at the base of his horn, and he absently rubbed it for a second before starting to read again.

Treatment of those affected, however, is fairly straightforward. Humbugs have a natural weakness to mentha-piperita (peppermint) leaves; direct contact with it in any form serves to melt their icy bodies and release the captured emotional energy into the air. Standard procedure upon discovery of a nest is a liberal sprinkling of...

Connor’s reading was again interrupted, this time not by the urge to yawn, but of something curious on this page of the book. Right in the center of the paper was a dot of color, bright red in stark contrast to the yellowed-beige hue surrounding it. As his brain ticked over, he looked at it blearily for a few seconds... before it was joined suddenly by a second red dot, spontaneously appearing just next to it.

Tilting his head curiously, Connor reached his hand over and touched the spots lightly with his finger, and when he turned his hand over, he could see that the red coloring had smeared wetly across it.

Now slightly more lucid, he took exactly two seconds to wonder what it could’ve been, until he saw another drop of the red substance fall into his vision, landing on his outstretched hand with an almost inaudible patter.

Connor’s eyes instantly shot open and he breathed deeply through his nose. With a start, his hand shot up to touch the horn, and he felt a sensation of dread creep up his spine when he felt its warm, slick surface. Slowly, hesitantly, and with his breath coming in short bursts, he lowered his hand in front of his face, and he saw no small amount of what was most assuredly blood, coating the tips of his fingers.

Without warning, Connor stood up from his seat and turned around, his feet thumping on the hardwood floor as he ran in the direction of the bathroom without so much as an explanation. The hurried action caught the attention of Twilight and Spike, too engrossed in their own reading to notice something amiss until that point.

“Connor? What’s wrong?” Twilight called out to him just as he rounded the corner into the hallway, and was silent for a moment until it became obvious that he wasn’t about to explain. Curious, she turned to her assistant with a worried expression on her muzzle. “What was that about?”

In response, Spike merely shrugged his small shoulders. “Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go.”

“Hmm...” The unicorn puzzled for a bit, before eventually accepting the dragon’s observation and returning to her reading.

Unfortunately -- and despite Spike’s innocent assumption -- events in the library’s bathroom were far more dire.

With the light on and the door closed behind him, Connor stood with his arms propped up on the base of the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The face that looked back at him was the very image of abject horror as a small trickle of blood streamed from the base of his horn, blazing a trail ever downwards.

Even more disturbing than the sight of the blood, however, was what was happening to the object producing it. As he watched, the bony, flesh-covered spire was slowly, agonizingly, but oh-so-surely extending further outwards, growing longer at a pace that was just barely visible to the naked eye. It was already edging past three inches in length, and showed no signs of stopping now.

The mild itching sensation he had felt earlier had transformed as well, evolving into an immensely painful tearing feeling that felt as if his skin was being torn right off his body. And with a single thought that made him want to throw up, Connor realized that that was exactly what was happening.

Connor choked back a scream as the sensation intensified, and he clamped his eyes shut, putting a supreme effort into bearing with the pain. This wasn’t like the sensation that accompanied the brain-blasting headache from the previous night. No, this was more direct, more localized, and in contrast to before, it looked like he was going to have to be conscious through the entire thing.

And as the seconds wore on, the pain only kept getting worse.

“Oh, God...” Connor cried out, tears of pure anguish squeezing out of his eyes and mingling with the blood currently streaming down the center of his face. His breath came fast and hard, taking in short bursts of air.

To the exclusion of all else, he simply wanted this to end. Nothing else mattered except making the pain go away, and given the source of his distress, only one option was available to make the inevitable occur just a little bit faster. Connor’s knees went weak with the thought, but he managed to regain his composure just long enough to shakily raise a single hand up to his head, up along his face, and gently wrap his trembling fingers around the blood-slick horn.

Now, Connor wasn’t a religious person, but as his other hand gripped the bathroom counter for all he was worth, and he psyched himself up for what he was about to do, he seriously considered praying to whatever god would listen.

Get ready, Connor. This... is gonna hurt.

Taking a final, deep breath and holding it in, Connor squeezed tightly, and pulled as hard as he could.

His eyes fluttered open, stars danced in his sight, and a strangled cry made its way past his clenched teeth as the pain increased tenfold. There was the sickening sound of skin being wetly pried apart, but Connor could barely hear it over the deafening ringing in his ears. For the moment unable to continue, he let up on the pressure, but it barely helped; his forehead still felt like it was being bathed in acid.

With only a few short breaths to collect himself, and not allowing himself enough time to reconsider, he braced for just one more push, and put all his effort into one more try. His vision swimming and his extremities going numb, it was all he could do to stand upright as he followed through with his self-inflicted torture.

“Nnnnnngh-GYAAH!” he screamed in spite of himself, and with that primal expression of anguish Connor finally succeeded in tearing off the loose layer of skin from the rest of the horn with the sound like a soggy newspaper being rent in two.

All at once, the pain stopped. Thankfully, mercifully, the pain stopped, replaced by a sore burning sensation that coursed through the area that used to be attached to what Connor now held in his palm, as the ensuing rush of endorphins came to soothe his nerves.

Done with this ordeal, Connor’s whole body went slack, and the dead skin in his hand fell into the sink even as the rest of him fell to his knees. Weakly, and with a supreme amount of effort, he managed to raise his head just high enough to peer back at his reflection.

All he saw -- all he cared to notice, really -- was the horn. It dominated his forehead in all its four and a half-inch glory, bluntly tipped and glistening sanguinely in the light, with a curved spiral etched down the sides.

Just like a unicorn’s.

Connor stared blankly, his thoughts turning to so much white noise as he took in the image of this fresh hell, framed by his hair and face, streamed with rusty red blood.

It all ended up being too much. There comes a time in situations like these where the conscious mind has to forcibly shut itself down in order to spare itself from a complete traumatic burnout.

And right then, a combination of the nightmarish sight in the mirror, all of the pain and suffering, all of the trials and struggles and conflicts of the past few days, and the crushing reality of his situation all came rushing together at once. Everything he had experienced so far, everything he had just barely been able to manage, everything that no decent person could ever have deserved to have happen to them, built up in this moment to an impossibly huge wave of despair and helplessness.

And as of just then, that wave had crested.

Needless to say, Connor’s mind took a little vacation.

“Connor? Are you okay in there?” Twilight called out worriedly from next to the bathroom door, before knocking on it a few times more.

She at first assumed, as Spike had, that the reason he had left the foyer so suddenly was to “take care of business,” so to speak, so she didn’t think much of it. That is, until she started hearing obvious shouts and cries of pain emanating from the hallway. It didn’t take long after that for her and her draconic assistant to rush over in order to see what the problem was.

“Connor, please, tell me what’s wrong!” the unicorn tried again, yet her pleas continued to go unanswered from the other side of the door. This was a bad sign, a very bad sign. That much was obvious.

“Maybe you should go in and check on him,” Spike suggested from her flank, and she paused for a second to look back at him and nod slowly in the affirmative.

“Okay. I’m coming in, alright?” Twilight addressed the door, before hesitantly placing a hoof on the wooden surface. With an ounce of trepidation, she pushed forwards, edging the door open with an ominous creak as she slowly peeked her head inside. What she saw made her gasp audibly and draw her hoof back. “Oh, my Celestia...”

It was like something straight out of a scene from a horror story. Right in the middle of the small room, Connor knelt at the base of the countertop, numbly staring at the mirror without so much as moving, save for the occasional fluttery blink. It was obvious, judging by the state of his now fully-formed horn, what had happened in there, but that didn’t make the consequences any easier to stomach.

Blood. Blood of a sickening coppery color covered Connor’s horn, his face, his neck, and his hands. Blood smeared across the white porcelain of the sink, slowly drying.

Twilight forced herself to suppress a dry heave at the sight. Despite her misgivings, concern for her friend overpowered her baser instincts, and she was able to shake it off quickly enough.

“Oh, Connor...” she whispered sadly, as she trotted up to his side. She almost followed that up with “Are you okay?” but immediately dismissed that notion; he was obviously not okay.

Following in her wake, Spike’s head then appeared in the doorway opening. “Twi-- Whoa! What the hay happened here!?” he exclaimed out of shock as soon as he took in the details.

“Spike, not now!” Twilight shouted back at him, maybe a little harsher than she intended, judging by the way he meekly slinked back behind the door frame. She then turned her attention back to Connor. “Do you... Does it hurt?”

Connor didn’t answer, maintaining his thousand-yard stare. Although, Twilight was close enough to notice that his entire body was shivering very slightly, and his breaths were shaky and ragged.

The unicorn debated internally whether or not to try and bring Connor back to the hospital, as the case could be made that he needed immediate medical attention. But after a moment to think about it, she considered that the shellshocked human was in no condition to travel at the moment. Besides, as traumatic as the apparent “injury” was, it at least seemed to be over for now.

I can’t just leave him like this, though, Twilight thought morosely, her formidable mind searching for options and unfortunately coming up with none right off the bat. Another look at the face in the mirror, however, and a temporary course of action sprang forward. Something to start with, at least.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she said as gently as she could, wrapping a foreleg around Connor’s arm. “I’ll take you upstairs so we can get you cleaned up. Come on, it’s just a short walk. Can you do that for me?”

Using her leg to subtly coax him upright, Connor wordlessly complied, standing to his full height while Twilight never let go of his arm. With that, she slowly led him away from the grisly scene in the bathroom, pointedly shutting off the light and closing the door behind her with a determined application of magic.

“Spike, could you fetch a small towel and a bowl of warm water, please?” she asked of her assistant, who had remained just a few feet away and was staring up at Connor with much the same expression Twilight had sported earlier.

“Uh, sure thing, Twi. Is he...?”

“One thing at a time, Spike. Just bring the towel and the water to the loft as quickly as you can.”

Spike nodded at once, and ran off to the kitchen to fulfill the request.

Twilight, for her part, remained silent out of consideration as she shepherded Connor out into the foyer, gingerly stepping around the piles of books on the floor and up the stairs while the teenager shuffled along in her wake. Without a word spoken between them, she managed to guide Connor up through the second floor, past a still fast-asleep Owloysius sitting on his perch, to the third story loft. Twilight led him over to his guest bed, which he lowered himself onto with a dull thump, still staring straight ahead.

That empty stare all but broke Twilight’s heart. It was a look of escapism: blank, drained of emotion and sensation. For all her magical ability, she soberly realized there was woefully little she could do to in this case. The only method available to help now was to simply hold his hand in her hoof comfortingly, as she waited for Spike to return with what she needed.

She didn’t need to wait long, as her number one assistant padded quickly up the stairs with towel and bowl in claw. He placed them on the floor at the foot of the bed.

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight managed a weak smile in his direction. “I think it would be best if you left us alone for now.”

“Of course, Twi. I hope... That is, uh... I should just go.”

With that, the dragon child made his quick exit from the loft and down to the ground floor, while Twilight’s horn ignited in a soft violet hue as she lifted up the cloth. She dipped it in the bowl to soak up some water and then wrung it out, then she used her hoof to turn Connor’s hand over before setting to work.

With careful, slow determination, she worked the towel across his exposed skin, wiping away as much of the red stain as she could before rinsing it off in the bowl and continuing. She cleaned off his hands, then gently removed his glasses in order to wipe his face and neck, then finally progressed to the horn that was the source of all this trouble.

Her magical projection halted for a second, hesitantly monitoring Connor’s body for any reaction, but there was none; not even a flinch, and she took that as a sign to proceed. As quickly as she could, Twilight worked the damp cloth over the smooth, spiraled texture, cleaning away the blood to reveal a perfect, ghostly white underneath. As she worked her way down to the base she noticed that, despite the dire assumptions one might make about the injury, no open wound was present where the bone met the skin. It was a perfectly seamless transition, flush with the surface of Connor’s forehead in a way very similar to pony anatomy.

The unicorn’s analytical side was intrigued by this development, but it was hardly important now. The safety and well-being of her friend was all that mattered at this point.

“There, I think that’s all of it.” Twilight backed away for a step, using her magic to move the soiled cloth and water bowl out of sight for now. She struggled to come up with a followup, conflicted about pressuring Connor any further when he had already apparently lost it. “Is there... anything else I can do to help?”

Twilight was momentarily set aback as this query finally managed to produce a reaction, and Connor responded by slowly bringing his legs up onto the bed with him, wrapping his arms around his knees in a kind of upright fetal position. He still neglected to speak.

“Maybe it would be best if I gave you some time alone?”

The human answered by clinging to himself even more tightly, like he was trying to seem as small as possible. Twilight interpreted that as some form of affirmative, and nodded slowly before turning around. “If you need anything,” she said over her shoulder. “...I’m right downstairs. Just let me know, okay?”

Despondently, Twilight faced towards the stairs again, and picked up her hooves to take a few steps forward.

“I’m scared...”

Twilight gasped, her ears perking up in the direction of the shaky, barely audible whisper. She turned on the spot, her cautious hope at this new development tempered by the message Connor had chosen to deliver. Hesitantly, she approached him again, just now noticing that a batch of fresh tears were starting to form in his eyes.

“I’m so scared, Twilight,” he said again, and his tone of voice left not a flicker of doubt in the pony’s mind that it was true.

“Don’t worry... It’s all going to be okay,” she tried to assure him, keeping her voice low.

“No... No, no, no...” Connor choked back a sob, slowly shaking his head. “I can’t... I can’t keep going like this. It’s too much... Too much...” Twin streams of tears flowing down his face, he then buried his head in his knees.

“Don’t say that, of course you can.” Twilight tried to sound convincing, but she had to admit to herself that to her own ears, the sentiment seemed hollow. “You can’t give up now. We’ll figure this out.”

This made Connor raise his head again, along with his voice, which came out fast and unsteady as his fear was given form. “But what if we don’t, huh!? What if you can’t figure it out!? What if we can’t fix it!? What if it doesn’t stop!? What if...”

Connor’s pained, contorted expression went slack and the color drained from his face, as the whirlwind of thoughts in his head went grimly still.

“What if it... k...kills me?”

A sense of inescapable dread fell over him like a shroud, and Connor curled up again, his entire body shaking uncontrollably as his fragile state of mind kept returning to this one possibility.

“This is it. I'm never going back. Never gonna go home,” he managed between sobs as his eyes clenched shut, and he sunk further into a state of complete despair. “Never... I can’t... I can’t...”

Connor felt trapped, like a caged animal, resigned to his fate. There was nothing he could do. He had no control over anything. Maybe he never did. Maybe it was all just some cruel cosmic joke, and the punchline would come when he had absolutely nothing left.

He didn’t notice the subtle shift in weight that indicated a depression in the bed beside him.

What he did notice, however, was when that presence was followed up by a soft, ethereal touch on his shoulder, breaking him out of his emotional death spiral.

With a start, Connor gasped, and jerkily turned his head up to see Twilight’s face less than a foot away from his own. Time seemed to slow down just then, and he took her in with a succinct level of clarity.

The sad, pained, sympathetic expression dominating her surprisingly humanlike features. Her wide, violet eyes brimming with tears of her own. The way her leg wrapped around his shoulders, putting a subtle hint of pressure on his body to draw him closer. All of this came together to communicate one simple message:

I’m here for you.

Unable to control himself, Connor threw his arms around her, gripping her tightly. He was sobbing openly, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He simply held on to the lavender pony as if his very life depended on it.

No words needed to be said. Nothing so impermanent was necessary at this point. Just the gentle presence of someone who cared, someone who wouldn’t judge, someone to depend on.

When it felt like Connor’s entire world was crashing down all at once... it was something to hold on to.

Maybe that could be enough.

The two of them remained like that for a long time, Connor burying his face in Twilight’s downy fur as she held him close, slowly rubbing his back with one hoof while he let it all go.

In this state, Connor felt disconnected, every sense falling away and blending together until the only thing he felt was Twilight’s presence. The heavy scent and warmth of her fur, the rhythmic pounding of her heartbeat, the subtle motion when she took a breath, and a feeling as if this very display of nondiscriminatory care was tangible in and of itself.

In that moment, he felt it. A connection; a sort of stirring in the fiber of his being, and he focused on it to the exclusion of all else. It was a feeling that defied description -- bypassing all sensation. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before, but at the same time, it was so much more than anything he had. The closest thing Connor could have possibly compared it to would be the “feeling” of a crisp, clear bell chime, resonating at the core of his soul.

Whatever it was, it helped bring about some measure of tranquility to the broken human, and in time, the tears stopped, his ragged breathing slowed, and eventually, Connor managed to fall into blissful unconsciousness.

Twilight Sparkle waited for a long while. Minutes? Hours? Exactly how long, she wasn’t quite sure. It didn’t matter, though, as long as she stayed where she was for whatever length of time was necessary.

It was when she opened her eyes after an indeterminate amount of time to take stock of the situation that she noticed her friend lay slack in her hooves, his arms draped around her but no longer tense, and his breathing had reclaimed some semblance of normalcy. He’d finally fallen asleep.

Taking great care, she removed her leg from around Connor’s shoulders, and gently encased the front of his body in an aura of magic in order to ease him back onto the bed without disturbing him. Then, as gingerly as she could manage, Twilight silently moved off the side of the bed and onto the floor, again using her horn to levitate the bed sheet up and over the unconscious teenager. Looking a far sight better than he had before, Connor almost looked... peaceful. As if he was merely resting. If it wasn’t for the bone-white object poking out past his brown hair, it might have seemed like nothing was wrong at all.

Not making a sound, Twilight walked to the edge of the stairs, sparing one last forlorn look over her shoulder. She stared for a moment, before her eyes hardened, and her features were set with an expression of drive and renewed determination. Without a second thought, she turned and cantered down the stairs and across the second floor of the library, pausing only to turn out the light before she left. She waited until she was far enough down the second stairway before speaking again.

“Spike, boil up some water. And break out the strong stuff; it’s gonna be a long night.”

The Fifth Day: The Sweet Smell of Science... and Crepes

You Do (Not) Belong

The Fifth Day: The Sweet Smell of Science... and Crepes

Void.

After spending a fair share of minutes pondering the nature of this latest dreamscape, that was the best Connor could come up with to describe it. A bleak, featureless void, made up of a deep, inky black darkness run through with streaks of metallic gray mist. The only feature to speak of -- the only thing visible for miles in all directions -- was the rocky landscape that he was now walking across. The ground was dull and lifeless; nothing but dust and rocks the color of dark chalk, resembling the surface of the Moon more than anything else.

Connor walked, his gaze turned down and his hood over his head. He focused on the ground beneath his shoes, partly to avoid tripping over any of the irregular, haphazardly placed stones littered about, but mostly to avoid thinking of anything that might remind him of his sorry situation. About Equestria, about his horn, about the fact that he was as hopelessly lost as he appeared to be in his subconscious, wandering aimlessly with no real destination in mind.

Without a way to accurately gauge time in this place, Connor couldn’t be sure exactly how long he had been going for, but something made him stop, eventually. Something caught his notice at the upper edge of his vision and he paused for a moment to bring his eyes forward and see what was in his way.

The moment he did so, he involuntarily jumped back, when he saw another human being standing just a few feet away. He calmed down a second later, recognizing the person as being... himself. Specifically, it was an image of himself, reflected in what he could now see was a plain, tall mirror, standing erect as the only real object in this lonely space.

It wasn’t anything fancy; just a simple reflective surface, framed in a thin arch of polished wood. The image inside it was of greater significance to Connor, and he took himself in, unable to keep his eyes from shifting to the long, spiraling horn jutting proudly from his forehead. It stuck out past his hair and from underneath the lip of his jacket’s hood, another fresh reminder that something was wrong. That something alien and unknowable was happening to him, and that he was utterly powerless to stop it.

As irrational as it seemed, just the sight of it was making him angry. Angry at himself for all the mistakes he’d made. Angry at the universe for thrusting all of this upon him like some kind of undeserved punishment. And through it all, the mirror stood, revealing the person trying to hide underneath that hood; trying to run away from the issues that were plaguing him.

Soon, Connor just couldn’t stand it any more, and he knelt down to pick up one of the many fist-sized rocks lying on the ground. He tossed it into the air a few times, testing its weight. Then, with a sadistic sort of amusement, he reared his arm back before flinging the projectile straight into the reflective surface.

The result was instantaneous. With a satisfying crash, the rock sailed right through the center of the mirror, leaving a jagged hole in its place for half a second before the cracks spread out from the point of impact. The rest of the glass quickly crumbled and fell away, as did the image inside it, leaving nothing but the empty wooden arch.

His frustration momentarily sated, Connor closed his eyes and breathed in and out, trying to steady the beating of his heart. After a while, he opened his eyes again to see that the broken mess of the mirror was gone, as was the arch.

Connor sighed heavily, about to continue on his way before something in the left corner of his sight grabbed his attention. He turned his head slightly to find another mirror, identical to the first, and also bearing his reflection. There was something next to it, too. Yet another reflection.

Connor turned his body around, slowly, to see more of the polished glass surfaces. Eventually, he did a complete three-sixty, finding that he was literally surrounded now. Everywhere he looked, he saw himself staring back, watching him -- judging him -- and he could feel the heat threatening to well up in his chest once more.

Consumed by just one thought, the teenager once again grabbed another stone and let it fly instantly, straight through another mirror along with a similar shattering sound. Then another. One by one the images went away as more rocks were thrown with abandon. Grab. Throw. Smash. Until none remained.

When Connor completed a full circle, and the last mirror was destroyed, he was nearly to the point of seething, his breath coming in gasps and his fists clenched at his sides. Connor hoped that whatever tricks were being played on him would stop; that he could just be left alone. But as he sensed yet another presence coming up behind him, he could feel his outrage all but boiling over. Thinking it was another one of those damned mirrors, Connor picked up one more heavy rock and turned on the spot, his arm cocked and ready to let loose.

But it wasn’t a mirror this time. In the time it took for Connor to register the sight, it took all the effort he could muster to cancel his momentum and prevent his arm from moving.

Instead of a mirror, or some other image of his person, it was a pony. Not just any pony; it was Twilight Sparkle, her lavender fur and dark purple mane with its pink highlight standing out vibrantly against the black and gray scenery. Connor froze up instantly, his arm still held back in a clearly menacing position and his expression still showing an angry scowl.

The moment he turned, Twilight gasped audibly and took a frightened step back, breath catching in her throat and her violet eyes going wide. It was fear. She was afraid of him, and the instant Connor saw this, he felt his anger drain away almost immediately, replaced by an equal amount of shame for the unprovoked action he had nearly committed out of blind fury. Slowly, his arm lowered and, unable to continue looking at his friend’s terrified expression, so did his gaze. He loosened his grip, and the stone in his hand fell back to the ground with a heavy thump.

Connor blinked for a few seconds, trying to steady his breathing, and he eventually mustered the courage to speak. “Twilight, I...” He trailed off upon realizing that the unicorn had suddenly disappeared. And in her place, another mirror, standing just a few feet away.

This time, though, Connor swallowed deeply, managing to look at the sight without letting himself get worked up like he did before. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously stepped forward and up to the smooth glass to take a better look. Still unable to mask the uneasiness reflected in his features, he nonetheless took a good long look at himself, taking in the sight with a bitter acceptance.

Now, more than anything, he just felt tired. Spent. Like he’d had enough of dealing with everything and just wanted something different. Something he was familiar with. Wishing there was something he could do so that he didn’t feel so... helpless.

Connor sighed dejectedly and let his body lean forwards, intending to prop himself up against the glass using his arm. So it came as a great deal of surprise when, instead of hitting the glass, Connor’s arm didn’t stop. His eyes went wide in the fraction of a second it took to realize this, but aside from that, there was nothing he could do to stop his momentum from carrying him the rest of the way forwards.

“Waagh!” Connor gave a startled yelp as his body slid past and into the mirror’s surface like it wasn’t even there. He experienced a disorienting feeling of vertigo as he felt his feet leave the ground, and suddenly, Connor found himself falling helplessly into an endless void of swirling, shifting black.

“Whoa!” With a start, Connor jerked upright in his bed, his breath coming fast and his eyes shifting around wildly. His whole body was tingling; the sensation from his imaginary free fall still fresh in his mind.

As he looked around the room to take in the details of Golden Oak’s loft, it took him a few seconds to recover from his sudden awakening, and slowly, he began to calm himself. Connor raised a hand to his chest to feel his heart still hammering through the fabric of his shirt, so he took a moment to close his eyes, feeling the bed beneath his legs and reaffirming his position on solid ground. Once he was breathing normally again, he removed his hand and opened his eyes, finding himself thinking back to the incredibly vivid dream he had just experienced.

“Talk about ‘through the looking glass,’” he muttered to himself as he shook his head free the last remnants of vertigo. This action caused his hair to lightly touch against something on his forehead. He reached up a hand to brush it away, only remembering what it was the moment his fingers touched the hard, smooth surface of his new horn.

Gasping slightly at the still unexpected sensation of something being where it shouldn’t have been, he instantly put his arm down to his side as his mind played catchup with the rest of his body.

“Right... I have a horn now,” he had to tell himself, hoping that, by saying it out loud, it would make it easier to accept and move on, considering that it wasn’t exactly a surprise anymore. I’m in Equestria, in a library owned by a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, and last night, my horn...

Connor’s mind went blank for a moment as he remembered everything that had happened the night before. Specifically, the horn breaking out of his skin like a pointy xenomorph, and his subsequent feelings of crushing vulnerability and fear. Breathing out, Connor flopped back down on the bed’s pillow with a muted “flumph.” There, he was simply content to stare at the blurry brown curves and wood knots set into the library’s ceiling, as his memory slowly dredged up echoes of last night’s experiences.

Connor felt safe in labeling that emotional break as the downright worst he had ever felt in his entire life. Even now, just thinking about it and its implications brought a shadow of that feeling back to the pit of his stomach all the way to the top of his spine. Now that he could look back on it, with his head clear and his emotional state relatively intact, he soberly realized how frighteningly easy it was to completely fall apart like that. Granted, it took four days for everything to finally reach a breaking point, but if Twilight hadn’t been there...

Twilight...

Connor went silent when he thought about what his unicorn friend had done for him in his darkest moment. She’d done more to help him than he ever would have expected, and it was probably solely due to her unbidden display of compassion and empathy that he’d survived the night with his wits intact at all. He didn’t even need to ask; she was just there, like the act was second nature to her. He couldn’t claim to know a friend back on Earth who would do the same, especially considering he’d only known Twilight for a couple of days.

And that... feeling. That indescribable sensation he’d felt flowing into him before losing himself to sleep. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Was that normal? Did Twilight do it, or was it something else? Something about Equestria? Regardless, Connor couldn’t feel it at that moment, and surprisingly, he found himself missing it. Like feeling the warmth of the sun for the very first time, only to now find himself trapped in the shade.

Connor used his hand to rub his eyes. This wasn’t the time for navel-gazing, and while the experience still weighed heavily on his mind, he couldn’t deny that he was feeling just a little better about himself and his situation. At least, well enough that he could stand to bring himself out of bed.

Again, he raised himself up, looking around the room with his nearsighted vision to note that he was alone in the loft. Steady shafts of sunlight poured in through the window, shining down on Twilight’s perfectly made bed -- not surprising, considering her fastidious nature. What was surprising, though, was that Spike’s basket sat on the floor next to it, also undisturbed. If Connor recalled correctly, it had been a mess of blankets when he woke up the previous morning, so this was a curious thing to find.

Did they even come up to sleep at all? Connor wondered as he shifted over, noting that he was still fully clothed as he cast off his blanket and began his usual stretches and cracks.

With a grunt, he stood up and began to make his way across the loft to the stairs leading down to the second floor. On the way, Connor casually glanced to his right, at the short desk set against the wall, and he spotted his glasses sitting neatly folded on top. Relieved to have discovered them so quickly, he knelt down to pick them up and slide them onto his face, and when he raised his head, he couldn’t help but notice himself reflected in Twilight’s vanity mirror. Feeling fairly levelheaded at the moment, he decided that this might actually be a good time to study the new horn with greater scrutiny.

Sitting mere inches away from the glass, Connor could take in every detail of the nearly four inch-long protrusion. It was bleached white in color, contrasting clearly with his skin-tone down near the base, where the hard surface blended perfectly with the top of his forehead. From what he could tell, the horn was almost perfectly smooth from the bottom all the way to the blunt, tapered tip, save for the gentle raised curve that spiraled down across its length. Curious, Connor hesitantly brought a finger up to trace along the curve’s edge, but the unexpected sensation from doing so made him draw back for a moment.

It was the strangest thing. He had felt the touch through the horn, like it wasn’t just an extension of bone, but a living piece of his body. Again using his finger to gently rub against the slightly warm surface, he shivered at the light tickling feeling his touch left behind. It was really starting to creep him out, so he stopped, and a second later, so did the sensation.

“So weird,” he said to himself, and despite his earlier animosity towards the change, he couldn’t help but feel fascinated by the implications.

Then it occurred to him to attempt doing magic again -- it was a long shot, but he might as well try, anyway. Looking around for an object to test on, he settled on a hairbrush sitting near the base of the mirror. Unsure of where to begin, the first thing he tried was to simply focus with great intent on the brush, blocking out everything from his thoughts except that one object.

Connor’s brow creased as he then imagined some kind of energy channeling through his horn, and consciously tried to direct said energy to perform the desired levitation. When that produced no obvious results, he tried to visualize the effect, imagining the brush wrapped in a telekinetic aura of his own and raising off the table like he had seen other ponies accomplish. Nothing was happening, though, which wasn’t really all that surprising. He didn’t have a clue what the hell he was doing, after all.

After about thirty seconds of straining and intense focus, Connor was about to just give it up. But just then, a thought flickered across his mind; a thought that couldn’t help but bring a small cheeky grin to his lips. Connor rose to his feet, then raised his arm, palm outstretched towards the motionless brush, like a Jedi using the Force.

Then, he tried words.

“Lift. Rise. Ascend. Fly. Levitate. Yip-yip,” he halfheartedly listed off, each time accompanied by a flick of his wrist. “Fuck it. Wingardium Leviosa.”

Through it all, the hairbrush mocked his efforts by refusing to move so much as a centimeter. It was then that he gave up, dropping his hand and resigning to the fact that his new horn was just as useless as ever.

Realizing how silly he probably looked -- even though there were no witnesses to his fruitless display -- Connor sighed and brushed it off, leaving Twilight’s vanity table to continue making his way down the stairs. As he made his way across the second floor, however, a sudden sound drew his attention.

“Hoo,” came a noise to his right, and Connor’s head snapped around to see Owloysius, sitting up on a small raised perch by the wall, and looking at him intently with his small, beady eyes.

“Oh, jeez,” Connor responded, mildly shocked by the owl that he hadn’t noticed was there until he made his presence known. Wait, that meant that he had been sitting there silently the entire time. “Uh... You were watching all that, weren’t you?”

“Hoo,” Owloysius replied with a flutter of his wings.

“Great.” Connor rolled his eyes, embarrassed. “I don’t suppose we can just keep this between you and me?”

The owl said nothing, blinking a few times, before he raised one of his wings and held it in front of his small orange beak.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Thanks, Owlo... Ow-Owelish... Um, thanks.”

The teenager sagely decided to move on before he made an even bigger fool of himself in front of Twilight’s pet owl, and he departed for the stairs while scratching the back of his neck. When he made his way to the opening leading to the main room of the library, he stopped and peered inside for a second.

The state of the library was in much the same condition as he had left it the previous night, except the book piles were slightly larger and took up even more of the floor. Amidst the silence in the room, he could just barely make out a furry lavender leg sticking out from behind one of the piles, as well as the slumbering form of Spike lying some ways away, on his back with a book covering his face and his limbs and tail splayed out around him. And on the dragon child’s green, scaly belly, rising and falling in time with his breathing, little Peewee lay curled up into a tiny ball of orange feathers and fluff.

So that’s where Peewee is. I was wondering where the little guy went last night.

The sight made Connor chuckle lightly before he caught himself, covering his mouth with his hand. As quietly as he could so that he didn’t disturb the sleeping trio, he gently tiptoed down the steps to the ground floor. Once he reached the bottom, he turned around in order to look at Twilight more clearly. What he saw when he did... was undoubtedly the most absolutely adorable thing he had ever seen.

Twilight lay on her side facing him, atop a bed of books in all colors and sizes, with her head resting against the surface of one particularly thick tome. Her front hooves were tucked firmly against her chest, like a praying mantis, while her hind legs were spread in front of her body at different angles. Mouth slightly open, Connor could hear the sound of her steady breathing as her chest rose imperceptibly along with it. And as opposed to their usual perfectly straight nature, both her mane and tail were just messy and unkempt enough to lend her a charming air of frumpiness. She was like the world’s cutest stuffed animal, surrounded on all sides by the library’s contents like it was her own private sanctuary. The whole scene came together into something that would melt the heart of all but the toughest, meanest, hardest of people. So one could imagine the effect it had on Connor.

A soft smile turned up the corners of his lips, and as much as he wanted to just bask in the moment, he realized how awkward it was for him to just stand there watching her. He wished he could at least take a picture.

Wait a minute. I can take a picture! he realized immediately.

Connor then quietly made his way around the minefield of literature over to his coat, still draped over the wooden pony bust in the center of the room, and fished around in the pockets until he came up with his iPod. He held it in his hand for a few seconds, remembering that his beloved gadget was more than half dead at this point, but then he quickly figured that, for what he needed it for, it was only going to be on for a few seconds anyway.

He silently moved into position, clicking on the device and swiping across to access the camera app. After waiting a few seconds for his iPod to focus and to get all of Twilight in the frame, he brought up his finger and pressed down to snap the picture. The instantaneous “click” sound emitted by the device made Connor cringe as it unexpectedly pierced the silence, and he looked over to Twilight when he noticed one of her pointed ears flick in response. But she merely smacked her lips lightly and shifted around on her nest of books, which in and of itself was also supremely adorable.

Satisfied, Connor powered off his iPod and put it back where he had found it. Now, unsure of what else to do with Twilight and Spike still sleeping, he ended up ruminating on what exactly he would say to the unicorn mare when he got the chance. That eventually led him to thinking about just how much she meant to him. After everything that had happened, it seemed so trite to simply consider her as just a friend at this point. Not when he considered how much she was doing to support him. Giving him shelter, feeding him, showing him around Ponyville, and most recently acting as his emotional lifeline right when he needed one most.

And now, she and her draconic assistant had apparently spent the entire night -- pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion -- doing research on his behalf. And to think, he had done so comparatively little in return for Twilight’s efforts.

Well, that’s going to change, starting today, he decided without hesitation. But what exactly can I do?

Connor raised a hand to his chin, unable to imagine anything he could do to repay Twilight for the amount kindness and patience she’d shown him. At the very least, he figured he should try to come up with a way to show his appreciation. Absorbed in thought, he felt a slight grumble come from his stomach as it communicated its desire for food, as he really didn’t have much for dinner the night before. That was hardly important at the moment, but it did help him come up with an idea.

Careful not to make a sound, Connor turned around and walked to the hallway leading to the kitchen, fully intent on actually making himself useful first thing in the morning.

It was a smell that finally roused Twilight from her deep, study-induced slumber, as the scent of something sweet and slightly doughy floated past her nose. Taking a deep inhale, she gently came to, her first thoughts wondering about the nature of the mysterious smell, and her second thoughts on the aching twinge emanating from her neck as she moved her head around. Her eyes slowly creaking open as she took note of her dry mouth, it took her a moment of taking in her surroundings to realize what it was she had been sleeping on.

With a start, Twilight turned upright, her eyes scanning over the book she’d been using as a pillow to make sure she hadn’t accidentally left any drool stains on her precious literature. She eventually convinced herself that the books were indeed safe.

“Whew. That’s a relief,” she sighed, amazed that she had so easily let herself fall asleep right in the middle of her intense studying. She made a quick mental note to clean up after herself at her earliest convenience.

Still shaking off her case of the sleepies, Twilight yawned widely before getting up on her hooves and surveying the library. She spotted Spike and Peewee, still snoozing away in their own little corner, and she snickered at the sight.

“Aww, poor Spike,” she whispered, not finding it at all surprising that her baby dragon friend was completely wiped out, having stayed up long past his bedtime. Then, her thoughts wavered for a second, before the fact that Spike was still asleep finished processing, and she had a sudden realization. “Wait... If Spike’s still asleep, then who’s making breakfast?”

It couldn’t have been... No, could it really be Connor at work in the kitchen? After what had happened the previous night, Twilight would be genuinely surprised to see the human up and about at all.

Concerned and more than a little curious, Twilight trotted lightly down the hallway to her kitchen in order to investigate. When she reached the door at the end, she reared up on her hind legs to look through the small round window to the inside. Sure enough, she spotted the tall form of her alien friend hard at work at the stove on the far side, though she couldn’t quite make out what he was working on.

Twilight lowered herself back on her hooves, trying to think of the best way to approach the situation, but nothing particularly notable came to mind. Eventually, she decided it would probably be best to just enter and say hello, and then see where things went after that. She cautiously placed a hoof on the door, slowly nudging it open. The squeak of the hinges announced her arrival, causing Connor to notice and stop what he was doing, turning around to face her.

“Oh... Morning, Twilight,” he greeted her with a meek wave of his hand.

“...Good morning,” came her reply.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them, both saying nothing and both trying to avoid the other’s eyes. The thing on the minds of both human and pony was obviously the tense moment the two had shared the night before. Connor’s hands fidgeted for a moment before he finally decided to talk. At the same time, Twilight too opened her mouth to speak.

“Maybe we should--”

“I think that--”

They both stopped at once, and Twilight felt her face tinge slightly in embarrassment, before taking the initiative and being the first to speak up again. “You first.”

“Okay,” Connor agreed, taking a deep breath. “Well, to start off, I just wanna say... I’m sorry.”

Twilight tilted her head, confused by the admission. “For what?”

“For last night,” the human clarified, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “I... I really lost it, didn’t I? I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything, and you don’t need to apologize,” Twilight assured him in a soft voice while shaking her head. “You did nothing wrong. Frankly, I don’t blame you for what happened. You were scared. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

The unicorn took a few steps further into the kitchen, looking up at Connor while he fought against a lump in his throat.

“I know. Thanks. I just... I just wish you didn’t have to see me like that.”

Twilight shook her head again. “It’s no problem at all. We’ll see this through, don’t you worry.” She smiled warmly at him, trying to inject a bit of hopefulness in her voice. “It’s nice to see you’re feeling better, by the way.”

“Yeah...” Connor reached up to tap his horn thoughtfully. “I still don’t have a clue what the hell is going on, but... I can deal with it. At least, I’m pretty sure I won’t be having another catastrophic meltdown.”

“That’s good,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Well, just in case, you should know that my shoulder is always available.”

Connor returned the laugh. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

There was more silence for a few seconds, before Twilight’s expression turned to one of concern, and she leaned over to the side to look past Connor to the stove. “Hey, aren’t you cooking something?”

“Oh, crap!” Connor exclaimed as he whipped around, noticing that what was in the pan he was using was now crispy and black, and slightly smoking. Frantically, he picked up a spatula sitting on the counter and brought both items over to the nearby waste bin, scraping off the burnt mess while wearing a sheepish expression. “Sorry about that. I hope I didn’t ruin your pan.”

Twilight walked over to his side, obviously amused, going by the smirk on her face. “That’s alright. Even if you did, it’s nothing a little magic can’t fix. What are you making, anyway?”

“Oh, uh, well, I wanted to do something nice for you and Spike for a change, so I thought I’d make breakfast today. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, Connor. That was thoughtful of you,” Twilight said appreciatively, looking over at the counter next to the stove. Sitting in a row, she noticed a haphazard arrangement consisting of an open bag of flour, an empty bottle of milk, an egg carton missing all but two eggs, an almost empty bowl of what the unicorn assumed was some kind of batter, and a plate bearing what appeared to be a stack of very thin pancakes, still steaming a little. “You never told me you could cook.”

“It’s not like that; I really can’t. This is the only recipe I know,” Connor admitted, picking up the batter bowl and scooping the last bits into the pan with a spoon. “It’s called ‘palachinki,’ which is just a fancy Bulgarian word for crepes. My dad showed me how to make ‘em.”

Connor set down the bowl with a hollow-sounding clang, then stopped and hesitated for a second, before determinedly shaking his head and continuing.

“I’m almost done, by the way.” With one hand, Connor picked up the pan and started rotating it around, ensuring the batter spread out evenly. “If you want, you can go wake Spike up, then the two of you can set up the table and break out any jams or jellies you have to go with these.”

“I think we should let Spike sleep in for now. He was up way past his bedtime, so he kinda deserves it,” Twilight said as she moved to the refrigerator, using her horn to grab a couple of colorful jars from inside.

“He sure looked pretty out of it,” Connor agreed as he gently nudged the last crepe onto the plate using the spatula. “These things keep well in the fridge, so we can just leave him the leftovers.”

With all of the batter used up, Connor proceeded to shut off the stove and start cleaning up by bringing all of the dirty dishes to the sink. Meanwhile, Twilight helped by setting the table, using her magic to neatly lay out two plates, two cups, and a set of utensils at either end. After about a minute, the mare had finished and was sitting patiently on her haunches by the table while Connor brought over the results of his efforts and set the plate between the two of them. Connor briefly showed Twilight what to do, peeling one of the wafer-thin pastries off the stack and putting it on his plate, before scooping out some of what looked like grape jelly from the jars Twilight retrieved earlier. After spreading it around a little, he rolled it up tightly with his fingers and eagerly took a bite, watching Twilight do the same with hers.

Not bad, Connor thought to himself as he munched away. Especially considering I haven’t made these in forever.

“This is really good,” Twilight said between bites of her own apricot spread, held a short distance from her mouth in a glowing purple field.

“Thanks, I’m glad you like ‘em.”

A few minutes passed as the stack of palachinki slowly grew shorter, breakfast going by in relative silence as neither Connor nor Twilight could really think of anything to say. Eventually, though, Connor noticed the lavender pony trying to sneak glances at his forehead when she thought he wasn’t looking. He finished his current bite, swallowed, then let out a sigh. “Go ahead and ask, I can tell that you want to.”

Connor’s hunch proved correct, as Twilight lowered her half-finished crepe to the table and immediately launched into questioning. “What is it like? Does it hurt? Can you feel anything from it? Have you done any magic?”

“Whoa, slow down.” Connor raised his hands, smirking at her bright-eyed enthusiasm. “Okay. In order: really weird... not anymore... yeah, kinda... and no. I tried, but no.”

“Fascinating.” Twilight’s mind was running at full speed, absorbing this new information. “And you don’t feel any pain? At all?”

“Nope.” Connor shook his head. “No headaches, no nothing. Not since last night.”

“That’s good to hear.” Twilight nodded, relieved at this bit of news. “Well, from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem to have changed in any way while you slept, so maybe this is the end of it. Whatever ‘it’ is.”

“I sure hope so,” Connor agreed, lightly knocking on the wooden table. “Speaking of which, did you guys find anything in all those books?”

Slowly, Twilight’s face fell and her ears drooped down, and she found herself lamenting the fact that, despite all of her hard work, poring through tome after tome, she couldn’t come across anything useful.

“No... we didn’t,” she reluctantly admitted. “None of the books in this library mentioned anything having to do with spontaneous generation of alien body parts.”

“Wow, really?” Connor was incredulous. “Nothing?”

“I know, right? I was surprised too!” Twilight said, exasperated, as she put yet another thin pastry on her plate along with a blob of jam. “I mean, I figured there might be something in the encyclopedias on Transformation and Alteration Magic at least, but now I'm thinking that something like this probably doesn’t even fall into the same category as something like a spell to give a pony wings.”

“Wait, you can do that?” Connor eyed the unicorn skeptically, finding himself intrigued by the concept.

“Yeah, I tried it once on Rarity, when we went to Cloudsdale for the--” Twilight paused, breathing in sharply. “Oh, right, I haven’t told you about that yet. Anyway, yeah. It’s not the easiest spell in the world, but it is possible.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Connor had to admit, and all this talk about magic and spells was starting to get him thinking. “Say, you don’t suppose it could be as simple as casting, I don’t know, some kind of “reversal spell” or something? In fact -- and I know there’s probably a good reason for this, but hear me out -- why can’t you just use magic to make the horn go away? It sure seems capable of doing pretty much everything else around here.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at her alien friend’s understandable naïveté. “You’re right. There is a simple explanation for that.”

Twilight took a deep breath as she prepared to explain what was, to her at least, one of the easiest things to understand about the nature of magic on Equis.

One of the first things any of the three races of pony was taught when they were old enough to enroll in school was that most (if not all) spells are inherently temporary. Given enough time, all nonnaturally occurring magical effects inevitably fall victim to entropy, and the target of the spell eventually returns to its original state. Though this happens to vary depending on the complexity of the spell and the relative magical ability of the caster, no form of magic had ever been devised that could last indefinitely without a constant supply of energy to support it.

Therefore, even if there had been any sort of “quick fix” solution, it wouldn’t solve the problem in any lasting fashion.

“And that’s why this is so frustrating,” Twilight wrapped up, as both her and Connor started to clean up what was left of their finished meal. “The gradual process of your predicament is unlike any magic I’ve ever encountered. I don’t even know if it’s being caused by a specific kind of magic. It could be something else entirely. And until we know more, I’m not willing to risk casting any old spell and hoping it’ll stick.”

“That’s... disappointing, but I guess I can understand,” Connor responded as he picked up both his and Twilight’s dishes to put them in the sink, while Twilight took the leftovers and slid them inside her fridge. “So, where does that leave us? Are we giving up?”

“Oh, no. Hardly. Our next course of action is obvious.” Twilight said the next part while unable to hide the expectant smile on her muzzle. “Research and experimentation!”

“Uh... I don’t know how I should feel about that word, ‘experimentation,’” Connor uneasily replied, Twilight’s statement conjuring up images of dimly lit labs and cackling scientists.

“Relax.” The unicorn rolled her eyes condescendingly. “It should consist of nothing more than taking a few samples, observing your reactions to certain stimuli, and recording some thaumaturgical readings. Hopefully, gathering some raw data will help shed some light on what exactly caused this growth to occur.”

Connor folded his arms together. “Alright. When do we start?”

“No time like the present!” Twilight replied chipperly. “I cleared away my entire schedule for today, so we have all the time we need. Not that I expect it to take the entire day, but it never hurts to be prepared.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to do that for me.” Considering all the fretting the studious pony had done over her beloved schedule two days prior, Connor could at least recognize how much of a big deal it was for her to set aside the whole day on his behalf.

Twilight raised a hoof and held it in a gesture of denial. “Nonsense. Nothing’s more important than helping a friend in need,” she said with one hundred percent certainty. Then her ears lowered slightly, and she looked off to the side. “Although... I would be lying if I said that was the only reason. All of this is just so intriguing.”

“Yeah, ‘intriguing’ is the word,” Connor said sarcastically, but he knew what she meant. If he was being honest with himself, he too was immensely curious about getting answers.

“In any case, it’ll take me awhile to get set up in the basement,” Twilight said as she turned around and headed for the kitchen door. “You can keep yourself occupied until then, right?”

“Sure. I think I might take a shower, actually. I sure could use one.”

“That’s fine. And don’t worry about the... Well, let’s just say I took care of that mess in the bathroom.” Twilight paused at the door, using one hoof to hold it open as she called back over her shoulder. “Come down into the basement whenever you’re ready. I’m pretty sure you know the way.”

With that, she departed, and as she made her way through the library to her basement laboratory, it was all she could do to contain her excitement at the pursuit of new information and the thrill of discovery. Not to mention furthering the causes of both science and magic.

And helping her friend, of course. That was important, too.

“Hey, Twilight, it’s me. Are you ready yet?” Connor called out as he peeked his head through the doorway at the end of the flight of stairs leading down to the library’s sub-level. Freshly showered up, he’d hoped that around fifteen minutes was enough time for the unicorn to make whatever preparations were necessary for the aforementioned “research and experimentation.”

“Just about! Go ahead and come down!” came Twilight’s reply from deep inside the room, and Connor heeded her invitation, stepping inside the basement itself and closing the heavy door behind him.

Upon getting his first good look at the wide, open space of Twilight’s “lab,” he couldn’t decide on whether to feel more vindicated or disturbed, as the general atmosphere did very little to dispel the “mad scientist” vibe he got earlier from the mare. From his position on top of the raised walkway that led to a set of descending stairs, he could see every inch of the basement, as well as its interesting blend of both technology and nature. The walls and floor seemed to be made out of some kind of reddish-brown clay, and all along the sides of the room, a menagerie of metal and scientific-looking machines took up most of the space.

There was everything from huge metal pipes reaching up to the ceiling, to sparking Tesla coils nearly as big as he was, and big, bulky machines whose purposes escaped Connor, fitted with a generous amount of gaskets, dials, and blinking lights, all wrapped up and intertwined with the gnarled roots coming from the treebrary sitting just above his head. Alongside the machines were elaborate glassware setups, and rows upon rows of beakers and test tubes: some empty, others filled with glowing, sometimes bubbling liquids in bright, neon colors. Also set into the walls were little cubbyholes, cluttered with -- what else? -- books, along with a bunch of unlabeled jars and containers as well as various gadgets and spare parts.

The very center of the room, however, was bare, save for a lone chair standing next to Twilight herself as she was currently occupied, using her magic to telekinetically move a number of small items around the lab, seemingly at random.

Connor let out a low whistle. “Impressive.”

“Thanks. Sorry if it seems a little messy. Not many ponies come down here aside from Spike and myself,” Twilight said, maneuvering a set of vials into place before turning to face Connor at the top of the stairs. “Go ahead and take a seat right over here, we can begin momentarily.”

Connor couldn’t help but have a private chuckle to himself. Go ahead, take a seat, he monologued internally in his best Chris Hansen impression, as he made his way down the zigzagging stairs to the main floor. “Sure. By the way, you never told me that Mary Shelley designed your basement.”

“Hold on. Is that another one of your human references?” Twilight shot him a curious glare as he walked past her. “You know I don’t understand a thing you’re talking about when you do that, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. My incredible wit continues to go unappreciated,” Connor muttered sarcastically before sitting down in the chair. He then folded his arms together. “So, how are we gonna start?”

“First things first: I’d like to collect a few samples,” explained Twilight as she walked over to a nearby table and levitated a few small objects.

“Of... what, exactly?”

“Oh, hair, saliva, that kind of thing.” Twilight lolled her head innocently, coming towards Connor with a q-tip floating beside her. “Open wide, please.”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Connor opened his mouth, feeling like a kid in a doctor’s office as Twilight proceeded to swab the inside of his cheek. Once that was done, she secured the swab in a glass vial and placed it back on the table, while picking up a short pair of gleaming scissors at the same time. Using the scissors, she then snipped off a single lock of his brown hair, putting it in a similar container. Connor, meanwhile, was starting to feel a little silly just sitting there while Twilight did her work. “Hair, saliva... What’s next? Gonna ask me to pee in a cup?”

Twilight paused, her face souring slightly at Connor’s attempt at a joke. “Um... no. Why would...? No.” She shook her head as she went back to the table, but then she hesitated as she looked back at him over her shoulder. “Although, you aren’t afraid of needles, are you?”

Connor’s smirk transformed into a concerned frown at the question. “No, why?”

“Because I’m also going to need a blood sample,” Twilight clarified, turning around to reveal her next set of tools: a short, thin needle with a glass bulb on the end, along with a rubber hose and a bottle of clear fluid. Connor felt fine with it, being no stranger to donating blood on occasion, but he couldn’t mask a tiny bit of apprehension as Twilight began securing his left arm using the hose as a tourniquet.

“Aren’t you supposed to have some kind of license in order to do this?” Connor asked nervously, as Twilight dabbed a bit of cotton in the clear fluid -- probably alcohol -- and started applying it to the inside of his arm.

“Relax, I know what I’m doing,” she brushed him off, and before the human could protest further, she readied the needle and smoothly inserted it into his vein on the first try.

“Ow! Hey, how about a little warning next time?” Connor flinched back, a brief lance of pain running up his arm after the needle slid in. Twilight didn’t respond for a few seconds, watching the ichorous fluid slowly fill the collection vessel on the other end of the needle. Once it was nearly full, she nodded, satisfied, and she placed another cotton ball over the entry point before quickly removing the needle from his arm.

“See? Already done. Nothing to worry about.” She flashed him a sly smirk. Then, her horn glowed a fraction brighter, accompanied by a similar flash at where Connor was now rubbing his left arm. Lifting his hand away, he could see no evidence of the needle having entered his skin; she’d completely healed the minor wound with her magic. “There you go. All better.”

“Great. Thanks,” Connor muttered lowly, his arm still tingling as he rubbed it up and down. “Are we done yet?”

“Not quite. I need just one more thing from you.” Twilight’s ears lowered, as did her expression, as she placed Connor’s blood over near the other samples. “You’re really not going to like this, but... I need a horn scraping.”

“A horn scraping.” Twilight was right, Connor didn’t like the sound of that, and the words alone sent shivers up his spine.

“Yeah...” The unicorn nervously rubbed a foreleg against the other one, looking off and to the side. “And trust me, it’s just as unpleasant as it sounds.”

Connor reached up and touched his horn, again reminded of its peculiar sensation, and already cringing at the fact that Twilight was coming towards him with a long, textured file in her violet aura. “...Okay. Just make it quick. Please?”

“I’ll try,” Twilight promised. She hesitated as she came right up to Connor, file poised and ready, and the teenager could feel a bead of sweat forming on his brow as he shut his eyes and tried to think happy thoughts.

Twilight was wrong. It wasn’t just unpleasant, it was mind-numbing.

Once, a couple of years back, some of Connor’s high school friends had dared him to chew on a piece of tinfoil, and despite knowing that it wasn’t going to be fun, he did it anyway. That’s what the scraping felt like to him, only five times as bad, and as though the sensation was coming from inside his brain.

Luckily, Twilight had been correct in saying she’d do it quickly, and after only a few seconds she had gathered the minuscule particles of Connor’s horn she’d managed to shear off into a water-filled vial she had sitting ready. Then, while Connor was busy trying to unclench his teeth and rub the stars out of his eyes, she went over to a centrifuge located off to the side to let the sample spin while they moved on to phase two of her study.

The next half an hour in the basement went by at a rather boring pace, compared to what Connor had to go through beforehand. The time was split between Twilight examining her samples with various testing apparatuses, both magical and scientific, while simultaneously administering a number of tests to Connor to gauge his physical and mental states. Everything from testing his reflexes to making him stare at inkblots and describing what he saw. And all the while, Twilight kept intense and detailed notes, writing down every relevant detail in a little notepad she kept with her at all times.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she put down her pen and paper, breathing out a heavy sigh.

“Does that mean we’re done?” Connor asked hopefully, having long since had his fill of being poked and prodded by his four-legged friend.

“Almost. Just one more thing we need to examine,” Twilight answered moving around the lab to a sheltered corner behind one of the tables. With a glow of her horn, she brought out what looked like a big, shiny green box on four wheels, covered in knobs, dials, and a thick roll of paper. Following closely behind were two more metal objects attached to the first one by electrical wires: a big, heavy-looking helmet completely coated in colorful lights -- something that instantly reminded Connor of Doc Brown’s mind-reading device from the first Back to the Future movie -- and a smaller green box with two metal restraints on top, also containing a bunch of readouts and buttons on its surface.

“What is all that stuff?” Connor questioned as Twilight dragged the expensive-looking machine out of the shadows and around to the center of the room.

“This,” Twilight clarified, slightly out of breath, but still managing a grin as she put everything into place. “...is a thaumograph.”

“You say that like I’m supposed to know what it means.”

Twilight snorted, rolling her eyes. “A thaumograph is a machine designed to monitor and record fluctuations in magical energy. I’ve modified this one to be able to detect magical activity in a living creature’s body. Put your arms in here, please.”

The unicorn motioned to the smaller device on the floor, the one with the holsters, and Connor did so, sliding his hands through the cold metal hoops. Then Twilight’s horn lit up again, and she magically grabbed a table and some other contraption and brought it over to them, setting it down in front of Connor. Sitting on the table was what looked like a simple plastic tube with distance marks every inch or so, containing a blue ball sitting at the bottom.

“What we’re going to do is I’m going to turn on the machine, then you’re going to try and levitate this ball as high as you can. It’s a basic test of magical ability, but it’s perfect for what we’re trying to do.”

“But I told you, I already tried using magic,” Connor pointed out as Twilight picked up the thaumograph’s helmet and placed it over his head, where it sat heavily while the unicorn secured it with a strap under his chin. Connor fought to maintain his balance as the helmet, which must have weighed at least ten pounds, threatened to tip him over. “It didn’t work then. What makes you think it’ll work now?”

“It’s still worth it to monitor the attempt, and it pays to be thorough,” Twilight continued, looking him over to make sure everything was in place. She walked back over to the bigger machine, raising her hoof and keeping it hovering over a big, red, rectangular switch on the side. “Are you ready?” she asked, and Connor nodded as smoothly as he could with the heavy helmet weighing down his head. Twilight nodded back, and wasted no time in pushing the button with a soft click.

Right away, the machine started humming with power, short puffs of steam being expelled from a spout on the other side as the roll of paper started to turn, revealing a bright red line drawn across its surface as it slid around. Below that, a single length of paper was being ejected out of a narrow slot, in the same fashion that Connor recalled seeing on seismographs or ECG machines back on Earth. Twilight twisted her neck around, looking at the slightly jagged line displayed on the readout with a curious expression.

“Are you trying to perform the test at the moment?” she asked her subject.

“No. Why? Should I be?”

“Curious...” Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof, looking puzzled. “The thaumograph is registering a very, very small magical current. But if you’re not doing anything...” She trailed off, deep in thought, before shaking her head and going back to the red button, switching the machine off. “It’s probably just not calibrated correctly. I haven’t used this thing since that whole ‘Pinkie Sense’ debacle last year.”

Not bothering to ask about what “Pinkie Sense” was, Connor was surprised when a purple aura suddenly engulfed his vision, and he felt the weight of the helmet lift off of him as Twilight redirected it over her own head. She plonked it down on herself and switched the machine back on. This time, the bright red line running down the paper was perfectly straight.

Twilight then turned towards the table with the ball-and-tube apparatus, and with the barest effort, she used her magic to lift the ball up in the air, right to the top of the tube, before setting it back down. The result on the machine was glaringly obvious, as it let off a quiet series of beeps, and the line scrawled on the page jumped back and forth wildly for the duration of the lift. After she was done, the machine went silent again as the line went still.

“No, the machine’s working just fine...” Twilight muttered, unsure of herself. Without bothering to switch off the thaumograph again, she removed the helmet and quickly placed it back on Connor, who winced slightly as the edge of the metal impacted the top of his horn with a metallic “ting.” The moment it was secure, the machine showed the same result as before: a small jagged line across the paper, a half-inch in width, signifying a very small, yet still present, magical current.

“I’m... not sure what to make of this, to be honest.” Twilight sounded absolutely floored, as she had never encountered a result similar to this before. What the instruments were telling her simply didn’t make sense, and she could offer no explanation for what was causing the magical activity when no effort to perform magic was taking place.

“Well, can I take this thing off now? My neck’s starting to hurt,” Connor spoke up, snapping Twilight out of her deliberations.

“What? Oh, sure,” she answered, distracted. The mare moved back to the machine and powered it off while Connor took his hands out of the device’s steel cuffs and reached up to undo the chinstrap. He groaned with relief as he took the heavy headpiece off, setting it down on top of the smaller machine in front of him.

“Is there anything else?” he asked cautiously, starting to feel antsy from sitting in the same position for so long.

By now, Twilight had brought over her yellow notepad, flipping through its pages with her magic while holding up the stack of the thaumograph’s readings with her hoof. “No, I think I’m done,” she replied without even looking up. “I’ve done all the tests and experiments I can think of on such short notice.”

“Aaaaand anything? Any clues?”

Twilight was silent for a long time, her eyes narrowed and shifting around wildly as she double and triple-checked her findings, trying to figure out where the disparate pieces of the puzzle fit together. Eventually, she closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her snout and sighing deeply.

“No. Nothing,” she spat out, like the words were leaving a bad taste in her mouth. “Even with all the data we’ve gathered, I can’t find any correlations. None of it’s given me any insight into what’s affecting you. The answer is here, I’m sure of it, but I just can’t piece it together!”

Twilight let out a frustrated groan as she put down her notes and let her forelegs slide out from underneath her, lowering her body to the floor in a defeated slump.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Connor consoled her, getting up from his seat and walking over to comfort his friend. “You’re trying really hard, and I appreciate it. Maybe you’re even trying a little too hard.”

“But this is too important,” Twilight tried to protest, giving a little huff as the frustration she’d been keeping pent up all morning started releasing itself. “I just don’t get it. I’m Princess Celestia’s personal protégé. I graduated with top marks from the School for Gifted Unicorns. I’m the Element of Magic for crying out loud! Why can’t I figure this out!?”

“Twilight, calm down. It’s not your fault.” Connor placed a comforting hand on Twilight’s back. He found it slightly ironic that, after his breakdown the previous night, it was now his turn to bring Twilight out of her mini spaz attack. “So you don’t know everything about magic. So what? We’ll just keep trying different stuff until we find something.”

Through their contact, Connor could feel Twilight’s shoulders slowly untense, and she let out another sigh. “I know, I know... I shouldn’t let something like this get to me, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel like I’m letting you down, somehow.”

“Again, it’s not your fault. You’re doing everything you can.” Connor removed his hand, standing at his full height as he took a few steps around the lab to stretch out his sore legs. Idly examining some colorful beakers and their bubbling contents, he continued to talk. “Maybe this is too big for just the two of us. Maybe it’s just as simple as finding someone who knows stuff about magic that you don’t.”

Behind Connor, Twilight’s ears perked up as she raised her head off the floor to look at him. “Hold on. Could you repeat that, please?”

“I said, maybe we should talk to a pony who knows stuff about magic that you don’t.”

“Somepony who knows about magic... that I don’t...” Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof, her mind once again churning with ideas behind her eyes, which had taken on a new hopeful luster. “Or maybe... somepony that isn’t a ‘pony’ at all.”

Connor turned around, noting the change in his friend’s tone of voice as a positive sign. “What’s that? You have an idea?”

“I think I do!” Twilight got up to her hooves with renewed vigor, facing Connor with a determined gleam in her eye. “I hope you’re up for doing a little walking. It’s time for us to take a little trip to the Everfree.”

The Fifth Day: Over a River and Through the Woods

You Do (Not) Belong

The Fifth Day: Over a River and Through the Woods

“Hey, Twilight? Where does this one go?”

Twilight Sparkle turned her head to see Connor holding up an inch-thick volume that had no title, its only discernible details being its deep maroon color and a unique design on its surface.

“Oh, I’ll take that,” she answered, recalling the design by memory and instantly knowing its position among the shelves of Golden Oak. With a thought, she directed her magic to grab it out of Connor’s hand and gently glide it over across the room, where it slotted itself neatly between two other books of the same size and color.

Connor let a puff of air escape from his lips as his hand dropped to his side. “You know, it’s really hard to feel helpful when you just do all the work for me,” he remarked sourly.

“Hey, it’s not your fault you don’t know where everything goes,” came a voice from his side, and he looked down to see Spike walking past him, carrying a pile of books almost as tall as he was. Connor watched as, with a dexterity he wouldn’t have expected of the baby dragon, Spike hopped up a ladder set against the bookcases and deftly began filling in the last few remaining blank spots in that section.

“I said it was fine to just let me and Spike put everything away,” Twilight said casually as she patrolled around the floor, looking for any individual books she might have missed. “Just sit back and relax until we’re ready to leave.”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Connor slumped into a seated position on the library’s stairs, propping up his chin in his hands and simply watching the pony and dragon go about finishing up their work.

It’s just as well, I guess. It’s only been like, ten minutes, and they almost have the place cleaned up, he thought, appreciating the way Twilight and her assistant were able to so quickly erase the evidence of their late-night researching binge with a speed and efficiency that was almost mechanical. Especially Spike, who took no time at all after eventually waking up to polish off that morning’s breakfast leftovers before eagerly setting out to work. The little dragon really took his job as Twilight’s assistant seriously.

“Remind me again where this ‘Zecora’ lives?” asked Connor.

“Everfree Forest; a little ways outside of Ponyville,” Twilight told him, which wasn’t really all that informative.

“Okay, how far away is ‘a little ways’?” he asked for clarification.

Twilight was making her way around the center table while nodding to herself. “It shouldn’t take longer than an hour to walk there. I know the safest and quickest route to Zecora’s.”

Something about how Twilight said the word “safest” struck Connor as a little odd and gave him a moment of pause. But the moment passed quickly, as Twilight took one last sweeping look around the room and let out a contented sigh. “A place for everything and everything in its place. With that out of the way, let’s get going!”

“All right! Let’s go!” Spike said eagerly as he bounded over to Twilight and scooted himself up to ride on her back. But his enthusiasm was quickly extinguished as Twilight looked behind herself with a slightly sad expression, and regretfully used her magic to pluck the dragon up and put him back on the ground.

“Sorry, Spike. I need you here to look after the library again today,” she offered consolingly, to which Spike responded by folding his claws together and pouting.

“Aww, come on, really?” he complained as Connor got up from his own seat and started walking past him. “It’s not fair that you guys get to go out and do stuff while I’m stuck here all day.”

“Well, you should’ve considered that before you adopted your own baby phoenix, Spike,” Twilight reminded him. “If you’re not here, who’s going to watch Peewee?”

The dragon waved a claw dismissively. “Eh, he’d be just fine by himself. Isn’t that right, Peewee?”

Spike looked off to his side, obviously expecting the little ball of orange fluff to be present. But when it dawned on him that Peewee wasn’t even in the room -- and hadn’t been for quite a while -- his confidence shrank somewhat.

“You were saying?” Twilight deadpanned, and amused grin on her muzzle. Spike’s only response was to nervously chuckle and smooth back the green fin on his head. “Don’t worry, Spike. I’ll make it up to you later. Maybe I’ll stop by Sugarcube Corner and order one of those gemstone cupcakes you like.”

At the news of this, Spike’s mood instantly brightened as his forked tongue snaked out and licked his lips. “Wow, that’d be great! Thanks, Twi!”

All throughout this little slice-of-life moment, Connor was just content to watch the interplay between the two as he put on his jacket and shoes by the door. And as Spike departed to once again track down the elusive phoenix, Twilight cantered up next to Connor, looking up at him expectantly.

“Ready?” she asked simply.

“Yeah, just one thing.” Connor paused for just a second, waiting until Twilight tilted her head in confusion before following up. “I need to ask you a favor.”

“Um, sure. What do you need?”

Connor took a deep breath as he tried to figure out the best way to say what he wanted to say. Scratching his head, he settled on just coming out and asking. “Is there any way you could maybe... obscure my horn using magic, or something? Just make it so that other ponies can’t see it,” he explained, and before Twilight could ask, he continued to lay out his reasoning. “The reason I ask is because I’d really rather not have to explain why I suddenly have a horn to everyone who knows I didn’t have one two days ago.”

“Oh, I see.” Twilight looked off to the side, seeming as if she was mulling it over. “What about my friends? Or the nurses and the doctors at the hospital? They already know the details.”

“Right. Well, your friends don’t really strike me as the type to go off telling everyone something like that. And I wouldn’t worry about the hospital staff. You know, doctor/patient confidentiality and all that.”

“I suppose...” Twilight trailed off, not sounding all that convinced. Then, she shook her head and smiled. “In any case, it’s no problem at all. If it’ll make things easier, I can hide the horn for you.”

The lavender unicorn closed her eyes, her horn lighting up briefly with a surge of magic. Without warning, a bright beam shot forth from it, aimed right at where Connor’s horn sat on his forehead. He had to shut his eyes out of reflex, but when the light was gone, he opened them again to note that something was different. Now, instead of the pearly white color of his horn, Connor could turn his eyes up to see that the top edge of his vision was completely clear. From his point of view, the horn had completely vanished.

Connor reached up a hand to feel, and despite already having an idea of what had happened, he was still a little disappointed when his hand met the horn’s smooth surface; to an outside observer, it would look like he was touching the open air. Still, even though he could still feel the sensation of its presence, the fact that he at least looked normal again brought him a certain degree of comfort.

“Invisibility spell, huh? That’d do it, thanks,” Connor remarked, nodding to the mare.

“Glad I could help.” Twilight returned the nod, and proceeded to push open the door to the library, admitting the warm light of the midday sun. Connor breathed in a deep lungful of the cool spring air, before following in her wake and shutting the library door behind them.

With the mid-afternoon sun hanging directly overhead, and not a cloud visible in the sky for miles, it seemed like it was going to be yet another perfectly picturesque day in Ponyville. Even now, there was virtually no evidence of the downpour that took place the previous day except for a few scattered puddles along the roadside.

As Twilight and Connor made their way through the town’s main thoroughfare, the air around them was a buzz of the usual activity. All kinds of ponies milled around on their own business, the sound of their hooves mingling with various tones of conversation, but most of it went unnoticed by the human. He was too busy chatting with his unicorn friend, plying her with questions specifically pertaining to the topic of magic and listening intently to what she had to say.

It was nice not having to have his myriad of troubles front and center, while simply getting to enjoy Twilight’s company. Not to mention he was learning a lot, even though he got the impression that his questions were just barely scratching the surface of this world’s mysteries.

“So, earlier you were talking about all magic being temporary,” Connor said, tackling his next topic of interest while casually cleaning off his glasses with his shirt.

“Yes, what about it?” responded Twilight.

Connor slid his glasses back on. “I thought it was interesting. It just seems like a pretty weird rule, considering how powerful your magic is, and judging by the stuff you’ve been telling me.”

“There’s not a lot to say. It’s just a fact of nature,” the unicorn shrugged it off and gave a short chuckle. “You know, it’s funny. Even though magic is present in every living and nonliving thing on Equis, and in spite of all the research done over the millennia, there's still so much we don't know about it.”

“Yeah. It’s the same way on my world; scientists are always puzzling over the next big mystery of the universe.” Connor scratched at his chin, feeling thoughtful. “How do you think things would be different if you could cast spells that were permanent?”

“Hmm... That’s a toughie. Hypothetically speaking?” Twilight licked the corner of her lip in concentration as she gave the question some thought. Then, she smirked. “Well, if that were the case, I'd imagine everypony would have a pair of wings, everypony would look like a supermodel, and the Princesses would have a lot of free time on their hooves.” Twilight paused in her walking for just a second before shaking her head and continuing. “Wow, how crazy would that be? Just one spell and the Sun and Moon would be taken care of forever.”

“Yeah, craaaazy,” Connor said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. He could’ve sworn he’d told Twilight about how Earth was like that already, but he didn’t feel like pointing that out now and making her feel foolish. He simply shrugged his shoulders. “You also said that spells need a constant source of magic in order to continue functioning, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So is it possible to, sort of, ‘refresh’ a spell before it fizzles out? Like recharging a battery.”

Twilight looked up at Connor with an approving grin. “You catch on pretty quick. That’s actually a well-known practice in Equestria. It’s called enchanting.” She leaned over to nudge Connor’s jacket with the tip of her horn. “Take that jacket, for example. Some unicorns like Rarity offer to enchant everything from clothes, to tools, even magical charms. And then when the enchantment runs out, the spell itself can stay dormant until it’s renewed by a fresh source of energy.”

“And that kind of thing is common?”

“Not exactly,” Twilight clarified. “You can usually find unicorns willing to enchant things for a certain price, but repeated usage of magic in that fashion gets pretty tiring after awhile, especially if the effect doesn’t last very long. That’s why enchantments are uncommon outside of Canterlot, and even then, it’s usually expensive.”

“Well, I’ll definitely have to thank Rarity again next time I see her,” Connor mentioned, all these new facts and ideas swimming around his head.

The two continued to walk down the road in relative silence, sometimes stopping briefly to say hello to some random pony who would come up to greet them and wish them a nice day. If there was one thing these ponies weren’t, Connor figured, it was “isolated.” Even Twilight, who he’d initially pegged as a bit of a reclusive bookworm, seemed to at least know the names of everyone in town. Which was surprising, given how odd some of these ponies' names were.

Finally, after realizing that nothing more had been said for a couple of minutes, Connor had an idea of how to further their talk about magic.

“Hey, I just thought of something,” he spoke up, getting Twilight’s attention. “You said that there’s magic in every living thing here. Would it be possible to design a spell that continuously pulled magic from the subject to keep itself going?”

Twilight’s hooves stopped short as she breathed in sharply. She stood still, blinking a few times while Connor noticed and stopped too.

“What is it? Did I say something wrong?” he asked cautiously.

“...No. No, it’s not that.” Slowly, Twilight picked up her hooves and continued her pace, trying to shake her head free of whatever was bothering her. “What you just described, it is possible, but it’s also... dangerous.”

“How so?”

“Well, you see... linking a spell to the magical essence of any creature, animal or pony, makes it very difficult to reverse or remove,” she explained uncomfortably, like the topic was taboo. “In cases of more complex spells, it’s sometimes impossible to do without hurting the subject in some way. Or, in extreme cases...” Twilight trailed off, swallowing deeply. “...killing them.”

Connor cringed, mirroring his friend’s obvious discomfort. “Oh, jeez.”

“Yeah. That’s why, no matter what the spell actually does, that kind of magic is called... a curse. And it’s one of the most reprehensible crimes one can commit in Equestria.” In spite of the bright atmosphere and their warm surroundings, Twilight couldn’t suppress a shiver. “The last known recorded instance of a curse being used was over four hundred years ago, but even today, every unicorn knows that if you get caught, the punishment is... severe.”

“Damn... I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Connor apologized, able to tell that the thought truly upset the mare.

“Don’t... worry about it. It was a legitimate question,” she assured him quickly. “Although, if you wouldn’t mind, could we please change the subject?”

“Sure,” Connor agreed. If Twilight’s reaction to this talk about curses was anything to go on, he now found himself decidedly not interested in finding out just what she meant by “severe.”

From what Connor could gather, Ponyville wasn’t a particularly large town. He was able to tell by how quickly the cobbled roads and streets closer to the center gradually became less fancy and well kept as they travelled. By the time they had reached what appeared to be the very edge of the town itself, the roads gave way to a simple dirt path like the one that had brought him to Applejack’s farm for the party a couple of days back.

The difference between the town and the surrounding countryside was even more apparent at this spot. Looking behind himself, Connor could see pretty much the whole town, spread out along the horizon as a collection of clustered timber and thatch houses, occasionally broken up by a group of colorful tents, or one of Ponyville’s more “unique” edifices. On the flip side, Connor turned back around to see almost nothing but gentle rolling hills of the purest green pastures one could imagine.

There were still a few buildings and townhouses dotting the landscape here and there, with the largest and most obvious being a tall, elegant clock tower standing in the distance, but it was a far cry from the generous amount of activity on display in the town itself. The relative emptiness was jarring, to say the least.

“I’m really liking the view,” Connor commented as they walked along the path. He took in a deep breath, marveling at how the air seemed even more impossibly fresh and clean out in the wide open space.

“It is pretty nice,” Twilight agreed. “I can definitely understand why Fluttershy likes living here.”

That caught Connor’s ear. “Fluttershy lives out here?” He took another long look around while recalling what he could about Twilight’s incredibly timid pegasus friend. “Yeah, I can see that. It sure is peaceful.”

“Say, there’s an idea,” Twilight spoke up, her mood visibly brightening as her ears perked up even more. “How about we go visit Fluttershy for a bit? Her cottage is just off the road on the way to the Everfree.”

Connor was silent as he thought about it for a few seconds. “Sure, I think I’d be up for that. Any reason in particular?”

Twilight gave a slightly condescending snort. “Like I need a reason to want to pay one of my best friends a visit.” Twilight shook her head. “Besides, I’m sure she would appreciate an update on how you’re doing. She’s your friend too, you know.”

“Yeah... I guess she is.”

The next couple of minutes were uneventful, for the most part. Connor and Twilight were alone on the dirt road, not another soul to be seen in either direction. Ordinarily, Connor wouldn’t have minded the solitude, but nonetheless found himself grateful to have somebody, or somepony, to talk to. It also helped that Twilight didn’t mind putting up with his near constant barrage of questions.

“So, what exactly does Fluttershy do?” he asked as the two of them started rounding a turn in the road. “Something to do with butterflies? It is her uh, um...” Connor snapped his fingers as he struggled to remember the words. “Cutie mark! That’s it.”

Twilight chuckled lightly. “Not that specific. It’s kinda hard to explain.” The unicorn mulled it over, trying her best to think of an adequate way of putting things. “Her special talent is communicating with animals on a truly empathetic level. She understands them in ways that go deeper than mere language. So she acts as a caretaker of the local wildlife, tending to their needs and helping them in any way she can.”

“So she’s like a kind of... ‘everything whisperer’?”

“...Maaaaaybe?” said the pony who had obviously never seen Cesar Millan work his magic for troublesome dogs on cable television. “You’ll see what I mean when we get to her cottage. Which should actually be right over...”

Just as Twilight finished talking, her and Connor came into view of what the teenager could only assume served as Fluttershy’s place of residence. For one thing, just like everywhere else Twilight’s friends lived, there was much to set it apart from what stood for a typical house in Ponyville.

Situated across from a smoothly flowing creek, the pegasus’ house was a squat, moss-covered dome of wood and stucco sitting on top of a short hill. Along the path that bridged the water and led right up to its oaken door were short, scruffy bushes and batches of blue and white flowers, bending slightly in the breeze. Another thing that was immediately apparent to Connor were the birdhouses -- birdhouses everywhere. Hanging off multiple branches from the two nearest trees, as well as more than a few built into the outside of the cottage itself. And where there weren’t birdhouses, there were open nests, and from all of them emanated a steady stream of happy trills and chirps from the occupants.

As Connor and Twilight crossed the small bridge to the other side, a few brightly colored birds peeked their heads out of their homes, regarding the two with interest while chirping excitedly, as if out of welcome.

As they came up to the front door of the cottage, Twilight wasted no time in raising a hoof and lightly tapping on the door, producing three thick-sounding knocks. After a few seconds, they could hear the soft voice of Fluttershy coming from the other side.

“Um... Just a minute!” she called out meekly, her words slightly muffled by the door and making it almost impossible to hear. A moment later, there was the click of a latch being turned, and the bottom half of the door slowly slid open a few inches.

But where Connor and Twilight were expecting to see a pink-maned, yellow pegasus, instead, something small, white, furry, and close to the ground peeked its head out past the threshold. Its long, upright ears, pink nose, and whiskers clearly showed it to be some kind of rabbit, and it seemed to have a bit of an annoyed look on its face as it regarded the newcomers. Until it noticed Connor specifically, that is. Upon doing so, it craned its neck upwards, flinching back slightly when it realized he was nearly twenty times its size. Apparently out of instinct, it then fled back behind the door. Soon after, both Connor and Twilight could hear the sound of hooves clopping on wood coming from inside the house.

“Oh, dear. What’s the matter, Angel? Who’s at the door?” came Fluttershy’s voice, addressing what Connor assumed to be the rabbit, before the rest of the door swung open, revealing the pegasus herself with Angel using her legs as a barrier between them. “Oh, hello!” she said with a shocked expression.

“Hi, Fluttershy,” Twilight greeted her friend with a smile. “I hope we haven’t caught you at a bad time.”

The pegasus looked between her and Connor for a few seconds before shaking her head, causing her long pink mane to bounce around. “Oh, no. I’m not busy. I just wasn’t expecting visitors today. Especially not... well...” Fluttershy’s head dipped down, her aquamarine eyes turning demurely in Connor’s direction.

The teen raised his hand and gave a little wave. “Hey, Fluttershy. How are ya?”

“I’m... good... What about you?” she asked in return. “I stopped by the hospital this morning, but, um... you weren’t there... I was a little worried.”

“Yeah, I... left early,” Connor admitted. “But I’m okay. Thanks for asking.”

“That’s good.” Fluttershy nodded. “So, I noticed that your... um... That is to say...”

Connor breathed in and sighed, then turned his head down to look at Twilight. She regarded him for a second, then nodded in understanding. Her horn glowed purple, and just like before, it cast out a bright beam of energy at Connor’s forehead. This time, when the glow dimmed, the illusion was dispelled, revealing what was underneath.

Upon witnessing the horn in its present state, Fluttershy gasped audibly. “Oh, my. It’s...”

“I know what it looks like,” Connor cut her off. “But I’m fine, really.”

“Well... if you say so. I, um...” Fluttershy paused as she felt something tugging on the fur of her hind leg, and she looked back to see Angel, apparently having gotten over his apprehension, as he now had a cross look on his face. He opened his mouth and motioned towards it with his paw, then folded his little arms together and expectantly started tapping his foot on the floor.

“Oh, that’s right! I’m sorry, Angel. I’ll get you your food in a minute.” The yellow mare turned back to face her friends. “Have you two eaten yet? I was just making some lunch for Angel and myself. You’re welcome to come in and have some... If you want to, that is.”

Twilight responded by nodding her head. “We’re not in any hurry. What do you say, Connor?”

“Lunch sounds good, thanks,” Connor agreed.

“Okay. Come on in.” Fluttershy turned and motioned inside with her head before trotting out of the way. Twilight followed after her, then Connor too ducked inside the short entryway and slid the door closed behind him.

The inside of the cottage was a very clean, open space, with large windows along the walls to let in plenty of natural light. In terms of furniture, there was a chaise lounge and an armchair sitting next to a round table off to the side, and a stone hearth against the wall with a plush burgundy rug laid out over the floor in front of it. Other than that, nothing much of note besides a few cabinets and bookshelves, and the surfaces of the walls themselves were decorated with a couple of framed portraits. It was a cozy little home, complete with a staircase to the second floor and two hallways leading deeper into the house; one of which Fluttershy was making her way towards.

“I’ll be right back once I’m finished. Feel free to make yourselves at home,” she said kindly, before she disappeared behind the wall that must have led off to the kitchen.

While Twilight lightly hopped up on the lounge and made herself comfortable, Connor chose to sit down in the armchair, finding that it was large enough for him to fit, if just barely. A flicker of movement brought his attention to the ceiling, and he was interested to find that small sections of wooden pathways had been strung up underneath it. As he watched, a small gray mouse scurried out of a hole in the wall and clambered across the path. It stopped and stared at Connor for a few seconds, its whiskers twitching, before it lost interest and ran all the way across, slipping through another hole that led to the outside.

“Fluttershy just lets all the animals come and go as they please?” he asked Twilight as he continued to point out several other similar accommodations sprinkled around the house.

“Pretty much. It’s actually a lot more crowded most of the time,” the unicorn pointed out with a shrug. “It must be a slow day today.”

“Mmm,” Connor grunted, leaning his back into the soft chair and enjoying being off his feet after walking for a while. He allowed himself to close his eyes and relax for a bit as Twilight did the same.

After a few minutes of simply listening to the chorus of birds present both inside and outside the cottage, Connor was roused when he heard the sound of Fluttershy’s hooves coming towards the room, indicating her return. He opened his eyes to see her walking in with a polished silver tray balanced on her back, using her outstretched wings as support. On that tray sat four steaming bowls, and nestled in the mare’s mane, Angel sat along for the ride.

“Lunch is ready,” she said as she made her way over to where Connor and Twilight were sitting.

“Here, allow me,” Twilight offered, using her magic to levitate the tray off of Fluttershy’s body and down on the table next to their seats.

“Thank you, Twilight.” Fluttershy smiled warmly, before Angel impatiently tugged on her ear. “I know, Angel. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Fluttershy stepped up to the table and took the rim of one of the bowls in her teeth, then she walked over to a small animal bed in the corner and placed it down on the floor. While her head was down, Angel hopped off and onto the bed and began to partake of what was in the bowl just as the pegasus turned and walked back.

“What exactly is this?” Connor asked, picking up one of the bowls and looking inside to see a thick yellowish broth with little bits of orange mixed in.

“Nothing special. Just some vegetable soup, with extra carrots, just the way Angel likes it,” Fluttershy replied, sitting on her haunches next to the table and carefully taking a bowl between her forehooves just as Twilight lifted up her own with magic.

She really bends over backwards for that rabbit, huh? Connor mused, though he elected to keep this thoughts to himself. Then, he raised the bowl to his lips and took a sip of the contents. It was a little too hot still, but it tasted alright. Not bad for just being vegetables. But, man, what I wouldn’t give for a good cheeseburger right about now.

Of course, there wasn’t a chance of that happening so long as he was stuck in Equestria, especially since he suspected the cows themselves could voice their own objections. Connor bemoaned the fact that he hadn’t had any real meat in almost a week, and he had no intention of turning vegetarian. That alone reminded him that he couldn’t go home soon enough -- once the horn issue was dealt with, that is.

While Connor blew on his meal to cool it down some, the two mares in the room got to talking about this and that. Fluttershy went on for a while about a family of ducks whose nest she had helped rebuild after it had been unfortunately washed away by yesterday’s storm, while Twilight talked about how things were going down at the library when the pegasus inquired about how she spent her day inside, out of the rain. Twilight wasn’t shy about describing her all-day book binge, and the two just laughed it off, like that kind of thing was a common occurrence for her.

What surprised Connor was that absolutely no mention was made of what had happened between them at the hospital, or at the library shortly after the horn’s eruption. It didn’t seem at all like Twilight to make that kind of oversight, which made it obvious that she intended to keep those details between just the two of them. Needless to say, Connor was grateful to her for that.

“So, what brings you two all the way out here?” Fluttershy eventually asked, snapping Connor from his private thoughts. “That is, if you don’t mind my asking...”

Twilight had her bowl to her lips at the moment, so she quickly gulped down the remaining contents and placed it back on the tray before answering. “We're actually on our way to the Everfree Forest to visit Zecora. We were going to see if she had any insight into Connor’s... ahem... ‘condition.’”

“The... Everfree?” At this, Fluttershy’s ears lowered, and the pupils of her eyes shrunk somewhat. “I mean, isn’t that... dangerous?”

Connor immediately did a double take at Fluttershy’s statement. “Wait, hold on. Dangerous?” He turned to Twilight, expecting some sort of explanation. “This is news to me.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, displaying none of the apprehension that was plainly visible in Fluttershy’s frightened demeanor. “It’s nothing to get so worked up about. I’ve been to Zecora’s dozens of times, and nothing ever happens.”

“But what about that time with the cockatrice?” asked Fluttershy in barely a whisper. “You were petrified... If I hadn’t found you...”

“Cockatrice? Petrified?” That definitely got Connor’s attention. He happened to be familiar with what a cockatrice was, having slain his fair share of the bird/reptile hybrids in the virtual worlds of his video game collection. His mind quickly ran with it, logically assuming that in a world which also contained dragons and griffins, what other nasty beasts could be prowling around along with snake-birds that could turn people to stone?

Fluttershy nodded slowly, her expression still one of tentative fear and worry. “Cockatrices, manticores, hydras... The Everfree is filled with all sorts of mean... scary... threatening...” The pegasus’ words trailed off as the very act of saying them caused her to turtle up and make herself appear smaller. She ended what was left of her description with a tiny “Eep!”

Even accounting for the mare’s predisposition for nervousness, Connor couldn’t discount just how outright terrified she seemed. He directed his gaze back to Twilight. “Twilight, when were you planning on telling me about this?”

Twilight hesitated for a second, then sighed deeply. “Okay, that thing with the cockatrice was just one time. But I learned my lesson. Since then I’ve made countermeasures to prevent something like that from happening again, and they work just fine.”

“But what if--” Fluttershy tried to protest, but she was silenced when Twilight held up a hoof.

“It’ll be fine, Fluttershy,” she assured her timid friend, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Besides, I’ll have Connor with me.”

“Oh, and what am I supposed to do? Play dead when freakin’ Manbearpig jumps out of the bushes and attacks us?” he remarked glibly. “I might have a horn, but you're still the only one who can make with the magic, remember?”

“It won’t...” Twilight stopped, her muzzle scrunching up as she tried, and failed, to imagine the creature Connor had invoked. “It won’t come to that. Nothing is going to bother us on the way to Zecora’s. You have my word.”

Connor regarded her skeptically, but had to concede that she at least sounded convinced of her own argument. “Okay,” he said with a sigh. “So long as you’re sure.”

“I am.” Twilight nodded confidently, getting up on her hooves and stepping down from the lounge. “On that note, we should probably get going.”

“But, wait! Wouldn’t you rather stay? Just for a little while longer?” Fluttershy cast out a hoof just as Connor too rose to his feet as part of a transparent attempt to keep them from leaving.

“It’s been great chatting with you, Fluttershy, and I wish I could, but...” Twilight’s eyes wandered over to Connor. “...this is important. The sooner we talk to Zecora, the sooner... Well, we’ll see.”

Fluttershy, crestfallen, slowly lowered her hoof, along with her ears, in a subconscious gesture of submission. “O...okay. Just promise me you’ll be careful? Promise?” she implored of her two friends.

Twilight sat down and raised a hoof over her chest. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she promised as she went through the proper motions.

Connor gestured to Twilight as she got back up on four legs. “Uh, yeah. What she said.”

“Goodbye, Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she opened the front door with her magic. “We’ll be sure to stop by on our way back to show you that everything’s okay.”

“Bye...” The pegasus raised a hoof in a halfhearted wave. “Please say hello to Zecora for me.”

“Sure thing,” Connor answered, waving back as he ducked through the door. “Thanks again for lunch. It was delicious. See ya.”

Connor grasped the door handle and pulled it shut behind him, then went to catch up to Twilight, who had already started her way down the hill.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Twilight turned to Connor in order to recast her invisibility spell over him. Once that was done, she started walking again. “Next stop, the Everfree Forest,” the unicorn proclaimed boldly, her head held high.

Connor, however, was slightly less enthusiastic about heading into what Fluttershy all but described as a sadistic Dungeon Master’s wet dream.

That feeling went from slightly uneasy to full-blown “having second thoughts” in no time at all, as the human and the mare found themselves at the edge of what was obviously a forest. But it was unlike any forest Connor had ever seen -- or heard of, for that matter.

The path they had been following all the way from Fluttershy’s house led right up and into a steady line of trees that immediately cut off at some invisible line. The difference was like night and day, with fields of verdant green grass abruptly giving way to a wall of knotted, gnarled wood, draped over in leaves of a sickly olive-colored hue. Bunches of wildflowers became replaced by weeds, fronds, clumps of damp moss, and speckled brown mushrooms. The foliage was so dense, Connor could barely see even a couple of feet past the tree line where the path didn’t cut through. Even the air itself felt heavier, more stifling, and seemed to carry a palpable sense of foreboding.

Canterlot may have been the equivalent of a Disney paradise, but this place was the farthest thing from Bambi’s forest one could possibly get.

“This is not a forest,” Connor stated blankly. “This is a jungle.”

Twilight stopped just short of the Everfree’s edge, turning to peer back at Connor with an eyebrow raised. “Being a bit hyperbolic, don’t you think?”

“I just don’t get how you can be so calm about this place,” said the human, folding his arms together. “From what Fluttershy said, it seems like every other living thing in there spends its time thinking of new and interesting ways to eat my face.”

“Oh, for the love of...” Twilight rolled her eyes and started trotting back towards him. “I already told you we’d be okay. If you’d just wait until I can cast my countermeasure spell, you’d see that we have nothing to worry about from the creatures of the Everfree.”

“Well, go ahead, then. Cast your ‘countermeasure,’” Connor indicated, putting air quotes around the word.

“Okay. But first, just so it doesn’t interfere...” A short burst of light came forth from Twilight’s horn, once again dispelling the veil over Connor’s. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes in concentration as her horn started glowing once more. While she worked at it, the light slowly intensified until eventually there was a brief flash of purple, accompanied by a wave of energy that spread outwards from her horn and enveloped Connor’s body. He could feel the hairs on his skin stand on end as a mild tingling sensation washed over him, but as quickly as it came, the feeling was gone, and he felt normal again.

With Twilight appearing to be finished, Connor looked himself over, though nothing seemed to have changed at all at first glance. “Did it work?” he asked curiously. “I don’t look any different.”

“You’re not supposed to,” Twilight answered with an amused expression. “The spell I just cast isn’t meant to affect you directly. It’s supposed to affect anything that might notice you. Specifically, the kinds of predators that live in the Everfree.”

“You mean we’re invisible to them?”

“Not exactly.” Twilight turned around and started off past the tree line, urging Connor to follow as she continued to elaborate. “The spell works by making us seem utterly unimportant to any creatures we might encounter. They can see us just fine, but unless we draw attention to ourselves, they’re likely to just ignore us completely.”

“That sounds familiar,” Connor remarked, sussing through Twilight’s words and piecing together what she meant by them. “So, it’s pretty much a perception filter?”

Twilight tilted her head as she kept walking. “That’s... actually a pretty good way to describe it. Sounds like you get the idea.” She turned to look at him directly. “So, are you satisfied? Do you feel safe now?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Connor reached up to scratch his head as he took another look around. Now a fair ways into the forest itself, the environment just seemed to become even more gloomy and oppressive. Up above, the clear blue sky managed to peer down through gaps in the trees, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that it had somehow gotten darker. “This place still gives me the creeps, though.”

“To be honest, I don’t blame you. There’s a reason ponies tend to stay far away from here,” said Twilight. “But there’s nothing to be afraid of, just stay close to me. The spell will last for six hours; plenty of time to get to Zecora’s and back, so long as we’re careful.” Then, Twilight spoke up in more of a hushed tone. “We should probably try to keep talking to a minimum. Like I said, the spell only works if we avoid drawing attention to ourselves.”

“Got it. Mum’s the word,” Connor agreed, and the two fell silent as they navigated the narrow passage through the trees.

Now without a conversation to distract him, Connor was finding it hard to focus solely on following his lavender friend through the twisting and turning paths that led deeper into the Everfree. Especially when, in the relative silence, every sound and disturbance in the dense, dim surroundings stood out glaringly. Amidst the clarion calls of wild birds, the sound of loamy dirt crunching under their hooves and feet, and the constant buzzing and chirping of insects, every snapped twig or rustled tree sent Connor rubbernecking for the source, expecting some kind of monster to be peering at him through the underbrush.

And yet, true to Twilight’s word, they didn’t encounter a single creature remotely as threatening as Fluttershy had led Connor to believe. Nonetheless, he didn’t let this fact lull him into complacency, and while he wasn’t exactly scared by this place, it was mainly his trust in Twilight knowing what she was doing that kept him from imagining all the things that could possibly go wrong at any moment.

“We should be getting close, now,” Twilight eventually said after a long period of navigating the claustrophobic environment.

“Oh, good,” Connor sighed in relief. “I was starting to think maybe you’d gotten lost.”

Twilight responded with a sarcastic snort. “Please. I know the way to Zecora’s like the back of my hoof. In fact...” The unicorn walked up to an apparent dead end in the path, where the way was obscured by a bunch of thick fronds. Reaching up a hoof, she swept back the obstacle, revealing the open clearing on the other side. “We’re here.”

Connor followed Twilight into the clearing, and right away was greeted with the sight of what was unmistakably their destination. In a parallel of Twilight’s library, Zecora’s residence was located in a giant, hollowed-out tree. What struck Connor right away was how the front of the hut eerily resembled a face, with the mouth being a solid wooden door while two misshapen windows on either side glowed from within with yellow light. Above the door, there hung some kind of carved ceremonial mask, and all along the lowest boughs of the tree were various colored bottles that had been strung up along their lengths. From somewhere around the back of the tree, a small column of wispy smoke curled up and into the forest canopy. Someone was definitely home.

“Wow. I’m really feeling the mysticism vibe, here,” Connor commented as the two of them approached the tree.

“That’s definitely her style,” Twilight agreed, walking up the short steps to knock on the door. The response was instantaneous.

“Oh? Somepony come to visit me?” came a heavy, accented mare’s voice from inside the hut. “If you would be so kind, please reveal your identity.”

“Hello, Zecora! It’s Twilight!” Twilight responded cheerfully. “And I brought someone with me this time.”

“Ah, my unicorn friend, both clever and fair,” said Zecora in turn, and Connor could almost picture the smile represented by the genuine gladness communicated in those words. Words that were starting to form an obvious pattern. “Wait just one moment; I will be right there.”

There was a muffled clinking of glass behind the door, and Connor took the opportunity to voice something that had just occurred to him. “Is she speaking in rhyme?” he whispered to his friend. Then he blinked a few times, his face taking on an incredulous expression. “And yet, somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“That’s Zecora for you. She’s pretty... unique,” Twilight said as the commotion appeared to cease, and a moment later, the door to the hut swung open, revealing a pony that was around Twilight’s size. But after a second to register what he was looking at, Connor realized that, while definitely equine, Zecora was not a pony at all. Zecora was a zebra.

He could tell immediately by her coat colors: a two-toned light and dark gray, arrayed in a pattern of stripes down her legs and along her back. Her muzzle was slightly longer and more angled than a pony’s while her mane was done up in a thin, straight mohawk that matched the pattern of stripes on her face, and her eyes were distinctly slanted, not round. Her cutie mark (if you could call it that) was some kind of spiraling depiction of a sun that reminded Connor of a tribal tattoo, and her thin tail was braided together at its base. Zecora also was wearing the first jewelry he had yet to see in Equestria, consisting of two wide, golden hoop earrings, and even more gold rings lining her neck and one of her forelegs.

As soon as she caught a glimpse of him, Zecora stopped cold, and her piercing dark-blue eyes locked on his. As she studied him, she didn’t seem at all startled, or surprised, or even suspicious. Simply... curious.

“My, my. This is surely something I did not portend.” Zecora’s eyes narrowed playfully, and she turned towards Twilight. “Well? Are you going to introduce me to your tall, furless friend?”

“Oh, of course! This is Connor. We met a couple days ago,” Twilight explained, tilting her head in his direction.

“Yup, that’s me. Nice to meet you, Zecora,” Connor greeted politely, glad that the meeting was already off to a good start.

“And a pleasure to meet you as well, Connor.” The zebra mare bowed her head respectfully. “If I may ask, to what do I owe this honor?”

“Uh, well... You see, we could use your help with something,” said Twilight as she rubbed her mane with one of her hooves. "And it’s kind of a long story. May we come in?”

“Of course, Twilight, my dear. Alone or with friends, you are always welcome here.” With that, Zecora stepped to the side before holding a hoof out in welcome.

When Connor ducked past the frame, he was pleased to find that the ceiling inside was a comfortable distance above his head, despite how small the hut seemed from the outside. In fact, the one-room abode was quite spacious. It was an oval-shaped area, about twenty feet in diameter, and sparsely furnished aside from an empty cauldron sitting over a pit in the center, an oddly shaped furnace against the side, and a simple bed stuck in an alcove. Exotically-shaped bottles, flasks, and casks -- each one no doubt filled with similarly exotic materials -- hung from straps tied to the ceiling as well as lining a large array of shelves scattered along the walls. The area was well lit by a number of candles placed strategically in hidden little nooks, which bathed the room in a warm, comfortable glow.

“I’m sorry to just drop in on you like this, Zecora,” Twilight said apologetically as the zebra moved to close the door behind them. “I’d have let you know ahead of time if I could have.”

“It is no trouble at all; let your fears be allayed.” Zecora smiled as she stepped in front of the two of them. “Now, then, what can I do to assist you this day?”

Connor shared a look with Twilight, as they both knew what was coming next. “I’ll do it,” he offered to the unicorn, and she nodded in response. Then, he turned back to face Zecora and proceeded to sit down on the hut’s floor. “You might wanna make yourself comfortable, Zecora. What I’m about to tell you... well, it’s one heck of a story.”

All in all, Connor would say Zecora took everything surprisingly well. She didn’t even bat an eye when Connor prefaced his tale with the fact that he was an alien from another world, nor when he described the fantastical circumstances surrounding his arrival in Equestria. She laughed pleasantly during the parts when he talked about the things he’d done with Twilight and her friends, and paid acute attention when he got to the part about the party and the appearance of the horn.

The zebra’s enigmatic expression was unreadable as Connor went into detail about the previous night’s events, also including the fact that he was still unable to use magic, as well as the disappearance of his debilitating headaches. Not once did she so much as ask a single question until he was finished, listening patiently the entire time.

“...and that’s pretty much where we stand,” he finished, after a long many minutes of telling a story that was becoming routine at this point. “That’s when Twilight suggested we come see you. So, here we are.”

The zebra mare closed her eyes and took a long sip of the strong tea she had taken the opportunity to brew during the middle of the story. She seemed to be meditating on the issue, organizing her thoughts before attempting to speak again.

“A tale such as this, I have never heard,” she said as she lowered the cup in her hooves and placed it in front of where she sat cross-legged in front of her cauldron. “But your eyes show you speak true. I believe every word.”

“Does that mean you can help?” Twilight spoke up.

“For a creature without, to now have a horn. I must confess, I have never seen this before.” Zecora shook her head slowly as she got up to her hooves. “To help your friend, that is the plan. It might not be much, but I will do what I can.”

Zecora opened her eyes and took a few steps forward to where Connor sat. Without a word, she closed them again as she held a hoof out in his direction, inches from his face.

“Uh... What are you doing?” Connor asked hesitantly.

“To better understand, I must give your aura a read,” the zebra replied cryptically as she began sweeping her hoof slightly up and down. “Hush, now. Silence is what I need.”

Aura reading? Does that even work? Connor thought as he watched the shamaness concentrate in total silence. She carried on for a good twenty seconds before she abruptly stopped and lowered her hoof.

Zecora breathed out slowly through her nose. “What I sense is... strange, and foreign to me. A thick cloud of turmoil through which I cannot see.” The mare looked up to meet Connor’s eyes, and he could see a slight tinge of sadness reflected in her deep irises. “It pains me to say that I am baffled by your plight. For the cause or the cure, I have gained little insight.”

Zecora’s declaration came down like a hammer blow on both Connor’s and Twilight’s spirits.

“There’s nothing you can do?” Twilight asked softly, voicing the exact same thing that was on Connor’s mind.

Unexpectedly, the question brought forth a small smile to Zecora’s lips. “Now that, I did not say. Do not lose hope. There might still be a way.” With newfound determination, the zebra got up and walked over to a nearby shelf, using a hoof to poke around its contents. “If, as I suspect, magic is the thing behind this, then a brew to remove harmful magics might just serve as its egress.”

“You’re going to make me a potion that dispels magic?” Connor opined, intrigued by the idea. “Are you sure that’ll work?”

Several colored bottles now slung around her neck, Zecora made her way to the big cauldron in the center of the room. “If I said I was sure, I would be telling a lie,” she said, before flashing Connor and Twilight a hopeful grin. “But if there is even a chance, we might as well try.”

“I admit my potion-making skills aren’t nearly as good as yours, but is there anything I can do to help?” Twilight asked, stepping forwards as Zecora began uncorking some of the bottles.

“Yes, your assistance would be most welcome, my friend,” she replied as she lifted a bottle to her nose and took a long sniff. “You can start by fetching that jug for me, the one with the bend.”

Zecora lifted a hoof to point in the direction of a large, clear container with a crooked nozzle, appearing to be filled with just plain water. While Twilight did as she was told, Connor got up to examine the cauldron, where Zecora was hard at work mixing together a combination of spices and strangely colored fluids.

“What about me?” he asked, leaning over to peer inside just as Zecora added a thin, oily mixture to the solution. The moment it was put in, it produced a thick cloud of noxious green vapor, the scent of which was cloying enough to send Connor reeling to the side in a coughing fit as soon as it reached his nose.

“Perhaps it would be best if you left this to us,” Zecora said, suppressing a snicker as she regarded him with amusement. “You would be fine with waiting outside, I trust?”

Snorting loudly to clear his sinuses, Connor managed to nod. “That’s probably a good idea,” he managed between coughs.

And so, while Twilight and Zecora got to work brewing their potion, Connor excused himself from the hut, eager to get a breath of fresh air. He breathed out a sigh as the door behind him closed, once again by himself and with nothing to do but wait. Connor got up and walked around the base of the tree, settling down beneath one of the windows and sitting with his back to the trunk. Above him, he could hear the sound of a fire being started, soon to be joined by a constant bubbling noise that served to drown out any conversation he might have had a chance of overhearing. He was alone with himself, and as he usually did when this was the case, he got to thinking.

Despite the high spirits of his mysterious new acquaintance, Connor found that he was decidedly less enthusiastic.

Talk about a long shot, he thought, finding it dubious that one simple potion was the miracle cure for whatever was affecting him. He couldn’t help but feel like his prospects for getting rid of the horn were growing more and more distant by the hour.

If the potion didn’t work, and magic wasn’t the solution, what was left? Surgery? Were they even equipped to deal with something like this in Equestria? What if he eventually did get home, horn and all, and his only chance of living a normal life would come at the end of a bone saw?

Connor instantly grimaced and grit his teeth, his imagination flooded with a lance of excruciating pain and an earsplitting grinding sound as he thought of the possibility. He forced those thoughts from his mind, while instinctively, his hand went to the horn, once again tracing a finger along the spiral pattern and feeling its eerie presence. It was strange: the very thought of having a horn sticking out of his head was abhorrent to him, but at the same time, he felt like he could no sooner sever it directly than he could one of his own limbs.

Feeling like experimenting a bit, Connor gently grasped the upper half of the horn and pulled down with a fair amount of force. It hurt -- unsurprisingly -- like he was pulling at something that had been cemented to his skull.

Hell, for all I know, it’s connected to my brain, he figured, and the idea of just cutting it off set his stomach to turning once more. No. That’s not an option. Which leaves...

“...nothing,” Connor muttered in a low voice.

This was the end of the line, for now. They had no more plans for finding a way to fix this, short of maybe asking the Princesses themselves for a literal Deus Ex Machina. And even then, there was still no word from them on whether or not they could send him back to Earth in the first place, so he doubted that boded well for an easy solution to his transformation. Perhaps in the matter of his return home, no news was good news, but it was hard to feel optimistic when the stakes were so high.

Man, I gotta stop thinking about this. Connor recognized that he was starting to slip away into depression, and he forced himself to think about the words Princess Luna had said to him on his very first night in Equestria. About not giving up hope, so long as there was always tomorrow.

Resolved to find a distraction, Connor looked at the forest around him and found little to serve in that regard among the dreary greens and browns of the Everfree. Then, his hand absently went inside his pocket as he fished around for his iPod and took it out. He clicked it on and slid his finger to unlock it, and he instantly was reminded of the last app he had open when the image of Twilight’s sleeping form graced the front of the device.

He stopped and stared hard at the screen, taking in the details of Twilight’s image in all its adorable charm. He was unable to explain it, but simply seeing her like that again made him immediately glad he’d decided to snap that picture, and a small smile formed on his lips as he could feel his spirits lifting just a little.

Connor knew that when his iPod was turned on, every second of battery life was precious. But, for now, just sitting there looking at that photo, he was left with the feeling that it was nothing but time well spent.

How much time, exactly, he couldn’t be sure, because he was snapped out of his daze when he could no longer hear the sounds of potion-making coming from the window above his head. Shortly after, he could hear hooves moving towards the door, and Connor quickly exited the camera and clicked off his iPod, causing the image of Twilight to vanish before he stuffed it back in his pocket. Just then, the door to Zecora’s hut swung inwards, and out stepped the two mares, one of them holding a simple clay cup in her magic grip.

“All finished!” Twilight declared triumphantly as Connor got up to his feet.

“A perfect session, if I do say so myself,” said Zecora, contented at having performed yet another flawless potion brew. “Now all that is left is to drink to good health.”

With that, Twilight levitated the cup over to Connor, which he took. Inside it was a thick, bright pink mixture that looked suspiciously like Pepto Bismol.

“So... I just drink it? That’s it?” Connor eyed the concoction dubiously. “What’s supposed to happen?”

“I cannot say for sure until you drink the drought,” the zebra admitted. “In any case, we shall soon find out.”

Connor gave the potion a wary sniff to find that it was completely odorless, giving no indication of how it tasted. He looked between the unicorn and the zebra, both of whom were watching with rapt attention, and he decided that, like most situations involving medicine, it would be best to get it over with quickly.

“Well, bottoms up...” Just in case, Connor plugged his nose. Then he brought the cup to his lips, tilted back, and started drinking the syrupy fluid.

Even with his nose plugged, the potion going down felt like an all-out assault on his tongue. It was bitter. It was sour. It was a whole bunch of different tastes Connor failed to find a name for. It took a supreme effort not to gag as he persevered in emptying the cup, and when the final drop went down his gullet, he immediately began coughing and gasping for breath.

Connor handed the cup over to Twilight as he fought to keep the potion down while smacking his lips to try and remove the offensive taste. “Oh, God! What was in that stuff!?”

“True, most of my remedies aren’t known for their taste,” Zecora admitted, blushing slightly. “Still, I am glad that none of it went to waste.”

“Is it working? Can you feel anything?” Twilight asked, leaning forwards and eager to hear about the results.

“Oooohh, I feel something alright,” Connor groaned, his hand moving to his stomach as it received the magical brew. His midsection felt like it was doing cartwheels, accompanied by an audible gurgling while his body processed the potion. Then, he felt it: a kind of warm pressure, welling up in his core. “Wait... Hold on, something’s happening.”

Connor managed to stand up straight, one hand to his stomach as he held up a finger with the other in pause. As he felt the sensation building even further, he braced himself for whatever might happen, even though he had no idea how to prepare for the effects of any kind of zebra potion. For all it felt like, he had a suspicion that Zecora was about to have a bright pink puddle on the ground outside her hut; with extra carrots, just the way Angel likes it.

Suddenly, the pressure moved from his gut to his chest, then up into his throat, and then...

“Uuuuuuuuuurp,” came a loud, deep, and very forceful belch that forced its way past Connor’s lips, accompanied by a billowing cloud of glittering fuchsia smoke. As soon as it ended, he started coughing again as the gas carried with it that same horrendous taste from before.

While he continued hacking away, the sparkling cloud floated upwards and slowly dissipated, carrying Twilight and Zecora’s eyes along with it as they watched. The corner of Twilight’s mouth twitched, and a second later, her hoof shot to her muzzle as she stifled a bout of snickering laughter. Even Zecora herself found it hard to ignore the absurdity of the situation, as she forced herself to look away with a smile of her own.

“Oh, sure. Laugh it up, why don'tcha?” Connor managed to say after clearing his throat. “I’m just glad that’s over. Did it work, or not?”

After taking a moment to collect herself, Twilight forced her expression to turn more neutral, but found that it wouldn’t be that hard to do so upon witnessing what had happened. Or, rather, what had not.

“It’s... still there,” she said reluctantly, causing Connor to reach up and confirm that what she was saying was true. The potion hadn’t worked. And just like that, all of the day’s efforts went up in so much pink smoke.

“Damn,” Connor muttered, not exactly surprised, but disappointed all the same.

“So, that’s it, then. Back to square one,” Twilight said sadly, scuffing a hoof in the dirt.

“The potion was perfect, of that I am sure,” Zecora asserted, though her voice also carried the bitter tone of defeat. “But I am deeply sorry, for it seems not the cure.”

“Well... you can’t blame yourself. It was a shot in the dark,” Connor tried to reason, himself feeling bad about all her efforts having been for naught. “I appreciate the help. I really do.”

Zecora nodded, silent for a moment, before managing a smile. “It gladdens me that you bear no ill will.” She then turned to face Twilight. “Tell me, my friends, will you soon return to Ponyville?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Twilight responded. “We should probably head back before it starts getting late.”

“Then I suppose this is where we should say our goodbyes.” Zecora nodded to Twilight, then Connor, then started walking back to her hut. “Time spent with good friends; oh, how it flies,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“Thanks again for everything. It was nice meeting you,” Connor said, waving goodbye to the zebra.

Zecora turned to look over her back at them. “And the same to you, my lost human friend. It is my greatest hope that your story has a happy end.” With one hoof, she nudged open her door and stepped inside.

“So long, Zecora. I’ll be sure to visit again sometime soon,” Twilight called out to her.

“Very well, Twilight Sparkle. Until then, take care,” Zecora bid as she edged the door closed. “For now, rest is what’s needed of this tired old mare.”

With that, she was gone, and with no more reason to stay, Twilight and Connor departed too, leaving the same way they came.

“So, what happens now?” Connor asked Twilight as Zecora’s hut receded into the distance behind them.

“Now?” Twilight paused as her eyes darted back and forth, searching for an answer. “Now... I have absolutely no idea.”

The silence between them was heavy with disappointment as they trudged through the brush.

“I guess the only option left is to let Celestia know, huh?” Connor suggested. “I mean, it’s probably the best chance we have at this point.”

Twilight sighed deeply. “I know... I was hoping we could solve this without the Princess’ help, but we don’t have a choice now. I’ll write her a letter as soon as we get back to Ponyville.”

“Sounds good,” Connor agreed, before he felt a slight twinge in his stomach just as it decided to let out a muted gurgle. He stopped walking and rubbed his belly, trying to soothe what must have been a remnant of the potion’s effects.

“What was that noise?” Twilight also stopped, looking at him with a worried expression.

“It’s nothing,” Connor replied quickly, hoping the sensation would pass soon as his middle continued to make various growling sounds. “I’m just still feeling a little sick from whatever it is you two cooked up back there.”

“Do you need to rest for a bit?”

“I said I’m fine. Let’s just keep going.”

The unicorn regarded him with concern for a moment more, before shrugging it off and continuing down the path. The next couple of minutes passed by uneventfully, until the peace was interrupted by yet another low, rumbling growl, this time louder than the last.

“Are you sure you’re okay? That last one didn’t sound too good,” Twilight stopped to say, looking back again. To her surprise, Connor wasn’t clutching his stomach, but was instead looking right at her with a serious expression.

“Twilight... that wasn’t me,” he said grimly.

“What do you mean, it wasn’t you?” she asked, an edge of worry starting to creep into her voice.

“It means just what I said,” Connor reiterated, his eyes shifting around to look at their surroundings. All at once, those horrible things he’d tried not to imagine were at the forefront of his mind.

“But if that wasn’t you, then... who...?” Twilight likewise started turning in a circle, her ears as low as they could go as she too started formulating conclusions.

In all the time they had spent focused on traveling, neither of them noticed when the birds and insects fell silent around them. All they could hear now as they each held their breath was the subtle creaking of wood... and a low, ever-present growling.

“Twilight...” Connor whispered, his mouth going dry. “When Zecora mentioned that her potion removes magical effects... you don’t suppose...”

Connor let his words hang in the air, and the implication hit Twilight like a ton of bricks. She had been so confident in the security of her magical ability, bolstered by countless successful field tests, and secure in the knowledge that she knew what she was doing. It was just one tiny thing that she hadn’t accounted for. One small detail that slipped right under her nose. A detail that, had she caught it, would have been easily remedied.

But she didn’t catch it. Her mind reeled with the notion that she didn’t catch it. And only now that she realized the depth of her mistake and the pitfalls of her own confidence did she realize how well and truly in danger they were.

“Uh... Heh heh,” Twilight managed weakly, her lips curling up in a humorless smile. “Oops?”

Connor’s eyes went wide and his face fell into a grimace as the very thing he’d feared would come to pass was confirmed. Not good, he thought, barely managing to beat back the threat of hysteria. Not good, not good, not good!

Twilight and Connor edged closer to each other, back to back as the growling became more pronounced. And it came as no comfort at all when he realized that was because the sound was coming from all directions at once.

Then his eyes registered movement, and just as the sweat started to come off his skin, Connor could see lights, shifting and flowing throughout the underbrush. Green lights. Moving in pairs.

All around them, like ghastly apparitions, were pairs of glowing, green eyes.

They were surrounded.

They were trapped.

Author's Note

Holy cliffhangers, Batman!

The Fifth Day: What Friends are For

You Do (Not) Belong

The Fifth Day: What Friends are For

“What do we do, Twilight?” Connor uttered, his voice barely edging above a whisper. “Wh-what do we do?”

All around them, the circle of ghastly, glowing green lights bobbed around, closing in on the human and the unicorn amidst their ever-present growling. Connor fought to suppress a growing sense of creeping terror, his fight-or-flight instincts kicking into overdrive in response to the threat. It was a deep, primal sort of fear; the instinctual leftovers from thousands of years of evolution spent evading predators in the wild. The kind that precluded every thought with “Run. Run or die.” The sensation was wholly unfamiliar to Connor, who not once in his nineteen years of growing up in modern society ever considered that he might be caught in exactly this kind of event. And yet, here he was, under immediate threat of disembowelment from some kind of gruesome monster that didn’t even exist on Earth.

“Just stay close to me...” Twilight responded, which was slightly redundant at this point, since Connor was already close enough to her that she could feel him trembling against her fur.

In spite of Connor’s obvious anxiety, the unicorn attempted to project a sense of calm and determination. After all, she had been in situations just as dire as this in the past -- if not more so. She had faced down Nightmare Moon, singlehoofedly subdued a massive ursa minor, survived an encounter with a fearsome hydra from Froggy Bottom Bog, and managed to hold her own against an entire army of changelings, to name a few.

Although, not one of those feats had been accomplished without the aid and support of her friends and fellow Elements of Harmony. All she had at her disposal now was her own magic, which, while formidable in its own right, was tempered by the fact that she had to also look out for her human friend’s safety. And if she was being perfectly honest with herself, in a situation like this, Connor would be just about as useful as a newborn colt.

This conclusion was cemented when the nature of what they now faced revealed itself. As the offending creatures slowly slinked out from the underbrush and into the open, Twilight realized exactly what it was they were dealing with.

The meager light that filtered down from the trees above illuminated what the uneducated eye might at first think was some kind of wooden figure, like a puppet or a mannequin, made up completely of tree branches and segments of rough bark. But these were no ordinary hunks of wood. They came in the shape of wolves, their limbs creaking and snapping against themselves as they stepped forwards. Clumps of mottled moss clung to them in mangy patches, and beneath their glowing eyes, rows of jagged, whittled-sharp teeth dripped with runny brown tree sap. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the horrid smell they exuded would have made rotting fruit seem palatable by comparison.

“Oh, God, what the fuck are those things!?” Connor uttered, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“Timberwolves,” Twilight said cautiously under her breath, analyzing the situation as fast as she was able and counting no less than seven of the beasts. “Don’t make any... sudden... moves...”

That wouldn’t be too difficult, since Connor was already frozen in place. He also knew that, ensorcelled carnivorous vegetation notwithstanding, the average human could not hope to outrun a single wolf, much less a pack of them.

A bit of movement in the corner of his eye was all the warning he got. One of the wooden monstrosities tensed up and bounded forward, lunging straight for Connor with its maw gaping wide. He had barely enough time to raise his arms in a futile gesture of defense as the timberwolf bore down on him. Yet, just before it made contact, a piercing sound cut the air, there was a bright flash of purple light, and the wolf was sent tumbling away at a wide angle, reduced to nothing but a heap of warped wood and splinters.

Connor’s head whipped around to see Twilight, her horn just then bleeding away the last bits of magic while she had her jaw set and her eyes furrowed aggressively. Her eyes darted away from him and to her left, and a split second later her horn lit up in another flash, sending another beam of kinetic energy streaking past Connor. He turned around just in time to see one more of the wolves tossed into the air, where it smacked heavily on a nearby tree and literally split right down the middle with a watery crack.

For Connor, this was an unexpected, yet very welcome development, and he found himself infinitely more grateful that it was Twilight that was there with him. If these things went down so easily, then he figured the unicorn’s magic missiles would make short work of the pack, and they could make their escape. At least, he dared to hope, because the alternative was unthinkable.

“Y-yeah! Yeah, how do you like that!?” Connor shouted with his fist raised triumphantly. Now having seen what their purple prey was capable of, the remaining wolves kept a comfortable distance, pacing around in a wide circle while they reevaluated their plan of attack.

“I wouldn’t celebrate too early,” Twilight warned sternly, effectively putting a damper on Connor’s raised hopes. His grin slowly fell as he saw what Twilight was referring to: the recipients of her magical assaults were far from finished.

The heaps of kindling that they had been reduced to now carried an eerie glow, and Connor watched in horror as the disparate pieces rose off the ground and came together. Cracks sealed up, branches slotted back into place, and the hollow sockets in the timberwolves’ wooden skulls flashed with life once more. In a matter of moments, their bodies had spontaneously reformed, their only change seeming to be the fact that they appeared more angry than before as they rejoined their brethren.

“I was afraid of this,” Twilight remarked, knowing that, in this situation, she couldn’t just fight her way out. Not unless she planned on starting a forest fire in the attempt, and Fluttershy would never forgive her if she did that.

The wolves had the upper hoof here, and she knew it. They were only waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Waiting for her to drop her guard. She wasn’t about to let that happen, but at the same time she struggled frantically to come up with a plan. It didn’t take long for her to think of something that, while it wouldn’t save them right away, would at least give them more time.

“Get ready, I’m going to try something,” Twilight said, her horn starting to glow.

“Whatever it is, do it fast!”

After letting sufficient energy build up in her horn, Twilight let the spell loose, and a glowing mote of purple energy was discharged in the air just over their heads. A few feet up, it flashed and dissipated, forming a curtain of translucent lavender light that flowed down and formed a bubble, surrounding the two of them and extending a good five feet in all directions. The timberwolves were momentarily startled by the display, but quickly recovered. One particularly aggressive member of the pack rushed forwards, claws outstretched, only to be repelled as soon as it came into contact with the undulating light.

“A force field?” Connor watched as more of the wolves sauntered up, some sniffing cautiously while others scraped against the barrier with their sharpened claws. “Twilight, you’re a genius!”

Twilight managed to flash him a grin, her horn still aglow. “Thanks, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”

Connor’s mouth fell open, dumbstruck by her choice of words. “Seriously, Twilight!?”

“That was completely unintentional!” Twilight argued in return as the timberwolves started to move on from their curiosity and continued their attack. One by one, the members of the pack started bashing their bodies against the field, accompanied by a brief flash with each impact. Every blow against the solid surface created a sharp, crystalline ringing sound, and caused Twilight to wince slightly as her horn flickered before she gave it a little more juice. “I won’t be able to hold this forever. We need to get out of the forest before I use up all my energy.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Connor said, motioning for her to lead the way. But instead of running like he had expected, Twilight moved forward at a steady pace, gritting her teeth as their protection moved along with her.

“I can’t run and maintain the shield at the same time,” she explained bitterly. “This is as fast as I can go.”

Connor was itching under his skin to put as much distance between them and the timberwolves as possible, but so long as Twilight was keeping them protected, he couldn’t very well complain. Still, it was terribly slow going, with the unicorn torn between navigating her way through the forest while simultaneously under stress from sustaining her force field. And all the while, the wolves continued to hammer away at her magic, causing a tiny jolt of pain to race through her skull with each hit.

“I knew I should have been brushing up on my defensive magic,” Twilight berated herself under her breath, the passing minutes of constantly supplying energy to her spell beginning to take their toll and causing beads of sweat to run down her fur. “Shining’s wedding should have been a wake-up call, but nooooo.”

“Don’t be like that. You’re doing great,” Connor tried to offer encouragement, spurring her on.

Twilight let out an uneasy chuckle. “Heh... It’s not as easy as it looks.”

It showed. Twilight was arguably one of, if not the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, and she knew it. But she also knew that even for one such as her, maintaining and reinforcing a solid kinetic repulsion spell for nigh on five minutes straight while under constant bombardment by seven heavy attackers was a tenuous position to find oneself in. And yet, there just wasn’t time for anything else. If she let up for just one second, she couldn’t guarantee either her or Connor would have the chance to come up with Plan B.

This and other thoughts ran through her mind as she forged ahead, causing her a moment’s distraction before Connor suddenly spoke up.

“Twilight, look! I think they’re giving up!” he said hopefully, and Twilight took a look around them to see what he was referring to.

Indeed, the timberwolves had paused in their attack for a moment, mercifully lessening the strain on Twilight’s dwindling magic reserves. They growled and snarled at each other as they slowly put more and more distance between them and the pair.

But Twilight knew better. Even if she’d had the time to dash Connor’s hopes, she wouldn’t have. She had just enough to shore up her spell with an extra spike of magic before all seven of the wolves advanced as one.

For a split second, the whole of the translucent bubble flashed a bright, solid white, and there was a sound like that of water snap-freezing to ice, followed by a cry of pain. Twilight fell to her knees, her horn flickering gently while she still struggled to maintain the spell. She was gasping for breath and her eyes were half lidded, and as Connor looked on, feeling utterly powerless to help, he was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to weather another assault like that.

The wolves, able to sense their impending victory, let out a chuffing sort of noise that sounded an awful lot like laughter as they reared back to deliver the final blow.

It was that noise that did it. That was what finally tipped Connor’s scale of emotion from fear to something approaching a boiling anger. That, and the sight of Twilight, being made to suffer at the whims of these merciless, unfeeling monsters. Himself, powerless to do anything to help the mare trying to protect him, when he knew she was more than capable of saving herself, if she wanted.

Trying so hard.

Connor’s fists closed and trembled, and his jaw clenched so tightly it almost hurt. All thought of simply running was driven from his mind, burned away by a simmering feeling that was quickly growing in heat and intensity. A heat that welled up in his core and burned behind his eyes. Connor didn’t know what he was going to do, but whatever it was, he was going to do it. He was going to make these foul-smelling monstrosities pay for hurting his friend. He was--

“RAAAAAAUUUUUGHWR!”

The mighty roar that pierced the woods and shook the trees came through the air so heavily that it was felt just as much as it was heard. It was powerful enough that it instantly took the hot coal that was Connor’s anger and dunked it in a bucket of ice water. Even the wolves cringed and brought themselves low to the ground as they looked around nervously for the source of the sound.

Nobody and nothing moved or spoke, the only sounds being Twilight’s labored breathing and the roar echoing into the far distance. Then, another paralyzing ululation tore the air, this time even louder... and closer.

It didn’t take long for the timberwolves to reconsider the situation. With a few short barks, they apparently decided that Connor and Twilight weren’t worth tangling with whatever it was that had decided to intrude upon their hunt. Connor watched as they immediately turned tail and departed, each bounding off in different directions. One of them stopped momentarily, twisting its gnarled head to gaze directly at the pair with its glowing eyes. It let out a throaty, spiteful snarl, before leaping across an overturned log and out of sight.

With a sigh of immense relief, Twilight released her spell, her horn going dark as the force field surrounding them faded to nothing. She relished the chance to catch her breath as Connor helped her up to her hooves, but tired as she was, she knew they weren’t safe yet.

“Twilight, what was that?” Connor asked, though he couldn’t agree on whether or not he wanted to hear the answer.

“I... I don’t know,” Twilight said between breaths. She shook her head to rid herself of the numbness she felt right underneath her horn. “But whatever it is, it can’t be good! Run!”

As if they needed a reminder, the new arrival let loose another roar, this time accompanied by a heavy, rhythmic pounding that they could feel radiating up their legs.

“Which way!?” Connor shouted frantically.

“Just run!”

Wordlessly, the human and the unicorn both settled on the direction leading away from the new danger and floored it. Off the beaten path and into the denser part of the forest, Connor ran. His legs pumped furiously as though his life depended on it, and it might very well have. He sprinted through weeds and vaulted over downed trees as the woods behind him creaked and shuddered beneath the steps of the monster that was right on their heels. Already nearly out of breath, he chanced a look behind himself to see Twilight also flagging, but still managing to keep up. Barely.

It only took half a second, but when Connor turned to face forward again he just barely missed noticing the stout branch sticking out right at neck level. With a startled yelp, he ducked down, nearly tripping over himself in the process. He quickly regained his balance and looked around. Then, he saw it: an opening in the trees nearly a hundred feet away, through which a bright yellow light peeked out into the gloom. This was it, the edge of the forest!

There wasn’t any time to think about it. Connor just took off running in the direction of the light, hoping that Twilight was doing the same. As he got closer and made his way past the obstructing foliage, he could see more of what waited for him on the other side. Open skies, and the green, rolling pastures of the countryside beckoned to him like a beacon of salvation.

With a final burst of speed, he propelled himself forward and out into the open air, leaving the demarcated tree line in his wake.

Cliff, Connor’s mind told his legs before he could even consciously process what lay on the other side. Cliff. Cliff! StopstopSTOP!

Connor’s eyes went wide and a startled gasp left his lips as he instantly put on the brakes, his sneakers scrambling to halt his momentum. He managed to plant them firmly into the dirt mere inches away from the precipitous drop hiding just beyond the forest’s edge. His arms pinwheeling wildly to keep from pitching over, his heart jumped into his throat when a wayward glance down revealed nothing but open air between him and the ground far, far below.

Then, miraculously, he managed to pull himself back. On legs that would have been shaking if he wasn’t trying so hard to lock them in place, and with his heart beating at a mile a minute, Connor stood straight up at the lip of the cliff, completely still. Looking out at the open countryside, with a tiny Ponyville standing far in the distance, he allowed himself an immense sigh of relief at having just narrowly avoided certain death for the second time that day.

He realized only too late that the sound of his blood rushing past his ears was muffling the thumping of hooves against dirt that was fast coming towards him. Like a slow motion scene from an action movie, he turned his head just in time to see Twilight right behind him, barreling on at full speed out of the Everfree. She looked up, her wide eyes drifting from the rocky outcrop to Connor standing there in the second it took for her to realize what was going on.

“Twilight, stop!” Connor shouted in vain, as the mare didn’t even get a chance to slow down before plowing right into him and flinging them both over the edge.

The world turned into a dizzying tableau of green, blue, and brown as Connor went into free fall, tumbling end over end through the air. In that moment, his adrenaline spiked, making it seem like the world itself was slowing down even as the ground was surely rushing up to meet him.

Surprisingly, his life didn’t flash before his eyes, but still, he knew. He knew, in the calm depths of his mind, surrounded by a whirlwind of fear and excitement, that this was it. The end... Game over.

After everything, everything he had been through, this was the part where he died. On an alien world, so impossibly far away from everything and everyone he’d left behind... and they would never even know.

...I’m sorry...

He closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing how close he was to the end, and braced for impact. He hoped it would at least be over quickly.

Then, approximately two seconds after his feet left contact with the ground, Connor felt something wrap around his midsection and grip him tightly, followed by a distinct buzzing in the air that he could both hear and feel. Suddenly, his ears popped, and he was hit with an intense, incredibly strange feeling, like every inch of his body was being stretched out and compressed at the same time.

It only lasted for a fraction of a second, and the next thing Connor felt was his velocity abruptly shifting in the opposite direction. A moment later, he felt the thing firmly clutching him let go, before his left side impacted heavily with a solid surface, utterly knocking the wind from his lungs. He rolled along for a couple of times before finally coming to rest, battered and disoriented.

Coughing and gasping to get his breath back, Connor clutched his injured side and moaned piteously from the pain. It was probably fortunate for him that the ground he landed on was soft and grassy, or else he might have been sporting a couple of broken ribs instead of merely being saddled with the mother of all bruises.

Wait a minute. Grass? Connor thought to himself, feeling the individual blades brushing against his face as he cautiously opened his eyes.

The world had stopped spinning, and as he could see through his glasses -- which had somehow miraculously stayed on his face -- he was lying down sideways in a field of short, green grass. It took him awhile to register exactly what he was looking at, and a little while longer to realize what it meant.

“I’m... alive... I’m still alive!” Grinning ecstatically, Connor abruptly sat up, wincing only slightly as his side protested. He looked down at his hands incredulously, his elation at not being dead overcome with the baffling notion that he should have been dead. “How am I still alive?”

A female-sounding groan from off to his side snapped Connor out of his bewilderment, and he looked up to see Twilight lying on her side some distance away, breathing heavily. On his hands and knees, Connor crawled over to her, trying to ascertain his friend’s condition.

“Twilight, how in the world did we survive that?” he asked her, as he noticed her violet fur matted down with sweat, as well as being covered with a number of scrapes and scratches. She tried to respond with a bit of a chuckle, but it came out as more of a raspy cough.

“Short-range... teleportation... spell...” she said between tired breaths.

Connor’s jaw dropped. “Teleportation? You can do that!?” he stuttered, his mind reeling at this new information. “If you could just teleport us out of there, why didn’t you just do that in the first place!?”

“Not... as easy... as it... looks...” Twilight gasped, when suddenly, her body went a little more slack, and her head slumped down to the ground.

Connor instantly forgot all about his questions about her abilities, moving to her side. “Whoa, Twilight, are you okay?” he asked, filled with concern for her state of distress and placing an empathetic hand on her heaving chest.

“So tired... Can’t... Need... rest...” Twilight mumbled as she lost the fight to keep her eyes open.

From the edge of the cliff high above, a distant roar sounded out from the Everfree, disturbing a flock of birds nesting in the trees and causing them to fly off in all directions. It sounded much farther away than it had been before, but it was still a sober reminder that they weren’t quite safe yet.

“No, nononono, that’s a bad idea, Twilight. We can’t rest here. Not if whatever that thing is decides it wants takeout.” Connor looked back down at the unicorn, who didn’t even respond. It’s safe to say he was getting seriously worried about her at this point. “Come on, Twilight! We gotta move!” he repeated, giving her body a gentle shake to rouse her.

When it became obvious that Twilight had taken the opportunity to completely pass out, Connor looked around frantically, scrambling for a solution.

Oh, man. What do I do? What do I need to do? Help. Gotta find help. Need to find help now.

Connor stood up, casting his gaze at the surrounding area. To his back was the cliff they had teleported down from. (He was still pretty amazed by that, but it could wait.) On the opposite side, the slope of a hill obscured the direction he knew Ponyville lay in, but that wasn’t going to be possible. It was simply too far away, and he absolutely refused to consider leaving Twilight on her own as an option. The only choice was to try and get assistance from one of the townhouses he’d seen dotting the landscape.

The only problem was he couldn’t see any right now. In fact, the last habitation he’d come across before entering the forest was...

“Of course! Fluttershy!” Connor exclaimed in a eureka moment. The pegasus’ cottage was relatively close to the Everfree, if he recalled correctly, and if he just traveled with the edge of the forest on his left, he was sure to come across the path leading straight to her.

His mind made up, Connor now turned his attention to the problem of how to bring Twilight there. At first, he bent over, taking each of Twilight’s forelegs in his hands with the intent to drag her along, but he soon realized what a horrible idea that was before he even started.

It was a couple more seconds of feverish thinking until Connor couldn’t deny it any longer. As much as it made his back hurt just thinking about it, carrying the unicorn the whole distance was the only way.

“Unnnngh... My body’s going to hate me in the morning,” he moaned, but he nonetheless crouched down with his back facing the unconscious Twilight. Connor reached behind himself, taking her front hooves and dragging them up and onto his shoulders. With a grunt, he pulled forward, lifting Twilight gently off the ground and laying her belly against his back, with her head resting next to his while her legs draped across his chest. Then, when he was certain she wasn’t going to fall over, he shifted his arms around and underneath her, linking one each in the space between her flank and her knees. It wasn’t perfect, but it was as close to piggyback as he could manage with her equine form.

While Connor normally would have been embarrassed over how dangerously he was invading her personal space, with him being able to feel the fur on her face brushing up against his, at that moment, it didn’t even occur to him.

The only thing on his mind now was making sure he didn’t make things worse, with only half of her body firmly secured along his waist while the rest hung loosely around him.

Please don’t drop her please don’t drop her please don’t drop her, he thought quickly, before putting energy in his legs and hoisting her up.

Connor was instantly made aware of just how heavy the average pony was. He wasn’t prepared for the extra weight she presented, and he nearly fell backwards right away. Connor pitched far to the front to compensate, and he wobbled back and forth for a bit before he managed to find his balance and stay upright. He had to hunch over slightly to keep Twilight’s center of gravity on his back and shoulders, but other than that, he was serviceably mobile.

That’s not to say it was easy, however, and with his back already complaining, as well as the bruise on his side, he began to take slow, steady steps in the direction leading away from the Everfree. And, he hoped, towards the path that led to Fluttershy’s.

When Connor finally came across a patch of land that he recognized -- that being the dirt road connecting the Everfree Forest to Ponyville -- it couldn’t have been soon enough. He was exhausted, dehydrated, and his muscles were crying out from the strain of carrying what he figured to be nearly a hundred pounds of unconscious pony the entire distance.

As he started down the path and, thankfully, in the direction away from that accursed forest, Connor tried to distract himself from his fatigue. And as he usually did in trying situations, he resorted to humor.

“Heh... In Soviet Russia, pony rides you!” he breathed out in a heavily accented voice. He twisted his neck slightly to look over at Twilight, who had given no indication that she’d even heard him. “Oh, come on. In my world, that would’ve been hilarious!”

In spite of his attempt to be funny, Connor couldn’t help but feel that his companion’s continued silence was not at all a good sign, and his mood further dampened. He was starting to lose hope that he’d be able to rouse her at all in her current state.

“You know... you’re heavier than I thought you’d be,” he said next, plainly aware of how that statement could be interpreted by the mare, in an obvious attempt to get her attention. But even then, Twilight’s ears didn’t so much as twitch.

By now, Connor’s worry was starting to substantially deepen, and he was afraid to consider the possibility that perhaps Twilight’s condition was more grave than he first thought. It immediately struck him with horror to think that, while he had survived their tumble off the cliff relatively unharmed, he had no idea if Twilight had been hurt worse than he was. She appeared fine on the outside, but it was a very real possibility that she could have a concussion, or maybe even internal bleeding.

And all those spells she’d been slinging earlier couldn’t have come without a cost. For all he knew, the timberwolves’ attacks could have reduced her magic reserves to dangerously low levels. And if that last teleport pushed her over her limits...

She could be dying. Oh, my God, she could be dying right now.

“Twilight... please wake up... Please say something,” he pleaded, his honest fear for her life stealing what little breath he could get into his lungs. Panic gripped him. Not the kind that came from fearing for your life, but from fearing for the life of someone you care about. And it surprised Connor to realize that he did care. He cared very much.

Connor had never been very well acquainted with death in his life. Sure, he’d been sad when a beloved family pet would pass away, but he’d never known a close friend or relative who’d yet been taken away from him. Aside from losing one great-grandmother to old age, and an uncle to a prolonged battle with lung cancer, but those occasions just didn’t seem to carry all that much weight at the time.

But now... Now that feeling was bearing down on Connor in a way he hadn’t felt before. It didn’t matter that Twilight wasn’t human, or that he’d only really known her for less than a week. In such a short time, he’d come to realize that she was one of the most amazing people he’d ever had the fortune to meet, and just the thought of losing her like this was suffocating. He wanted to help her. He needed to help her. And there was so little he could do but press onward and hope that, whenever he arrived at wherever he needed to be, he wasn’t too late. Because if that happened...

Brought on by a pain that went deeper than his rapidly tiring body, Connor couldn’t stop a small stream of tears farming at the corners of his eyes just from imagining it.

And it would be all his fault. Everything Twilight was doing had been solely on his behalf, done out of the purest of intentions for the sake of simply being a good friend. All that, and now she was suffering because of him. Because he couldn’t solve his own problems without her assistance. Connor wasn’t naive enough to believe that he was personally responsible, but he couldn’t deny that none of it would be happening if it wasn’t for him being there in the first place.

The only thing left for him to do now was to keep moving; to keep pushing himself harder. This was the only thing that mattered now, in spite of his body’s incessant demands for a break and the fact that every step made it even harder to take the next.

Twilight had been pushed to her limits in order to save him; the least he could do was the same for her sake. Even though it felt impossible, Connor’s pace quickened slightly, spurred on by a surge of energy he didn’t even know he had left. His lungs burned and his legs and arms cramped, but he ignored them. He kept his focus on the road ahead, blocking out everything except his goal: getting to Fluttershy’s cottage.

I’m not gonna let you down, Twilight... he thought to himself, feeling an unusual, yet somehow familiar twinge in his core, and brushing it off as just another sign of fatigue.

...even if it kills me.

Connor didn’t know how many minutes he’d spent managing a light jog despite his heavy burden. A combination of numbing pain and sheer determination served to blank out his attention for everything short of making sure he was still on the road.

The next thing he knew, the sky was beginning to tinge orange as the sun inched closer to the ground, and Connor was trudging painfully up the small hill outside Fluttershy’s door. His clothes were drenched in sweat, and every movement felt like his legs were on fire, but he was so close now. It was almost over. Just a couple... more... steps...

Connor’s vision, blurring at the edges, was set on the wooden door of the cottage. He couldn’t have noticed the small clump of dirt in front of his right sneaker, but he instantly became aware of it when it caught the edge of his foot mid-step. With his balance already thrown off by Twilight and his endurance hanging by a thread, he was unable to stop himself from simply crashing into the ground. At that moment, the last of his flagging strength finally gave out, and he could do no more than just lie there panting for breath, mere feet from his goal.

Fortunately for Connor, the residents of the trees lining the path had been watching him from their nests with keen interest, and when they saw him collapse, the small, benevolent creatures didn’t waste any time. A half-dozen of the birds in those trees took off with urgency, gliding over to the tiny, critter-shaped entrances in Fluttershy’s roof and zooming inside as fast as their wings could carry them.

Thirty seconds later, a voice could be heard behind the door.

“Yes, yes, I’m going. What on Equis could have gotten you all so worked up?”

There was the sound of a latch turning, and the door to Fluttershy’s home swung open, allowing the small flock of birds to escape, along with their frantic chirping. They were followed shortly by Fluttershy herself.

“Now, then, let’s-- Oh, my goodness!” The yellow pegasus took in a frightful gasp upon noticing Connor and Twilight splayed out in front of her, and she instantly rushed over to them while stammering out questions. “What’s going on!? What happened!? Are you hurt!? Is Twilight okay!?”

Barely lucid, Connor coughed a few times in an effort to pause the fretting mare’s shrill, excited talking. “No... time...” he choked out. “Help... her...”

Utterly spent now, the teenager’s body went slack as he let himself collapse, his task complete. Above him, Fluttershy gave a few worried, wide-eyed whimpers of indecision before deciding to obey Connor’s directions, and she started pulling Twilight off of his body.

Connor closed his eyes and let his head rest on the cold ground, taking short, steady breaths. It simply hurt too much to do anything else, as his body throbbed painfully with every heartbeat. Through the pins and needles that ran up and down his aching form, he was only dimly aware of the weight being removed from on top of him. Shortly after, he felt something grab onto him and drag him along as well, lifting him up and over the steps of the cottage, and placing him down gently on the hardwood floor.

It was impossible to tell how long Connor stayed that way, but he didn’t really care. He’d done all he could, and what happened next was out of his hands. Surely, Fluttershy would be able to give Twilight whatever help she needed. For now, he was content to just lay in a half-awake state of extreme exhaustion and start the process of recovering from his ordeal.

After a number of minutes passed, Connor’s stupor was interrupted suddenly, when he felt something poking at his lips.

“Here, drink this,” came Fluttershy’s soft voice, sounding like it was coming from miles away.

Connor responded automatically, admitting the object, which turned out to be a straw, into his mouth and starting to slowly sip at the contents. Whatever it was, it was hot and incredibly strong tasting, and he initially coughed on it as the liquid ran over his parched tongue. But, eventually, he was able to get it down, savoring the relief it brought his hoarse throat.

As soon as he’d drunk the vessel dry, the straw was removed from his lips, and he could feel the thumps of Fluttershy’s hooves signaling her departure. When she’d gone, Connor could feel the warmth from the drink settle in his stomach, before it spread out from his center to the rest of his body. Like a wave, the tide of warmth crowded out the numb tingling in his limbs, coaxing them back to life. Surprisingly, Connor felt a second wind coming on, jumpstarting his awareness and bringing him fully awake.

His eyes cracked open and he looked around, his neck still feeling too stiff to move, just as Fluttershy rounded the corner of the hallway and came towards him. She had a glass held in her teeth, filled with a steaming, honey-gold liquid accompanied by a dangling straw. As she came to a stop beside Connor, she lowered the glass next to his head, once again directing the straw to his mouth. This time, Connor was able to get out a question.

“What... what is this stuff?” he groaned, before gratefully taking another pull on the straw.

“Shh... Just drink up,” Fluttershy said softly. “It’s a special tea blend. It’ll give you your strength back.”

By the time Connor managed to down the rest of the second glass, the tea was already doing its job, reinvigorating him and making him lucid. His arms and legs still felt like silly putty, but he could at least think clearly.

“Better?” Fluttershy asked, moving the empty cup away.

“Better... Thanks,” said Connor, when an urgent, sudden thought raced through his brain like an arc of lightning. “Where’s Twilight!? Is she okay!? Please tell me she’s okay!”

At this, Fluttershy didn’t hesitate before giving him a broad, warm smile. “Twilight’s going to be perfectly fine. I brought her upstairs and put her in bed to rest. That’s all she needs: time to rest.”

“Oh, thank God.” Connor, immeasurably relieved, laid his head back on the floor. Twilight was okay. That thought alone brought him a sense of pure, unrivaled joy that made his entire ordeal seem worth it, and he reveled in the feeling.

“I’m more worried about you...” Fluttershy started again, her smile falling into a frown of concern. “You look like you’re about to fall apart. Are you in pain? Does anything hurt?”

“Unnngh... More like what doesn’t hurt,” he responded, reminding him of what he had to look forward to once the day’s exertions really caught up to him.

Fluttershy nodded. “Let’s get you off the floor and over to the chair. Do you think you can stand?”

Weakly, Connor moved his arm around and placed his palm on the floor before trying to prop himself up. He couldn’t even manage to raise himself an inch off the ground before his muscles gave out. “Not without help, I can’t.”

“Of course. Not a problem.” Fluttershy knelt down beside him, next to his arm, which he was able to bring up and over her neck. He held on as tightly as he could manage as she stood back up to full height, bringing him up along with her.

With cautious slowness, she carried Connor across the room, his legs dragging out behind him like wet noodles, until they got to the armchair in the corner. Then she turned him around, using her forelegs to hold him by the chest. She unfolded her wings, and with a grunt of exertion, began pumping them to get airborne, just enough to raise him up and guide him smoothly into the chair.

The required motion brought on a little aching, but as soon as Connor’s body settled into the plush surface of the chair, he could almost feel the soreness start melting away. “Oh, that feels great... Much better than the floor, thanks.”

Fluttershy beamed with satisfaction, before she sat herself down in front of him. “So... if you’re up to it, that is... could you tell me what happened?” she asked, tilting her head inquisitively.

If anyone deserved an explanation, Connor figured it was her, so of course he didn’t have an issue explaining the events in the Everfree. Especially since it didn’t require moving.

He started with Twilight’s perception spell, and the uneventful walk to Zecora’s. After that, the potion, and how the zebra’s best efforts to solve his horn problem were ultimately for naught. The pegasus’ hooves went to her muzzle when Connor described the encounter with the timberwolves, as merely imagining the event nearly sent her shivering with anxiety. But she still listened intently as the human talked about Twilight and her force field, the unseen beast that chased away the wolves (and chased the two of them right off a cliff) and the unicorn’s last ditch emergency teleport that had saved them both from a swift and painful demise. The rest, as he said it, was plainly obvious.

When he was finished with his tale, Fluttershy closed her eyes in thought, absorbing the impactful nature of what must have been a truly trying adventure. “That’s... incredible,” she remarked, meekly hiding behind her pink mane. “I don’t know if I’d have been able to do it.”

“Do what?” Connor asked.

“Well... all of it,” the pegasus admitted, rubbing her hooves together. “Especially, you know... bringing Twilight all the way here like you did.” Fluttershy looked away. “I’m certainly not strong enough to do something like that.”

“Hey, don’t say that. You shouldn’t sell yourself short,” Connor reassured her, the sight of the mare’s despondent face bringing about a pang of sympathy. “I think that... No, I know you would do the same thing if you needed to. Twilight’s lucky to have a friend like you. I know I am.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks tinged slightly red with a blush, and her lips curled up in a demure smile at the praise. Overcome with gratitude for the generous compliment, as well as Connor’s (in her mind) heroic efforts on behalf of her friend, she did something he didn’t expect. She suddenly came forward, forelegs outstretched, and grasped the human in a full, heartfelt hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered, burying her muzzle in his shirt. “You’re a good friend.”

Initially stunned by the mare’s uncharacteristic forwardness, Connor hesitantly returned the hug, drawing his arms around her neck, above the wings. She was so warm and soft, like hugging a giant stuffed animal that could hug back. It was incredibly comforting, and Connor swore he could feel something else besides her warmth. It was a subtle feeling, like she was giving off an aura of pure emotion. It felt like... everything was going to be okay. Connor found himself wishing they could stay just like that for a long while.

Unfortunately, like all good things, it had to end eventually. After a few seconds, Fluttershy started to feel a bit awkward, her timidness once again rearing its head. She released Connor from the embrace and moved back, still blushing profusely.

“I-I... should probably let you get some sleep,” she said quickly, using her mane as a cover. “It’s getting late, and Celestia knows you deserve to rest after what you’ve been through.”

At the mention of sleep, Connor couldn’t help but yawn widely, and he was reminded of just how tired he was, despite the double dose of energy tea Fluttershy had given him.

“Yeah... I think you’re right.” Connor closed his tired eyes and leaned back in the chair, digging in to make himself comfortable. Subconsciously giving his body the OK, it was already starting to shut itself down. “I’m just gonna... just... crash, right... now...”

Fluttershy snickered lightly. “Sweet dreams. Oh, and I’ll be sure to stop by the library and let Spike know everything’s fine, and that you two are staying here for the night.”

But her words didn’t even reach Connor. He was already well on his way to being out like a light.

Fluttershy’s upstairs guest room was dark, the drawn curtains preventing the glow of the nighttime moon from entering. But while it may have been dark, the room was not still, or quiet. In the modest bed set against the wall, Twilight Sparkle was having anything but a peaceful night’s rest.

“Mmmnnn... nn-nuuh...” she mumbled in her sleep while curling up defensively. “N-no... Stay back... Stay away...”

Her dreams were not pleasant ones, filled with vague images and tangible emotions of fear and danger. Shadowy figures with haunting green eyes surrounded her on all sides, menacing her. Determined to escape, she sent a burst of bright, violet light in a random direction, parting the shadows and giving her a path to take. She wasted no time, pumping her legs and breaking into a full gallop.

Back in the waking world, the real Twilight’s legs began twitching out of reflex from underneath the sheets. Spurred on by instinct, they kicked out, tangling up in the bedspread and tugging her closer to the far side of the bed. Suddenly, her whole body spasmed, causing her to roll over into what was, unfortunately, open air.

The lack of a surface served to snap Twilight awake in an instant, and she gave out a short yelp just before landing on the hard floor in a heap of pony and blankets. Dazed and confused, the unicorn struggled against her confinement, pulling at the mess of sheets with her hooves and not having much success. Then, she remembered she was a unicorn.

“Oh, right...” she muttered, her heart still pounding from the nightmare. With her horn glowing from under the blanket, the fabric was wrapped up in an aura of lavender as it automatically unfurled itself around her.

Just as she managed to uncover her head, the room was suddenly illuminated when the door to the room opened, allowing in a shaft of yellow light along with the silhouette of a pegasus in the doorway.

“Twilight? Are you alright? I heard a noise...”

“Ungh... Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, recognizing the voice instantly as she blinked away, adjusting to the light. “Where am I?”

Twilight looked around the room after rubbing her face with her hoof, able to make out the familiar colors and shapes of Fluttershy’s cottage in the dim light. “Wait. What am I doing in your house? What happened? Where’s Connor?”

Fluttershy held up a hoof to silence the unicorn while shaking her head. “It’s okay. Connor told me about what happened in the Everfree... What’s the last thing you remember?”

“The last thing I...” Twilight paused, bringing a hoof to her chin as she thought back on that day. “Well, there was Zecora, then the timberwolves... then the thing that scared the timberwolves off. Seventy-five percent sure it was a manticore, but I could be wrong,” she said, nodding to herself.

“And then?”

“Then we were running, and we came out of the forest at a dead end drop... I couldn’t stop in time... and then I teleported us to the ground,” Twilight finished of her recollection. “And then... nothing.”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “That’s right. Connor said you passed out after that.”

Twilight stood up on her hooves, twisting her neck around to get rid of a feeling of stiffness. Come to think of it, her whole body felt like she’d just run a marathon; something she knew from experience. “Then how did I get here?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Connor brought you,” Fluttershy explained simply.

“He... brought me? How?”

“How else? He carried you.”

Twilight eyed her yellow friend quizzically. “Carried me?”

“That’s right. Carried you all the way here, without stopping once.” Fluttershy lowered her voice, taking on a more serious expression. “He was really worried about you. He could barely even stand when he got here, but all he cared about was making sure you were okay.”

Twilight sat back down on her haunches, somewhat stunned by this news. “He did all that... for me?” She went silent, looking down and off to the side before speaking up again. “How is he?”

“He’s downstairs, resting, don’t you worry.” Fluttershy gave her friend a reassuring smile. “And you should be resting, too. After all the magic you used, you need time to build your strength back.”

“Yeah... I suppose you’re right.” Twilight turned and placed her forehooves back on the bed, when a glance towards the window brought something to her attention. “Wait, how late is it? Oh, no! I completely forgot about Spike! He’s probably worried sick!”

“Calm down, Twilight. I took care of it. Spike already knows,” the pegasus said, bringing Twilight’s last worries at ease.

Relieved to hear that, Twilight sighed and finished climbing into the bed, then used her magic to replace the blankets on top. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I’m glad I could count on you.”

“You’re welcome, Twilight.” Fluttershy moved back out the door, her hoof on the handle. “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

With that, she gently closed the door, once again bathing the room in near darkness, and leaving Twilight alone with her own thoughts.

While she shifted her head around on the pillow, trying to get back to sleep, she found her thoughts turning back to what Fluttershy said about Connor’s actions on her behalf. Sure, she’d been in danger before, but it was never anything she and her friends couldn’t handle. Nothing ever life-threatening, anyway.

To think... Connor had risked his health and personal well-being just to make sure she got the help she needed. To be honest, it was something she never expected from the human. At least, not from the human she’d had the “pleasure” of meeting that day in Canterlot.

It was definitely something to think about, stirring up a strange mixture of feelings and emotions the more she puzzled over the circumstances, even as she tried to focus on going back to sleep.

And after a quiet couple of minutes, she did eventually fall asleep. And when she did, it was with a small, but very real smile creasing her muzzle.

As opposed to her tumultuous awakening from moments before... the rest of the night was one of the most restful she’d experienced in her life.

The Sixth Day: The Morning After

You Do (Not) Belong

The Sixth Day: The Morning After

If Connor had been dreaming, there was no way he would have been able to tell. It was like his body sent out a memo that it wasn’t even in the mood for imaginary activities, and his brain was inclined to agree. He was just that tired. He probably would have kept sleeping for another few hours at least, were it not for the fact that something decided to rudely awaken him.

Slowly clawing his way back to consciousness, the first thing Connor was aware of was something small and fuzzy poking his cheek. His eyes felt like rusty hinges as he opened them to see Fluttershy’s blurry brown ceiling in the early morning light. Again, he felt a poke on his cheek, and with a tired groan, he twisted his neck over to look at what was trying to get his attention.

Sitting there, next to his head on the top of the armchair, was the fluffy white form of Fluttershy’s pet rabbit, Angel.

They just looked at each other for a long time, the rabbit wearing a bored, uninterested expression to mirror Connor’s tired one. Connor, not in the mood for games, furrowed his eyebrows into a spiteful glare.

“Buzz off... I’m trying to sleep,” he told Angel, before closing his eyes. That, he would soon come to realize, was a mistake.

The next thing Connor felt was immediately more jarring and about ten times more irritating than the relatively gentle pokes from before, as Angel raised his paw and brought it down hard right across Connor’s horn. A spike of electric sensation coursed through his skull as a result, instantly jolting him awake.

“Ow!” he exclaimed, sitting upright in the chair. He reached his hand up to massage away the unpleasant buzzing feeling that felt as if his horn was vibrating like a tuning fork. Connor then opened his eyes to see Angel now on the floor in front of him, utterly bowled over with laughter. At least, that was what he assumed the chittering, huffing sound coming from the rabbit was. “What the fuck was that for!?”

Connor watched the annoying furball as it recomposed itself, breathing in steadily and trying to wipe a tear from its eye.

“Are you done?” Connor asked sourly, lowering his arm once the feeling in his forehead returned to normal. After a few seconds, Angel managed to nod his little head, causing his long ears to flop back and forth. Although, he was still unable to suppress the odd snicker. “Okay, I’m awake now. What do you want?”

In response, Angel pointed one of his paws at Connor, then pointed it over at one of the hallways of Fluttershy’s cottage, before opening his own mouth and motioning towards it.

“You’re hungry?” Connor guessed. “Well, what the hell do you want me to do about it?”

Angel thumped his foot in annoyed fashion while shaking his head in the negative. Then he followed up by jabbing his paw once more in Connor’s direction, and again towards the hallway. Angel was apparently telling him that he needed to go that way, but the rabbit ended his game of charades by giving him a nonchalant shrug that said to him, “Do whatever you want. I don’t care,” before he abruptly turned tail and hopped off out of sight.

“Pfft... ‘Angel.’ Yeah, right,” Connor muttered, before rubbing his face to rid himself of his remaining sleepies. Letting out a powerful yawn, he then looked over to the table on his side, where his glasses lay after Fluttershy presumably removed them while he slept. He twisted around to grab them while simultaneously straining his back in order to crack it. After slipping his glasses on, he did the same with his neck, eliciting a few loud pops and snaps as he felt his joints loosen up. It felt really good.

With a groan of exertion, Connor lifted himself up from the chair. As expected, his muscles still felt raw and sore from the previous day’s efforts, especially the bruise on his side. He lifted up his shirt to see that the part that had hit the ground was now an ugly, mottled shade of dark yellow.

Well, nothing I can do about that right now, he thought to himself. He dropped his shirt and jacket back down, and started walking through the house down the hallway that Angel pointed out to him.

Just a couple steps later, he found himself entering a kitchenette area with a short table in the center. Around that table were a couple of chairs, one of which was currently occupied by Twilight, who was reading a newspaper while sipping at something steaming inside a cup held in her magic. In front of her was a modest breakfast spread, with eggs, bread, a pitcher of juice, and an additional spot set out across from her, probably for meant for him.

Connor stopped by the entrance of the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, and this caused Twilight to look up from her paper at him. “Well, well, look who’s finally awake,” she said, amused, and with a smile on her face.

Connor just moaned in response, communicating the idea that he wouldn’t have been if he could help it.

Twilight let out a slight giggle. “You sound just like a zombie pony.”

Connor just tilted his head forward and shot her a look, before his lips curled up in a grin of his own. Then, he cast his arms out in front of him with his hands limp at the wrists. “Braaaaaaains...” he drawled as he began to shuffle his way towards the table. Twilight laughed again, louder this time.

“Well, Fluttershy made scrambled eggs for breakfast; those kinda look like brains,” she offered, using her magic to pull out the chair for him. “Go ahead and sit down.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Connor accepted, sitting in the chair and groaning a little as his back creaked with the movement.

Twilight noticed his discomfort, her expression shifting to one of concern. “Fluttershy told me about what you did... How are you feeling?” she asked him.

“Not nearly as bad as I was, don’t worry. This is just my body getting back at me for yesterday,” Connor replied. He reached forwards on the table, taking up the plate of eggs and a spatula and dishing some out for himself. Then, pouring himself some juice, he looked up at Twilight. “What about you? You look a lot better.”

Twilight nodded, lowering her newspaper on the table. “I’m back at a hundred percent. Perfectly healthy. Thanks for asking.”

“That’s good,” Connor said simply, before picking up a fork and absently starting to eat.

The two carried on in silence for a while, with Twilight gazing off to the side while pursing her lips, thinking of what to say next.

“Listen, Connor, I...” She trailed off, only continuing when she had Connor’s full attention. “About yesterday, what you did... You didn’t need to push yourself so hard.” Twilight’s eyes widened slightly as she realized how that might’ve sounded, and she tried to course correct. “What I mean is, not saying I'm not grateful or anything, but it wasn’t really anything that serious: just a moderate case of manaburn coupled with acute physical exhaustion, and--”

“Twilight, stop,” Connor interrupted, feeling like this was something that didn’t need to be made an issue of. “It really, really doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re okay. What happened, happened. Let’s just move on.”

Twilight swallowed the words in her throat, finding herself agreeing with him. “You’re probably right. We should just put this behind us.” The mare breathed in deeply before speaking up in a calmer, more gentle tone. “I just wanted you to know that I... really appreciate what you went through on my behalf. I’ll never forget it.”

“Uh... you’re welcome.” Connor really couldn’t think of anything better to say, so he just left it at that. After an awkward pause, he continued eating while Twilight sat for a moment more before picking up her reading material and burying her muzzle behind it. Trying to think of something to fill the space, Connor finally came up with something. “So, where’s Fluttershy gone?”

“Oh, she went out back to tend to her chickens,” Twilight said, motioning with her hoof at the window above the kitchen sink. “She’ll be back soon.”

“Mmm,” Connor grunted in acknowledgment, before returning his attention to his food.

With the two of them occupied by their current activities, the only sounds were the scraping of silverware, the shuffling of a page being turned, and the songs of Fluttershy’s birds greeting the day. The rest of Connor’s meal was polished off in short order, and when he was done drinking the rest of his juice, it ended with the stifled belch of a satisfied stomach. Finished, Connor picked up his plate and brought it over to the sink.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” he asked casually, as he washed and rinsed off the dish, placing it in a nearby drying rack.

Twilight was quiet for a few seconds after the question, reading the last bits on the back of the newspaper. When she was done, she folded it over and laid it back on the table before turning to address the human. “Well, first off, we should go back to the library and check in with Spike. Even though Fluttershy let him know we were okay, he’s probably still worried.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Connor commented, knowing how attached the little guy was to his figurative “big sister.”

“I also need him to send that letter to the Princess explaining your condition. And the sooner the better.” The unicorn got up on her hooves and walked over to where Connor was standing. Her ears and tail drooped slightly, and what she said next carried a hint of disappointment. “Until we hear back from her, there’s really nothing we can do about your horn.”

“Hopefully, she’ll have some answers for us,” Connor said in agreement. He then leaned over on his elbows and peered out the window, taking in the sight of the sun already making its way high above the green fields behind Fluttershy’s property. “So, what are we gonna do until then?”

“Well, I don’t know about ‘we,’ but there were some errands I was planning on tending to today. It’s the first Wednesday of the month, which means I have to go to the schoolhouse to deliver a new selection of books from the library. For the children to read.” Twilight gently nudged Connor in the side. “You’re welcome to come along, if you want... but I would understand if you’d rather stay at the library and rest some more.”

Connor pushed off from the countertop with a sigh, looking down at Twilight’s hesitant features. “Nah, I think I’d rather go with you. It sounds like more fun than the library, at least.”

“Great!” the unicorn said, perhaps a little more excitedly than she meant to. She then made a conscious effort to pare back her enthusiasm. “I-I mean, that’s great. I’m sure Cheerilee and the foals would love to meet you. Sweetie and Apple Bloom should be there too. You can say hi to them.”

Connor raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift in her demeanor, as well as her obvious change in topic, causing Twilight to swiftly turn in order to hide the slight blush she was getting from the attention.

“I’m... gonna go tell Fluttershy we’ll be leaving soon,” she told him as she began trotting away at a measured pace. “Can you wait by the front door?”

“Uh, sure. I’ll... do that,” he called after her as she turned the corner and went out of sight. He stood there with a confused expression for several seconds.

Scratching his head, Connor then turned in the opposite direction and started making his way back to the foyer, muttering to himself as he did so. “What was that about?”

“Goodbye! Don’t be strangers, you two!” Fluttershy called out from the foot of her doorstep, while waving a hoof at Connor and Twilight as they descended the hill outside of her cottage.

Twilight turned and gave a short wave of her own. “Of course not, Fluttershy. Thanks again for everything.”

“Yeah, guess I’ll see ya around,” said Connor, his horn once again concealed behind a veil of magic. His gaze lingered on the yellow pegasus for a moment longer as she grabbed the door handle to close it. But just before she did so, who else but Angel appeared by her hooves.

With one paw drawn beneath his eye, he stuck his tiny pink tongue out at the teenager in a plainly mocking gesture, right before the door closed and shut him away. Connor’s expression instantly soured.

Fucking rabbit... He grimaced internally, before deciding it just wasn’t worth getting worked up over. Not when all signs in front of him were conspiring to keep him positive.

The morning air was brisk, but steadily warming with the sun rising up higher into the sky. Everything was bright, clear, and fresh outside. Even the morning dew on the grass by the side of the path sparkled like tiny gemstones in the sunlight. Connor couldn’t explain it, but for some reason he could just feel that it was going to be a great day. Even his body’s soreness seemed to be fading away little by little as the walking limbered him up.

Twilight also seemed to come to the same conclusion, as she felt as refreshed and ready as ever to tackle the day’s activities with enthusiasm. But most of all, she couldn’t wait to be back home and see Spike again. It felt like days since they had left.

Just like the day before, there weren’t any other ponies on the road, which Connor didn’t mind either way. Still, though, it did feel a little lonely, so he decided to strike up yet another conversation about magic with his purple traveling companion.

“So, Twilight,” he said to get her attention.

One of the unicorn’s ears perked up and turned in his direction. “Yes, Connor?”

“Mind if I ask you more about that teleportation magic you did before? I didn’t exactly get a chance to earlier.”

“Sure! What did you want to know?” she asked cheerfully.

Connor scratched at his chin thoughtfully, and was subtly reminded that he was due for a shave. “Hmm...”

He figured that the exact mechanics of the “how” were most likely not something he could hope to grasp, given his background in Equestrian spellcraft (or lack thereof). So he began by asking Twilight about how it worked in general; just what exactly was she capable of?

“The spell itself isn’t all that complicated. With enough practice, any unicorn can perform it,” Twilight began. “It’s not even that taxing compared to other spells, at least, magically speaking. Basically, I can teleport to anywhere I have a clear line of sight to, or can picture in my mind clearly enough.”

“Uh-huh... So, if you can do that, how come you couldn’t teleport us away when the timberwolves showed up? Or just straight to Zecora’s and back again?” Connor questioned, before following the thread of logic and going all-in. “Actually, why bother walking anywhere at all?”

Twilight let out a light sigh of disappointment. “If only it were that easy. You see, the energy requirements start small, but can quickly get out of hoof if you bite off more than you can chew.” She turned to look up at him walking beside her. “I can teleport across a room and barely use any magic at all. Beyond that, teleporting groups of ponies or going long distances requires an exponentially increasing amount of energy. That little trick I pulled back at the Everfree wasn’t easy, but if I’d been at full strength, it wouldn’t have been as much of an issue.”

“Okay, I getcha,” Connor said, nodding. What she said was actually making a lot of sense to him. Just like the energy required to move close to the speed of light, adding even a little more mass would end up being a problem. Or maybe it had something to do with the amount of “work” involved in moving the subject, and more distance equaled more energy. He had no idea if that’s what was really going on here, but it was the best he could come up with. He wasn’t Neil deGrasse Tyson, after all.

Earth’s scientists would have a field day if they could get their hands on this pony, Connor opined, causing him to chuckle. “Now I understand why you couldn’t simply teleport us out of the forest, and I assume the reason you couldn’t just take us far enough away from the wolves is because you couldn’t see the destination.”

“That’s right. Blind teleports like that are incredibly dangerous. It would’ve been far too easy for one, or both of us, to end up occupying the same space as a tree.” Twilight closed her eyes and shuddered at the thought. “That wouldn’t have been pleasant.”

“No kidding,” Connor said. Then, he idly reached up to take of his glasses, looking through them at the bright ball of the sun to see if he could spot any smudges that needed cleaning. Satisfied that there weren’t, he put them back on. “Well, I think that sates my curiosity for now.”

“I’m glad I could help. You know, I really enjoy these chats of ours,” Twilight said with a smile, looking ahead to see that they were already fast approaching the Ponyville town limits. “Spike’s a good listener, but he’s never really been interested in the finer points of magic. Oh, and that reminds me: we need to make a quick stop at Sugarcube Corner on the way back.”

“Oh, yeah. The gingerbread cupcake house, right? What for?”

Twilight looked over at Connor, cocking an eyebrow. “I made a promise, remember?”

The pleasant jingling of a bell chime announced their entrance to the popular sweet shop, and the moment Connor walked in, the decadent smells of the goods for sale inside were nearly overwhelming to his nose. The interior of Sugarcube Corner was almost as whimsical as the outside, with brightly colored candy shapes stenciled into the polished wooden furniture, and the shelves along the walls filled to bursting with candies, sweets, cakes, pies, and everything in between.

“Ouch,” Connor remarked, drawing a confused glance from Twilight.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, nothing. I think I just got a cavity from walking in here,” joked Connor, tapping his teeth with the tip of his finger. Twilight responded by rolling her eyes.

Aside from themselves, the shop looked to be fairly crowded, even though it was still early in the day. Lined up at the counter near the back of the store were three mares and a stallion, each waiting patiently to have their orders taken. Off to the side in an enclosed, patio-like area, two other ponies were engaged in an animate conversation while sitting over a shared milkshake. They all looked up to notice the new arrivals, but after getting over their initial surprise at seeing the only human in town, they settled down and went back to what they were doing.

One pony in particular, a slightly pudgy earth mare with turquoise fur and a mane and tail that resembled bubble gum taffy, stood behind the counter. She wore a frilly yellow and pink apron, and at the moment appeared to be more than a little flustered. Upon noticing Twilight and her other guest, she tried to put on a smile, waving a hoof in greeting.

“Hello, there, dears! Sorry, but it’s gonna be awhile,” she said apologetically, as she finished securing the ribbon on a box in front of her and nudged it over to the beige pony at the front of the line. “Thank you for your business. Enjoy your day!”

The customer nodded politely, taking up the ribbon in her teeth and trotting back to the exit. The clerk then gave her attention to the next pony as Twilight and Connor came up along the side.

“Dozen chocolate cupcakes, raspberry frosting, correct?” she asked the slate-gray pegasus, who nodded in the affirmative. She then turned her head towards the swinging doors that led to the back of the store and, Connor supposed, the main bakery. “Number forty-two needs his order, dear!”

“Okey-dokey, Mrs. Cake!” came an exuberant, familiar voice from the back room. It took Connor a few seconds to place it, but once he did, it sounded unmistakably like the voice of Pinkie Pie, whom he’d met at the party she’d thrown on his behalf.

“It’ll just be a moment, sir,” the pony named Mrs. Cake assured her customer, before she was finally able to talk once more to Twilight after letting out a tired sigh.

“Busy day?” Twilight asked in a friendly manner.

“No busier than usual, Twilight. We’re just a little shorthoofed at the moment, what with the husband taking Pumpkin and Pound over to the doctor’s for a checkup.” The blue pony took a moment to brush a stray lock of her mane back into place, and as she did so, happened to glance directly at Connor. “I see you’ve brought our guest from Amareica with you today. Here to sample some of the local delicacies?”

“Uh... no, thanks. I’m good,” Connor replied. “Twilight wanted something, though.”

“Is that so? Well, in any case, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait in line just like everypony else,” Mrs. Cake said consolingly. She turned back to face the back room doors and took in a deep breath in preparation for saying something.

“Number forty-two, coming right up!” Pinkie Pie interrupted whatever Mrs. Cake was about to say as she opened up the swinging doors and sauntered out with a box balanced on her flank. Upon seeing Connor and Twilight standing there, she let out a gasp of recognition, and virtually everything about her features and body language instantly brightened. “Hi, Connor! Hi, Twilight! Fancy meeting you guys here!”

Twilight let out a snicker. “Pinkie, you work here. It’s really not that surprising.”

“Oh, yeah!” the pink mare exclaimed with an expression of realization, and it was hard for Connor to deduce whether she was joking, or legitimately forgot.

With a light bounce of her hind legs, she flipped the box she was carrying up into the air to land perfectly straight and upright on the counter. Inside, Connor could see, were the dozen cupcakes that the pegasus stallion was waiting for.

While a grateful Mrs. Cake thanked Pinkie and proceeded to close the sale, the party pony cantered over to her friends on the other side of the counter, near the center of the store. “So, what brings you to...” Pinkie stopped talking as her eyes fell on Connor’s forehead, while her shoulders slumped and her manic smile turned into a disappointed frown. “Aww, your horn is gone.”

“Shhhhh!” Connor immediately put his hands up and waved them around alarmingly. His eyes shifted around the store in order to make sure none of the other ponies overheard, and breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed like they hadn’t.

“What? What did I say?” Pinkie asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. Twilight then put her foreleg across her friend’s shoulder, pulling her slightly off to the side.

“The horn isn’t gone, Pinkie,” she said in a hushed whisper. “I’m hiding it with my magic. Connor doesn’t want anypony else to know about it.”

“Ooooohh, I get it,” Pinkie said back, matching Twilight's volume. Then, her eyes drifted off in thought for a few seconds, and she shook her head, her fluffy pink mane bouncing with it. “I don’t get it.”

Connor placed his hands on his hips, exasperated. “Look, Pinkie... I’d just really appreciate it if you could maybe keep quiet about it for now?”

“But why? I think it’s neato! I wish I could grow a horn.” Pinkie’s face scrunched up with strain, her tongue curling past her lips in concentration. After a moment of looking like she’d taken a bite out a lemon, she let her features relax with a grunt of frustration. “Nope. Can’t do it.”

“Ugh...” Connor facepalmed at the pony’s impetuous behavior. “Please? Just as a favor to me?”

“...Oh, alright,” Pinkie acquiesced, lolling her head back and forth. “But only because you said ‘please’!”

“Thank you.” Connor nodded in her direction.

“You’re welcome!”

“Okay, now that that’s settled, let’s get to why we’re here,” Twilight spoke up to grab her two friends’ attention. “Pinkie, do the Cakes still have any of that gemstone frosting laying around?”

Pinkie raised a hoof, tapping it against the tip of her nose. “I think so. Why? Is it Spike’s birthday again?

Twilight shook her head. “No, Pinkie. I just wanted to get him something nice, since he’s been cooped up at the library so much lately.”

“Aww, isn’t that sweet?” The mare closed her eyes as a fit of giggles escaped her muzzle. “I’ll go and check, just gimme a sec. Hey! That rhymed!”

While Pinkie bounced her way back to the kitchen, humming an airy tune to herself, Connor and Twilight proceeded to take their place in line. In the time they’d been talking, the line had shortened to just one pony: a cream-colored mare with a dark red mane and a single rose for a cutie mark.

Connor watched as Mrs. Cake placed a small bag of candy on the table for her, and the pony in front of them buried her muzzle into the depths of her saddlebags, coming out with two golden coins held in her teeth. They made the exchange, thanked each other, then went their separate ways, and the pair shortly found themselves at the front of the line.

“Alrighty then, what can I get for you dears today?” Mrs. Cake asked with a practiced salesmanship.

“One of your gemstone cupcakes, please. For Spike,” Twilight explained.

“Sure thing, Twilight. That’ll be four bits.”

Twilight nodded, but then her face went slack with sudden dismay. “Oh, no! I forgot... With everything that’s been going on, I didn’t think to bring any money.”

“Oh-ho, don’t you worry about a thing, dear,” the blue mare said, laughing it off with a wave of her hoof. “I know you’re good for it. You can just bring in the bits tomorrow.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Mrs. Cake. I owe you one.”

“My pleasure, Twilight. I’ll go see how Pinkie’s coming along and we’ll get you your order right away.”

Mrs. Cake then disappeared past the doors to the bakery, leaving them swinging in her wake. While they waited, Connor leaned over to peer through the glass display case under the counter. Looking at the rows of brightly colored lollipops, literally glistening with sugar, was starting to make his mouth water in spite of the fact that he was still mostly full from breakfast.

“Do you want one?” Twilight asked, noticing the enraptured look he was getting.

Connor breathed in and out, then shook his head morosely. “No, thanks. I don’t need it.”

“You sure? I wouldn’t mind paying.”

“...Nnnnno, really. It’s okay,” he repeated humbly. Connor was a scrimper and a saver by nature, and he didn’t want to impose on Twilight any more than he had already.

“Alright. Suit yourself,” Twilight said with a shrug, dismissing the issue.

After a moment of silence (save for the noises coming from the kitchen), Connor thought of something that had been brought to his attention. “Hey, is four bits a lot of money?”

“Not really. For a single cupcake, maybe,” Twilight admitted. “But Spike’s definitely worth it. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when we give it to him.”

“Heh, yeah, I bet that’ll be something to see.”

It was another minute of waiting, with Connor occupying himself by fiddling with the tassels on his jacket, before the doors to the kitchen swung outward again, this time admitting a smiling Mrs. Cake with a box held in her mouth. The box was dark green, wrapped around by a purple ribbon that matched the dragon’s scales, and had a tag hanging off the side that read “Spike” in a fancy calligraphy.

“Here you go, Twilight. I hope Spike enjoys it!” she said after dropping the box off in front of her, which Twilight took up with her magic.

“Thanks, Mrs. Cake. And I’ll have those bits to you tomorrow, I promise.”

“I know you will, dear. Have a nice day, you two!” The jubilant mare waved a hoof and gave Connor and Twilight a friendly wink as they turned to leave the store.

Before they reached the exit, however, a sudden shout from Pinkie Pie came from behind them. “Hey, Connor, wait!”

“Hmm?” Connor questioned as he turned to see galloping out past the counter and skidding to a halt right in front of them. “Whoa, what’s the matter, Pinkie?”

“Well, I couldn’t just let you leave without saying goodbye, now could I?” The bubbly pony then reared back and launched herself into a hug, reaching around and squeezing Connor and Twilight together for a second before sitting back down on her haunches. “Oh, and I wanted to give you something, too.”

Before Connor could ask what, Pinkie reached both forehooves behind herself. “I had some extra cupcakes from the last batch, and at first I was all like, ‘Well, I’m not gonna let these go to waste, so I’ll just eat ‘em myself!’ But then I was all like, ‘No, wait! I should give ‘em to Connor since he was being all grumpy-grumps a couple days ago!’ So, here you go!”

From behind her back, Pinkie produced two cupcakes in each hoof, wrapped in silver foil. They both appeared to be chocolate, but the one in her right hoof was covered in blue frosting, while the other hoof held a red-frosted confection.

“Which one would you like? The blue one or the red one?” she asked, holding each one up in turn.

“Uh...” Connor didn’t respond right away, his eyes dancing between each of the sugary delights. Something about this scene seemed eerily familiar, somehow...

“Aaangh! Wrong! Trick question!” Pinkie brusquely interrupted, making a sound like a game show buzzer. “You can have both!”

The pink pony wasted no time in shoving both cupcakes towards him, and he took them in his hands quickly before they could fall to the ground.

“O-okay... Thanks, Pinkie,” Connor said, starting to feel a little exasperated.

“Yup yup! Catch you guys later! I gots more stuff to bake!” Pinkie Pie twirled around and started trotting back towards the kitchen, waving a hoof behind her. “Good luck with that thing I’m not supposed to talk about!”

Connor and Twilight watched her go with blank expressions on their faces. The teenager then looked between the cupcakes he now held in his arms, and down at Twilight next to him, eventually setting on Twilight. “And you have to put up with this every day?”

“Pretty much. Trust me, it gets easier.” The unicorn sighed, then motioned towards the door with her head, using her magic to prop it open. “Let’s get going. Next stop, the library!”

Connor followed her outside, while holding his hands in front of him and comparing the gifts Pinkie had thrust upon him. They both smelled heavenly, but aside from the color, there didn’t seem to be any major difference. Regardless, he didn’t think he could stomach eating both in one sitting.

“Hey, Twilight, do you want one of these? I don’t have enough room for both.”

“Sure, I guess,” Twilight said after a moment to mull it over. “Mind if I have the blue one?”

“Go right ahead,” Connor replied, and the cupcake in his left hand lifted up in a purple aura and floated down to Twilight’s level. Licking his lips, he then used his freed hand to unwrap the one with the red frosting. Just then, he was hit with an epiphany.

The Matrix! That’s what she reminded me of! he thought, Pinkie’s presentation sending his mind back to that iconic scene from the movie. He scoffed with amusement. Heh. All she needed was a pair of sunglasses and I would swear she did it on purpose.

Connor crumpled up the wrapper and put it in his pocket, but just before sinking his teeth into the cupcake, another though gave him pause.

Wait... Wasn’t the red one supposed to mean...? Connor shook his head, dismissing the idea. Then, he bit down, savoring the sweetness as it danced across his tongue and his idle worries were pushed aside. Nah. That’s just silly.

The Sixth Day: It's All Fun and Games

You Do (Not) Belong

The Sixth Day: It's All Fun and Games

The door to Golden Oak lit up with magic, easing inwards and allowing Twilight to poke her head inside.

“Spike! We’re back!” she called out as she walked past the threshold, followed by Connor. The unicorn breathed deeply, taking in the comforting, familiar scent of her library, and cantered over to the table in the center to put down the box containing Spike’s present.

Meanwhile, Connor looked around the room, noticing that it was empty. Just as he started to wonder where the dragon was, an excited shout drew his attention to the stairway.

“Twilight!” Spike cried out from the top of the stairs, before he ran down the steps as quickly as his little legs could carry him. He wasted no time rushing right up to the pony and grasping one of her legs in a tight hug. “Twilight, I’m so happy to see you! I got really worried when you didn’t come home last night!”

“Oh, Spike...” Twilight said, shaking her head in amusement as she leaned down to nuzzle him affectionately. “I’m glad to see you, too. I’m surprised, though; didn’t Fluttershy come by to explain everything?”

Spike pulled back, quickly rubbing his face with a claw to remove any evidence that he might have been crying a little. “Uh, well, yeah, she did. But I was still worried. I mean, timberwolves! A whole pack of ‘em!”

“I’m fine too, by the way,” Connor spoke up, waving a hand to get the dragon’s attention.

Spike’s eyes were drawn to him, and with a jolt, he stood up perfectly straight. “Oh, right! Good to see you too, Connor,” he mentioned, sheepishly smoothing back the spines on his head. Connor merely rolled his eyes.

“I’m sorry we made you worry, Spike. But I think this ought to make up for it,” Twilight said with a grin, as she drew Spike’s attention to the box sitting on the table. Using her magic, she levitated it up and brought it to his outstretched claws, his eyes wide with wonder.

“You mean, you really…?” the dragon replied breathlessly, slowly undoing the ribbon on the top of the box. Connor and Twilight stood by and watched as Spike took off the lid and reached inside, pulling out a teal-blue, sapphire-encrusted cupcake. The pupils in his eyes dilating, he held the glittering treat away from himself reverently, as if it would break into a million pieces from the slightest impact. That, and the sublime expression on his face, made it seem like he considered the thing to be a gift from God. “It’s… beautiful…”

“And it’s all yours,” Twilight added with a smirk, while she proceeded to move past him into the library. Meanwhile, Spike’s mouth opened slowly, and he was just about to sink his teeth into the cupcake when the unicorn spoke up again and interrupted him. “By the way, did anything happen around here while we were gone?”

Spike’s eyes shot to Twilight, then he hesitantly lowered the cupcake from his mouth with a modicum of disappointment. “Uh, not really. It was a pretty boring day. The Crusaders came by to take out a book, but that was it.”

Connor cocked his head to the side. “Crusaders?” he asked, his mind conjuring up images of ponies in white robes and chain mail, carrying swords, shields, and flags emblazoned with red crosses.

“Sweetie and her friends,” Twilight explained quickly, but Connor was still confused.

“...I’m still confused,” he said plainly.

Twilight let out a light sigh. “Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and their friend Scootaloo are the only ones in their class who don’t have cutie marks yet. So they’ve teamed up in trying to figure out what their special talents are,” she told him. “They call themselves the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders.’”

“Ohhh, I see.” Connor nodded his head in understanding, then chuckled. “That’s actually kinda adorable.”

“Yeah, right. It’s only adorable until they get into trouble because of one of their half-baked schemes.” Twilight bowed her head down in exasperation. “And then it usually falls to me or one of the girls to sort everything out.” She went off in thought for a few seconds, before shaking her head and looking up at her assistant. “What book did they check out of the library, Spike?”

“Whuh?” Spike looked around, his mouth completely stuffed with what used to be the cupcake he was holding only seconds earlier. Hastily, he finished chewing and swallowed it all in one big gulp that could be seen traveling down his scaly throat, then he sighed in satisfaction before he answered. “It was a book about… radios, I think? Like, how to put one together and all that stuff.”

“Really?” Twilight raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“What would a bunch of kids want with a book about radios?” Connor asked.

“Beats me,” Spike said, shrugging his shoulders. “I wasn’t paying a whole lot of attention ‘cuz I was busy looking for Peewee at the time.” The baby dragon perked up a little, as if something just occurred to him. “Yeah… Hey, Twilight? I kinda wanna talk to you about that. Do you have a second?”

“Can it wait until later, Spike? I need your help with something before we set out for the schoolhouse,” she answered.

“Oh, yeah, it’s Wednesday,” Spike said, scratching his chin with a claw. “Sure, Twi. It’s not that important. What do ya need me to do?”

“I need you to send a letter to the Princess,” Twilight told him, and right away, Spike nodded his head and dutifully ran over to a nearby shelf to obtain something to write with.

“While you do that, I think I’m gonna take a shower,” Connor mentioned, pointing a thumb behind him towards the bathroom hallway. He really felt like he could use it, too, since he suspected that he still reeked of sweat and forest grime from the day before.

“Go right ahead. It shouldn’t take too long to get the book delivery ready afterwards,” Twilight said back to him, when she took note of her assistant returning to the center of the room with a quill in one claw and a sheet of parchment in the other. “Ready, Spike?”

“Ready!” Spike replied enthusiastically, putting quill to paper.

As Connor left the foyer and turned down the hall, he didn’t get to hear most of what Twilight dictated to Spike in her letter. All he managed to catch before slipping inside the bathroom and closing the door behind him was the sound of the unicorn loudly clearing her throat, and the very first words of her message: “Dear Princess Celestia…”

Freshly cleaned and eager to get a move on, Connor spent a couple of minutes after his shower outside of the library, waiting patiently for Twilight to bring the last remaining books out to the tow cart she had set up near the door.

He’d have offered to help if he thought he could make a difference over Twilight’s telekinesis. As it was, Connor was sure he would just get in the way, so he was content to just hang out by the entrance, leaning against the tree’s trunk and keeping himself occupied. He was entertaining himself with thoughts of all the cool stuff he could do if his horn actually did anything besides take up real estate on his head. The ability to move stuff with the power of his mind -- in addition to everything else Equestrian magic was capable of -- would almost make up for being forced to have it in the first place. Almost.

“It would be nice to at least know why you don’t work,” he muttered scornfully to nobody in particular, tapping the side of his now invisible horn.

“Who’re you talking to?”

Connor was snapped out of his ruminations by Twilight’s voice, turning to see her standing just outside the door with a stack of books hovering next to her.

“Nobody, uh...” The teenager scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “I just talk to myself sometimes.”

“Apparently so,” Twilight noted with a tiny bit of amusement, before shrugging it off like it wasn’t important and returning her attention to her books. She used a hind leg to edge the door closed behind her and walked over to the cart, placing the last of the books on top of the ones she had brought out earlier. “And that’s the last of them.”

“So, you’re really going to hitch yourself up to this thing and pull it?” Connor remarked as he made his way to her side, looking over the wooden-wheeled vehicle dubiously.

Twilight looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “Of course. How else am I going to bring them across town?”

“I dunno, magic?” The human tossed his hands up in a shrug.

Twilight rolled her eyes and stepped to the front of the cart, slotting herself into the harness and securing the straps. “Magic isn’t the solution to everything, and I’m perfectly capable of moving this with pony power.” She allowed herself a private snicker. “Besides, I learned my lesson the last time I tried something like that, and I’m not eager to repeat it.”

“Alright, it’s not a big deal,” Connor said, backing off. Truth be told, he found it a little odd that a pony like her would act so casually about performing the work of a beast of burden. But then again, he figured, in a world where most of the creatures were sentient quadrupeds, what other choice would they have? He was just glad she didn’t expect him to pull it.

Twilight shifted around to make sure the harness was secure around her back and belly, then took a couple of slow steps forward to test it. The cart followed her smoothly, and she nodded with satisfaction. “All set. Let’s go to the schoolhouse.”

“So, what did Spike want to talk about? If it’s okay to ask,” Connor questioned offhandedly as the two of them set off into Ponyville, with the sound of the wooden cart creaking along with them.

Twilight breathed deeply out her nose, like she was concerned about something. “It’s about Peewee. Spike… doesn’t think he can take care of him all on his own anymore.”

“You mean he doesn’t want Peewee?” Connor asked, surprised at this news.

“It’s not that he doesn’t want him.” Twilight shook her head. “I think it’s just too much responsibility for him to handle right now. Spike’s still just a baby himself, even if he doesn’t like to admit it.”

“Maybe he just misses doing this stuff with you. He practically said so himself yesterday, and I am kinda monopolizing your time.”

“Yeah…” Twilight said noncommittally, looking off to the side. “In any case, I told him we could talk more about it later.”

“Mm-hmm.” Connor looked at Twilight for a few seconds, noting that she had her gaze set straight ahead, and seemed to be thinking intently about something. He decided to ask her about it. “What’s the matter? You look a little distracted.”

“Hmm? Oh… it’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Heh,” Connor chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “When don’t you?”

“Hmph,” came Twilight’s unamused response.

Not one to be discouraged, Connor put a hand on his side and gave her a slight frown. “Hey, come on, lighten up. It’s gonna be great day!” He cast his arm out, motioning at the town and the liveliness of the activity around them. “The sun is shining, everyone’s happily going about their business, and we get to go play with some school kids later. What’s there to be worried about?”

Twilight turned her head to him, an expression of acute concern on her face. “Are you feeling alright? You seem unusually peppy today.”

“Do I?” Connor said with a grin. Although he had to admit to himself, he was acting a bit more wistfully than usual, especially considering the fact that he still had the horn problem to deal with. He paused for a second to give it some thought. “You know what? It just might have something to do with almost getting mauled by a pack of wolves, and then almost plummeting a hundred feet off a cliff. Two near death experiences in one day kinda puts things in perspective, don’t you think?”

“I suppose that’s one way to put it,” Twilight halfheartedly agreed, slightly unnerved by his choice of words.

“Yeah, I mean, horn and all, as bad as things are…” Connor paused, taking a sharp intake of breath. “Aaaand I’m not going to finish that sentence.”

To that, Twilight couldn’t help but let out a small bout of laughter, which Connor immediately capitalized on.

“There we go. That’s what I wanted to see.” He smiled approvingly. “Happy Twilight is best Twilight.”

“...I think I have a different theory,” said Twilight, as she tried her hardest to ignore her friend’s obvious grammatical misstep. “It’s more likely Pinkie put something in that cupcake you ate.”

“Ha! Maybe.” At that, Connor’s smile fell slightly, and he went quiet for a second. “Wait, would she really do something like that?”

“Who knows? With Pinkie Pie, anything’s possible,” Twilight answered with humor.

“Well, whatever,” Connor said, ending that particular line of conversation.

At this point, it really didn’t matter what the specific cause was; Connor felt good. Optimistic, even. About the day to come, and whatever events this town had in store for him and his furry purple companion. And at that moment, he couldn’t wait to get to the schoolhouse to see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, as well as all of their young classmates if they were anything like the fun, downright adorable fillies he’d gotten to know at Pinkie’s party.

It was subtle, but Connor couldn’t help but come to a certain realization.

For the first time since he’d arrived in Equestria, he was actually looking forward to something.

The air was tense and thick with concentration, the only sounds to be heard being that of pencils scribbling across paper. From behind her desk, Miss Cheerilee stood facing her students arrayed in front of her, each one focused intently on the math quizzes she’d handed out some time earlier. While she had been patiently watching them tackle the assignment, it filled her with no small amount of personal pride to notice one or two of the children put their pencils down early while the rest were taking a little longer to finish.

Not too long, I hope, the cerise-coated mare thought to herself as she glanced up at the clock on the wall. In just a few short minutes, time would be up. “Four more minutes, class,” she cautioned helpfully.

At her announcement, a few faces in the room turned up at her, eyes widening as they absorbed this information, then returned to their quizzes, pencils moving that much quicker. Suddenly, there were a few quick knocks at the schoolhouse door, jarring Cheerilee a bit before she relaxed with realization.

“Oh! That must be Twilight. I’ll be right back, kids.” The teacher turned towards the door and started walking towards it. Resting her hoof on the knob, she craned her neck around to look back at her students. “And remember, no cheating~”

Even as Cheerilee had prepared to leave, the eyes of some of the colts in the back had started to wander off their own papers. Her subtle warning served to correct them however, and with a nod of contentment, the teacher twisted the knob and pulled the door open before slipping past and shutting it behind her.

Outside, just as she was expecting, was the local unicorn librarian standing next to her cart containing this month’s literature. But what she wasn’t expecting was the tall, lanky, two-legged figure standing next to her, admiring the school building until her arrival garnered his attention.

“Good morning, Cheerilee!” Twilight spoke up enthusiastically, and the teacher’s slight distraction, caused by the sight of the human visitor, was immediately replaced by a more welcoming expression.

“Good morning, Twilight,” Cheerilee responded with a friendly smile. “I didn’t know you would be bringing, um… I’m sorry, what was your name, again?”

“Connor,” he answered for her. “Nice to meet you, Miss Cheerilee.”

“Right, Connor. I’ve heard quite a bit about you, and I must say, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you myself. And please, call me Cheerilee. Only my students call me Miss,” the mare said with a casual wave of her hoof. She then turned back towards Twilight. “The kids are finishing up a quiz just now. We can start swapping out those books once I let them go for recess.”

“Works for me,” Twilight said back.

Cheerilee nodded as she turned to the door. “Come on in, don’t be shy!” With Connor and Twilight following a little ways behind, she opened the door again and reentered the schoolroom.

“Alright, pencils down! I’ll be around to collect your quizzes,” Cheerilee called out as she walked, causing a couple of disappointed groans to emanate from the desks near the front of the class. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure all of you did great. And guess what? We have a surprise guest today!”

Following her announcement, some of the students’ ears perked up, wondering what she meant by “surprise guest.” As it turns out, they didn’t have long to wonder.

Connor ducked through the doorway, followed by Twilight, as he got a good look at the inside of the building. As far as classrooms went, it looked fairly standard: There was the blackboard, the ever-present big globe, a telescope by the window, and two big shelves along the walls that were crammed full of books and assorted school supplies. And sitting right in the center of the room were twelve small wooden desks, all lined up neatly in rows of four, the occupants of which were now staring right in his direction as wide-eyed wonderment slowly dawned in their features.

Right away he recognized Apple Bloom and Sweetie in the middle, while all around them sat a mix of pony species, fur colors, and genders. Each of the young ponies seemed to have rather distinct physical characteristics compared to the average adult pony, but the effect was probably just exaggerated by their smaller frames. There were some with glasses, some wearing tacky-looking jewelry, a few outliers on the scrawny/bulky spectrum of body types, and all but three had cutie marks adorning their flanks: Apple Bloom, Sweetie, and an orange-coated, purple-maned pegasus filly he assumed to be Scootaloo, rounding out the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

...He still couldn’t get over how ridiculous that group name sounded, but it didn’t matter, for as soon as he was finished making his observations, the class erupted with activity.

“Connor!” the cream-colored Apple filly and her unicorn friend shouted simultaneously as they sprung from their seats and ran up to greet him.

“Wait, that’s the guy you were talking about?” asked Scootaloo, getting up herself along with a majority of her classmates.

“Whoa, hey!” Connor said, grinning and taking a short step back as he was set upon by the cutest mob he’d ever seen.

“He’s really tall...” one of the foals, a thin, beige pegasus, remarked in awe, drawing a heavy bout of nodding from a few of his classmates.

Standing off to the side, a pink earth filly wearing a short tiara held a hoof up next to her grey friend. “He’s kinda freaky-looking,” she whispered quietly, a hint of wariness in her eyes.

“You said it,” her friend said back in the same tone of voice. But Connor didn’t hear their comments over the kids jockeying his attention right in front of him.

“Whatcha doin’ here, Connor?” Bloom asked, looking so excited she was bouncing up and down on her hooves.

Sweetie Belle edged in next to her friend. “Yeah, we haven’t seen you since the party! Are you okay? How’s your head?”

Oh, yeah, they don’t know. Connor thought quickly, knowing he’d have to watch what he said around these ponies. Ponies who’d already demonstrated they were more than willing to talk about him with anyone who’d listen.

The teenager reflexively rubbed the side of his forehead, careful not to accidentally bump into his invisible horn. “I’m… feeling better. Nothing to worry about,” he said to placate them.

“That’s great! Oh, by the way, this is our friend, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom pointed out, rapidly changing the subject. She reached out a foreleg to the orange pegasus and dragged her over. “Say hi, Scoots!”

Scootaloo reeled for a moment from the sudden movement before she recovered, looking up at Connor with her bright purple eyes. “Uh… hi?”

“Hello,” he returned with a wave of his hand. Meanwhile, Twilight was watching with interest, standing clear of the activity, and Cheerilee was making her rounds on the edge of the crowd of little ponies, rolling her eyes with amusement.

“Class, class. I know you’re all very excited, but please try to calm down,” the teacher cautioned them. “You’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other during recess.”

At the very mention of recess, there was a noticeable change in the demeanors of the students. Any small amount of unsure apprehension they might have been feeling in the presence of this stranger was swept away by the prospect of having some playtime after their grueling test. Moving as one, they all galloped towards the open door, cheering with delight.

“Come on, Connor!” Sweetie beckoned with a flick of her head as she bounded after her classmates.

“Hah! Alright, I’m comin’. Just gimme a second to hang up my jacket,” he told her while he unzipped his coat. He was able to stick it on a hook conveniently located near the door before he felt something tugging incessantly at his pant leg.

“Hurry up! Yer movin’ too slow!” Apple Bloom said, her voice slightly muffled by the denim of his jeans that she had secured between her teeth, playfully tugging him closer to the exit.

“Alright! Jeez, hold your horses!” Connor took a quick second to look back at Twilight, flashing her a sly smirk. “I’ve been waiting forever to use that one. See ya outside!” And with that, him and the Crusaders slipped out of sight, leaving the room almost deafeningly silent compared to moments earlier.

Twilight was left slightly speechless, taking a little while to completely make sense of the whirlwind of activity that had happened around her while Cheerilee returned to her desk, a stack of papers balanced on one hoof.

“...Well,” she finally said, incredulously, for lack of anything better to say.

“I know, isn’t it sweet?” Cheerilee commented with a smile. “I haven’t seen the children this excited since last year’s field trip to Canterlot.”

Twilight moved to peek through the window at the playground behind the school. “They sure seem pretty happy to meet him.”

“Oh, it’s not that surprising, really. After all, foals will be foals,” Cheerilee said knowingly. “Now, the sooner we get those books put away, the sooner we can join them outside. A nice day like this shouldn’t be spent indoors!”

Twilight took a hesitant extra second or two to tear herself away from the window before looking to Cheerilee and smiling. “Of course. Let’s take care of that right away.”

Just like each time during the months before, the library’s stock was switched out with the previous books in short order, and once the work was done, Cheerilee invited Twilight to chat with her while they sat back and supervised the students enjoying their recess. They exited the schoolhouse, walked around the outside wall, and parked themselves in the grass nearby, affording them a full view of the whole playground and what was taking place there. Even at this distance, the two mares could easily overhear the intense discussion occurring between the children and their new human playmate.

“I think he should be on our team,” Scootaloo spoke up as she grabbed Connor’s arm and pulled him towards the group that included herself, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Twist, and Featherweight.

“Nuh-uh! You guys won the hoofball game yesterday!” Snips shouted back, shaking his head in defiance. He and his partner in crime, Snails, both grabbed ahold of Connor’s other arm and tried to bring him closer to their team. “This time we’re gonna win for sure!”

“But that’s not fair!” The orange pegasus filly was joined by Sweetie in this game of Tug of War. “You have more boys on your team already!”

As entertaining as it was to let this schoolyard drama play out, Connor decided it was time to voice his own opinion instead of staying silent. “Hey, here’s an idea: why don’t I just take turns?”

The grip on his arms loosened slightly as this suggestion was considered.

“Uh, Ah guess that could work,” said Apple Bloom.

“Okay, but only if he’s on our team first!” Snips argued.

“No way! We’ve known him way longer than you!” Sweetie shot back, as the back-and-forth pulling match resumed.

Connor could only roll his eyes and smile, relishing the experience of actually being the one in demand when it came time to pick teams for playground games. That never happened when he was in elementary school himself.

He looked up to notice the two adult ponies sitting back and observing, and he attempted to wave to them, only to realize both his hands were now firmly secured by the two warring groups of brightly colored foals. He settled for flashing them an acknowledging smile before he was inevitably tossed in another direction.

From their vantage point, Cheerilee couldn’t help but raise a hoof to her muzzle and snicker in amusement. “Isn’t that just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”

Twilight looked over to the teacher for a moment, then back to the action. “Maybe not the cutest, but it sure is up there,” she said in agreement.

“What a nice young colt Connor is. I’m glad he’s getting along so well with the students. You can tell a lot about someone by how they interact with children, you know,” Cheerilee mentioned offhoofedly. She gave Twilight a gentle nudge with her shoulder. “You’re a pretty lucky mare.”

“Mm-hmm.” It took a second for that statement to sink in for Twilight, and when it did, she did a double-take. “Wait, what? Just what do you mean by that?”

Cheerilee’s smile instantly fell. “You mean you’re not…?” She gave a short, bashful chuckle and waved her hoof. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Twilight! I just assumed that you two were something of an item.”

“What!?” Twilight pulled back as she loudly cried out in surprise. She looked around nervously to make sure her outburst hadn’t drawn any attention, before leaning over and talking again in a lower tone. “That’s-- Why would-- How could you even assume something like that in the first place?”

“Well, to be honest, it’s not a hard conclusion to come to. I’ve heard ponies talking in town.” Cheerilee got a suggestive look in her eyes. “Ever since he arrived, the two of you have been spending all of your time together. You’re even letting him stay in your home.”

“And there’s a very good reason for that,” Twilight explained quickly, folding her forelegs together and tossing her head indignantly. “It’s not what you think, and it’s definitely none of your business.”

“I suppose not, but there’s more to it than that,” the teacher continued. “I’ve also noticed how you’re always sneaking looks at him every chance you get.”

“I’m just trying to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble!” Twilight argued back, starting to feel a little uncomfortable. “You’re reading way too much into this.”

“Twilight, trust me, I know what I’m talking about. I mean, Celestia knows I haven’t had the best of luck in the dating department…” Cheerilee sighed as she remembered one particular incident involving three overzealous fillies and an ill-begotten love potion. “But I’ve spent most of my career working closely with other ponies. I have experience with this kind of thing, and I can tell there’s something going on between you two.”

“There’s nothing ‘between’ us!” Twilight stressed again, flustered.

Cheerilee tilted her head a bit. “But isn’t he your friend?”

“I… Of course he is.” Twilight grew quiet, her eyes starting to drift towards the playground before she redirected them to the ground. “I’m not saying he’s a bad person,” she felt compelled to say. “Far from it, actually. There’s a lot to like about him. He’s compassionate… intelligent… honest… funny-- Well, sometimes. And...”

Twilight trailed off as she thought a little deeper. She found herself thinking back to the day before; about how it made her feel to know the hardship Connor endured for her sake alone. It was something she’d been thinking a lot about recently, and the more she thought about it, the harder she found it to deny one simple conclusion.

“...and he’s a good friend,” she finished, still looking at the ground in an unfocused gaze. Then, she realized how quiet it had gotten aside from the jubilant sounds coming from the students and their game, and she snapped out of it, shaking her head roughly. “But that’s all it is. Just friends, nothing more.”

“Alright, alright, I believe you,” Cheerilee finally conceded, much to Twilight’s relief.

Now that the most uncomfortable part of the conversation was past, something about what Cheerilee said was still bothering the lavender unicorn, and she had the urge to ask a related followup question in a more casual manner.

“How would that even work, by the way: me and him?” she asked, wondering how Cheerilee could find the idea so plausible. “I mean, what with me being a pony, and him being someone from a completely different--” Twilight stopped herself short of uttering the word “world,” and quickly chose a suitable word to replace it. “...species.”

“It shouldn’t really matter, should it?” Cheerilee remarked matter-of-factly. “Now, I realize everyone’s tired of trotting out this example, but Applejack’s cousin Braeburn has been in a steady relationship with that charming buffalo girl for more than a year now. They sure don’t seem to mind.”

“Well, yeah, there’s that... But this is different.”

“How so?”

Twilight wanted to say how there were many ways this was different. How she and Connor were so completely different even in physical characteristics alone. How he had come from a place that was so alien to her she had trouble even imagining it. And most of all, how utterly improbable it was for something like what Cheerilee had suggested to even take place in the short time since she’d met the human, regardless of what transpired since then. The very idea flew in the face of logic and reason.

She looked out onto the playground as she thought about her answer. There, she could see Connor running in a slow jog around the field, a hoofball tucked securely under his arm. She watched as Scootaloo ran up behind him, buzzing her small wings in order to boost her just high enough to wrap her forelegs around him in a tackle. With feigned shock, Connor let himself fall to the ground as the rest of the opposing team dogpiled on top of him, and she could just barely make out his voice ringing out amid the chorus of laughter.

Try as she might, she just couldn’t bring herself to voice any of those reasons.

“...It just is,” Twilight said, and she ended what remained of the conversation by turning away and hoping she hadn’t just opened a can of worms by asking that question.

The unicorn would thankfully be spared from any further discussion on the matter, as the small white form of Sweetie Belle extricated herself from the pile of bodies on the field and started to canter over to the two mares.

“Miss Cheerilee? Can I go inside to use the little filly’s room?” she asked innocently once she got close enough.

Cheerilee smiled sweetly at her student. “Of course you can, Sweetie Belle.”

“Thanks!” the little pony chirped, and she wasted no time in running off around the side of the schoolhouse to go heed the call of nature.

Meanwhile, in trying to get her mind off of the conversation she’d just had, Twilight had a sneaking suspicion as to where Cheerilee’s so-called “experience” was coming from, and made a mental note to make sure not to put any of the library’s cheesy romantic fiction in next month’s book delivery.

Standing in the doorway of the school building, Cheerilee waved a hoof as she watched Connor and Twilight depart with last month’s book delivery.

“So long! It was nice meeting you!” she called out to them, and they both gave her a wave in return.

There was a flurry of movement from behind the teacher, and now Connor could see the crowd of students jockeying for position in the small space. The Crusaders were near the front, but almost all of their classmates were also present, all of them wearing a mix of cheerful and melancholy expressions.

“Bye, Connor!”

“See ya later!”

“Thanks for playin’ with us!”

“Yeah, thanks!”

“Please come back soon!”

Connor couldn’t help but smile as the foals continued to call out to him, even as Cheerilee attempted to shepherd them back inside the schoolhouse, eventually succeeding and closing the door behind her. He kept looking back at the charming red-painted building as it receded into the distance until his neck started to hurt, and he semi-reluctantly faced forwards again.

He sighed contentedly, looking over at Twilight as she continued to push ahead with her cart of library books in tow. “Man, I’d say that was definitely worth the trip. Thanks so much for letting me tag along.”

“Sure,” Twilight replied shortly, and Connor took her general lack of response as license to continue talking.

“I mean, I never expected to just, you know, hit it off so easily with them,” he rambled on, trying to put words to the incredible amount of good feelings he had left over. The only negative aspect he could think of was when the occasional roughhousing brought forth a complaint from the bruise on his side, but it was a small price to pay for what he took away from the experience. “Did you see those kids? They just couldn’t get enough of me.”

“Yeah… I saw.”

“I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun just playing,” Connor said, not caring in the slightest how childish it sounded.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” Twilight looked up to see her human friend with his hands behind his head in a carefree manner as he walked along, almost radiating positive energy by the looks of him. She too started to turn a smile at the corners of her mouth, but stopped herself when she was once again reminded of what Cheerilee had said about her, and pointedly set her eyes back on the road.

Her rational side kept reassuring her that the schoolteacher’s “observations” were nothing but baseless conjecture; that it made no sense that she could be developing… feelings for the alien, much less outwardly presenting them. And yet, Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about it for the life of her, like a particularly stubborn mathematical equation lodged in the workings of her mind. It was obviously not true, so why couldn’t she just let it go?

“So, what were you and Cheerilee talking about?”

Connor’s question took Twilight off-guard, and after fully registering what he’d just asked, the mare hesitated a bit before answering.

“Oh, you know… stuff,” she replied, communicating in one sentence how she was not all that interested in discussing the finer points of the conversation with him.

Something that Connor thankfully picked up on, and he let it slide with a shrug of his shoulders. With nothing else to say, really, the two continued on their way back to the library to drop off Twilight’s cart, after which they could move on to the other things on her list of things to do that day.

They carried on in silence as they started making their way through Ponyville just as the noontime rush of activity started to hit, and multiple groups of ponies could be seen going about their business up and down the streets. While Connor was busy taking in the sights and sounds, Twilight was still mulling things over, trying unsuccessfully to think about anything else. It kept gnawing away at her, growing to the point where she felt she had to do or say something, if only in an attempt to sate her own curiosity.

“Um… Connor?” Twilight spoke up suddenly, grabbing his attention.

He looked over in her direction. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“Mind if I ask you something?”

Connor lightly shook his head. “Nope. Go for it.”

“Okay. Kind of a weird question, but… um…” It was too late to back out now. Twilight breathed in and out through her nose before continuing. “Back on Earth, do you have a… marefriend?”

“Marefriend?” The teenager tossed her a confused glance.

“A special somepony,” she clarified. Connor’s expression remained the same, however, and Twilight rolled her eyes before putting it in terms that he could understand. “Significant other.”

Connor’s eyes widened with realization. “Ohhh, you mean a... girlfriend.” He reached up to scratch his neck nervously. “Uh… Well, not that it’s really any of your business, but no, I don’t. Never have.”

“I see,” Twilight said simply, and she left it at that, placing an awkward silence between them as Connor puzzled over her sudden interest in his social life.

“Why do you--”

“No reason. Just curious,” the pony swiftly cut him off.

“Uh-huh.” Connor raised an eyebrow, not the least bit convinced this was the case. It didn’t feel right to just leave it at that, though. His interest piqued, he decided to follow up. “What about you?”

Twilight eyed him suspiciously. “What about me, what?”

“Do you have a ‘special somepony’?” he asked in a slightly glib manner, earning him a chafing glare from the unicorn. “What? You got to ask me, it’s only fair.”

Twilight sighed, having to at least concede that point. “I… No, I don’t either.”

“I see…” Connor said in the same tone she had used as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Why not?”

“E-excuse me?” Twilight stuttered, caught off-guard by the question which, if interpreted in a certain way, might have even sounded insulting.

“Well, I’m just saying I’m surprised,” Connor tried explaining himself. It was then that he realized he should have stopped talking a while ago, but now he had Twilight’s full attention. And the look she was giving him communicated in no uncertain terms that he was treading dangerously. “I-I mean, that you don’t… yet.”

“And just what is that supposed to mean?”

Connor could feel his face starting to heat up. “Well, uh, it’s just that… there’s a lot to like... about you.”

He sincerely hoped that he could end it there, but no such luck as Twilight breathed in, preparing to say something. Yet, while he was still expecting her to be annoyed, her tone was instead much more subdued.

“...Like what?” she asked curiously, finding herself keenly interested in finding out what he meant.

“Well… jeez, uh…” Feeling put on the spot, Connor nervously adjusted his glasses. “You’re nice… funny… smart -- like, crazy smart. Uh...”

Man, this is getting awkward, fast. What else can I say? Would it be weird if I also said she was cute? Yeah, that would be kinda weird. Connor’s mind scrambled as it chartered unfamiliar territory, while simultaneously wanting nothing more than to finish his point and be done with it.

“And… you’re an amazing friend. One of the best I’ve ever had. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

For Twilight, Connor’s complements sounded instantly familiar to her ears, and she instinctively looked away in order to mask her embarrassment, as well as the blush that was coming through on her fur.

Trying to make it sound less like he was -- God forbid -- coming on to her, Connor continued talking against his better judgment. “I mean, if I knew someone like you back on Earth...” No! Don’t say that! You’re just making it worse! “...You know what? Let’s just stop talking about this.”

While Connor stuffed his hands inside his empty pockets, resisting the urge to smack his own forehead out of self-flagellation, Twilight couldn’t be more relieved. “Yes, I agree. Let’s do that.”

They continued walking in absolute silence, both of them desperately trying to move on and forget what just happened. But try as he might, Connor couldn’t help but think to himself, Man, what the fuck is wrong with me?

And just a few feet away, Twilight happened to be thinking the exact same thing, albeit with slightly less-colorful language.

Author's Note

There was an Author's Note here. It's gone now. (In case some of the comments below confuse you.)

The Sixth Day: The More Things Change...

You Do (Not) Belong

The Sixth Day: The More Things Change...

Most would agree that the sensation of warm sunlight on one’s skin was a pleasant experience, and the light from Celestia’s Sun was no exception. To many ponies in Equestria, it was more than just a ball of heat and light in the sky. It was like a mother’s comforting embrace, protecting and watching over everything in its domain.

Connor might not have been getting that exact impression at the moment, but it still felt pretty good to just sit back on a bench on the side of the road, soaking up the sun’s rays.

He’d been sitting alone for a few minutes, Twilight having told him to stay there while she left to quickly take care of the next item on her list. It was something having to do with getting back a telescope she’d lent out to another pony named Lyra, but that was all he could get out of her before she departed. Connor, for one, certainly didn’t mind the break, as it afforded him a moment to himself to both relax for a bit, and to think about the embarrassing exchange he’d had with the unicorn, as well as the awkward silence that reigned between them for a while afterwards.

It was bad enough for Twilight to suddenly and unexpectedly ask about his relationship status, as it was seeming less and less likely that she had done so for purely academic reasons. But if he could have just left it at that and moved on, it would’ve been better for everyone involved. Instead, in a display that was becoming all too obvious to him in recent days, he had to start talking before he started thinking.

As much as he wished he’d kept his mouth shut, that wasn’t to say he didn’t mean everything he told her, including what he said near the end. Or rather, what he was about to say before he stopped himself. The truth was, it would be awesome if he could meet someone on Earth who was anything like Twilight. Both smart and funny, naive and quirky, but at the same time deeply compassionate and strong-willed. She was also cuter than a basket full of kittens; but then again, so were a lot of other ponies. He could admit to finding a certain amount of appeal in such a person if they were human, but... Twilight herself?

Nope. Not gonna happen, he concluded resolutely. No ponies. I’m not that desperate.

Connor opened his eyes and blinked a few times before taking in a deep lungful of air and leaning forwards. He placed a hand on his neck as he twisted it around to work out a kink that the wooden bench had given him, then sighed as he folded his hands together and looked out at his surroundings.

“Why am I even thinking about this?” he muttered to himself. As if a relationship with an alien horse from another universe could even be considered within the realm of possibility. He was better off stopping that line of thought as quickly as he could, before his treacherous imagination took that idea to its logical-- Too late.

“No. Bad brain. Stop it.” Connor gave himself a few chastising knocks on the head. “That’s a bad place. Don’t go there.”

True, it didn’t really matter as long as he was perfectly safe in his own head, but simply the fact that he knew it was wrong was enough to send a subconscious shiver down his spine.

I wonder when Twilight’s gonna come back, he thought to himself in an effort to focus on something else. It had only been a couple of minutes, and the unicorn had said she was only going a few houses down the street. Out of curiosity, Connor raised his head up and looked from side to side.

“Speak of the devil,” he said, catching a glimpse of lavender fur coming up the road to his right.

He got up to his feet, stretching out as he did, as Twilight made her way over to the bench. Her eyes flickered up to acknowledge him and her neutral expression turned a bit more friendly, but other than that, she didn’t say anything. Connor noticed that she didn’t have the aforementioned telescope with her, which was surprising, given that it was the only reason for going there in the first place.

“Hey, no telescope?” he asked her when she was close enough, hoping nothing was amiss.

Twilight shook her head. “Not quite. Lyra asked me if she could keep it for a little longer. I told her I need it back within the next two weeks, but she promised she’d be done with it by then, so I allowed it.”

“Oh, okay,” Connor replied as Twilight walked past him with a flick of her head, and he fell into step next to her. “By the way, I’m curious: what does this ‘Lyra’ need your telescope for, anyway?”

At this, Twilight grunted and gave an exasperated shrug of her shoulders as she kept walking. “I have no idea, and I didn’t feel like asking her about it. Lyra’s always had a few… eccentric hobbies.”

“‘Eccentric hobbies’?” Connor asked, cracking an amused grin. “Like what?”

Twilight looked up at him with a look of caution in her eyes. “If you ever get the chance to ask her yourself, don’t. Trust me, she’ll be talking your ear off for hours.” She returned her gaze straight ahead and sighed. “I honestly don’t know how Bon-bon puts up with it.”

“Bon-bon?”

“Her housemate,” Twilight explained.

“Ah,” Connor said, nodding, and left it at that. He took it as a positive sign that Twilight was speaking to him again, since he’d assumed there would still be some lingering discomfort around the fact that they’d touched on an issue that neither had expected to come up. Thankfully, this didn’t appear to be the case.

It was easy to see that Twilight’s demeanor had changed slightly in the time she’d been gone. As opposed to being purposefully distant after the “marefriend” comment, she seemed to be a little more relaxed and amenable, leading Connor to hope that maybe she’d forgotten about the whole thing, or at least put it out of her mind. This was only partly true, for while Twilight had used their short time apart to critically analyze her own behavior and settle on it simply being a fluke based on unsubstantiated observations and poorly chosen wording (on both sides), she’d hardly forgotten about it.

Regardless, it was something she could sort out as soon as her current tasks were done, and Twilight was determined to recapture the mood she’d been in at the day’s outset, when she hadn’t been made so self-conscious about her behavior towards the human.

Anyway, it relieved Connor that she wasn’t about to bring it up again, which was fine by him, because he’d rather take another pleasant traipse through the Everfree than reopen that can of worms.

“So, what’s happening in two weeks?” Connor asked, changing the subject. By now, the two of them had made their way into a more residential neighborhood of Ponyville, so there weren’t as many ponies on the open streets, and the quiet was much more noticeable.

Twilight’s ears twitched slightly, and she seemed a little caught off-guard by the question. “Oh, um… Well, do you know what comets are?”

“Pfft. Of course I know what a comet is.” Connor waved his hand condescendingly. “Wait, is that what’s happening? There’s gonna be a comet?”

“That’s right!” said Twilight, a little more enthusiastically. “Exactly two weeks from tomorrow, the orbit of Astrolia’s Comet is going to take it right past Equis. It’ll be so close, you could see it with the naked eye!”

The unicorn’s features were almost sparkling while she talked, as if a switch had been flipped, and it was obvious that this was a very big deal to her. And it wasn’t hard for Connor to imagine why. After all, who didn’t think space was cool?

“That’s pretty neat,” Connor commented, attempting to match his friend’s excitement. “I’ve never seen a comet before, but I’ve always wanted to.”

“Me neither. About the having seen the comet part,” Twilight clarified with a smile creasing her muzzle. “It’ll be the perfect chance to study their composition up close. That’s why it’s imperative that I have my telescope by then. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“Heheh…” Connor chuckled, amused by the unicorn’s childlike glee at the prospect. “Well, you sure convinced me. If I’m still sticking around by then, can I come too?”

Twilight answered without a second thought. “Of course you can. In fact, I was planning on inviting the others, too. It’ll be just like the centennial meteor shower we all watched a while ago. Gosh, that sure was a night to remember…”

Twilight sighed, her eyes clouding over as she fondly recalled the memory of that night. How it seemed like every pony in Ponyville turned up to watch the stars fall like diamonds streaking across the night sky, and how having her friends to share the occasion with just made it all the more perfect. A small snicker escaped her lips when she remembered how Spike fell asleep curled up in Pinkie’s empty punch bowl, and she had to carry him all the way back to the library. Not to mention that was also the night she’d met Owloysius. With such an eventful day like that, she wondered what delights could be in store for her on the night of the comet...

Twilight snapped out of her solipsism to realize she’d spent almost half a minute lost in her memories, which had left her with an idle curiosity about Connor that was a far sight more innocent than the one she was determined not to address any time soon.

“Speaking of which, have you ever seen a meteor shower?” she asked, turning her head up at Connor to find that he had a puzzled expression on his face. With his head cocked to the side, he seemed to be too focused on something else to hear her. “Um… hello?”

Connor blinked a few times and did a double take in response. “Oh, sorry, I was just... uh,” he mumbled distractedly, still apparently listening for something. “Do you hear that?”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Hear what?”

“It sounds like…” Connor paused and concentrated, just to make sure. “...music. It’s music.”

“Oh, not this again.” The mare brought a hoof to her face, believing her friend was about to have another overblown reaction to one of Ponyville’s run-of-the-mill musical events.

“No, no, it’s different this time.” Connor quickly rebuffed her with a raised hand, and just to humor him, Twilight stopped and listened too.

The human was right. There was something vaguely musical floating through the air around them, but it wasn’t somepony singing, or some kind of instrumental song. All it consisted of was five faint, low frequency beats, repeating in a pattern nearly once per second. It wasn’t what would typically register to Twilight as “music,” which is why she hadn’t picked up on it before now. But to Connor, it was more than just an arrangement of five bass notes.

It was a familiar five bass notes.

Without another word, Connor suddenly took off running in the direction the song was apparently coming from.

“What? Connor, where are you going!?” Twilight called after him before putting her own hooves in motion and chasing him down the street.

It can’t be. It’s gotta be some kind of fluke, Connor thought at first as he ran. But as he grew closer to the apparent source of the music and could now make out the accompanying vocals and other instruments, it sounded unmistakably like Phoenix’s “1901”; a song that couldn’t possibly be heard in Equestria.

Connor didn’t have time to think more about it as the source came into view. On the porch of one of the houses lining the road was a snow-white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and tail, a musical note for a cutie mark, and large, tinted purple sunglasses covering her eyes. She was currently bobbing her head to the beat of the song, which was emanating from a black box about the size of a toaster, with speakers and an antenna that she had a foreleg draped over. It looked just like a simple radio, but the fact that it was playing Earth music made it just as much a source of confusion.

The white pony seemed to notice Connor rushing up the street and she tilted her head quizzically, reaching up to lift her sunglasses and get a better look. She squinted her shockingly red eyes for a second before recognition dawned on her face and she grinned, lowering her shades again. Meanwhile, the music kept on playing at a volume that was just shy of socially acceptable, even though the bass was set high enough to almost make Connor’s skull vibrate from his horn to his teeth.

“Hey, you’re that guy!” the unicorn said with a distinct lack of specificity, waving a hoof at the human as he came to a halt just in front of the house. “What’s up?”

“Where is that song coming from?” Connor wasted no time in asking, displaying an amount of urgency that caught the pony off-guard.

“Uh…” She looked down at her simple music player. “It’s a radio, dude.”

Connor sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can see that it’s a radio. I mean how is it playing that song?”

The bespectacled pony just stared at him for a few long seconds, like she was trying to judge whether he was being serious or just acting crazy. Just then, Twilight caught up to him and came around to his side, catching the other pony’s attention and causing her to grin again.

“Oh, hey, ‘sup Twilight?” She raised her hoof in another lazy wave. “Somethin’ wrong with your buddy, here?”

“Hello, Vinyl. And no, I don’t know what’s going on,” Twilight responded hurriedly, before looking up at Connor. “What on Equis is this about, Connor?”

“Th-that song! It’s not supposed to be here!” He pointed at the radio that apparently belonged to this pony named Vinyl.

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization and she brought a hoof to her lips. “Wait, you mean…”

“Yes!”

The lavender unicorn tossed a curious glance at the device. “But, how is that possible?”

“I don’t know, it shouldn’t be! The only place in Equestria those songs could come from is my…” Connor stuck his hand in his pocket, expecting to produce his iPod and headphones.

His hand came back empty, and just for a second, Connor couldn’t breathe. With increased urgency, he tried his other pocket; also empty. Patting his jeans came up the same. Gone. His iPod was just… gone.

At the very least, he now knew how Phoenix had ended up playing on an Equestrian radio, but this fact didn’t bring him any comfort. In fact, it did the opposite. It meant that someone, somewhere, had his iPod switched on and plugged in to some machine that was broadcasting its contents to the world, all the while bringing it steadily closer to being nothing but an expensive blue paperweight. And this only raised even more questions. Did he lose track of it somehow, leading to it being picked up by some random pony? If so, how did they know it was supposed to play music, let alone how to turn it on? Or even navigate the touch-sensitive screen without fingers!?

As these questions and more strained Connor’s thoughts, Vinyl slowly leaned forwards with a look of concern on her face. “Uh, would one of you guys mind telling me what’s going on?”

The white unicorn’s question snapped Connor to attention, and he turned to look at Vinyl with grim seriousness. “How long have you been listening to this music? What station’s broadcasting it?” he demanded.

Vinyl’s ears perked up, and the smile returned to her muzzle. “Oh, check it! So, I was just sittin’ here, ya know, minding my own business and flippin’ through the channels, when I get to one on a frequency I never heard nothin’ on before. Musta just popped up today.”

“And how long has it been since you found it?” Connor asked through grit teeth.

“Dunno, ‘bout an hour, I guess?” Vinyl gave an innocent shrug of her shoulders. “It’s gotta be some kind of underground indie thing. Like, real underground. These guys have been playing stuff from groups I ain’t even heard of. Some of it’s been kinda ‘meh,’ but check out the bass on this one! Pretty crunchy, right?”

The “crunchy” bass that the audiophile pony was referring to had just overtaken the vocals of the song as it transitioned into the ending refrain, but far from being able to enjoy it, Connor was instead fraught with worry. His iPod had been playing for an hour at least, meaning it could’ve been close to dead already.

Connor closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on mentally retracing his steps in the hope that he could figure out at what point he and his iPod parted ways.

The last time I actually took it out was back at Zecora’s. Did it fall out of my pocket when we were running from the timberwolves? Did that stupid rabbit take it while I was sleeping? he asked himself as 1901’s final note faded to silence. It surprised him how everything that had happened so far that day could render him ignorant of the fact that his jacket pockets were empty the whole time. How did I not notice this earlier!? Dammit, why can’t I keep better track of my shit!?

Suddenly, a burst of rustling and static emitted from the radio’s speakers… followed by a revelation that was going to make a lot of things very clear, very quickly.

“Hey, there! Thanks for tuning in to CMC Radio!” squeaked a tiny but excited voice. “Once again, I’m your host, DJ Sweetie B! Still dunno what a DJ is, but that last song sure was something, huh?”

CMC... The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The schoolhouse. His coat, hanging on the wall when “DJ Sweetie B” excused herself from the playground to use the restroom. Everything came together in that instant, causing a tide of righteous anger to start welling up inside Connor, even as the blissfully unaware voice of Rarity’s kid sister continued to play.

“And we’ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.” There was a brief pause. “Uh, that’s something radio people say, right, Apple Bloom?”

“Why’re ya askin’ me?” followed the earth pony filly.

“Do we even have sponsors?” questioned a third voice, belonging to nobody else but Scootaloo.

This was followed by even more silence, and while Connor might have found the exchange entertaining at literally any other moment, right now his fists were clenched so tight that Twilight could hear a few of his knuckles pop.

“...Aaaanyway, what’s coming up next, Scootaloo?”

“How should I know? You’re the one with the thing,” Scootaloo countered.

“Oh, right. Juuuust a second.” More rustling came over the speakers, bringing Connor to imagine that she was fumbling with the device using her hooves, trying to activate it in the way he had been all too willing to demonstrate at Pinkie’s party. For some reason, the thought just made him more upset, like they were treating it as if it was just a toy or some plaything. But it wasn’t, not to him. “Here we go, next song! Enjoy!”

“And don’t forget, everypony, yer listenin’ to CMC Radio,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Comin’ to y’all straight from our clubhouse down here in beautiful Sweet Apple Acres! Till next time!”

So they’re in Sweet Apple Acres, Connor considered, at least glad to have had that question answered before he needed to ask it. The only thing left to do now was to get to this clubhouse of theirs and take back what was his… before it was too late to do anything about it.

Connor looked over to Twilight. “Which way is Sweet Apple Acres?” he asked her, his body itching with the desire to get moving as fast as he could, while the opening guitar sting of what he recognized as the song "Spotlight" began coming through over the radio via his iPod.

“Just hold on, Connor,” she cautioned, understanding that he was justifiably angry, but at the same time worried he might do something rash. “I know that--”

“I’m not playing around here, Twilight. Just point me in the right direction,” he restated, trying to keep from raising his voice at her. After all, she wasn’t the one in trouble, unlike three certain young ponies who would be very soon.

It took one second of Twilight looking up into her friend’s eyes to see that he really was on a hair trigger right then. “It’s, uh…” She hesitantly raised a hoof towards the general direction of Applejack’s farmhouse. “It’s over that way, but we should--”

The exact moment she finished pointing, Connor turned in that direction and took off running.

“Connor, wait!” Twilight called out to him as his legs pounded the street as if his life depended on it. Seeing that talking through this wasn’t going to be very effective, she started running after him as fast as her hooves could carry her. “Just hold on for a second!”

And just like that, they were gone, leaving behind a particularly perplexed Vinyl Scratch, who merely looked on with her head tilted to the side and a dumbfounded expression on her face.

“Doubleyou-tee-bee?” she muttered, before ultimately deciding it really wasn’t worth worrying about. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders again, turning her attention back to her radio just as the song picked up tempo with the starting up of the drums. Her ears twitched appreciatively with the beat, and she reached over to crank up the volume even more.

She was really digging this new station.

The sound of his shoes hitting the street felt loud in Connor’s ears as he continued to sprint through Ponyville, his mind laser-focused on a singular goal: stopping the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And he didn’t pause even for a second to consider how absurd that sounded.

Right now, it didn’t matter that he was already breathing heavily, or that exerting himself like this after what he pulled off the day before probably wasn’t a good thing for his body. It also didn’t matter that Twilight was trying to keep up while simultaneously imploring him to slow down. He was a man on a mission, and nothing was going to stop him before he got to Sweet Apple acres, because every second counted -- literally.

As Connor rounded a corner in the road, skidding his shoes on the coarse dirt, his goal came into view far in the distance. The red-painted barn and townhouse that belonged to Applejack sat on a hill overlooking the town, so it was in plain sight now that he’d reached the end of the residential areas. He kept his focus on it even as he ran, unheeding of the ponies lining the street that took notice as he rushed past them.

Connor tried his best to avoid running into anything in his mad dash, and in actuality, it wasn’t really that hard. He’d gotten a lot of practice in during middle and high school, weaving between the throngs of students on his way to his next class. The only difference now was the fact that he was dodging ponies, not people.

But, focused as he was on a straight line in front of him, he was left blind to obstacles coming in from the sides, and he had only a moment to spare as a wooden cart unexpectedly pushed out of a nearby side street and directly into his path.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, angling his momentum to keep from impacting the cart, which he noticed was piled high with leafy green vegetables. He succeeded, if barely, only he caught the edge of it on his hip, which almost sent him sprawling. The action caused the cart to tip over, spilling some of its contents on the ground while Connor regained his balance and continued forward, only taking a brief moment to look back at what had happened and issue a quick apology. “Sorry!”

“My cabbages!” The beige-colored earth pony who had been pushing the cart watched in horror as his precious wares fell to the dirt. Then his eyes flashed with anger beneath the green beret he was wearing, and he looked back at the person who’d committed this atrocity and raised his hoof in indignation. “Hey! Get back here, you… you brigand!”

A purple glimmer in the corner of his vision caught the cabbage peddler’s attention, and he glanced over to see the dropped cabbages wrapped in a magic field and floating back into place atop the cart. Soon after, the violet unicorn who’d just cast the spell ran by, saying a quick “Sorry about that!” before continuing pursuit.

“Ergh, but… but...” the pony stuttered, looking back and forth between the chase and his cart in a moment of confusion before giving up and shaking his head. With a sigh and some nondescript grumbling, the cabbage peddler went on his way.

As the thatched buildings gave way to the shop stalls and colorful tents of the Ponyville markets, the effects of Connor’s prolonged sprint were catching up with him. His legs burned from the effort and his still tender muscles were aching for a break. He was starting to seriously doubt he could make it all the way up the hill at the rate he was going; a doubt that became a lot more justified as he developed a painful cramp in his side, forcing him to put on the brakes near the outskirts of town.

All but panting for breath, he used one arm to prop himself up on a nearby fence post while the other was busy trying to massage away the knot just beneath his ribs. This left more than enough time for Twilight, who had been keeping pace the whole way, to make up the rest of the distance between them. The pony was also slightly out of breath, but had more than enough left to say what was on her mind.

“What’s gotten into you!?” she demanded.

Connor looked down at her with an annoyed expression. “Weren’t you paying attention?” he said between gasps of air. “Those stupid kids stole my iPod!”

Twilight snorted. “Yes, I could gather that much,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “That’s still no reason to just take off like a madpony. I can see why you’re upset, but forgive me if I don’t share your sense of urgency.”

“It’s not just the fact that they stole it. That’s not what I…” Connor breathed out and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Look, do you remember what I said about its battery? If those three run it until it dies, then I’ll… I’ll lose… Ugh, never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”

By now, Connor had rested just enough to get back some of his stamina, and he pushed away from the fence to start down the dirt path again, though at a much slower pace than before. Twilight stayed back for the moment, thinking about what Connor had said and, armed with this new information, trying to see the situation from his point of view.

“No, I think I do understand,” she spoke up suddenly, her shift in tone causing Connor to stop and turn around. She nodded to him, her face displaying a certain amount of empathy. “Alright. I can probably teleport us the rest of the way. And when we get there, we can explain the situation to Applejack and let her handle it, okay?”

As much as he felt like protesting, Connor had to admit she had a point. Teleporting right there did sound more appealing -- not to mention faster -- than running.

“...Fine,” Connor said shortly, folding his arms together and making his way back to Twilight. As long as we don’t waste any time when we get there.

Twilight nodded again, closing her eyes and concentrating. Her horn lit up in a faint glow as she built up enough magical energy, before it loosed a wave of solid violet light that filled Connor’s entire field of vision. He felt that same odd, shifting sensation he’d experienced the last time he’d been teleported, and a split second later, the light faded to reveal that the two of them were no longer standing by the side of the road out of Ponyville. Now, Connor found himself right underneath the vine-covered wooden arch that was the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, both the familiar sights of the bright red barn and townhouse sitting off to the side. Even the air was noticeably different, as it carried the slightest hint of blossoming apple trees.

Twilight looked around as well, just to make sure they were where they were supposed to be. “Okay, now we just need to find Applejack and--”

“There she is,” Connor said suddenly, interrupting the unicorn by pointing his finger over at a nearby field, where the unmistakable silhouette of a stetson-wearing pony could be seen pulling a large plow across the ground.

“Oh! That was fast,” Twilight remarked, before she noticed Connor already walking away from her in that direction. “Hey, wait for me!”

Together, Connor and Twilight strode purposefully across the unplanted field towards Applejack, who was too focused on her work to notice them approaching until they were close enough to hear. She raised her head at the sound, and looked over to see the two of them. The farm pony seemed surprised for a moment, before her green eyes shone pleasantly and her muzzle broke into a wide grin.

“Well, howdy, Twi! Hey there, Connor! Nice to see ya!” the orange-furred pony greeted them excitedly, raising a foreleg to wipe the sweat from her brow. “Ah sure wasn’t expectin’ company today. Y’all just come by to say hi?”

Twilight spoke up before Connor could. “It’s nice to see you too, Applejack, but I’m afraid our reason for coming isn’t that simple.”

With that, Applejack came to realize that neither of her friends shared her happy expression, with Connor in particular giving off a particularly intense scowl. Her smile fell instantly. “What’s wrong? Did somethin’ happen?” she asked, her tone turning serious.

“I’ll say. Your sister and her friends stole something that belongs to me,” Connor explained bitterly, causing Applejack to gasp with disbelief.

“Stole!? Yer sayin’ mah own sister stole from ya!?”

“We don’t know all of the details,” Twilight was quick to point out before Applejack got too excited. “But we have reason to suspect that the Crusaders have Connor’s music… thing… with them in their clubhouse.”

“And I need it back, now,” Connor added.

Shades of disappointment and dismay played out across the cowpony’s face as she absorbed this information, looking directly at Twilight. “Y’all absolutely sure?”

Twilight nodded solemnly.

“Ergh... Dangnabbit, Apple Bloom! What’d you get yerself into this time?” Applejack muttered as her face hardened and she twisted around to unfasten herself from her plow. “Come with me, their clubhouse is over yonder. We’ll get to the bottom a’ this.”

The earth pony motioned with her head to an area behind her barn and started leading her friends in that direction.

After about half a minute of walking, Applejack couldn’t help but overhear Connor sigh impatiently, and she glanced over. “Ah’m really sorry ‘bout all this trouble, ‘specially considerin’ yer… ya know, horn problems.”

What she said caught Connor by surprise, since he didn’t remember mentioning his horn at all to the orange pony, and in fact hadn’t seen her in person since the night of the party. He looked up at the top of his vision, checking to make sure it was still hidden, which it was. “Where did you hear about that?” he asked warily.

“Oh, Ah heard all about it from Rainbow Dash,” Applejack explained as the trio rounded the corner of the barn, heading deeper into the orchard. “...who heard it from Rarity, who heard it from Fluttershy.”

Connor groaned inwardly. Great. Is there anyone in town they haven’t told?

Perhaps sensing his consternation, Applejack tried to put his mind at ease. “It ain’t like that. We all know not to tell nopony else. We’re just worried about ya, that’s all.”

“Thanks, but you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle it,” Connor told her. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Fair ‘nough. We’re almost there.”

After another minute of traveling through the dense grove of apple trees, Connor could see what she meant, as a small wooden building came into view. Built into a big, gnarled old apple tree in the middle of the clearing was a simple treehouse made of salmon-pink wood with windows put in the sides. It was situated on a raised platform six feet off the ground, lined with a fence and with a green staircase leading from the front door to the surface. It looked very similar to the kind of treehouse Connor and his dad and brother built together in their backyard when he was younger. The only major difference was that this one had an ugly arrangement of what looked like metal coat hangers and wire twisted together into a crude antenna sticking out one of the windows. Based on that, it was a pretty safe bet that they’d arrived at “CMC Radio.”

Applejack took the lead as they approached the steps, the wood creaking under their weight as they made their way up. At the top, next to the door, Connor could hear the muffled sounds of three young voices talking just inside, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Another thing he noticed was that there wasn’t any music playing, either. He didn’t know if he should take that as a good or bad sign.

Applejack cleared her throat loudly before giving the door three solid knocks with the base of her hoof, and the voices inside immediately went quiet. “Apple Bloom, Ah know yer in there. Can ya come out fer a second?” she called out sternly.

A few long moments of silence later, there was the sound of hooves coming up to the entrance, followed by the door creaking inwards, revealing the fuzzy yellow head and bright red mane of Applejack’s sister.

“Uh, hey, Sis. What’s…?” Apple Bloom stopped talking suddenly upon seeing the bottoms of Connor’s jeans, and her eyes shot upwards. One look at the expression on his face and her heart dropped next to her stomach. “Uh oh...”

“Where is it?” Connor asked brusquely.

The Apple filly knew exactly what Connor meant, but the sudden pressure caused her brain to lock up. A bead of sweat started to slide down her face as she scrambled for an answer. “Wh-where’s what?” she replied, eyes shifting around nervously.

Needless to say, Connor wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “You know what.”

“Apple Bloom…” Applejack sternly stressed, glaring directly at her sister.

“Ah… uh… Well, ya see…” The little pony cast a worried glance back into the clubhouse as she stalled for time. She really didn’t know what to do or say.

By now, Connor was fed up with waiting. “Outta the way,” he told her, pushing the door in and stepping past before the filly could have a chance to object.

The inside of the clubhouse wasn’t much different than the outside. It was simple, sparsely furnished, the only decorations being a couple of posters lining the walls featuring hoof-drawn depictions of other ponies. A majority of them looked like Rainbow Dash for some reason, if the mane colors were any indication. Regardless, that wasn’t what Connor was focusing on.

Sitting toward the back, lying on a broad table, was what looked like a hastily assembled contraption made up of sheet metal, wires, and bits of various devices that included a boom mike, several sets of speakers, and a strobe light -- among other things. All connected to the makeshift antenna that was poking out the window. And close to one end, around which Scootaloo and Sweetie were currently huddled together, was his disconnected earbuds and his iPod, plugged into the machine by a single large wire.

The two fillies looked up at the intrusion, their emotions quickly mirroring that of their partner in crime. Connor crossed the floor in a few long strides, causing them to rush to their hooves and skedaddle out of the way, joining Apple Bloom by the door. Once he was at the table, he reached out and picked up his music player, yanking the connector out of the audio port before holding it out in front of him.

Please don’t be dead… Please… he silently pleaded. With one trembling finger, he clicked down on the button at the top.

The screen flashed white once, and then, nothing.

No, no, no… He pressed it again, futilely hoping beyond hope that the first time was a fluke. No such luck as the screen went dark again, and Connor realized that what he was afraid would happen had come to pass: the batteries were completely drained. For as long as he was stuck in Equestria, his iPod would never play another song.

Of course, it was an occurrence that would’ve happened eventually, as simply choosing to never use it again would have accomplished the exact same thing. But that was supposed to be his decision to make, and nobody else’s. As it stood, those three kids didn’t just steal his iPod for a while, they’d stolen his only remaining connection to Earth. And for what?

Connor was silent as his rage at this revelation started simmering again just under the surface, and it was at that moment the Cutie Mark Crusaders did the exact opposite of helping by starting up the inevitable blame game.

“I-it’s not mah fault! It was all Sweetie’s idea!” Apple Bloom protested, pointing a hoof at her unicorn friend.

“What!? No, it wasn’t!” Sweetie Belle argued back. “You’re the one who thought of ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Radio Players’!”

“Oh, yeah? Well, Ah’m not the one who took it in the first place.”

“You’re the one who didn’t want to ask first, in case he said no! And we were gonna give it back when we were done.”

“Well, yeah, until you broke it,” Scootaloo added on the sly.

“I didn’t break it!” Sweetie shot back, turning to face the pegasus. “It just stopped working!”

“That’s pretty much what ‘broken’ means.”

“Stop!” Connor shouted, his one word cutting through the air and silencing the three fillies on the spot. “Just… stop.”

Applejack herself had been just about to interject, but was cut short when Connor beat her to it. Both her and Twilight could only stand by the door and watch as the teenager took the opportunity to say exactly what was on his mind.

Fighting to keep his voice down, Connor turned and faced the Crusaders humorlessly. “Do you three have any idea what you’ve done?”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie and Scootaloo subconsciously shrunk back a little.

“We… broke it, didn’t we?” Sweetie asked meekly.

Connor breathed out in a sigh. It wasn’t actually broken, but he didn’t have the time nor the patience to explain that. “Yeah, it’s broken. It’s broken and I can’t fix it. You want to know why? Because I would have to go home to do that, and that’s kind of a problem right now!”

With the raising of his voice, the three young ponies cringed and started blinking rapidly, though Connor failed to notice as he continued to vent.

“Why did you do it!? Why was it so important for you to go behind my back and take this from me!? This was the only thing I had left!”

He held up the dark screen for them to see; the thing that until recently contained the only tangible reminders of the world he might never return to. That was the key detail here. It wasn’t just a collection of his favorite music, it was something he could always turn to for those rare moments when he needed something familiar to keep him going. And having that comfort taken away so suddenly and unexpectedly made him more upset than he thought possible.

“Well!? Do you have anything to say for yourselves!?”

The inside of the clubhouse was deafeningly silent while Connor waited for his answer. Three sets of large, downcast eyes were glued to the floor in front of him; three sets of shoulders hunched together in obvious remorse.

“...We’re sorry,” three wobbly voices choked out in harmony, punctuated by a tiny sniffle from Sweetie, the one in the center. And that brought Connor’s attention to something he’d missed, something he didn’t pick up on while he was too busy chewing them out to care.

Great big pools of moisture was welling up in the eyes of each of the three fillies, right on the verge of turning into tears, and time seemed to slow down for a moment as Connor took it all in. As surprising as it was, he felt his anger subside as he took a metaphorical step back.

Breathing in and out a few times, he brought up the front of his iPod to his face, catching his own blurry reflection in the dark surface and taking note of his own expression.

...What am I doing? he asked himself, touched deeply by the downright pitiful sight before him. He had a right to be angry, he knew, but just because he could act on it, didn't necessarily mean that he should. It didn’t have to be like this. He could’ve handled this differently, without crushing the spirits of these kids in the process. And they were just kids. As painful as it was to admit, all they did was make a dumb mistake. They didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.

Connor closed his eyes and slid the device into his pocket, sighing one more time while forcing himself to release his grip on the rest of his animosity. “No… I’m sorry,” he admitted slowly. “It’s… really not that big a deal.”

With a few short gasps at this unexpected confession, the Crusaders raised their eyes to him, like little lost puppies, still full of tears waiting to fall. He didn’t want them to start crying; he couldn’t handle it if they did.

“Hey… hey, don’t be like that.” As non-threateningly as he could, Connor went to his knees, his arms open and outstretched to the three ponies. He motioned with his hands that they should come closer. “Come on. Get over here.”

Hesitantly, one by one, they took his offer, getting up on their hooves and plodding their way over to him. Once they were all there, he tried to keep a stoic face as he wrapped his arms gingerly around their bodies and pulled all of them into a tight hug.

“It’s okay… I forgive you.”

One of them, Apple Bloom, sniffed loudly as she moved her head from the crook of his shoulder. “So... y’all aren’t mad?”

“No. I’m not mad.” At least, he wasn’t anymore.

“Does this mean you still want to be our friend?” asked Scootaloo, trembling against him as if the weight of her world rested on the answer.

That question went deep, delivering an emotional slug right in Connor’s gut so hard he could almost feel it. Even he was starting to get misty-eyed, so he picked his words carefully.

“Of course,” he answered without hesitation. “I’ll always be your friend. Nothing’s ever gonna change that.”

It seemed like that was exactly what they needed to hear, and he could feel all three of their soft, warm bodies relax in his embrace. And now it was his turn to take a long breath of air through his nose, uncomfortable of the fact that this was making him emotional, too. Regardless of his earlier feelings, he was nowhere near immune to the impact of those three (undeniably adorable) young ponies accepting the comfort he offered them.

Before he let the feeling last long enough to make it unwelcome, he gave the Crusaders one last squeeze before releasing his grip and leaning away from them. Each of them still looked deeply remorseful, but their eyes were dry and he could tell that he did the right thing in making them feel a little better. He could almost forgive himself for yelling at them.

Connor nodded to Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, receiving gentle nods in turn, and he stood up, very much ready to leave. He took a quick second to also grab his headphones from the table and stick them in his pocket before moving back towards the door.

Connor made one apologetic look at Applejack, trying to think of something to say that communicated his regret about stepping out of line with the kids. A simple “Sorry,” was all he could come up with.

“It’s okay,” the farm pony said quietly, flashing him a reassuring smile that told him she understood what he meant.

Relieved at this, Connor turned to Twilight standing next to her and motioned with his head. “Let’s get out of here.” And with that, he set off down the clubhouse steps without a look back.

Unsure of what exactly to do at that point, Twilight looked between him and Applejack, blinking a few times. “Should I… um…”

“Go on,” the orange mare told her. “Ah can handle everythin’ here.”

“Okay... I guess I’ll see you later.” Twilight twisted around, giving one last nod to Applejack before galloping off to follow the human back through the orchard.

Meanwhile, AJ watched her go before closing her eyes and releasing a pent up sigh. With a hoof, she tilted her stetson back and prepared to face her sister and her two friends, who were still sitting glumly in the clubhouse interior.

“Alrighty. Now, then, Connor mighta seen fit to forgivin’ y’all, but that don’t mean yer not still in trouble.” She eyed each of them with a chastising glare as she talked down the line. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Ah’m gonna be havin’ a word with yer parents about this. As fer you, li’l missy...”

Apple Bloom looked up as her big sister addressed her directly. “...Yeah?”

“We’re gonna be havin’ a niiiice long chat with Big Macintosh n’ Granny later, understand?”

The cream-colored filly lowered her head. “...Yeah.”

Applejack nodded, satisfied. “Good. Now, start cleanin’ up this here mess y’all made. I’ll be back in a bit with a pitcher a’ lemonade and some fresh apple buns, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am...” all three said at once, and everyone got up to start working while Applejack returned to the house.

And as soon as the mare was safely out of earshot, Scootaloo started airing the grievance on her mind to her fellow Crusaders. “Aw, ponyfeathers. And I just got done being grounded for that thing with the rose bushes.”

Though it didn’t take long for Twilight to catch up to Connor on his way out of the orchard, not a word was shared between them at first. Though the sun was still shining bright through the budding branches overhead, it felt as though it should’ve been cloudy.

Twilight herself was unsure exactly how to engage him, considering the unpredictability of his mood confronting the Cutie Mark Crusaders, while Connor just didn’t feel like saying much of anything. He wore a neutral face as they came out of the grove of apple trees near the barn where they entered, and started making their way to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres.

Finally, Twilight mustered up the courage to make as innocent an inquiry as she could. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Without pausing in his stride, Connor looked over to the lavender unicorn, seeing her ears pulled back like she was stepping on eggshells. “What is there to talk about, Twilight? We were too late, nothing we could do.” He sighed, using a hand to rub his eyes. “It’s just… stupid. Doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“But it does matter, at least to you,” Twilight said consolingly. “It might’ve just been music, but it was obviously something you really wanted to hold on to.”

Connor idly fingered the device in his pocket, feeling a slight pang of loss. “Yeah, you’re right. And I really wanted them to know it. But when I saw those three like that, I just…” He flashed back to the fillies’ faces, still fresh in his mind. “I couldn’t do it. Everyone makes mistakes, especially kids. It wasn’t worth our friendship just so I could be angry about something nobody can change.”

The human’s words struck a surprising chord in Twilight. It was the first time she’d heard him refer to friendship like that; like it truly meant something beyond the meaning of the word.

“You’ve really changed, haven’t you?” she said after a while.

That was something Connor didn’t expect her to say. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Since you got here,” Twilight clarified. “When I first met you, I honestly couldn’t see you doing and saying these kinds of things. In fact… you’ve been surprising me a lot, lately.”

“You really think so?” If Twilight was referring to the scene with the Crusaders, Connor was doubtful. Rethinking the situation, he couldn’t see himself acting any differently, considering the circumstances. “I don’t feel like I’ve changed any. As far as I can tell, I’ve just been being myself.”

Twilight reflected on this for a moment. “Maybe that’s it, then. Maybe you’re just finally letting yourself, be yourself.”

Connor didn’t respond right away, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Twilight could’ve been on to something. “I have been feeling a lot more comfortable, lately... Maybe a little too comfortable.”

It was true. Whereas before, Connor felt like an outcast among these ponies, now it just seemed… normal. What a scary thought that was: that he might actually be growing accustomed to his state of affairs. But was that really a bad thing?

Given the chance to return to Earth, Connor was still fully intent on doing so. Yet, perhaps it was time to face a very uncomfortable truth; one he’d been trying his hardest to run away from ever since he arrived. He could be staying in Equestria... for a very long time. In the back of his mind, he knew it was always possible, but the loss of his iPod was a crystallization of this fact.

And in light of all this, Connor couldn’t help but consider: Equestria, Ponyville, these ponies… his new friends. If he really was trapped in this universe, perhaps forever, well… he could think of worse things, he supposed.

Because even if he was, and the days passed by with his chances of going home growing ever more remote, he knew he had the best friends he could ever ask for there to help him when he needed it.

By now, he and Twilight had reached the bottom of the hill and were back on the road to Ponyville, and Connor realized he’d left the unicorn hanging on his last thought, and she’d been patiently waiting for him to finish.

“You know, most of that’s probably thanks to you guys,” he told her, trying to lighten the mood and cheer himself up a little. “It’s nice… It helps, knowing that you have friends that’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”

Twilight nodded. “You’re absolutely right. We’ll always be here for you… no matter what.”

“Thanks. It’s really nice to hear that.” And it truly was. He could almost feel a little flicker of snuggly warmth settling in his body, and for lack of a better word, it felt good. “I guess the thing I really wanna say is… I’m glad I met you.”

“Oh, um,” Twilight could feel a bit of blush coming through her fur, even though she was pretty certain he meant “you” as in her and her friends. But just in case, she felt like she should return the sentiment. “...I’m glad I met you, too.”

There was a calm silence between them for a while, save for the gentle breeze through the trees, as the distance between them and Ponyville slowly grew shorter. Twilight was still thinking heavily; about many things, some freshly stirred up by everything Connor had told her without reservation. But one thing in particular stood out in her mind.

“Did you really mean what you said to the Crusaders back there? That you’d always be their friend?” she asked him out of the blue.

Connor looked over to her, puzzled. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just… Well, you don’t know that; not for sure. Celestia could send you back to Earth eventually, maybe even tomorrow, and then you’d never see any of us again,” she continued. The words were out of her mouth before she really considered them, and on hearing herself say it, the thought made her… sad.

Connor put a hand to his chin, considering what she was saying. “But would that really change anything?” He took note of the unicorn’s slightly concerned expression, like she was honestly expecting an answer that she herself couldn’t figure out on her own. Considering her established reputation, Connor actually found this amusing. “Come on, Twilight. Aren’t you supposed to be an expert on friendship, or something?”

Twilight reared back a bit, unsure if it was phrased as an inquiry or an insult. “And just what do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is, friendships don’t just end when your friends go away,” he explained to her, feeling strangely sagelike. “As long as you remember how they made you feel when you’re with them, and they do the same for you, then you’re still friends… no matter how far away they are.”

Twilight gasped sharply as Connor’s words made something click. Hearing it said like that… Well, it somehow made perfect sense in such a way that she was shocked she hadn’t considered it before. She actually had to stop and think about this for a second.

It seemed that even after everything she’d been through during the past two years of living in Ponyville, she still had a few lessons in friendship left to learn; and from a source she never in a thousand years would have expected. “Wow…”

Connor caught on to the reason for her surprise, and was able to find humor in it. “I know, right? Maybe I really have changed,” he said with a smile. “I don’t usually wax philosophical like that.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Connor?” Twilight joked back. “Keep this up and I’m gonna start suspecting you of having been replaced by a changeling.”

Connor chuckled. “Don’t worry, I think I’m done being all sappy and sentimental for today.” To illustrate his point, he reached his arms up and stretched out his arms, groaning from the built up feelings of fatigue. “I actually could really go for a good nap right now.”

“Why? Do you feel tired?”

“Mmm, a little,” Connor said, massaging his shoulder. To be honest, he was feeling a lot more than that. His sprint from earlier really hadn’t done him any favors, and it felt like the day was literally catching up with him, making his body start to feel weird and achy all over. Connor relayed this to Twilight.

“You can get all the rest you need when we’re back at the library,” she assured him with a smile. “Maybe I can ask Spike to whip up a fresh kettle of tea, too.”

“Yeah…” Tea and a nap sounded like an excellent idea. “I think I’d like that, Twilight.”

Twilight and Connor took their time returning to the Golden Oak Library, and the angle of the sun when they got there left the impression that it was getting on in the hours. But it didn’t matter to Connor what time it was; he was ready for a well-deserved break after a day as eventful as this.

Twilight went first, opening the door with her magic and stepping inside, followed by Connor, who closed the door behind him. He leaned his back against the hardwood, breathing out slowly and feeling a little lightheaded.

“We’re back, Spike,” Twilight said to her draconic assistant, who was currently busying himself dusting off some of the higher shelves of books using a tall ladder.

Spike turned his head at the new arrivals. “Oh, hey, Twi! Hey, Connor!” The baby dragon grabbed the sides of the ladder and slid all the way down before walking towards the door. “So, how was your day?”

“It was… eventful,” Twilight replied, looking back at Connor out of the corners of her eyes. “But it sure feels good to be back home. How about you?”

Spike shrugged his scaly shoulders. “Eh, nothing much. Oh! But we did get a reply from the Princess!”

Twilight perked up instantly upon hearing this. “Really? What did it say?”

“No idea. I didn’t read it,” Spike said, making his way to a cabinet against the wall, on which a bundled scroll sat, wrapped tightly in a purple ribbon. “It’s addressed to Connor.”

“Huh, I wonder what it says.” Twilight eyed Connor to gauge his reaction, though it seemed like he wasn’t paying that much attention. “Connor? Are you listening?

“Huh? What?” Connor blinked a few times, then looked down to notice for the first time that Spike was standing there, holding a scroll up in his claws for him to take. “Oh, right. Letter.”

He reached out and accepted the scroll from Spike, then started walking across the room toward the stairs. As he did, Twilight noticed how he seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked him, taking a few hesitant steps forward.

“I’ll be fine... Just need to sit down for a bit,” he said, brushing her off and easing himself down on one of the steps with a groan. Trying to ignore the annoying buzzing sensation that was trickling into his extremities, he unspooled the binding on the scroll and slowly unfolded it in front of him. “Dear Connor,” he started to read.

He tried to focus on the next words, but for some reason he was having trouble concentrating. Connor thought that sitting down would make him feel better, but on the contrary: that weird feeling had only grown more pronounced, settling into the pit of his stomach like… He didn’t even know how to describe it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Twilight asked again, starting to get concerned. “You don’t look so good.”

“No, I uh… I don’t…” Connor put down the scroll, using his other hand to rub his eyes, behind which an unsettlingly familiar pressure was forming. “Something’s not right. I feel… weird.”

“Should I go get a bucket or something?” Spike suggested, pointing a thumb towards the kitchen, before Twilight inhaled sharply.

“I don’t think that’s the problem, Spike,” she said, her voice taking on a new level of urgency. “Connor… your horn…”

“My… horn?”

Connor glanced up to see what Twilight was referring to. The unicorn’s invisibility spell was apparently wearing off, the image bending and shifting as if it was being disrupted somehow. But beneath the fading enchantment, something else was happening. Connor, Twilight, and Spike looked on with rapt attention as tiny motes of light peeked into existence through the veil, followed by what was unmistakably a glow. A maroon-red glow, softly encapsulating the white horn.

Before any of them could begin to question it, the glow flashed briefly, and Connor flinched, feeling a static discharge race across his skin. Then, another pulse, another flash, the aura surrounding his horn undulating and steadily growing brighter, until there was a sudden explosion of red light at the base of his forehead.

“AGH!” Connor cried out. Pain. Pain so immediate and intense it nearly knocked the wind out of him raced through his body, radiating out from his core. He wrapped his arms around his stomach as he hunched forwards, almost falling to the floor.

“What!? What is it, what’s wrong!?” Twilight called out frantically, her eyes going wide with fear.

Keeping his eyes clenched in anguish, it took a massive amount of will to keep his words from devolving into screams. “It hurts! It hurts! Oh, God, Twilight, it hurts so much!”

Connor loosed another strangled cry as a fresh wave of pain erupted from his spine, causing him to wrench back and fall to the ground on his side. It felt like his bones had been replaced with molten metal, every nerve ending alight and burning from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Meanwhile, Twilight looked about desperately, unable to understand what was going on.

“What do we do, Twilight!?” Spike asked her, looking to her for answers she didn’t have while Connor writhed in agony before them.

“I don’t know!” Everything was happening too fast, and the sudden stress was making it hard to think. That, and the horrible sounds of her friend’s stifled screams.

“I-I’ll go get somepony to help!” Spike offered, getting up and running to the door.

“Spike, wait!” Twilight held up a hoof to stop her assistant.

“He’s in trouble, Twi! We gotta do something!”

“I know, but not here!” the mare spoke as fast as she could formulate the plan that was assembling itself in her head. “I’ll take Connor to the hospital, you get the girls and tell them to meet us there!”

Spike started to nod, but paused when something didn’t make sense about Twilight’s plan. “Wait, how are you gonna get him there?”

“I’ll teleport us!” Twilight answered shortly, her horn already beginning to smolder violet.

“Are you crazy, Twi!?” Spike sputtered out. “The hospital is clear across town! You can’t--”

“I can do it!” The unicorn placed a protective hoof on her friend, picturing the hospital interior as clearly as she could while the spell formulated around her. “Don’t worry about me, just go!”

Twilight closed her eyes and let loose the spell. With a huge burst of violet light, both she and Connor vanished from the library, leaving behind nothing but a few quickly dispersing sparkles and a thoroughly freaked-out dragon child. To Spike’s credit, though, he was determined to follow Twilight’s orders to the letter.

Twilight’s gonna be fine, she can handle it, he reassured himself as he sped out the door, his heart hammering. He was far more afraid of what he was going to find when he made it to the hospital. Oh, Celestia. Please be okay, Connor.

Humming an airy tune to herself, Nurse Bedside Manner closed the door to Mrs. Fields’ room after just stopping by to deliver her hospital dinner. She turned around to the cart sitting in the hall, stacked high with trays filled with more of the same, and gently nudged it along to continue her rounds. At the next door in line, she stopped the cart and stepped right up to the door, raising a hoof.

As she cleared her throat and prepared to knock, something made her stop abruptly. One of her ears turned around, focusing in on a subtle clinking and clattering coming from the trays of food behind her. Her head followed suit, just in time to catch a glimpse of her cart vibrating almost imperceptibly in response to… something.

“What in the world?” Betty tilted her head slowly in confusion, idly curious about this oddity visiting her on an otherwise uneventful workday. Then, her workday got a lot more interesting.

With a burst of air pressure and light washing over her sky-blue fur, two beings popped into existence right in front of her.

“Oh, my goodness gracious!” she shouted, the abrupt event nearly giving the poor mare a heart attack. After taking a second to calm herself, she was actually able to take stock of what she was looking at.

The two figures were familiar, that much was apparent from the start. There was Twilight, the violet unicorn that everypony knew about, and then there was the curious bipedal being she had treated for his case of spontaneous horn growth a few days prior. Connor; that was his name. The second thing she noticed was that Twilight had gone from standing on all fours to sitting on her haunches, breathing heavily, and Connor was curled on the ground in something resembling the fetal position.

The third thing she noticed was the anguished cries coming from the human, and she snapped right back into reality.

“What is going on here!?” she inquired right away, rushing over to the boy who was obviously suffering in immense pain.

Twilight raised her head, looking like she was fighting to stay conscious. “No time… Help him…” she gasped out.

“O-okay, dearie. Yes, that’s right, um...” Like the professional she was, Nurse Betty went from being a startled mare to recognizing the criticality of the situation. “Emergency! We have an emergency! Prep the ICU! Somepony get a gurney over here!”

Through vision that stung through his tears, Connor could see the two sets of hooves around him quickly joined by more, along with more frantic shouting as orders were dished out and duties were assigned to deal with this emergency. Soon after, he was lifted up -- most likely by magic -- onto a gurney to be whisked away to another part of the hospital.

With doors opening all up and down the hall to reveal curious patients wondering what the commotion was about, Twilight tried to recover from her (some might say reckless) expenditure of magic, shakily getting to her hooves to try and follow Connor. She almost stumbled, but Bedside Manner was there to keep her steady.

“Careful, dearie. You look like you’re about to pass out, there, don'tcha know.”

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight said, trying to shake her head free of fatigue. “I just… need to--”

“What you need is a glass of water and a place to lie down,” Betty argued, with a voice that was gentle but as firm as the grip she held onto the unicorn with. “Your friend is in good hooves. Now, come with me before you go joining him in the ICU a little prematurely, eh?”

Twilight didn’t want to admit it, but the nurse had a point. She turned her head and nodded weakly in response, letting the earth pony mare lead her away to somewhere she could regain her energy. With a final look back in the direction they’d taken Connor, Twilight’s expression was filled with regret, and she silently vowed to return as soon as she could.

Meanwhile, the scene in the emergency room was total chaos.

The doctor on call, a tan unicorn in a white coat with a heart monitor cutie mark, surveyed what was in front of him as two nurses wheeled in the emergency patient and put him on the bed. He was passingly familiar with the odd non-pony, having initially examined him when he was brought in the first time. Already unconscious, he was a lot easier to deal with then. Now, the human could barely keep still, thrashing about in constant pain from a condition the pony had absolutely no idea about. But, he had to start somewhere.

“Nurse, I need you to pull up his file,” he gruffly addressed one of the hospital staff standing nearby, who nodded and rushed out of the room. Next, he turned to the only other pony in attendance. “Redheart, try to keep him still. He’s likely to hurt himself if he keeps going on like that.”

“Yes, Doctor,” the white pony replied, taking up position next to the patient. “What do you think is wrong with him?”

The doctor frowned as he adjusted the spectacles on his snout. “I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with a case like this before, and I--”

The unicorn was interrupted as Connor loosed another earsplitting scream, accompanied by something else; another sound that sent shivers down the spine of the seasoned medical veteran. Something that no doctor ever wants to hear: the unmistakable sound of splitting bone.

“What in the name of Celestia is happening to him?” he wondered aloud. His hesitation only lasted a moment, however. Now was the time for action, not conjecture. The differential diagnosis could wait. “Whatever this is, we need to do something to handle the pain. I doubt normal painkillers will be enough. We’ll have to sedate him.”

“Are you sure, Doctor?”

“Until we know more, it’s our only option.” The doctor moved around to a nearby table, encasing it in a green glow from his horn and removing a thin syringe. From another drawer, he fished out a tiny bottle of clear liquid. “Roll back his sleeve. I’m going to give him the sedative now.”

The nurse did as she was told, taking Connor’s arm in hoof and revealing the skin. As she did so, she couldn’t help but notice his hand clenched so hard his nails looked like they were about to draw blood, but she didn’t have long to dwell on it before the doctor stepped in beside her with the readied syringe. With barely any ceremony, he directed it towards a vein that he located using his magic, and pressed the plunger.

To Connor, the prick of the needle barely registered against the firestorm of sensation wracking his body, but at least the effects of the tranquilizer were mercifully immediate. Right away, the pain began to subside, and with it, his grip on wakefulness. As his body went slack and his vision dimmed, he was awake just long enough to overhear the next few things said in the room with him.

“Nurse, help me get the monitor cuff around his limb, and when you’re done with that, prep him for x-rays.”

“Of course, right away, sir. Although, I don’t think the machine is designed for people like him.”

“Well, find a way to make it work! We need to figure out what’s going on inside of him, and soon. I want this room staffed…...nurse at all times…...Notify me of any…...get through this…...alive.”

Then, finally, everything went dark.

Minutes? Hours? Days? It was impossible to tell exactly how much time had passed since his last flicker of sensation. There were only two things: darkness and silence. If there was any consolation, at least Connor could no longer feel the pain.

Then, suddenly, there was something. Only for a moment, something registered to his senses. It was faint, but it was there, and Connor, with whatever conscious faculties left to him, focused on it. After a few seconds, as Connor slowly pushed through his stupor, he was able to understand what it was: sound. It came and went, and he couldn’t hear it well enough to know what it was, but as time passed it grew from faint whispers to muddled notes.

Still barely able to form a coherent thought, Connor instinctively called upon his eyes to open -- and they did, albeit slowly. Joining the muffled sounds hitting his ears were blotches of light, fighting to resolve themselves into some kind of shape. But trying to deduce the picture was hard. The lights kept shifting around, resulting in nothing but a washed-out, fuzzy mess. So he let his eyes slide shut in order to focus harder on his hearing, which was steadily becoming clearer. Now he could pick out some particulars, of which there were four that were distinctly different from each other.

One of them was a high-pitched, rhythmic noise, coming at a steady beat of nearly one per second. The next was irregular, coming across in deep, measured tones. But as soon as it stopped, it was followed by another. The same kind of sound, but unmistakably higher, and louder, with the same kind of pauses. And when it was finished, the former one would come back. A conversation, Connor realized. Someone -- or rather, two someones -- were talking to each other, though he struggled to make out the words.

And through it all, a fourth sound, somehow clearer and sharper than the rest. But this one was random; no pattern at all, coming in bursts that had a strange, reverberating quality to them.

Whatever it was keeping Connor under was wearing off faster now, and in a short time, much more of his hearing was restored. But not all the way; while the sounds were much clearer, they sounded slightly warped, like echoes coming down a long corridor.

The rhythmic noise could now be heard for what it was: beeping. The steady beat of a heart monitor. It made sense; he was in a hospital, after all. But that wasn’t important. What was important now was the conversation going on between the two nearby talkers, and Connor fought to understand the low-voiced speaker even as the strange fourth sound started to resemble a kind of unsteady, unsettling crackle.

“I’m sorry…...simply can’t allow…...delicate......unusual circumstances...” came the low voice, Connor only being able to make out a few words at a time.

“...don’t understand!” the higher voice called out, a female voice. A familiar voice, but Connor couldn’t quite place it. “Why…...let me…...to see him!?”

The first voice tried to sound consoling, but it was obvious he was losing his patience. “I’m sure you…...emergency situation…...need to be ready, in case…...only be in the way.”

“You can’t expect me to…...don’t care about any…...because he’s my friend!”

All at once, it was clear. Twilight. That was Twilight’s voice ringing out next to the other one, and she was close by.

With a surge of effort, Connor tried again to open his eyes to see the world around him. His eyelids pulled back, though he could only muster enough strength to open them halfway. He found that the mess of colors and light from before had resolved itself into something vaguely resembling the hospital room with two pony-shaped blurs by the open doorway, one blocking the other from entering. But like his hearing, his sense of sight was also slightly warped, like he was looking through some kind of filter that made things a little too bright and out of scale.

Meanwhile, the two ponies continued their talking.

“As you’ve pointed out to me several times now, Miss Sparkle,” the pony in the white coat stated, presumably the doctor. “But that doesn’t change my answer. Let the nurses and I handle this.”

There was a clacking noise of a hoof being slammed into the tile floor. “You won’t even tell us what’s going on! He could be scared or in pain! He needs somepony to be there with him!”

Twilight was right. Even in his half-lucid state, Connor could feel a fear as real and intense as any other time, and right then, he wanted nothing more than the safety and security of knowing that he had a caring friend beside him. If he could have that, at least, then he felt that he would make it through this okay. Whatever “this” was.

Connor parted his lips to try and speak, but something was wrong. His mouth wouldn’t open the way he wanted it to, as if his jaw refused to move correctly, and it was interfering with his ability to form syllables.

“T...Tii...ligh…” was all he could manage, the unicorn’s name coming out more like a strangled moan than a call for help.

He heard Twilight gasp. “Connor!?”

“Good Celestia, he’s awake!?” came an equally startled exclamation from the doctor, whose head turned around sharply at the sound. Twilight took the opportunity of his moment’s distraction to shove past him and into the room, and Connor watched the lavender blur come closer, to the point where he could barely make out the distinct features on her face. Fraught with worry, her large purple eyes slowly tracked up and down his body, taking in the sight.

From the look of her expression, she didn’t like what she saw. He couldn’t be sure, but it even appeared as if a small amount of tears were starting to well up in her eyes as she finally looked directly toward his own.

“Oh, Connor…” she said, fighting to maintain her composure. In response, Connor attempted to speak again, but only got a little bit out before Twilight silenced him by solemnly shaking her head. “Don’t talk. Just… try not to talk.”

Don’t… talk? Connor thought vaguely, confused, but compliant. Yet, even as he wondered why his friend was so upset, something else was being brought to his attention. Feeling was starting to return to his body, and with it, an unsettling reminder that his earlier torture wasn’t over; only stalled.

Tearing her gaze away, Twilight turned to the doctor as he stepped up next to her. “Doctor, isn’t there anything you can do for him?”

“Miss Sparkle, you need to leave,” the stallion told her sternly. “Now.”

If the doctor was trying to be intimidating, it failed. Twilight’s expression only hardened, staring at the other pony with grim determination.

“I’m not leaving.” It was a statement of fact, with an undeniable force underpinning the words themselves. As if to bolster her remark, Twilight’s horn flashed briefly. Not so much a threat, but a warning, giving her declaration all the more impact. “And you can’t make me.”

The doctor pony held her gaze for a few seconds more, but he knew that nothing he could say would sway the unicorn any further. He’d lost the battle of wills, and trying to force the issue just wouldn’t end well for anyone, least of all his patient. “...Fine,” he said with a snort. “But, please, stay out of the way so we can do our jobs.”

While Twilight nodded slowly and reluctantly stood aside, the last effects of the tranquilizer were just starting to fade, and with it, the last thing keeping Connor from feeling the full force of whatever was afflicting him. His eyes shut tight from the fresh sensation, setting his heart to racing from the stress and causing the beeps of the heart monitor increase in frequency as a result.

“Doctor,” another voice, belonging to one of the nurses, drew attention to the monitor.

“I know. We have to act quickly. I’m increasing the dosage to forty CCs. That ought to keep him under.” There was the clinking of glass and the shuffling of items on a tray. “And where are those bucking x-ray results!?”

Just as the fire in his body started to reach its peak, Connor felt another needle pierce his skin, followed by another wave of numbing sensation, and his awareness started to dim yet again. Both the pain and the sounds of his surroundings retreated as his hard-fought grip on consciousness waned. While he knew on some level that it needed to happen -- that it was for his own good -- it didn’t make the transition any less frightening than the last time. But there was a very important detail that was missing before. This time was different.

This time, he wasn’t alone.

Just when he was about to go out completely, a voice, as perfectly crisp as a soothing bell chime, rang out against the encroaching darkness.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” the voice told him. “I’m right here. I’m right here with you.”

I’ll always be here for you…

...no matter what.

Author's Note

Links to the music featured in this chapter:

1901 by Phoenix

Spotlight by MUTEMATH

Now you're,
O~h,
Now you're one of us.
O~h, the spotlight is on.

The Seventh Day: A Farewell to Arms

You Do (Not) Belong

The Seventh Day: A Farewell to Arms

Connor was aware. He didn’t know exactly when, or how, just that all of a sudden he found it possible to open his eyes and take in his surroundings -- or rather, his lack of them.

It was black. All there was to see was absolute and utter darkness in every direction. Connor was startled at first, unable to tell the difference between having his eyes open or closed, but he quickly realized he wasn’t actually blind, as he could see the wire frames of his glasses, as well as the rest of his clothed body when he looked down. That was weird... There weren’t any light sources, and yet he could still see himself. And that’s when he came to a second realization: he was floating.

His legs involuntarily seized, scrambling for purchase on a floor that wasn’t there while his arms flailed about randomly. Connor had never experienced true weightlessness before, and without any visible landmarks he could use to orient himself, it was already making him dizzy. He closed his eyes and tried breathing steadily while placing a steadying hand on his forehead. Slowly, he gathered his bearings, but while he was trying to figure out what was going on, something felt… off. It took him a few seconds of rubbing the smooth skin on his forehead to figure it out: his horn was gone.

At first, Connor felt something close to elation at this news, but the feeling quickly faded as he realized he should be cautious. It was hard to feel certain of anything so long as he didn’t know where the hell he was or what he was doing there. The very last thing he could remember was blacking out in the Ponyville hospital after having that one doctor pony sedate him again. After that, who knew?

“Hello?” he tried saying once his initial confusion wore off. His voice sounded odd against the empty silence, like what he always imagined one of those soundproof rooms to feel like. “Is anyone there?”

Unsurprisingly, there was no answer, leaving Connor feeling even more alone. What was this place? If he was dreaming, it would be his first time going into it fully lucid, and it was already unlike any dream he’d ever had before.

Was it possible? Could he really be…?

“Am I... dead?” asked Connor to nobody in particular. He really had no way of knowing, to be sure. And after the unbelievable amount of pain he’d just suffered through, it seemed like a frighteningly distinct possibility.

“I would certainly hope not,” came a sudden and unexpected reply from the void, causing Connor’s head to bolt around, looking for the source. The voice sounded instantly familiar to him, though Connor didn’t have long to think about where he’d heard it before, as the answer literally walked into existence in front of him.

As if passing through a curtain, a pony’s foreleg covered in midnight-blue fur and topped with a sparkling silver hoofcuff stepped out of the darkness. It was soon followed by another, and where they joined together, he could see a polished, solid black breastplate with a white crescent moon in the center. And above that, the shadows parted to reveal the face of none other than Princess Luna of Equestria.

Connor scratched at his head. “Luna?”

The alicorn nodded affirmatively. “The very same.”

On a whim, Connor thought about how odd it was that he was floating in space while this new arrival appeared to be walking and standing firmly on all fours. Immediately upon making this observation, gravity decided to kick in for him, too, and he fell gently to his feet upon whatever invisible plane had been provided in what was now obviously a dream.

“Okay, so, I’m not dead,” he reiterated as he curiously tested the new “ground” with his shoe.

“Indeed,” Luna replied with a touch of humor. “If that were true, it would certainly carry some rather disturbing implications… for the both of us.”

“Both of us? What are you…” Connor trailed off, examining the regal pony a little more closely. From her flowing starlight mane, to the way her cobalt eyes blinked as she looked directly at him, even the way her stance shifted ever so slightly, everything about her just seemed to be a little too, for lack of a better word, genuine. “You’re really here, aren’t you? You’re actually here.”

Luna nodded again, smiling softly. “Quite perceptive of you. I am indeed the same Luna you met in Canterlot.”

“How are you able to do that?”

“Being Equestria’s Princess of the Night carries with it certain... benefits,” she explained. “Not least amongst them being that I can sense the dreams of all of Equestria’s inhabitants, and interact with them at will.”

“...Right. That makes perfect sense.” And doesn’t sound at all voyeuristic, Connor thought dryly. But it really didn’t bother him that much; it was just nice to see a friendly face. “So what are you doing here in the first place?”

Luna’s small smile fell, her expression turning more serious. “We -- that is, myself and Celestia -- read Twilight’s letter. It was actually rather timely, as my sister was about to send one of her own. We sent out a reply as soon as we could, and when we did not hear back for quite some time, we grew… worried. It was fortunate that I could contact you in this way, at least.”

“Yeah, about that…” Connor rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “We got your letter, but I didn’t get a chance to read it.”

Sensing the human’s uneasiness made it clear to Luna that something was wrong. “What is the matter? What has happened?”

Connor found it difficult to explain. How was he supposed to answer her if he himself didn’t know what was going on? But as he struggled to put his recent experience into words, he found he didn’t have to; his subconscious did the talking for him.

All around the two of them, strange apparitions began appearing out of the blank landscape, conjured up by Connor’s own desire to communicate the incommunicable. Flashes of emotion and sensation, made tangible as rays of harsh color and clouds of light, swirled around in a panorama of details. Vague representations of such abstract concepts as physical pain and emotional distress mixed together with images pulled from his own memories. At any other time, all of this information would’ve seemed incomprehensible to the average observer. But, in this place, Luna was more than able to make sense of it all, causing her to gasp softly, her face turning grim.

“We are too late…” she whispered to herself in disbelief.

Connor heard her say this, and returned his attention to her, causing the images to fade away and returning the scene’s muted tranquility. “What is it? Too late for what?” he asked fearfully. “Do you know what’s happening to me?”

Luna turned her dour eyes up at him. “When we first received your letter, the details inside... made a lot of things very clear.” She was quiet for a while, hesitant to say more, before following it up with, “I am so sorry.”

Something about the way she said that made Connor’s metaphorical blood run cold. “What is happening to me? If you know something, please, tell me,” he asked again, slower.

The Princess turned her head to the side. “While we knew it was a possibility, given the circumstances, Celestia and I held onto the hope that something like this would not come to pass. Yet, it seems fate has other ideas.” Luna closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “When you wake up from this dream, things are going to be… quite different.”

“Different, how?”

Luna opened her eyes and looked directly at him with an expression of deepest sympathy. “Based on what you’ve shown me, I believe you are... changing.”

“Changing?” Connor repeated. He did not like the sound of that. Not one bit. “Changing into what?”

Luna’s eyes flickered upwards just a smidge, focusing on the top of his head and not seeming at all surprised of what she saw there. “I think you already know the answer.”

Following her gaze, Connor reached up his hand in trepidation. Whereas before, his horn was curiously absent, now, it had returned right back where he expected it to be. As his fingers slowly traced across the smooth spiral along its edge, the meaning of what Luna had said fully impacted him, and the final pieces fell neatly into place.

“No… This isn’t right,” he gasped, his breath coming short. “That can’t be right.”

Connor didn’t want to believe it. The very idea of it seemed too impossible to even comprehend. He could acknowledge the fact that he had traveled to an alien world in a parallel dimension. He’d come to accept the existence of magical talking ponies and all sorts of other strange, mythical beasts. He even thought he could handle the idea of him miraculously growing a horn for no apparent reason. But this… This was on a whole other level.

If Luna was correct -- and he had more reason to trust her than not -- then the horn was only the beginning. He was going all the way. He was turning into a pony.

Holy mother of fuck, he was going to be a pony.

Connor looked back to Luna, desperate to see any sign of doubt in the alicorn’s features, but it was painfully obvious that she was speaking what she believed to be the truth. And the more he tried to think of another possible explanation and failed, the more plausible hers seemed.

Connor’s legs went weak and he toppled forward onto his knees, completely blown away. He didn’t know what else to do. His brain was running circles around itself trying to make sense of this new information. He couldn’t even settle on a proper emotion to be feeling at that moment, though fear would probably be the closest approximation.

He was turning into a pony… Hell, maybe it was already done and he simply hadn’t realized it yet, meaning that when he woke up, it wouldn’t be as a human. He would be a human trapped in a body that wasn’t supposed to be his. Even the concept of such a dramatic change was impossible to wrap his mind around, and the fact that he couldn’t even begin to prepare for it was perhaps the scariest part of all. It was too much, too fast.

Everything was happening too fast… Connor could only stare downwards, past his hands held in front of him, and into the dream’s dark abyss.

“Why?” moaned Connor, balling his hands into trembling fists as tears of anguish threatened to well up in his eyes. “Why does this have to happen!? Why now!? Isn’t my life fucked up enough already!?” he shouted, venting his frustration by smacking the floor with both of his fists.

“I don’t want this! It’s not fair!” Tears started to stream down his cheeks as he shut his eyes. Sharp sniffles and stifled sobs mingled with the dull thumps of his fists hitting the ground, which gradually faded as he did so more weakly with every blow. This continued until he was simply spent, hunched forward and shaking throughout his entire body. “It’s not fair…”

The sound of hoofsteps coming towards him brought Connor’s attention forward, able to see just as the royal pony seated herself right in front of him. He watched one of her silver-topped hooves reach out as she leaned forward, and he could feel cold metal under his chin when she daintily placed her hoof underneath it. With a gentle urging, she raised his head until the two of them could make eye contact; his, still stinging with fresh tears, and hers, so wide, dark, and full of sadness.

“I understand how difficult this must be for you,” she said, mustering up as much of a calm, soothing undertone as she could.

Connor sniffed loudly and swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to regain enough of his composure to form a coherent sentence. “Isn’t… Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“I… do not know.” Luna looked pained. She knew that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. “And if there was, there is naught I can do to help you at this time. I must return to the waking world and inform my sister of what has transpired.”

As the alicorn withdrew her hoof, Connor’s arms moved of their own accord, reaching forward and grasping her foreleg tightly. “No! Please don’t go!” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do... I don’t want to be left alone.”

Her heart broke to see the human reduced to this, it truly did. But Luna knew she could not stay any longer, no matter how much she desired to. “I know it will be hard… but you need not fear what lies ahead.” She pulled her leg back with a little more force, and reluctantly, Connor let his grip on her fur weaken until he finally let it slip between his fingers.

“Just remember this, and take heart: You are never truly alone. Your friends are always with you.” With a whoosh of air, the alicorn’s magnificent azure wings unfolded, propelling her upwards with each graceful flap. “As long as you truly believe in the bonds of your friendship, they will help to lead you out of the darkness… as they once did for me.”

Connor watched as Luna’s body began to dissolve, fading into the background as the distance between them increased. And just as she was about to disappear completely, she opened her mouth to speak one last time. “Stay strong, Connor.”

Then she was gone.

Just like that, Connor was by himself again. And despite the Princess’ encouraging words, he felt more alone than ever before in this environment, which had gone from seeming empty and infinite to stifling and claustrophobic.

Connor silently sat back with his legs underneath him, still shaking slightly as his turbulent emotions mellowed out into a general feeling of numbing dread. He brought his hands up in front of his face, staring hard as he slowly flexed and unflexed his fingers.

This might be the last time I see these. The thought only made him further depressed, reminding him that his current state of being would only persist so long as he stayed dreaming. How twisted was that? Inside this dream he still looked like he always did -- minus the horn, of course. Outside… he had no idea what was waiting for him, what things were going to be like, or how he’d even live. He felt like a ghost, refusing to let go of something he felt he couldn’t go on without: his sense of self.

Connor wrapped his arms tightly around his torso, curling up and trying to make himself as small as possible. In a moment of despair, he couldn’t help but wonder if it would have been easier had he simply been killed by the awful event that landed him here. At least that would be easier to understand, rather than the revelation that his life was about to change in the most dramatic way possible, and there was nothing he could do about it.

It was only a matter of time now. Connor wished he didn’t have to wake up -- or if he did, that all of this would turn out to be some terrible nightmare, and when he did wake up he would be perfectly fine.

But most of all, right then… he wished someone would just hold him. Hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay.

He wished Twilight was there.

She’d been there for him when the horn first appeared. She was no doubt still with him in the hospital room, just as she’d promised. But now, as Connor closed his eyes and tried to cherish whatever time was left to him here, he wanted nothing more than to experience that feeling. That indescribable sensation he’d felt when the two were in contact with each other, and the warm comfort it evoked. If he could just have this one thing…

Connor concentrated his focus, trying to recapture that feeling; trying to remember what it was like. And either by fate, happenstance, or as a manifestation of his own need, when he reached deep inside himself… he found it.

It was surprisingly effortless, almost as if it had been waiting for him. Like it had always been there, and he only needed to go looking for it.

Like the embers of a fire being stoked, the otherworldly sensation slowly grew to a flickering blaze, suffusing him with warmth. Connor let himself get lost in it, banishing the fear and the doubt and replacing it with a small measure of tranquility. Days earlier, he had intuitively described it as if his spirit was resonating with the crisp melody of a beautiful bell chime, and now… whatever it was, he felt like he could actually hear it.

Droning on in a single note that filled the emptiness of the dreamscape before fading away, only to come again, slightly deeper, and faster than the one before it. It was evolving into a rhythm, like the signaling of a church bell marking off the time. And it was then that he knew...

Time’s up.

It wasn’t worth resisting any longer. Without any fanfare, Connor quietly let himself slip away from his dream, just as the tolling in his ears started to resemble an intermittent beeping sound...

The first thing that was apparent to the slowly awakening Connor was the continuous beeping that had chased him out of his sleep: that familiar heart monitor from before, trucking along at a healthy pace. He was probably still somewhere in the hospital.

His thoughts were dazed and sluggish, his brain taking its sweet time to truly wake up as what was left of the sedative in his body was flushed from his veins. Things like assimilating the events comprising his short-term memory took the backseat in favor of just muddling through the in-between state of dreaming and reality.

Connor’s eyelids twitched erratically as he worked on opening them first. The moment a sliver of light passed through them, his nerves stung with the influx of new information. Everything was a little too white, a little too bright, a little too blurry, and oddly… large. It was unpleasant enough to make him want to keep his eyes closed for now, and he did so.

The next thing Connor felt was an acute thirst, feeling like his mouth was full of cotton, and he swallowed reflexively. However, as soon as he did, a tickling sensation at the back of his throat triggered his gag reflex, and he started to cough. He forced his head to the side, hacking and coughing to try and spit out what felt like half a dozen small, gravelly metal objects before he could choke on them. It was also this action that finally garnered the attention of the room’s only other occupant at the time.

At the sound of Connor’s distress, Twilight Sparkle gasped and immediately looked up from the magazine tucked between her forelegs. “Connor? Connor! You’re awake!” Without wasting a moment, she put her reading material aside with magic while getting up and off the long chair she was sitting on, and rushed over to the bed where her friend lay tucked securely underneath a light blue blanket.

With the flurry of activity, another mix of confusing audio and tactile signals impressed itself upon Connor’s mind, but he didn’t need to make sense of them right away to recognize Twilight’s voice. He attempted again to open his eyes halfway, blinking a few times before focusing on the splash of violet fur against the white, bleary surroundings.

“...Twilight…” he croaked in a raspy tone upon successfully spitting out the rest of the offending objects in his mouth. By now, motor control was given the green light, and Connor tried lifting his head, but found his neck muscles acting stiff and unresponsive.

“Easy, easy. Just take things slow for now,” Twilight cautioned him, urging Connor to relax before he overexerted himself. “They had you on some pretty heavy stuff, and… just… take your time.”

While she was certainly worried about the lingering effects of the drugs the medical staff were forced to pump into him, that was only a part of it. And a relatively minuscule part, at that. She was far more worried about how her friend was going to react when he finally realized what was going on. When he became aware of exactly what had happened to him while he was out.

As the seconds passed, the stinging in Connor’s eyes lessened somewhat, to the point where he could barely make out the details of Twilight’s face. Beyond that, though, the rest of his senses were still a little indistinct, including a peculiar numbness in his extremities.

“Everything’s… fuzzy…” Connor said groggily, causing an unexpected reaction in Twilight, who made a small, muffled choking sound and turned her head away. Even though it was blurry, he could still see the obvious distress in the unicorn’s somber expression, leading him to wonder what was making her upset. “Twilight...? What’s wrong?”

And that’s when Connor made the mistake of trying to reach out to her. Mustering his strength, he removed his arm from underneath the bed sheet covering him. When it moved out past the edge of the bed, the sheet fell away, rendering his arm plainly visible as it entered his field of vision.

Except it wasn’t his arm. In fact, it didn’t look like an arm at all. Not even close.

For one thing, it wasn’t colored the pale pink of his skin, but a darker red, almost like a maroon color. It was also almost perfectly cylindrical, uniformly thick, and down where he expected a hand to be… there was none. Connor’s brain idled in place as he stared, befuddled, at this thing sitting where he knew his arm should’ve been.

“Connor, it’s going to be okay,” Twilight implored fearfully, bracing herself for the inevitable. “Whatever you do, don’t panic. Connor? Can you hear me?”

Mentally, Connor commanded his fingers to move, but the instruction had nowhere to go; he had no fingers to flex. When he next tried to move his wrist around, he was moderately more successful, with the end of the red thing curling up in response. That was when he realized it looked incredibly similar to a pony's hoof. A hoof that was part of a foreleg. His foreleg.

In an instant, the shock of this revelation blasted the rest of his drowsiness away. He was aware -- painfully aware -- as the solid wave of sensory information that he’d been ignoring up until now came rushing into his nervous system all at once, almost overwhelming him.

First off, he could see far more than he should have been able to normally. Despite the unexplained absence of his glasses preventing him from seeing fine detail at a distance, almost all of the hospital room around him was plainly visible. It was like his sense of sight had been swapped out with an IMAX screen, blowing up his field of view to a far higher degree than he thought possible.

His sense of smell was also equally expanded to a disorienting extent. When he took his next breath through his nose, the details of the scent were far beyond what he expected. The alcoholic tang of the hospital’s antiseptic was almost too much on its own, but it was also mingled with the musky, slightly sweet scent of what must have been Twilight’s own fur, even though she was obviously standing several feet away.

The next thing he noticed was how loud the heart monitor sounded, and also how much richer the sound was. And when he specifically made note of its presence, something even weirder happened. He felt new, unfamiliar muscles shifting around the top of his head. And accompanying the alien movement, the sound seemed somewhat clearer, more nuanced, and carried the faint but unmistakable impression of creating a slight echo.

And he felt warm, like he was being smothered by a heavy blanket. Except there was only the one blanket covering him from the neck down, and that was barely more than a thin sheet. Not to mention how odd it felt as every subtle shift his body made caused it to slide across his skin… or fur, as the case might have been.

Somewhat more subtle was the general feeling that Connor’s brain was receiving sensations from familiar body parts, but in strange and unexpected places. Things like the angle of his shoulders having rotated around to the front of his body, or the way his hips connected to his lower limbs, or the fact that his ankles were located a foot away from where they were supposed to be connected to his feet. And he didn't even have feet any more.

Or hands. Where were his hands!?

Connor jerked his arm… leg... around to try and hold up the end in front of his face, only he misjudged the distance, and it stopped short as it collided with the end of his nose. Gingerly, he pressed down, confirming that the tactile sensation was indeed coming from his face, and when he managed to cross his eyes forward to see better, he noticed a big fuzzy obstacle, colored the same red as his limb, jutting straight out from his vision. His new muzzle.

All of this observation took place in a matter of seconds, which was just enough time for the initial shock of the situation to wear off and for cold reality to seep in. It had actually happened… Connor had officially crossed the species barrier. Physically, he was no longer a member of the family homo sapiens.

With this heady revelation out of the way, he was finally cognizant of the fact that he shouldn’t have been surprised by this. He knew it was going to happen, as Princess Luna had blatantly told him as much not even a few minutes ago in his own dream. It didn’t make it any easier to confront firsthand, but it was enough to keep him from flying off into panic mode in response to this dramatic shift in perception. For now, at least.

After all, the situation was still the farthest thing from ideal as one could possibly get, and one can never truly prepare oneself for waking up as the wrong species.

“Connor, can you hear what I’m saying?” Twilight repeated as she observed the former human struggling to cope with what must have been a fairly traumatic experience. “You’re worrying me. Please say something. Anything.”

Connor closed his eyes, shutting out the impossible images his new super-sized vision was sending to him. This made it slightly easier to concentrate on breathing meditatively, in and out in a steady rhythm, all in an attempt to do just one thing: not completely lose it. Apart from reminding himself how weird his chest felt with every deep breath -- technically, it was a barrel now, but he was by no means an expert on equine anatomy -- it was surprisingly easy to maintain his grip on sanity so far. Unfortunately, doing the equivalent of sticking his fingers in his ears and pretending nothing was wrong wasn’t going to help. The sooner he accepted this new reality, the better… no matter how much he didn’t want to.

“Mirror,” Connor mumbled softly, almost flinching as he felt his new ears flick in response to his own voice. Was that different as well? He could have sworn his voice sounded different, but it could have just been his imagination.

“Wh-what?” Twilight stuttered at this unexpected turn of events. She had honestly expected a more dramatic reaction than this. He was acting absolutely tame compared to when he woke up with a fledgling horn growing out of his head.

“A mirror, Twilight… please,” Connor restated, snapping Twilight out of her ruminations.

In response, the lavender unicorn nodded slowly to herself and backed away, her eyes searching around the room for anything she could use to fulfill his request. Seconds later, Connor could hear the warping sound of her magic activating, followed by the sound of her hoofsteps on the tile floor as she approached again.

“Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly. Connor responded by nodding. “Okay… you can open your eyes now.”

He did, and thanks to the surface of the small desk mirror Twilight had managed to find for him, Connor found himself face to face with an image that was at the same time both him, and not him.

The first things he noticed were his eyes. The irises were the same color brown as his original pair, just rounder… and much bigger. Connor figured that would explain his sight being in widescreen, seeing as they were more than three times the size they used to be, and positioned more on the sides of his head than the front. Perfectly normal for an equine, but absolutely jarring for someone who’d never experienced it before.

And beneath his eyes was a fuzzy red pony’s muzzle with a robust snout that sort of reminded Connor of Applejack’s brother, Big Mac, if it was a bit thinner towards the back and slightly darker colored. With a casual fascination, Connor opened his mouth, watching his reflection do the same. He moved his jaw from side to side in order to get a good look at his teeth. Not even those had been spared, it seemed, replaced by neat rows of uniformly flat, rectangular implements evolved for the purpose of handling a purely vegetarian diet. He also noticed how pristine and perfect they looked, and it was then that Connor realized what it was he’d been forced to spit out earlier: his dental fillings. His teeth had completely renewed themselves as a part of the transformation.

Moving on to other aspects of his reflection, his dark brown hair actually looked pretty much unchanged, surprisingly enough. Except for the fact that it was technically a mane now, so it was a little longer towards the back where it grew out of his upper neck and draped down near his shoulders. Poking up past his bangs, the unicorn horn he’d been sporting days earlier was still proudly on display, though it had obviously changed from being bone-white to matching the color his new furry exterior. And Connor noted with some annoyance that his hair still did that stupid curly thing around his… well, where his ears used to be.

Now his ears were large, thick, pointy triangles that had migrated to the top of his head. Even now, he could see them pitching around minutely like satellite dishes searching for a signal. And when he tried to consciously control the new muscles in his head to make them stop, they moved around even more, just to spite him.

That was it. That was all he could take. Connor felt like he couldn’t stand looking at it anymore, and he forced his eyes shut, breathing out heavily. It had been everything he was afraid of, and so much more than he had expected.

Seeing that Connor was finished, Twilight put the mirror back where she’d found it. She then turned again to face him, swallowing deeply as she continued to show a concerned expression. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked quietly, not knowing what else to say.

Still fighting to keep his wits about him, Connor opened his eyes and looked directly in Twilight’s own. “Do I look like I’m okay, Twilight?” he retorted, coming off a bit snappish.

The unicorn mare visibly flinched, lowering her ears as she cast her head down, causing Connor to instantly regret his choice of tone.

“Sorry,” he apologized right away, hoping Twilight wouldn’t hold it against him. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just… All of this happening… It’s got me scared, and… confused, and…” As the words began pouring out and Connor started to ramble, he brought his hooves up to cover his face, shivering. Desperately trying to keep it together. “And I feel like I want to scream my head off, but I know that’s not… not going to help. Not going to change anything.”

Connor spent the next couple of seconds internally debating whether or not he should start screaming. How else was he supposed to deal with suddenly being a quadrupedal, red-furred talking animal? This wasn’t something he could just shrug off and then be able to move on and say, “Oh, well. Guess I’ll just have to live like this.” There was a nigh unscalable mountain of consequences to this change that Connor hadn’t even begun to consider yet, and he felt that if he did start down that road… he might not be able to come back.

Sensing her friend’s mounting distress, Twilight quickly moved right beside the bed, placing a comforting hoof on Connor’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. “I know it’s scary, Connor, but I believe in you. You can get through this, and we’re here to help you.”

That last part caused a flicker of emotion to race through Connor’s increasingly jumbled thoughts, pausing them for just a moment. “We?” he asked as he slowly lowered his hooves, feeling cautiously hopeful.

Twilight nodded vigorously. “Everypony else is here too: Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike… They’re all in the hospital waiting room.” Seeing Connor’s body visibly relax at this news was all the evidence she needed to know she was on the right track. “I can go get them and bring them here right now. Would you like that?”

Princess Luna’s words echoed faintly in his memories, and all of a sudden he couldn’t agree more with them. The thought of his Ponyville friends being there with him was exactly the kind of balm he needed to soothe his nerves and ease him through this difficult period.

“Yes... please,” Connor answered simply.

With that, Twilight lowered her foreleg and cantered swiftly over to the glass sliding door leading out to the hallway, but before she left, she turned her head one last time. “I’ll be right back, okay? Right back,” she assured him, then she made her exit, and for the first time since he awoke as a pony, Connor was left purely to his own devices.

Okay... I can handle this. Everything’s going to be okay, he tried to tell himself in an effort to keep calm. Just need to focus on something. Try not to think about how fubar everything is right now. Occupy your thoughts. Just until Twilight gets back.

First things first, he tried shifting around to prop himself up at more of an angle, inching up with his shoulders until the back of his neck could rest against the headboard of the bed. The way his body functioned in this regard was going to really take some getting used to, but once he accounted for the odd positioning of his foreleg joints and the fact that his neck was twice as long as before, he managed to do it with minimal discomfort.

Now in a better position, Connor could fully observe the intensive care unit he found himself in. Without his glasses it was hard to tell, but for the most part it was basically a windowless version of the room he’d stayed in last time, only everything was painted white, giving it a much more sterile feel. It was also more cluttered, with an array of cabinets along the walls, along with drawers, trays of surgical implements, and an assortment of expensive-looking medical devices.

All that observation was over fairly quickly, leaving Connor with few other options to occupy himself than a more thorough examination of his new form. He had to be careful to keep his personal feelings at bay for this; no emotional connotations, just straight details. Maybe that would help him come to grips with his current situation, and prevent any future surprises.

And maybe if he convinced himself of this, it might actually make it true.

Connor held both his hooves out in the air in front of him, noticing for the first time the tightness of the heart monitor cuff secured tightly around his upper right forearm. No, foreleg. Gotta remember that. Bending the new equivalent of his elbows, he brought his hooves around until they faced each other. He was again reminded of how disconcerting it was not having any opposable digits at the ends, leaving him with two inert stumps of hardened material at the base of a long furry tube that left his nerves clueless as to how to fill the void in his senses.

They weren’t like normal horses’ hooves, that was for sure. The only differences between them and the rest of his legs were their texture and consistency, as well as a lighter coloration, sort of like a fingernail. Testing his hooves’ pliability, he brought the two together with a hollow clopping sound. With it, Connor was surprised to find that he could indeed feel sensation through them, though with less sensitivity than normal. And it was interesting to see that when he increased the pressure, the bases of his hooves sort of… spread out to compensate. They weren’t completely solid, after all.

It occurred to him then that he still had no idea what the rest of him looked like, as the bed sheet still covered his entire lower half. After a few clumsy attempts to hook his forelegs underneath it -- not being able to grasp objects with any degree of dexterity was already starting to frustrate him immensely -- he was finally able to lift it up and assess the damage. In particular, he was morbidly curious as to the fate of his nether regions.

Yup... Pony down there, too, Connor observed, a nauseated shiver running along the length of his spine. Without getting into too much detail, his anatomy was now one hundred percent equine… along with everything that implied. And it was all right out there in the open, too. Connor prayed it really wasn’t as noticeable as he imagined it was. His only solace was the fact that there was a generous amount of fur around the area, and this, coupled with the… ugh… sheathe, meant that he was probably perfectly presentable by pony standards. He hoped.

...Moving on from that, his legs looked equine, no surprises there. With his knees shunted up by his abdomen, and his ankles located much higher up on his legs, it almost made Connor sick to imagine how devastatingly painful it would be to experience the necessary shifts his skeleton had to achieve. It made him grateful for the pony doctor’s decision to put him under. If he’d been forced to stay awake for the entire ordeal, he wasn’t sure he could’ve come out sane on the other end.

He tried moving his legs around -- stretching them out, pressing them together, feeling the muscles expand and contract -- when he became aware of an uncomfortable pressure located at the base of his spine. And that was when he was reminded of something he’d overlooked about him being a pony: his tail. He was sitting on his tail.

Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ, I have a fucking tail.

And just like that, the fragile veneer he’d built up to keep the panic at bay started to crumble at the edges. Tails weren’t human. This wasn’t right. None of it was, and as his consciousness and his baser instincts fought for control over how he should proceed at this point, the instincts were starting to win out. His breaths started coming faster, and the beeping of the heart monitor began ticking upwards in frequency as his adrenaline surged.

That damned beeping was too loud for comfort, and felt like it was getting louder all the time; something his new ears were keen to remind him of as they swept around yet again. It was all starting to become more than he could handle, and Connor let the sheet fall as he desperately wrapped his forelegs around his head, trying to hold down his ears in an attempt to shut it all out.

Stay calm… Just stay calm… he repeated to himself in a mantra, in the hope that he could keep it together, but it obviously wasn’t helping, as evidenced by the unsettling sensation of the room starting to spin.

Connor was afraid he was actually about to go off the deep end this time, and that nothing he or anyone else could do would prevent it from happening…

...until something did.

“Okay, we’re here.” Twilight’s voice penetrated the haze that was building around his thoughts like a lighthouse in stormy weather. It sounded like she was just outside the emergency room door, and Connor put his emotions on hold as he hung onto her every word. “But I should warn you, Connor’s in a really fragile state right now, so watch what you say, alright?”

Noises of general agreement followed her request, and with each new voice giving him something to focus on besides his own body, Connor could both feel and hear his heart rate crawling back down. The erratic beeping had slowed just enough to not be cause for alarm by the time the door slid open to admit Twilight and the others as each of the mares entered in turn.

Rainbow Dash was the first one inside, gliding in cautiously on her flapping wings. “Whoa…” the pegasus said disbelievingly upon catching sight of Connor sitting in the bed. She actually had to stop and rub her eyes with her hooves just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

“Ah’ll say,” mentioned Applejack, who was next in line, tilting back her hat. “Y’all weren’t kiddin’, Twi.”

Following the orange earth pony was Rarity, who held a hoof to her muzzle as she gasped softly. “Oh, dear…”

Next came Fluttershy, her head hanging demurely with her mane covering her face when she saw him. And right on her tail was Pinkie Pie, being her characteristically peppy self by bouncing up and down as she entered.

“Oooh, neato! Now the rest of you matches the horn!” she piped up while wearing a cheerful smile.

“Pinkie, what did I just say not ten seconds ago?” chastised Twilight with a stern expression, who entered behind her pink-furred friend while carrying Spike on her back.

“Oh, sorry, Twilight! I’ll be quiet now.” Pinkie stopped bouncing where she stood, and a few seconds later, so did her mane and tail. Twilight could only shake her head in dismay before sending Connor an apologetic glance.

“...Is it really you?” Fluttershy spoke up quietly, addressing the former human.

Connor breathed in deeply before answering to the assembled ponies. “Yeah, it’s me… in the fur.” That last word stuck on his tongue like a bad aftertaste.

“Y’all doin’ okay, sugarcube?” Applejack asked curiously. “What’s it feel like?”

Connor turned to look at her. “It’s… really strange. Actually, you all would probably know what it feels like better than I do. Heh…” he chuckled weakly at his own little joke, but his heart wasn’t in it. This wasn’t the time for humor.

“Soooo, are you also a pony, like, ya know…” Rainbow started saying, using her forelegs to motion up and down the lower half of her body.

The insinuation was clear, and the reaction to her crassness from her fellow Elements of Harmony was swift and uniform. “Rainbow!”

To her credit, the blue pegasus instantly recognized how that sounded to everyone present, her cheeks turning bright red with an ashamed blush. “I didn’t mean it like that!” she was quick to say. “Th-the blanket’s there, a-and we can’t see, and I was just… I wasn’t talking about...” She folded her forelegs together, turning her face and snorting out of embarrassment. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Fighting to hide his own blush (which was easy, seeing as his fur was already red), Connor coughed loudly to try and diffuse the awkwardness. “Yeah, it’s… um… yeah.” The silence that followed was agonizingly slow to pass, with nobody able to come up with what to say next. Until eventually, Spike elected to continue the conversation.

“So, does it, like, hurt, or anything?” he asked, leaning forward on Twilight’s neck. “Back at the library, it… didn’t sound too good.”

“It wasn’t,” Connor answered, cringing as he harkened back to that awful ordeal. “But I’m fine now. Well, not exactly, but… you know what I mean.”

“At least it’s something,” Fluttershy pointed out. “For a while, the doctors wouldn’t tell us what was happening. We were all really worried about you. I guess… we still are. I know I am.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy.” Connor wanted to smile, to communicate to the girls that he would be fine, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do that yet. Regardless, their presence was starting to have an undeniably positive impact on his psyche, as if each friendly, empathetic face was fueling a flame keeping the demons in his own mind at bay. “Thank you, all of you. It definitely means a lot, having you guys here.”

“There’s nowhere else we’d rather be, darling,” Rarity told him, sidling up closer to the bed, but not close enough that he didn’t still need to squint to see her.

“You know, it’s… really kind of a shame you all look so blurry,” Connor felt like pointing out. “What happened to my glasses?”

“I have them,” Twilight said, having taken them and stowed them away earlier on. “Although... I doubt they’d be of much use, seeing as they won’t quite fit you anymore.”

This made Connor reach up and touch the bridge of his snout, finding it hard to argue with the facts. Yet another inconvenience thanks to his new form. “And the clothes that Rarity made for me?”

Twilight uneasily rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. “Those… weren’t so lucky. After it became apparent what was, well, happening to you, the nurses had to cut you out of them before you hurt yourself through all the changes.”

“Oh.” Connor cast an apologetic glance at Rarity. “Sorry about that.”

In response, the ivory mare just shook her head. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for. While it is indeed a shame, they are just clothes, after all.”

“Uh, no offense or nuthin’, but aren’t there more important questions we should be askin’?” Applejack spoke up, raising a hoof to get attention.

“AJ’s right,” Rainbow agreed, flying over to the bed and examining Connor the pony with more scrutiny. “It’d be nice to know how the hay this happened. Some kinda spell? Poison Joke? Mutant Poison Joke?”

“More important than that, how do we fix it?” asked Spike, before tugging lightly on Twilight’s ear. “Any ideas, Twi?”

Twilight closed her eyes. “I wish. I’m coming up completely blank here.” The unicorn’s shoulders slumped as she made this painful admission. “Rainbow makes a good point. We can’t hope to reverse whatever this is until we know more about the cause.”

At a loss for both answers and solutions, the ponies in the room looked dourly at each other, not sure where to even begin.

However, if anyone present had been expecting the answer to just present itself out of the blue, they still would have been surprised by the form it chose to take.

“I think I might be able to shed some light on the situation,” came a new voice that caused all six mares and one dragon in attendance to gasp in recognition of the gentle, regal tone. “No pun intended, of course.”

Seven heads turned on the spot to the door where, just stepping into view, was the tall, radiant form of none other than Princess Celestia herself. Standing by her flank at nearly half the alicorn’s height was Bedside Manner, who had accompanied the Princess and led her to the correct room, though she looked a tad nervous about having to be so close in proximity to such a revered figure.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed out of shock, and she instinctively lowered herself into a formal bow, which was instantly mirrored by each of her friends. This caused Celestia to chuckle lightly, a small smile lighting up her features, as well as the room.

“Now, you know that’s not necessary, my little ponies,” she told them kindly. As the six ponies sheepishly resumed standing, Celestia turned her attention to the maroon-colored unicorn sitting in the bed, and her expression turned sad and serious as she ducked slightly to enter the room herself.

“...Hi, Princess,” Connor said to her, weakly waving his hoof. He was just as surprised to see her as everypony else, but with the shock of his transformation still weighing heavily on his mind, it was hard to express with any degree of difference.

Celestia closed her eyes, taking a moment of private reflection, as if confirming to herself a reality she’d hoped not to have to face. Then, she turned her head towards Nurse Betty and nodded politely. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“Oh, you’re quite welcome, Your Majesty,” Betty said quickly in her folksy accent, before peering inside the ICU and casually scanning the room and its nine occupants. “Oh, my. It’s getting rather crowded in here, isn’t it? Dearie, wouldn't you prefer a little more privacy?”

“No,” Connor spoke up a little too forcefully at the suggestion, and he consciously lowered his voice. “No. I mean, I want them to stay.”

“Alrighty then, if you insist,” the nurse agreed, entering the room herself and making her way to the side of the bed. “I’m just going to examine you real quick, okay? Make sure you’re healthy and all that. While I’m at it, would you like me to get you anything?”

“Um… Actually, a glass of water would be appreciated,” Connor requested, reminded of how his mouth was still bone dry, especially after all the talking he’d been doing. “With a straw, please.”

“You betcha.” Betty nodded, and began by walking over to a nearby sink to fulfill his request before beginning her basic examination procedures. While this was going on, a fairly perplexed Twilight Sparkle looked up at her mentor, eager for an explanation.

“Princess, what are you doing here?” she asked. “How did you know where to find us?”

“Well, my faithful student, I just so happened to have some help from my sister,” Celestia told her. “She made contact with Connor through his dreams, and when she told me everything she could, I left for Ponyville as fast as my wings could take me. This is something that I feel would be better handled in person.”

Fluttershy was the next one to speak. “About what you said earlier… Do you know what’s happening to Connor?”

“Correct,” Celestia said to the yellow pegasus. “Given everything we know so far, I believe I am almost certain of the cause.”

“That means you can fix it, right? Change him back?” Spike questioned the regal pony while Connor gratefully took a drink of water from the cup held by the nurse, simultaneously quenching his thirst and feeling a tiny flicker of hope at her announcement.

Unfortunately, the flicker died down when the Princess responded by lowering her head slowly. Even before she spoke, he knew the answer wouldn’t be so positive.

“That… may prove to be more difficult than not.”

It wasn’t an outright “No,” but it was close enough for everypony to realize that perhaps the situation was even more dire than it seemed. This cast a pall over the assembled ponies, further dampening their spirits. Not even Pinkie Pie could think of a way to lighten the mood in the long bout of silence that followed.

“So, what do we do now?” Connor asked after a while, looking to Celestia for guidance. He didn’t want to think about what it would mean if he was stuck like this… permanently.

“For now, I can tell all of you what I know,” the Princess answered, before taking a look around the room like she was sizing up the area. “However, perhaps this would be a discussion better suited to a more accommodating environment. As the nurse pointed out, this room is rather cramped, and there is much we have to talk about.”

“You sure ‘bout that, Princess?” Applejack tilted her head while raising an eyebrow. “Considerin’ everythin’ that’s happened, maaaaybe it wouldn’t be such a good idea for Connor to be movin’ around so much.”

“A valid point. Perhaps we should ask the professional,” Celestia suggested, motioning her head towards Bedside Manner. With that, all eyes turned to the sky-blue earth pony, just as she finished her examination.

“Oh, my, um…” she stuttered at the sudden attention. She took the stethoscope currently held in her hooves and wrapped it around her neck, before coughing loudly to clear her throat. “Well, let me just say first that I would never dream of going against your wishes, Your Majesty.”

The alicorn raised a gilded hoof to give the nurse pause. “That’s quite alright. I would rather defer to your better judgment.”

“Oh, okay. Good, good.” Betty took the time to smooth down her auburn mane before continuing. “Well, accounting for the fact that he wasn’t a pony when he was brought in, your friend is actually perfectly healthy. As far as ponies go, that is.” She placed a protective hoof on the bed and addressed Connor directly. “I would prefer it if you stayed longer, just in case. But, seeing as it’s been several hours since the… event, it doesn’t seem like there are going to be any further... developments. If you really want to go with them, well, I won’t stop you.”

Hours? Connor picked up on the word. How long have I been out? And how long have my friends been waiting for me to wake up?

Interrupting his thoughts, Celestia spoke to get Connor’s attention. “Is that acceptable, Connor? And do you think you are well enough to travel?”

“...Yeah. As long as it’s okay with you,” he said to Nurse Betty, who nodded in understanding.

"I'll let the doctor know about your decision," she explained, and took the opportunity to switch off Connor’s heart monitor and remove the cuff.

Reveling in the absence of that obnoxious beeping, he absently rubbed the section of fur the cuff had surrounded, when he realized something. “This might be a problem… I don’t know the first thing about moving around on four legs, but I doubt it’s anything like walking on two.”

“Oh, that’s easy! Just watch me!” Pinkie suddenly piped up, animatedly moving her legs up and down as she trotted to the other end of the room and back. “See? Piece of cake!” The party pony’s eyes then glazed over, her tongue hanging slightly from her mouth. “Mmm, cake.”

Whether or not it was intentional, Pinkie’s random, childish antics were enough to elicit an unbidden snort of amusement from Connor nonetheless. “We’ll see.”

The human-turned-pony took a few seconds to mentally prepare himself while everyone gave him plenty of open space, then slowly, carefully, started maneuvering to the side of the bed. He tried to keep the bed sheet covering his lower half as much as possible, not wanting to risk “exposing” himself in front of his friends -- much less the ruler of the entire country. It struck him that he was now completely naked… and would be walking around in public… naked, with only a coat of thick red fur to protect his modesty. But if other stallions in Ponyville could do it with impunity, then he supposed it was alright if he could too.

Shifting an inch at a time, Connor soon wound up with his right hind leg nearly draping past the edge. Trying hard to keep from simply dumping himself onto the floor like a sack of potatoes, he brought his knee around, extending the limb until his hoof hung just half a foot off the ground. Then, he tried doing the same with his other leg, but he miscalculated, putting a majority of his weight too far out and causing his flank to slip off the side. Connor’s eyes went wide as he felt himself pitch forward, and he held his forelegs out to brace for impact.

Luckily for him, his friends weren’t just standing idly by, which became apparent as he felt another pair of legs hook around his shoulders from behind.

“Don’t worry, I gotcha,” he heard Rainbow Dash say from above, and he looked up to see the blue pegasus’ face bearing a reassuring smirk.

“Thanks,” Connor breathed out in a sigh of relief as Rainbow pumped her wings and gently lowered him down to touch the ground with his back hooves. Then, she brought him slowly forward until his outstretched forelegs could also make contact with the tile floor, leaving him on all fours.

“You good?” Rainbow asked, and when Connor nodded to her, she released her grip and flew back, allowing him to put his full weight on his legs.

“Okay, this is officially weirding me out.” It was certainly a novel sensation to be standing on four limbs that were all the same size, along with the confusing impression that felt as though he was balancing on the tips of what used to be his fingers and toes. He could also feel the tension in his muscles lessening as his spine conformed to its more natural shape, and with his knees and elbows locked, it actually felt comfortable to be standing that way.

Another thing he noticed was the fact that, when he lifted his neck up straight, he was now eye level with the other ponies. He was more than a foot shorter than he used to be, and now, instead of feeling like a giant, everything seemed to be much more in proportion.

“Huh. Well, Ah’ll be a diamond dog’s uncle,” Applejack said thoughtfully as she observed him, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “No cutie mark.”

“Cutie mark? What?” Connor turned his head from side to side, trying to get a good angle to look at his flank. Turns out the cowpony was right. Whereas all the other ponies in the room had a unique design on their behinds, all Connor had was a blank patch of fur on either side. He also managed to snag his first good look at his tail, which was similarly colored to his mane and hung flatly down about a third of the way to the floor.

“Interesting…” Celestia commented as well. “Though I suppose it is to be expected. One only receives their cutie mark upon discovering their special talent, and you’ve only been a pony for so long.”

“So I really was just wasting my time at college,” Connor opined dryly in a moment of wit that swiftly passed when he realized he had a new challenge to overcome: turning around.

Testing his mobility, he bent his left foreleg at the elbow. But like a table that was missing one of its legs, he immediately sensed the imbalance, and put his hoof back on the floor to stabilize himself. If he was going to move, he figured he should probably be quick about it, and took a deep breath in preparation. Then, in the span of half a second, he lifted up again, extending his leg as far left as he could before setting it back down.

“So far, so good…” he muttered, feeling a little more confident. His confidence, however, would end up being his downfall -- literally.

In his next movement, he mistakenly picked his other foreleg up off the ground, and with the first one already out of alignment, his other two legs folded like wet newspaper, and gravity sent him hurdling straight down to the floor.

There was a collective gasp from the other ponies, and more than a few exclamations of worry over whether or not he was hurt. But it was a soft landing, and aside from a bruised ego, Connor wasn’t hurt too badly by the fall.

“Goodness! Are you injured, dear?” Betty asked frantically, stepping up to his side in case he needed help.

Connor winced, but out of embarrassment, not pain. “Tch… Just my pride,” he muttered as he tried to get himself up off of his side. Cast back into the unfamiliar territory of figuring out how his unwieldy limbs moved in relation to one another, he kicked out weakly, scrambling to get his hooves back underneath him. If he looked ridiculous to the outside observer -- and he was one hundred percent sure that he did -- nopony made a mention of it as they each wondered if they should try and assist him.

Eventually, through a fair amount of work, Connor finally managed to right himself, though only his forelegs were securely underneath him, while his hind legs stuck out horizontally. And he was still facing the wrong direction.

At this point, he didn’t care how stupid it looked; he put his front hooves in front of himself and used them as leverage to pivot around ninety degrees, dragging his belly along the tile until he was facing his friends.

“There, I did it,” he proclaimed spitefully. It might have been cheating, but it got the job done, didn’t it?

“Are you sure you don’t want any help?” offered Fluttershy.

Connor looked up at the yellow pegasus’ cautious expression before letting out a weary sigh. “I appreciate it, but no, thanks. I can do this… I can do this.”

It took him another couple of seconds to figure out how to lift himself the right way in order to enter the same “lying down” position he’d seen other ponies use: the one with their body perfectly straight and with all four hooves touching the ground. But once he was able to do it, it was a relatively simple matter of straightening all four legs in tandem to get him standing upright again.

Goddammit, I’m never going to get the hang of this. Yet another reason he hoped this was a temporary state of affairs, he thought, when another issue came to his attention as he looked up and down the stretch of floor separating him and the others. “Um… what order am I supposed to move these things in?” he asked sheepishly, his ears folding back on themselves.

Twilight took the liberty of spelling it out for him: “Left foreleg, right hind leg, right foreleg, left hind leg, repeat.”

“Okay, so… One… Two… Three… Four…” he listed off, tentatively lifting each of his legs to test in the order Twilight instructed and labeling them respectively. Once he had the order down in his head, it was time to try walking for real.

With his hooves planted firmly on the ground, he started with his left foreleg. “One…” he said to himself, placing it forward. “Two…” The first hind leg followed. “Thr-Three…” The third motion nearly caused him to stumble again, but he managed to follow through. “Four…”

“That’s it. You’re getting it!” Twilight encouraged him along, though she was still mindful of the fact that with every step his legs were trembling like a newborn colt’s. And in a manner of speaking, he was one, just adult-sized.

At last, Connor breathed a sigh of relief as one more run through the cycle brought him within mere inches of the group, and a small round of cheers went up at the little victory.

“Yer doin’ great, there, sugarcube,” Applejack told him, though it was obvious she was embellishing a bit. She cantered to his side and lightly clapped him on the back with her hoof. “Give it some time, and you’ll be walkin’ around like nopony’s business!”

Just then, Princess Celestia cleared her throat to get everypony’s attention. “Yes, well… While I do not wish to make light of your accomplishment, unfortunately, time is not a luxury we can afford to waste,” she told them all, the patient expression adorning her muzzle changing to a more serious look. “You will have to get more practice at a later time. For now, I can simply use magic to take us to our destination immediately.”

Connor nodded to the alicorn. “That’s probably a good idea. Oh, but can you wait just a second?” He turned his neck to look at Nurse Betty standing behind him and off to the side. It just seemed wrong to leave like this without saying anything to the mare. “Betty, thank you for everything. You’re a wonderful nurse, and... I appreciate you helping me throughout… well, all of this.”

“Oh, dearie…” Bedside Manner turned a blush at the praise and bashfully averted her eyes. “I was just doing my job, there, don’tcha know. But you’re very welcome. Best of luck out there, and if anything else happens, you come right back and we’ll take care of you, alright?” And she finished by giving Connor one of the brightest and most genuine smiles he’d ever seen: a broad, sweet-as-sugar smile that could’ve given even Pinkie a run for her bits.

True to the blue mare’s gifted intuition, her combination of kind words and heartfelt sincerity succeeded in lifting Connor’s spirits by no small amount. Enough so that he could even bring himself to smile in return; the first one he’d managed in all the time since the start of this whole predicament.

Connor faced forwards again and nodded to the Princess. “Okay. Ready.”

Celestia signaled her acknowledgement, and she closed her eyes, her long horn beginning to glow a pale yellow. Suddenly, a small golden circle of light appeared at her hooves, quickly expanding outwards until the shining disk encompassed the floor beneath all eight ponies. Then, there was a bright flash and a whip-cracking noise as the alicorn loosed her magic, and the circle collapsed in on itself, vanishing them all in an instant.

After they had gone, Betty’s smile slowly faltered, replaced by a forlorn expression as she looked to the ground. For such a nice young colt to be put through so much hardship… the thought could dampen the spirit of even the most cheerful pony.

“Poor dear…”

The spell was finished in a span of time so short that, if he’d blinked, Connor would have missed it. One moment, he and his friends were in the white, utilitarian environment of the hospital ICU, the next, they found themselves in the foyer of a very familiar library. The salmon-colored walls, floor, and ceiling, as well as the unforgettable shape of the wooden pony bust sitting on the table, made it clear that Celestia had brought them all to Golden Oak Library.

Connor, slightly dazed by the light show and by the sudden change in scenery (made all the more impacting by his wealth of visual information) unintentionally relaxed his stance as a result. Had Applejack not been standing right at his side and not noticed in time to catch him, he would have pitched right over.

“Whoa, there,” she called out, moving just in time to catch him in the shoulder with her foreleg. She used her body to help prop him up, but it didn’t take long for him to recover. “You alright?”

“Thanks, I’ll be fine,” said Connor, unnerved by how he was so unused to standing like this that a simple lapse in concentration was all it took to send him tumbling.

“Why did you take us to my library, Princess?” Twilight expressed curiously, after she too came to recognize where they were. She also couldn’t help but feel humbled by her mentor’s awesome command of the magical arts. Teleporting eight ponies and one baby dragon over such a distance was no small feat, and it’s something the Princess managed without any effort at all.

“For a few reasons, Twilight: it’s private, there’s plenty of space for everypony…” Celestia’s coral-pink eyes tracked over to Connor. “...and it’s a familiar place. Familiarity breeds comfort, wouldn’t you agree?”

Connor took a long look around at the place he’d been spending a great deal of time in over the past couple of days, finding it hard to argue with the alicorn. He was definitely left with the impression that this was a safe place, much like the feeling he got when Celestia invited him to her cozy little study on his first night in Equestria.

By chance, his eyes fell upon a round window to the outside, and he squinted at it for a second before realizing that it was a window, and on the other side was nothing but pitch darkness. “I know the nurse said I was out for a while, but it’s already nighttime?” He turned his head to face the other ponies. “What time is it?”

Rarity pursed her lips in thought. “It was just after midnight, last time I checked.”

“Jeez, it’s that late already?” asked a surprised Spike, whose eyes suddenly widened with realization. “Oh, ponyfeathers! I totally forgot about Peewee! Be right back!”

With that, he jumped off of Twilight’s back and hustled up the stairs to the second floor to check on his phoenix. In his haste, he didn’t even notice the discarded scroll lying forgotten on the floor as he ran past it.

“We can wait for Spike to return before we begin,” Celestia continued, mindful of the fact that, despite their limited timetable, it would be rude not to include her student’s assistant. “In the meantime, I suggest you all make yourselves comfortable.”

As each of the mares around him did as the Princess suggested and either lay down or sat on their flanks in front of her, Connor watched them, trying to go about doing the same.

Okay… hooves and ankle things parallel to the floor, he observed, looking at Fluttershy and Twilight, who were sitting between him and Celestia. So, if I just--

Testing out his theory, Connor pulled his back legs inward, and the moment he did so, his weight took care of the rest. With a dull thump, his rear smacked the wood floor, sending a wince-worthy bolt of pain up his tailbone. Still, he’d done it, and a quick glance around at the other ponies told him that they hadn’t noticed; or if they did, they weren’t about to say anything.

Sure hope Spike gets back soon, he thought to himself, looking up at the ceiling and starting to feel a little antsy. After all this crap, I’m past ready for some answers.

But in the back of his mind, he wasn’t so sure. Regardless of what happened in the next couple of minutes, it was doubtless going to make his life even more complicated than it was already.

And there was virtually no guarantee he was going to like what he heard.

Author's Note

In case you were wondering there was an (arguably) contentious Author's Note here earlier. It was outdated, so I removed it.

The Seventh Day: No Right Answer

You Do (Not) Belong

The Seventh Day: No Right Answer

Spike hadn’t even been gone for more than half a minute, but to the assembled ponies, it felt like much longer. The only sound present was the faint scraping Connor made as he idly drew one of his hooves along the floor for lack of anything better to do. It was entrancing in a way, watching and feeling his altered appendage slide across the smooth wood like a hockey puck.

New body, new perspective, new sensations… To think, he was the first human in history to know what it felt like to be a fur-coated quadruped, complete with hooves, a tail, and everything else. It was surreal, like something right out of science fiction. If not for the suddenness of his transformation and the possibility that he was forever stuck like this, he might even have been able to enjoy the novel experience. But alas, there’s a reason fantasy and reality aren’t supposed to mix -- a lesson Connor would undoubtedly learn once the reality of his situation truly sunk in.

Suddenly, Connor felt his new pony ears flick and pivot around to the top of the stairs in response to Spike’s returning footsteps, bringing his head up just as the dragon appeared there.

“Everything’s cool. Owloysius made sure Peewee got to bed okay,” he said as he made his way down to the first floor. Eagerly, he walked over to the others and seated himself right next to Twilight, looking up at the Princess with his claws folded in front of him. “Ready, Princess.”

Celestia nodded, taking one moment to look around and make sure she had everyone’s full attention. Then the snow-white alicorn closed her eyes and took a deep, slow breath, before opening them again and starting what was doubtless to be a long, complicated, and in some ways, difficult explanation.

“To start, we should get the obvious out of the way,” she began. “Given what we know, your condition is most assuredly the result of magic. Specifically, natural magic.”

Connor tilted his head slightly. “Natural magic?” he asked for clarification.

“Yes. It is the magical energy that occurs automatically in our world, and not due to a unicorn’s spellcasting. It is everywhere; as common and ubiquitous as the very air we breathe.”

Connor looked off to the side in recollection. “Right, I remember Twilight saying something about that.”

Meanwhile, Rarity raised her hoof to get attention. “Excuse me, Princess. Now, obviously, I don’t know nearly as much about magic as either you or Twilight, but are you sure? As far as I’ve heard, nopony has ever just become a unicorn at the drop of a hat. It just doesn’t happen!”

“You are correct, Rarity. Things like this normally do not happen. But as you can no doubt guess, Connor is a very special case.” Celestia looked between the two unicorn mares in front of her, addressing them both. “Tell me, Twilight, Rarity, when you first met him, did you not experience anything strange or… out of the ordinary?”

“Strange or out of the ordinary?” Twilight repeated curiously. “Hmm…” She thought for a moment, scratching her mane with her hoof while both she and Rarity puzzled over the Princess’ question. “Actually, come to think of it, when we were together in the castle foyer... I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it, but I wasn’t able to shake the feeling that something was... off.”

“Since you mention it, I happen to recall something similar when he came to my boutique. I just didn’t think much of it until now,” Rarity agreed.

“And Sweetie Belle, too,” Connor chimed in. “That look she gave me when she answered the door; I thought she was just surprised to see me. You’re saying that had something to do with magic?”

Celestia nodded. “As I assume you are all aware, Connor comes from a world where there exists no magic of any kind. When he arrived, it was as a being utterly untouched by the forces that every creature of Equis experiences from the very moment they are born. On an instinctual level, you both were able to sense this, as was I, though only recently did I come to realize what it was. Nopony, not even myself, had ever encountered a nonmagical being before that day.”

“Now, hold up,” Applejack interrupted with a quizzical look on her face. “When Ah first met Connor, Ah wasn’t havin’ no ‘strange feelin’s.’ Other than, y’know, never seein’ anythin’ like a hew-man before.”

The cowpony’s comment was met with nods of agreement from both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, causing Celestia to give an amused expression.

“I am not surprised,” she told them. “As magic users, unicorns and alicorns are simply more sensitive to changes in ambient energy than pegasi or earth ponies, like yourselves. Connor’s presence in this world’s magic-rich environment could therefore be felt as an abnormality in nature. A kind of magical ‘void,’ if you will.”

Connor’s eyes widened slightly. Suddenly, what Celestia was saying started to make a lot more sense to him. “Nature abhors a vacuum,” he mentioned in comprehension.

“Precisely.”

Abruptly, Rainbow Dash shook her head in annoyance. “I don’t get it. What’s all this about magic vacuums have to do with Connor being a pony now?”

“I was getting to that,” Celestia told the pegasus, giving her a look that communicated a desire for patience. Sighing with resignation, Rainbow leaned back against the table in the center of the room, folding her forelegs behind her head. “Anyways; Twilight, in the letter you wrote to me, you mentioned that Connor was suffering from powerful headaches prior to the appearance of his horn.”

“...That’s right.” Twilight nodded. Subconsciously, she felt a bit of sour regret well up inside her upon her mentor’s mention of her earlier correspondence. In hindsight, she should have reported to her the very moment Connor’s troubles started, instead of waiting until she’d exhausted her own efforts to resolve them. Maybe if she did... things wouldn’t have turned out quite like this.

And Twilight was almost certain that Celestia felt the same way. But even if that were true, her mentor made no mention of it.

“And afterwards, the headaches stopped completely?” she continued, directing her question to Connor.

“Yeah,” he answered, wishing that the alicorn would hurry up and make her point already.

Celestia nodded to herself. “It is most likely that your body began absorbing trace amounts of magic as soon as you arrived, to correct the imbalance you unknowingly created. I am merely speculating at this point, but I believe the pain you experienced was a consequence of the magic coming into your body too quickly for your own good, like an empty vessel being teleported to the bottom of the ocean; the ‘pressure’ was too much for you. Left unchecked... it could very well have killed you.”

The bluntness of the Princess’ statement struck Connor -- and the other ponies too, for that matter -- almost as much as what she had said. It certainly put his first few days in Equestria in a whole new light. Talking with Twilight in the castle, clothes fitting with Rarity, Pinkie’s pre-welcoming party… During all that time, he was slowly dying from some kind of magical overdose?

“And why didn’t it?” Connor asked, putting to words the question at the front of everypony’s minds.

“Your horn,” Celestia put it simply, causing Connor to direct his eyes towards the bony protrusion on his forehead, tentatively reaching up to rub it lightly with his hoof. After a brief pause, she went to elaborate further. “Allow me to explain. You see, the magic of this world is not just some inert force. It is…” The Princess trailed off for a moment as she tried to find the right word. “...alive, in a manner of speaking. Magic in its purest form is the essence of life itself. It is not in its nature to cause undue harm. Somehow, the magic ‘knew’ what it was doing to you, and strove to avert it.”

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie perked up. “So it was like the magic was saying ‘I’m really super sorry I hurt you. Here, have a horn instead’?”

“Hold on. You mean having a horn literally push its way out of my skull was a good thing?” Connor asked incredulously, finding it hard to believe after what he went through to get it.

“Considering the alternative, I should think so,” Celestia replied. “In unicorns, the horn is a tool allowing for the regulation and direction of magical energy. With it, your body was able to limit the flow of magic more sustainably, allowing you to assimilate it without risk of being overwhelmed.”

“The thaumograph readings!” Twilight struck her hooves together in a moment of clarity. “The machine wasn’t detecting the flow of magic out, it was detecting the flow of magic in!”

“Okay... so that explains the horn bit,” said Connor, managing to follow the explanation so far, if just barely. “But what about me turning into a unicorn? If the horn was enough to keep me alive, why didn’t it stop there?”

Feeling sullen, Celestia lowered her head while an unsure expression came over her. “I am… far less certain of that. It could very well be the case that, even though you were no longer in danger, your human body was still never meant to interact with magic the way the creatures of Equis do. Therefore, in order to make you better suited to our environment, the world itself simply made it so. As for why you became a unicorn in particular, well… you already had a horn. It only seems logical.”

Connor stared on, the Princess’ words echoing around in his head. The way she’d put it… it sounded so incredibly simple. He was expecting something more complex, something more than just a case of happenstance and a fickle leap in logic, but…

“That’s it?”

Celestia blinked once, slowly, and then sadly nodded her head. “I’m sorry. There is simply too much we don’t know about these circumstances to be sure. It’s the best I can do.”

If Connor still had fists, he would have started to clench them. “So, let me just get this straight,” he said, in a purposefully calm manner that didn’t match the emotions rising in his chest. “What you’re saying is… the reason I’m like this; the reason I’m now a pony, after all that pain and suffering… is literally: ‘because magic.’”

Connor’s statement just so happened to make Twilight’s ears tic slightly. “Um… Don’t you mean because of magic?” she corrected for him.

“Twilight…” Celestia stressed, looking down at her disapprovingly. Twilight went silent in response, her ears lowering in an apologetic manner.

“This is… That’s just…” Connor didn’t know what to say. There was just something about all of this that made him feel like he’d been cheated. Like he felt he deserved a better explanation than that. And out of the mix of feelings bubbling up inside of him, one thing was clear: it was making him angry. Angry enough to want to spit out the very next thing to cross his mind. “This is bullshit!”

There was a collective gasp from some of the more sensitive mares in the room, and Fluttershy instinctively reached out and brought her hooves down around Spike’s ear frills in an effort to protect the young dragon’s innocence.

His eyes narrowing, Connor looked around to see all of the mares focus on him. He felt unrepentant. “I’m sorry, but that’s what it is!”

“Don’t you think you’re maybe… overreacting?” Fluttershy asked softly, while a mildly annoyed Spike struggled to remove the yellow hooves that were clamped firmly around his head.

“Why? Don’t you think I deserve to be a little angry about this?” he shot back, feeling completely justified in his current attitude. “There’s no fucking reason for it! Any of it! Some invisible force of nature decided to make me become a pony just because I was breaking some kind of ‘no humans allowed’ rule!? What the fuck!?”

Connor brought one of his hooves off the ground and placed it against his chest. “I didn’t want this! I didn’t even get a choice! I guess letting me stay normal would’ve been too much to ask! Instead, I get turned into… this!” Right at the end, a number of other words he could have used to finish that sentence crossed his mind: Animal. Freak. And a few more that would’ve been just as flattering to the ponies in the room. But this wasn’t Earth, and he wasn’t among other humans; the standards were different here.

“Hey, you really need to chill out,” Rainbow Dash said forcefully, getting up from her seat and leaning forwards in an aggressive display. “So what if it’s not what you wanted to hear? You didn’t even bother asking if she could change you back. Did you even think about that?”

“I…” One look at Rainbow’s piercing gaze, and Connor’s mouth snapped shut. She was right. Complaining (loudly) about the hand fate had dealt him wasn’t helping the situation, even if it did feel good to get it out of his system.

He snorted -- an action that felt strangely cathartic -- and placed both hooves firmly back on the floor. “Okay… Okay... I just needed to vent. I feel better now.” Connor looked up at Celestia, who didn’t seem at all fazed by his outburst. “Well? Is there anything we can do?”

The Princess swallowed almost imperceptibly. “The short answer, regrettably… is no.”

The room went quiet. With the alicorn’s brief pronouncement, crestfallen expressions fell unto the ponies like a chilling rain. All except for one, however, as Twilight got up on her hooves, refusing to accept it.

“Pardon me, Princess, but that can’t be right. All magical effects, especially transformation magic, are supposed to be reversible, or at least wear off on their own, given enough time.” The unicorn resolutely shook her head before turning to face Connor. “Of course, transformation spells are also supposed to be relatively instant… and painless.” A brief shudder ran down her spine, but she recovered at once. “But just because it was caused by natural magic shouldn’t make much of a difference, should it?”

“No, Twilight. This is not the same,” Celestia said to her pupil. “You have to understand, Connor hasn’t simply been physically transformed into a pony. His body has been altered on an absolutely fundamental level, and as a result, this has essentially become his natural state. Connor’s current form, and the magic that changed him, are now such an integral part of his being that any attempt at reversal would likely have… disastrous results.”

“So I’m cursed, then,” Connor muttered sorely. “That’s pretty much what you’re saying, isn’t it?”

Celestia’s eyes widened a little bit at his conclusion, mildly surprised that he was aware of such things as curses. It only lasted a second, however. “For all intents and purposes... yes, that is correct.”

And that was that. Mystery solved -- more or less. Connor was a full-fledged Equestrian now, for no other reason than “Why the fuck not?” And the worst part was that he was well and truly stuck. He was going to have to live as a pony for the rest of his life.

As Twilight despondently looked off to the side after her mentor’s statement, the realization sort of came to Connor in waves.

No more thumbs… or fingers, or hands. What kinds of video games could be played with hooves? Almost none, that’s how many. And how was he supposed to type on a keyboard now?

No more meat. His equine stomach wouldn’t be able to handle it. Cheeseburgers? Nope. Goodbye steak, KFC, and coconut shrimp at Red Lobster -- to name a few. His food pyramid had essentially been downgraded to a food trapezoid.

He’d have to relearn how to walk again. He’d have to relearn how to do everything. It was crushing his resolve just to think about how different, and difficult, his life was going to be from then on.

Connor brought both hooves up and buried his face in them, sighing deeply. “Can this day possibly get any worse?” A petite, uncomfortable clearing of the throat could be heard coming from the royal pony in front of him, and Connor slowly brought his head up to look her flatly in the eyes. “You’re kidding me.”

“I wish I was,” Celestia admitted with a heavy heart. “Now that the issue of your transformation has been dealt with, it is time to move on to the other issue I came to discuss. Given the circumstances, I do not know if this can be considered good or bad news, but regardless… I believe I have discovered the means by which you can return to your own world.”

A surprised gasp rose up from everypony at this news, as this was something absolutely none of them had expected. Even Connor momentarily put aside his present worries to absorb this information, giving the Princess a mixed expression. “What!? How!? When!?”

“It was just yesterday when Luna and myself came up with the solution. We were just about to send you a letter detailing what we had found out, when we received Twilight’s instead. I included this in our response, though it is plain to see why you never got a chance to read it.” Celestia motioned with her head over to the foot of the stairs, and everyone followed her gaze to see the discarded piece of parchment. With a glow of yellow magic, she lifted it into the air and stowed it away out of sight. “Obviously, there would not be much of a point to reading it now, as I am here to explain everything in full.”

“Okay, go ahead,” Connor urged her. He’d been waiting to hear these words for days, and despite recent developments, he was immensely interested in what she had to say.

“We’re all ears, Yer Highness,” added Applejack.

Celestia nodded. “Very well. To start with, I am confident that the object you encountered on Earth, the stone formation as you described it, was something called a ‘Terminus Enchantment.’”

“Terminus Enchantment?” Twilight’s ears perked up and she tilted her head, genuinely surprised. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. And coming from me, that’s really saying something.”

“I didn’t expect you would,” said Celestia. “You won’t find any mention of them in books of magic found in any library. In fact, it is something so obscure, I myself had not thought of it until one of my court scholars brought it to my attention, having discovered it in, of all things, a historical document: a weathered old scroll, dating from before the time of the Great Unification.”

Rainbow Dash let out a low whistle. “Wow. That’s really old.”

“Indeed,” the Princess continued, feeling she should give some more background for Connor’s benefit. “You see, before the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies of old put aside their differences and decided to work together, moving across great distances was especially hard for the unicorns. They possessed neither the gift of flight nor the incredible endurance of earth ponies.”

“Their solution to this problem was the Terminus Enchantment, which took the principles of common teleportation and applied them to two specific points in space, effectively creating a bridge across which things could travel instantaneously,” Celestia explained. “What made this enchantment noteworthy was that it was not limited by distance or mass. Entire groups of ponies, deliveries, and important messages could cross whole continents in the blink of an eye.”

“Princess, are… are you serious?” Twilight exclaimed breathlessly, baffled by what her mentor was saying. “That’s an incredible achievement! If what you’re saying is true, then the fact that these ponies could accomplish this with pre-Unification knowledge is astounding! I don’t understand why nopony has ever heard of this magic before, or tried to make one since!”

Celestia allowed herself a small smile at her student’s exuberance. “Ah, but such convenience did not come without cost, Twilight. The energy requirements necessary to activate the enchantment were astronomical. It would take a dozen powerful unicorn mages days of pouring every bit of magic they could spare into the enchanted object in order to get it to function. That is why they were only used in situations when distances were great and time was of the essence. After the Unification, the unicorns could rely on their new friends for these things, and the Terminus Enchantment quickly fell out of favor. Those already in existence were either dismantled or left to decay, and as the centuries passed without need of their use, knowledge of how to make one went with them.”

Rarity tapped on her chin with her hoof in thought. “How very interesting…”

“Yeah, fascinating, whatever.” Connor was slightly less taken with the history lesson. “Okay, so, never mind how one of these enchantments ended up on Earth. How does knowing what got me here help send me home? And how are you even sure of what it is in the first place?”

“The answer to both of those questions lies with a common principle known as ‘magical diffusion,’ which means that the casting of any nonnatural magic often leaves traces of itself in the surrounding area. Like a hoofprint, containing the essence of the spell,” said the alicorn. “In most cases, the spell in question is not strong enough to leave a lasting impression, and most fade away within minutes, if not seconds. But the power behind the enchantment that brought you across dimensions left an impression so great that it is still lingering in the castle courtyard. Now that I know what it is we were looking for, I can use the impression as an improvised version of the Terminus Enchantment. By directly suffusing the area with enough energy, we can trigger the spell once more, and send it in the opposite direction.”

Celestia then paused for slightly longer than usual, giving Connor the idea that something was amiss.

“I’m sensing a ‘but,’” he told her. From off to his side, Pinkie Pie had to stifle a giggle.

The Princess bowed her head. “But… the impression is still fading, and quickly. If we are to use this means of returning you to Earth, we will have to do it soon.”

“...How soon?”

Looking directly into Connor’s eyes, Celestia gravely said, “It must be tonight… or not at all.”

There was dead silence. Nopony said anything, but they all knew what this meant. If Connor wanted to go home (and tonight was his only chance) he would have to do it the way he was now: as a pony. The timing couldn’t have been worse if they had tried. Here he was, a newly minted equine about to be thrust back into a world where red-hued talking unicorns just didn’t exist. A world that was just as much alien to him now as Equis was when he first arrived.

An unenviable situation if ever there was one.

“...Dammit,” Connor said under his breath. “God... fucking dammit.”

Celestia spoke up first, sensing that Connor wasn’t taking this news well. “I understand how--”

“No. No, you don’t understand,” Connor rudely interrupted. This came as a bit of a shock to the other ponies. Nopony ever interrupted the Princess, much less talk down to her in such a condescending way. Even so, she let him continue. “Do you have any idea what kind of situation you’re putting me in? In the middle of one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, you just drop in out of the blue, tell me that I’m stuck like this forever, and in the same breath tell me how my only shot at going home is to just pack up and go right this second. I’ve been a pony for less than an hour and you’re telling me I have to leave for Earth right fucking now!? And you have the nerve to say you understand how I feel!? Don’t you get it!? Things can never just go back to the way they were! My old life is gone!”

This wasn’t just another outburst; Connor was legitimately angry at the Princess of the Sun for dumping all of this on him in such a short time. She’d been the one to break the news, so she was responsible for what he was feeling. He knew it was irrational, but right then, he blamed her for all of it. Blamed her for his current situation of having to face this frightening new reality. A reality where going home meant returning to a life that would be so utterly different than everything he was used to.

And through all of this, Celestia just sat there wearing the same patient, unreadable expression, like she was trying her hardest not to get more involved than she was already. Connor couldn’t stand to look at her any more, so he turned his head away, his face contorted into a grimace.

“Uhhh… You know, you don’t… have to go,” Spike cautiously suggested. “You could stay here in Ponyville if you wanted to. I’m sure the Princess would let you.”

“Spike’s right!” added Pinkie Pie. “We can teach you everything you need to know about being a pony, no problemo. It’s really not so bad! And you won’t have any problem fitting in, ‘cus we’re all ponies too! Well, except for Spike, but you knew that.”

“Yeah… right. I could do that,” Connor said in response. “And all it’d take is me walking away from my friends, my family, my entire culture… pretty much everything and everyone I’ve ever loved.”

That really drove the point home, taking whatever wind had built up out of the sails of the pink party mare. But the thing was… Spike and Pinkie weren’t wrong. Refusing Celestia’s offer and staying in Equestria was still an option, and considering how difficult life on Earth would be for him now, it was perhaps even a preferable one. To be a pony among ponies; his only chance at a “normal” life.

Either way, no matter what he ended up deciding, there was something to be lost. The only question now was to decide what he should give up… and whether or not he could live with the consequences of his choice.

Connor abruptly (and shakily) got up on his four hooves and started to slowly turn around, remembering what had happened the last time he tried to do so without being careful.

“Where are you going?” asked Fluttershy.

“...I need to think about this,” he answered, aiming himself in the direction of the hallway leading down to the kitchen. “And I… I need to do it alone.”

Celestia nodded. “I under…” She paused abruptly, and even though his back was turned, Connor could sense the uneasiness in the Princess’ voice and demeanor. “Yes, of course. Take as much time as you need.”

Bitterly, Connor turned his neck to address her. “If I did that, we’d be too late. I’ll take as much time as I’ve got, thank you very much.”

With everyone else silently watching him go, Connor plodded along, carefully managing his steps as he made his way down the darkened hall to the kitchen. The rhythmic sound of his hooves hitting the floor sounded hollow to his ears, which were plastered firmly to the base of his skull.

When he reached the door at the end of the hall, he looked up for a moment, briefly wondering how he was going to get past this latest obstacle. When he lifted one of his front hooves to try and push against it, he felt his weight shifting perilously away from his center of gravity, and decided against pushing any further, returning his hoof safely to the ground. Instead, he settled on trudging forward an inch at a time, moving the door with his shoulder as it slowly swung inwards with a long creaking noise.

As he went inside the kitchen, he could feel the edge of the door brush along the fur on his side until it reached the point where it began to swing back. Suddenly, Connor was cognizant of his tail, and he stumbled forward just in time to prevent it from getting pinched in the doorway. He peeked behind himself, catching his breath, and watched the door swing to and fro until it finally stopped.

Now that that was done, Connor found himself in Twilight’s empty kitchen area, completely unlit save for the illumination coming from the crack under the door. And that was fine… he didn’t really care about the darkness. All that mattered was that he now had the opportunity to figure out his next course of action.

Which was… what, exactly? What was he going to do now? So much had happened in such a short time, Connor was having trouble thinking of where to begin. Here, in the absolute quiet and the stillness, it struck him just how tired he was.

Tired of making stupid mistakes that kept landing him into trouble. Tired of harboring animosity towards forces utterly beyond his control. Tired of the pain he’d been forced to endure, the trials of adjusting to a brand-new body, and the emotional roller coaster he’d been riding since the moment he laid hands on that enchanted stone. And the worst of it all still had yet to come. In a matter of hours, he would either say goodbye to the home he’d known for his entire life, or go back as the only talking unicorn to walk the face of the Earth, unique and alone in a world that wasn’t meant for him anymore.

Connor could feel his resolve to remain upright slipping away, and he let his flank pitch over and hit the floor with a heavy thump. The rest of him soon followed.

He laid there on the floor, resting his furry cheek on the cold, hard wood, as he struggled to focus on making the most important decision of his life. A decision that would impact his whole future in too many ways to count. And while that happened, the clock was steadily running down. Tick tock.

Connor closed his eyes and slowly brought his forelegs up, wrapping them tightly around his head while curling into a ball with his other two legs. And then, feeling all but torn up inside, and alone with himself where there was nobody to see… the tears started to flow.

Back in the main foyer, the general mood couldn’t be described as anything less than somber while the ponies held a quiet discussion over these recent revelations, and speculated as to the fate of their newest friend.

“I just can’t believe all of this is happening all at once,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “It’s utterly dreadful, is what it is.”

“Do you think he’s really gonna do it?” Pinkie Pie asked, her normally eccentric mane hanging a little limper than usual. “If he goes home now, he’ll never get to go to his official ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party… He Pinkie Promised and everything.”

“No offense, Pinkie, but I don’t think Connor’d want to be stuck here forever just so he could go to your party,” Rainbow told her fuchsia-furred friend. “What I don’t get is why he isn’t happier about this. He gets to go home. It’s what he’s wanted this whole time, right?”

“It’s not that simple, darling,” Rarity pointed out. “While I’m sure he would have jumped at the chance days ago, things are different now. As I understand it, ‘Connor the pony’ would have a much harder time among his own people than ‘Connor the human,’ with or without a horn. He’d stick out like polka dots against stripes, if you’ll pardon the fashion metaphor.”

Applejack leaned in on the conversation, her muzzle set into a serious expression. “This is just mah two bits, but if somethin’ like this ever happened to me, Ah’d do anythin’ Ah could to stay right here. No way in Tartarus would Ah turn mah back on Granny, Bloom or Big Mac, or any a’ y’all for that matter.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders, turning her head to face her fellow pegasus. “What about you, Fluttershy? What do you think?”

Fluttershy perked up, blinking a few times when she was addressed by her friend. “Oh, I… I don’t know…” She turned her eyes to the floor, nervously pressing her hooves together. “I just feel so sorry for Connor. All of this… it’s just awful.”

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle remained silent, distancing herself from the discussion as she was lost in her own thoughts. Until, upon noticing that his best friend and closest companion seemed to be particularly troubled, Spike got up and walked over to the lavender unicorn. “Hey, Twi. You’ve been pretty quiet ever since Connor left. Something wrong?”

Her bright purple eyes shifting around searchingly, Twilight took in a deep breath and let it out in an unsteady sigh. Almost to herself, she whispered, “It’s my fault… It’s all my fault.”

“Pardon? What was that, sugarcube?” Applejack’s head, as well as those of the others, all turned towards Twilight. Celestia in particular appeared keenly interested, and she spoke up to address her faithful student directly.

“What do you mean, Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head, as if trying to dislodge something that had gotten stuck in her mind, but it was of no use. “It was me… I’m the one responsible for what’s happened to Connor.”

“What!?” Spike was set aback, confusion plain on his face while everyone else was similarly affected. “You’re talking crazy, Twi. How could any of this be your fault?”

Twilight’s head snapped up, giving her assistant a deadly serious look. “You all heard what the Princess said. Connor’s been absorbing magic this whole time, ever since he got here. And who has he been spending all of his time with? Who has he been in near constant contact with? Me! The Element of Magic!”

The violet mare’s pupils shrunk slightly as she brought her hooves to the sides of her head. “I’m one of the most magically potent unicorns in the world! I have to have had some kind of proximity effect on him, not to mention all of those spells I cast! What if by doing so, I somehow sped up the process!? What if I’m the reason he became a pony before he had the chance to go home with some semblance of normalcy!? What if I’m the reason his life is over one way or another!? What if...”

Twilight’s left eye twitched errantly, and a couple stray strands of her mane started to curl up. When she spoke next, it was barely above a whisper. “What if he really is cursed… and I’m the one who did it?”

All of a sudden, a horrible, twisted feeling washed over her, causing her entire body to tremble. All but convinced of her own guilt, pearly tears began to well up in her eyes as she was reminded of the stories told of unicorns in the past who had inflicted curses upon others… and the unthinkable punishments that were cast down on them as a result.

No, no, no, no, no… This can’t be happening, Twilight thought to herself, closing off her surroundings while being buried under a tidal wave of fear and anxiety. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry! Please, anything but that!”

“Twilight, look at me.”

The voice of her beloved mentor pierced the haze of jumbled emotions that was threatening to swallow Twilight whole; a voice that never failed to reach the deepest parts of her spirit, even during-- No, especially during these times when the unicorn’s overactive imagination got the better of her.

Wordlessly, Twilight obeyed, bringing her tear-filled orbs up to gaze into those of the Princess, who had situated herself directly in front of her. With the utmost tenderness, Celestia cradled her student’s head in her hooves as they locked eyes.

“Twilight Sparkle, listen to me very carefully,” Celestia told her in the most perfectly calm, motherly tone she could manage. “What has transpired these past few days is absolutely not your fault. You are utterly blameless. Nopony could have predicted this would happen, least of all you. You did nothing wrong.”

Hearing the Princess say these things, in no uncertain terms whatsoever, reached deep inside Twilight, soothing her troubled mind right away and calming her down considerably. Celestia removed her hooves, and the purple unicorn sniffed loudly as she brought up a foreleg to wipe away her tears. When she was done, she sniffed again, nodding slowly.

“...Thank you, Princess,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “...I needed that.”

In response, Celestia gave her one of her warmest smiles. “No need to thank me, Twilight.” Contemplatively, the alicorn closed her eyes and breathed deep. When she opened them again, she was prepared to make a painful admission. “If anyone is to blame for this tragedy, it is me.”

A gasp rose up from Spike and the other mares. “What’re you saying, Your Majesty?” he inquired as Celestia raised her head.

“As wise and powerful as I am, there has to have been something I could have done to prevent this,” she explained, finding it painful to admit her own shortcomings. “Maybe if I had realized in time the consequences of Connor’s presence in our world, I might have been able to prepare. Perhaps he could have been kept in a low-magic environment until I could think of a solution... I just don't know.”

“Now, don’t you start too, Yer Highness,” said Applejack. “Just like y’all said: nopony coulda seen this comin’.”

Celestia nodded to the farm pony. “Of course. You’re right, Applejack. And there is no cause for worry; I assure you, now is not the time to be dwelling on the past, and I do not intend to.”

“So, uh…” started Spike, who was standing next to Twilight with a comforting claw on her shoulder. “What do we do now?”

“Now, we wait. We must let Connor make his choice,” Celestia replied. “And no matter what he decides, all of us must agree to support him fully. He needs his friends. Now, more than ever.”

There were sounds of general agreement to this by the other ponies, who knew that the Princess was right. They were all prepared to do what was necessary for their friend in this troubling time.

All, that is, except for Twilight, who was surprised to find that she wasn’t so sure. Of course, she wanted to think that Connor should do whatever he thought was best, and she knew it was only right that she be supportive, no matter what he ended up choosing. But instead, she felt… afraid. Not the kind of fear she’d experienced moments ago, but a more subtle feeling of dismay that she couldn’t easily explain.

Against everything she knew was the proper thing to do… why did the thought of Connor choosing to leave make her feel so conflicted?

Not that anyone was keeping track, but close to thirty minutes later, Connor returned from his solitude. Whatever minor conversation being held to pass the time was cut short when he turned the corner out of the library hallway. His head was hung low and his steps were ponderous, as if he was in a trance. He at least managed to make himself presentable before coming, though. Of what had actually transpired while he was by himself, his friends would be none the wiser.

Still, it was not a happy face he presented when he stopped, lifting his head up to look out at them, surely waiting for him to say the first word. But the words wouldn’t come. Even after all that time, he was no closer to an answer than when he started.

“Well? Have you come to a decision?” asked Celestia patiently before the silence became too unbearable.

Connor looked around at each of the gathered ponies, all of their eyes trained on him, and sighed. “No. I couldn’t… not right now,” he admitted painfully in a low voice. “But we… It’s like you said: if we’re going to do it, it has to be tonight.”

Connor cleared his throat, preparing to say what he wanted to say before he changed his mind. “Go make whatever preparations you have to. Maybe by the time you’re ready… I’ll have figured out what I want to do.”

All heads in the room turned to Celestia for her response, who nodded in understanding and got up to her hooves. “That is a sound idea. Something this important should be given all due consideration. That being said, it will take at least an hour to get everything ready.”

Unbeknownst to the others, Celestia had just done something she seldom ever did: she told a lie. In truth, if she wanted to, she could’ve taken Connor directly to Canterlot, triggered the spell, and sent him on his way in less than half that time, but things would be easier this way. She wanted to afford Connor as much time as possible to figure things out. She felt she owed him that much, at least.

“I will fly back to the castle and begin preparing immediately. In the meantime, I suggest you take the night train to Canterlot.”

“The train?” Twilight asked, unsure, as she too got up from her seat along with her friends. “All by himself?”

Celestia looked at her student and smiled lightly, interpreting her statement in the correct way. “Of course not, Twilight. I assume all of you wish to accompany him?”

“Darn tootin’, we do,” Applejack said, pointedly stomping her hoof on the floor.

“Indeed,” added Rarity, who tossed a glance over to Connor. “If you do decide to return home, we should be there in order to... say our goodbyes.”

Twilight blinked. There it was again: that pang of insecurity at the thought of Connor leaving. She shook her head, burying the feeling. This was not the time or the place for that; her friend came first.

“Excuse me,” she said quickly, before making for the stairs to the second floor.

“Where’re ya goin’, Twi?” Spike called after her.

“I’ll just be a minute.”

With that, she cantered up the stairs and out of sight. True to her word, Twilight was only gone for a minute before she came back down with her horn aglow. Floating along beside her, encased in a field of purple magic, was a plain beige satchel with a strap that appeared to be packed full of something. By the time she reached the bottom of the steps, everyone else, including Connor, was all ready to go and standing near the door.

“Here, you should take this,” she told Connor, stepping up beside him and securing the pack around his midsection with her magic. “Just in case… you know.”

“What is it?” he asked her, feeling the odd weight hanging off his right side. Thankfully, whatever it was wasn’t heavy, and it didn’t affect his balance too much.

“They’re your old clothes, and your glasses.”

Connor gave Twilight a quizzical look. “Why? None of that stuff’s ever gonna fit me again.”

Twilight shook her head. “They’re still yours,” she insisted. “It wouldn’t be right for me to keep them.”

Peering over his shoulder at the lone saddlebag, Connor decided it wasn’t worth arguing, and sighed in resignation. “...Fine.”

“Oh, and don’t forget this!” Pinkie Pie said unexpectedly, also walking over to Connor’s side. She bent back to reach a hoof into her puffy tail, rummaged around for a bit like she was searching for something, and eventually it returned holding up the former human’s dead iPod and headphones. With a satisfied nod, she flipped up the top of the bag and dropped the device inside before clasping it shut again.

Connor briefly considered asking the pink pony where she got her hooves on it in the first place, but quickly thought better. It was Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, enough said.

“Everypony ready?” Rainbow Dash asked around, and when no objections were raised, she took the liberty of opening the door to the library and stepping outside.

She was followed by the Princess, then Spike, then all of the other ponies in turn. The last one to leave was Twilight, who paused for a moment to darken the interior lights before shutting the door with magic.

Now outside, Connor took a deep breath of the crisp nighttime air. Even the town of Ponyville smelled different according to his more sensitive nose; like the scent of freshly cut grass, only somehow sweeter. Up above, Luna’s moon sat serenely among an ocean of stars, all twinkling silently in a cloudless sky, except without his glasses, it all just looked like a big purple and white blur to him. Thinking back, it reminded Connor of the night he and Twilight arrived in town on that royal chariot… It had only been four days since then, but it felt like an eternity ago.

“A fine night for flying,” commented Celestia, who had crept up beside him without him noticing. Connor looked up at her, a tiny bit startled by the size difference between him and the alicorn from up close, now that he was barely more than half her height.

“Yeah… I guess.” Connor returned his gaze forward. He swallowed, remembering what he’d said to her after what she told him back inside the library. Now that he’d been given a chance to cool off, he felt it was only appropriate that he apologize. “Um… Celestia, I… I feel really bad about what I said before. I’m sorry.”

At first, Celestia wanted to respond by telling the colt that he had every right to be upset, and that she didn’t blame him at all, but that probably wasn’t the right thing to say at the moment. Instead, she settled on smiling one of her mysterious smiles, and saying, “It is alright, Connor. Apology accepted.”

Feeling that it was about time to get moving, the Princess took a few long steps forward, turning slightly towards the other ponies. “Farewell, and safe travels. I hope to see you all in Canterlot shortly.”

There was a whoosh of air as her wide, magnificent ivory wings unfolded, and with a bit of a running start, Celestia left the ground and began flying off in the direction of Canterlot, far in the background. Everyone watched her go, transfixed by how graceful the Princess seemed with the moonlight gleaming off of her snowy fur, even as she receded into the distance at an impressive speed.

When she finally disappeared from their sight, there was no more reason to stick around, and the group unanimously decided it was time to get a move on to the train station.

“Ah’ll go on ahead and get our tickets,” said Applejack, before starting to gallop away down the street.

“Hold up, AJ, I’ll go with you.” Taking to the air, Rainbow Dash quickly followed suit, leaving the others behind to start walking at a slower pace.

One, two, three, four, Connor droned in his head, looking down at the ground to help himself maintain a steady rhythm. The motions were coming easier to him now. Still not quite up to par with the average pony, but well enough that he could keep a reasonable speed as long as he didn’t get too distracted.

On a whim, he chanced a look up at his surroundings to find that he and the girls (and Spike, riding astride Twilight) were the only ones around. It was still far too early in the morning for anypony else to be awake, so virtually all of the houses were dark, leaving only the streetlamps overhead to provide enough light to walk by.

The steady beat of their hooffalls was interrupted when Spike made a loud and very obvious yawn, which caught the attention of the mare whose back he was sitting on.

“Getting tired, Spike?” Twilight asked, looking behind her shoulder.

“A little. Don’t worry about me, though. I can keep going.” The dragon child made a show of rubbing his eyes and looking alert, but it was obvious he was fighting a losing battle.

“You’re a real trooper, Spike.” Twilight smiled at him for a moment, then looked past him to see Connor, situated in the center between her and the other mares. “Hey, Connor… how are you holding up?”

Connor stopped, looked up at Twilight for a moment, then opened his mouth to answer. But something made him pause, and he quickly glanced down at his forehooves before he had an idea. Giving the mare a deadpan expression, he said, “With my legs. How else?”

He kept up a neutral face long enough to capture the confusion plain on Twilight’s, until he could hear a burst of laughter coming from his side as Pinkie Pie caught on to the joke. Spike himself couldn’t hide a few snickers, and it only took a couple more seconds of brow-furrowing for realization to dawn on Twilight as well.

She rolled her eyes at him. “I was being serious.”

In spite of himself, Connor managed to crack a small grin. “I know, I just couldn’t help it.” The smile faded, and he sighed and continued walking along. “I… really don’t know what to say. I’m trying hard not to think about it, but it’s really the only thing I can think about, you know?”

The other ponies said nothing, listening patiently and waiting to see if Connor would say more, which he did. “I guess the hardest part about all this is... not knowing how everyone’s going to react if I do go back. Will they believe me when I tell them where I’ve been this whole time? How this happened to me? Will they even accept me, being what I am now?”

From Connor’s left side, Fluttershy closed the distance between them. “I’m sure they will, Connor… Even if you don’t look like what you used to, the important thing is that you’re still the same on the inside,” she said, trying to cheer him up.

Connor was quiet for a time, contemplating what the pegasus said. Then, he forlornly looked over to her, asking, “...Are you sure about that?”

Fluttershy’s head tilted to the side. “What do you mean?”

Connor frowned, preparing to put into words something he’d been mulling over since learning of his fate. “Celestia said that the magic altered me on a fundamental level. My cells, my DNA… my brain.” He swallowed dryly. “My skull’s changed shape, so that probably did, too. If so, what if I’m not the same person I was? For all we know, ‘Connor’ could’ve died in that hospital… and I’m just some pony who woke up with his memories.”

“Stop right there. This is not the time to be having an existential crisis.” Connor’s dour speculation was interrupted by Rarity, who proceeded to heartily denounce it. “And even if it was, rest assured, darling, you are still you. I think I would know it if you weren’t the same person I became friends with that day in my boutique.”

Connor was surprised to hear the tone of certainty in the fashionista’s voice. “How can you be so sure?”

In response, Rarity casually waved a hoof. “Oh, just call it a mare’s intuition.”

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared from behind the ivory unicorn, nearly startling her. “Is that kinda like my Pinkie Sense?”

“Not quite, Pinkie,” Twilight said on Rarity’s behalf. “For one thing, it’s a lot less painful.”

Whether or not the ponies’ friendly banter was intentional in trying to lighten the mood, it was nonetheless succeeding in making Connor feel a little more secure about himself.

I guess… all that matters is that some part of me is still hanging around, he thought, though he still felt doubtful that the people he knew back home would think along the same lines.

“You know, this whole situation could be a whole lot easier to deal with if only I could actually use magic,” he said offhandedly -- or, to be more accurate, offhoofedly. “Maybe I could cast some kind of illusion or something, to at least make me look human again. Or, hell, if transformations are supposed to be so easy, I could just make myself human again whenever I wanted… even if it was only temporary.” In spite of these new possibilities that Connor hadn’t considered before now, all they did was cause him to sigh dejectedly when he had to face reality. “Fat chance of that happening, though… I don’t even have enough time to learn how to levitate stuff.”

“Oh! I can’t believe I forgot about your magic,” Twilight exclaimed, taking on an inquisitive tone of voice. “It didn’t occur to me before, but that’s right: since you’re just like any other unicorn now, you should be able to--”

“I thought so, too,” Connor said, cutting off the mare in mid-conjecture. “Back at the library, when I was… alone in the kitchen. But nothing I tried worked; not even a spark. Either I’m doing it wrong or I’m just not cut out for it.”

“Really? That’s odd,” said Twilight. “You should be able to use telekinesis at the very least. It’s as natural for all unicorns as flying is for pegasi. Even newborn foals exhibit some magic within days of being born.”

“And we all know how much fun baby unicorns can be,” Pinkie added exasperatedly.

“You know… maybe it has something to do with Connor not having been born as a pony in the first place,” Fluttershy quietly suggested.

“Yeah… You might actually be on to something, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, her mind shifting into gear trying to order the facts around. “It could be that you’re perfectly capable of using magic, you just simply lack the instinctual background; the proper mental triggers to access your power. I’ve heard stories of unicorns who suffered accidents that resulted in them having to relearn how to use magic, not unlike physical therapy. In your case, it could just be a matter of getting the proper training.”

“That’s all well and good, Twilight, but it’s still a moot point,” Connor unhappily replied. “If I go home tonight, I’ll never get the chance to do all that… Isn’t that just the icing on the cake? I’ll be a unicorn that doesn’t know how to use magic. Not even levitation to make up for not having hands.”

Whatever welcome respite Connor was offered by talking these things out with his friends was quickly subdued by this unpleasant reminder. Yet another data point he had to factor in to his decision to stay or go, and he was barely making any headway on that front as it was.

Soon, they were going to be on the train, and shortly after that, he was going to arrive in Canterlot, where Celestia was expecting to either open up a portal to another world or start filing the paperwork for Equestria’s newest resident.

It was ironic: Until now, Connor felt as though every extra minute spent in this foreign place was utterly unacceptable. But now that he was faced with having to return... he found himself wanting to cherish every fleeting moment of it.

Tick tock… tick tock…

“Aaaaaall aboooard!”

The bellowing voice of the train conductor rang out at the Ponyville station, signaling the nightly train’s imminent departure to Canterlot.

All seven ponies were lined up single file on the short wooden platform that served as the small town’s official train station. Sitting on the tracks, occasionally letting off a hissing burst of steam, was the charming locomotive that the six mares and one dragon had grown quite familiar with over the years, but that Connor was only seeing for the first time.

Very brightly colored with pastel pinks, blues, and browns, and decorated by gentle curves and the occasional heart motif, it looked more like something out of a little girl’s toy play set than a coal-powered machine born of sweat and steel. He would almost be embarrassed to be seen riding on such a thing, if he didn’t already somewhat resemble a children’s toy himself.

Towards the front of the line, Applejack handed the conductor: a uniformed, cobalt blue stallion with a black mustache and a pocket watch cutie mark, a stack of tickets, one for each passenger. The stallion nodded to the cowpony and walked back into the train car, allowing her passage. One by one, the mares, as well as Spike, filed on until it was just Connor and Twilight left on the platform.

Connor looked through the open door, hesitantly raising a hoof. He was feeling anxious for some reason; probably having to do with the fact that this was one of the last few remaining legs of his journey home.

Sensing his hesitation, Twilight came up beside him. “So… have you made a decision yet?” she asked him, her ears pulled back against her head.

Connor turned to look at her, then looked off to the side. “No, not yet.”

Twilight then tried to offer him a smile and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out on the way. Personally, I find train rides to be really relaxing, and they tend to help me think when I have a tough problem to work through.”

“Yeah… let’s hope so.” Connor sighed, and slowly put his hoof across the gap to place it inside the train. The rest of him followed relatively easily, followed by Twilight as well.

A moment later, the conductor up ahead stuck his front out one of the windows and blew on a shrill-sounding whistle, while waving a foreleg to signal to the operator at the head of the train. With a pleasant chime, the doors to the cabin slid shut and locked in place behind them. Then, with a great blast of steam and a mighty blare, the locomotive gave a steady lurch forward before beginning its trek along the tracks that ran to the mountain in the distance. The momentary shuffling almost caused Connor to stumble, but once the motion of the train stabilized, he could then barely feel the acceleration.

Looking around, the inside of the cabin was very plain compared to the outside: a mix of beiges and browns with an olive-green carpet down the middle, lined on both sides by wide white cushions with curved green backs. This half of the cabin was empty, as everypony else had decided to take their seats towards the front. Connor could hear them socializing amongst themselves, but like before, he felt that it would be better if he spent his time thinking by himself without any distractions.

His head hanging slightly, Connor turned left and headed towards the back-most seat of the cabin. Twilight silently looked on for a moment, concerned, but then decided that, if her friend preferred to be left alone for now, she should respect that. She watched him for a few seconds more, than reluctantly turned right to go and join her other friends.

Upon reaching the back, Connor found it easy enough to place both of his forelegs up on the seat, but struggled initially to get his hind legs to follow. Eventually, though, he managed to drag himself fully onto the cushion, facing the window. He shifted around a little, trying to get comfortable as he looked through the glass to the outside.

Already, the lights and buildings of Ponyville were tapering off to dusk-shrouded pastures and acres of hilly farmland. Connor closed his eyes, silently bidding the little town farewell -- for the final time… he wasn’t so sure.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was the faint image of his face reflected in the glass. It was only his second time seeing it, so it still came as a bit of a shock to realize that those big, expressive eyes, short red muzzle, pointy ears, and messy brown mane actually belonged to him, reminding him of what he’d lost and could never get back. It didn’t make him angry, though… just sad.

He lowered his head onto the windowsill, staring straight ahead without really focusing on anything. Right now, the scenery speeding past was yet another symbol of how little time he had left. He could feel every pound of his heart inside his chest; a symptom of his mounting stress over the difficult choice he had to make.

For something like this, there simply was no right answer. Just two bad choices that were inevitably going to make him miserable one way or the other. All that was left was to choose which hell he would rather spend the rest of his life in.

Connor had no inkling of how long it would take for this train to reach Canterlot, but however long that was, it couldn’t possibly be enough time.

The Seventh Day: Terminus

You Do (Not) Belong

The Seventh Day: Terminus

With a shrill whistle, the nightly train coming across the main track to Canterlot slowly pulled into the station. This late at night -- or early in the morning, depending on who you ask -- it would have been surprising to see any passengers at all aboard aside from deliveries of mail and various other cargo. But tonight was no ordinary night, and the ones on this train were no ordinary passengers. Just as the two ponies awaiting them at the station weren’t just any old ponies.

A brief blast of steam accompanied the metallic grinding of the brakes as the train came to a halt. The doors to the passenger car opened, the first to step out being Applejack, and as she came forward followed closely behind by her friends, one look around from under the rim of her hat told her that they weren’t alone.

The farm pony’s face lit up with recognition. “Hey, Twi. Look who’s here,” she called over her shoulder to the lavender unicorn who had just stepped off the train.

“Huh?” Twilight said back, confused, until she too looked around and spotted who her friend was talking about. She blinked, her mouth falling open slightly.

“Hey, Twiley!” shouted one of the ponies who was waiting for them: none other than the Captain of the Royal Guard himself and Twilight’s own brother, Shining Armor.

He was decked out in his typical suit of gleaming purple armor, minus the helmet, allowing his cerulean and sapphire blue mane to run free. A wide grin splitting his muzzle, he was waving one of his hooves vigorously, while the pony standing beside him maintained a more reserved, yet no-less happy expression.

It was a pony that Twilight had only recently been reacquainted with, but of whom she still held in the highest regard aside from perhaps Shining or Celestia: Princess Mi Amore Cadenza -- “Cadence” for short. The Princess’ mane, tail, and bright pink body were unadorned, except for her short golden crown, the small gold brooch she often wore, and her crystal heart cutie mark. Being an alicorn like her aunts, she possessed a similar build, though her height was a factor more in line with common ponies, to the point where she stood only a few inches taller than her husband.

Twilight, surprised and elated at this unexpected reunion, immediately broke into a gallop, rushing over to greet the recently married couple. Smiling from ear to ear, she then turned to face Cadence, and with a look of silent acknowledgement between them, they started in on their customary greeting; one they had shared since many years past when Twilight merely knew her as a beloved foalsitter.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!” they spoke in tandem, going through motions that felt as ingrained as breathing. “Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

Shining couldn’t fight the urge to roll his eyes at the behavior of his little sister and darling wife as they finished their ritual by gayly shaking their behinds at each other. The two didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, however, and they both devolved into a fit of laughter as they moved to embrace.

“Oh, it’s so nice to see you again, Twilight,” Cadence said sweetly. “I know it’s only been two weeks since the wedding, but it’s felt like ages.”

“Same here,” Twilight replied as the two of them separated. “You two must have so many things to tell me about your honeymoon! When did you get back? Wait, before you answer that, how did you even know we’d be coming?”

“We got back just yesterday, and it was Auntie Celestia who suggested we meet you all at the station.” The alicorn gave Twilight a mysterious look. “And you’re right, there’s plenty that we need to get caught up on, isn’t there?”

Twilight’s eyes turned down to the side, and her ears pulled back a little. “Yeah… How much do you know?”

“The Princess told us what she could, including everything that just happened in Ponyville,” Shining explained before his focus was dragged from his sister over to the train, where a blank-flanked, maroon-red unicorn stallion was carefully stepping down onto the train platform. “So, is that him?”

Twilight turned to follow his gaze, and nodded. “...Yes, that’s Connor.”

Shining then cleared his throat while pulling at his armor to adjust it slightly. “Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves, huh?”

Together, the three ponies made their way to the edge of the platform where Connor stood among the others, taking in his surroundings. He noticed the royal pair right away when the unicorn captain pulled ahead with a friendly smile on his face.

“Hey there, I’m Shining Armor. Nice to finally meet you,” Shining said in greeting, casually holding out a hoof.

Looking back and forth between the pony’s outstretched hoof and the six-pointed magenta emblem on the breast of his armor, Connor took a second to register the name, knowing that he’d heard it somewhere before. The realization dawned on him quickly, at the same time that he realized Shining was inviting him to shake hooves.

“Uh, yeah… I’m Connor. You’re Twilight’s brother, aren’t you?” Connor responded hesitantly, taking his right hoof off the ground and placing it on Shining’s, who shook it; a gesture that felt even more out of place without a hand to grasp with. Next, Connor looked to the pink pony standing beside him. With her horn and wings signifying her status, it didn’t take long for him to guess who she was. “And you must be Princess... Cadence?”

The Princess’ eyebrows raised in surprise. “That's right. How did you know? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

Connor coughed, averting his eyes. “Yeah, well… Twilight’s told me a lot about you guys. Congratulations, by the way,” he added as an afterthought.

“Why, thank you,” Cadence replied, beaming at him while she leaned slightly against her husband.

“Cadence, darling, how was your honeymoon?” asked Rarity. “Less eventful than the wedding, surely?”

The alicorn let out a slight giggle. “No changelings, if that’s what you mean.”

Rainbow Dash was the next to chime in. “What’d you guys do? Hang-gliding? Surfing? I hear Colta Rica’s got the best wave action in the entire Mareibbean Sea!”

“Oh, rest assured, we did all that and more,” Shining said, seemingly prepared to dive into a more in-depth description of the fortnight’s activities. A short clearing of the throat from the alicorn beside him made drew his attention, however, and he looked to see Cadence toss a glance in Connor’s direction, reminding him of the more urgent task at hoof. “Right… I guess that can wait till later.”

“Celestia and Luna are expecting us at the castle. We shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Cadence explained. “If you like, we can get caught up on the way there.”

“Sounds good,” said Twilight. “You ready, Connor?”

Connor looked at Twilight, then to the road ahead. Gazing upwards, he could see where the tall spires of Canterlot Palace peeked up over the rooftops of the city’s other buildings. It seemed so distant… and yet, he knew he was only that much closer to the point of no return. And he was still utterly at a loss as to what he should do when he got there.

“...Yeah, I’m ready,” he lied. “Let’s go.”

“Lead the way, Your Highnesses!” Pinkie spoke up as she bowed down in an unserious manner.

Both Cadence and Shining took up the front, with Twilight quickly cantering up beside them while everypony else stayed close behind. Connor tried to keep up as best as he could, though keeping his concentration on placing one hoof in front of the next meant that he wasn’t particularly paying attention to what the others were saying as Shining and Cadence went into detail about their vacation. That, and the fact that he was also getting his first (and perhaps, only) up-close look at Canterlot, and there was so much to take in.

Less than a minute later, the group was making their way out of the train station exit and into the city proper. And what a city it was.

Out of the handful of big cities Connor had ever been to; New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, etc, none of them could compare to the royal capital of Equestria. The magnificent view from the castle’s observatory room gave him a good first impression, but actually walking through Canterlot’s immaculate streets, he could truly appreciate just how amazing this place was.

Opulence was the theme here; everywhere Connor looked simply exuded class and high society. The dark green cobblestone streets were absolutely spotless and free of clutter, lending a greater impression of space between the buildings, which themselves left very little to be desired. Bleached white stone facades decorated liberally with gold trim, colorful banners, and richly-hued gemstones polished to perfection. Marble pony statues that looked nearly identical to the real thing, wall-hanging floral arrangements of fragrant and exotic flowers, and grand fountains full of crystal-clear water could be seen from every vantage point. The sheer amount of wealth and sophistication on display was mind-boggling to the small-town former human.

But while Connor was taken in by the sights, there was something else that couldn’t escape his notice, and that was the other ponies also out on the town. While everyone else back in Ponyville surely must have been asleep, the night life in Canterlot was still very much alive, and there was no shortage of smartly-dressed ponies strolling around beneath the bright city streetlights.

And what was most notable to him was the fact that they all paid him next to no attention at all. If anything, Princess Cadence, (Prince) Shining Armor, and their entourage of world-saving pseudo-celebrities were the ones turning heads. Nopony cared about the boring, blank-flanked stallion wearing a saddlebag that was picking up the rear. In a way, the anonymity of it all was kind of refreshing.

Anonymity… Yeah, right. Say goodbye to that, Connor inwardly remarked, reminded of the fact that being a pony in Equestria was the farthest thing from being a big deal. But if he returned to Earth…

He could imagine all sorts of possibilities upon his return, none of them enticing in the slightest. An honest-to-goodness alien creature with the mind of a human and the body of a colorful unicorn in a world where such things were the domain of pure fiction. A creature with the potential -- if not the immediate capability -- to use actual magic. How would he be treated?

There was always the classic “Men in Black” scenario; black-bagged and spirited away to some clandestine government facility to be poked and prodded like a science experiment. And if not that, then there were still natural and ethical considerations to be made. As a sentient nonhuman, was he subject to the same rights and restrictions as normal people? Was he still an American citizen? Would his parents need to zone their property for livestock? It sounded nuts, but these were things that Connor was honestly thinking about as he desperately weighed the pros and cons.

Even if he was able to clear those kinds of hurdles and make a life for himself, what kind of living would that be? He was living proof of the existence of other worlds -- other universes. Provided he didn’t live like a hermit, he would probably attain the status of a super celebrity the likes of which he’d only ever seen on TV. That is, if he wasn’t simultaneously condemned by every religious and scientific institution that saw his existence as a threat to their very ways of thinking. Every second of every day, he would have cameras following him around. He would never be left alone.

Was it really worth going back if that was what awaited him on the other side? Or was he just blowing things way out of proportion? The uncertainty of it all was well on its way to fraying the bundle of nerves Connor had managed to scrape together since his transformation, and it was made all the more stressful by his rapidly closing window of opportunity.

Caught up in his own thinking, Connor wasn’t paying attention as he slowly fell further behind the others. He also didn’t notice when he started focusing on the ground in front of him at the expense of his spatial awareness.

A rude reminder of this abruptly came as he was blindsided by another pony moving in a different direction. With a startled yelp, Connor was thrown off his balance and tossed to the ground, bumping his head in the process.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” said an angry, haughty voice, coming from the unicorn aristocrat now standing over Connor’s prone body. The dark-blue stallion contemptibly glared at Connor as he dusted off his crisp white shirt. “Honestly, the nerve of some ponies! Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?

“I-I’m sorry!” stuttered a confused and startled Connor while he cradled the side of his head. But a simple apology such as that wouldn’t be enough for the other pony as he continued to rail into him.

“As well you should be!” the other unicorn sneered. “Know-nothing, backwoods yokels, strutting around as if you own the place. You don’t belong here! Why don’t you just go back to wherever it is you came from!?”

“I… I-I…” Connor was struck speechless by this untoward display of animosity. His lower lip trembling, he didn’t know what to do or say next, but thankfully, he didn’t have to.

“Excuse me, is there a problem here?” came a pleasant-sounding voice from right behind the aristocrat, and he turned on the spot.

“As a matter of fact--” he started to say, until he came face to face with Cadence, who, despite her amiable demeanor, had a cross look in her normally kind eyes. The colt was silent for a few seconds, before he willed himself to step back and lower himself into a short bow in front of the princess. “Why, not at all… Your Highness.”

“Then I suggest you be on your way,” said Cadence, as Shining and the rest of Connor’s friends came up behind her, wearing matching expressions.

The stallion’s eyes hardened and his spine stiffened, but he didn’t say anything more. With a snort of nonchalance, he turned abruptly and started trotting away without looking back.

When he was a fair distance away, Rainbow Dash took a few steps forward before raising an indignant hoof in the air. “Yeah, keep walkin', pal!”

Another hoof belonging to Twilight reached out and dragged Rainbow’s down. “Give it a rest, Rainbow. He isn’t worth it.”

The pegasus’ wings twitched out of annoyance. “Humph. Got that right. Lousy piece of...”

Meanwhile, Shining Armor came up next to Connor and offered his foreleg in support. “Hey, you alright?” he asked.

With his ears still pulled back, Connor unsteadily righted himself on the floor before grabbing onto Shining. “Y-yeah… Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Shining asked again as he pulled Connor back up on his hooves.

“I said I’m fine,” Connor quickly retorted, exhaling shakily in a way that wasn’t very convincing. “Can we please just forget about it and keep moving?”

A few worried glances were exchanged between the other ponies, but they eventually came to a silent agreement with this.

“Alright... We’re almost to the castle, anyway,” said Cadence as she took the lead again. This time, whether they were conscious of it or not, the other ponies all took up position placing Connor at the center of the herd.

He appreciated their concern, but honestly, nothing they said or did at this point could help him in his current predicament. He didn’t want to admit it, but that pony’s out-of-line comments had thrown him even further out of sorts, and the dull throbbing from that bump on his head wasn’t making this any easier to deal with.

All he could do at this point was to place one hoof in front of the other, marching ever closer to the point of no return. Focusing on keeping his balance was as convenient an excuse as any to keep from thinking about anything else.

One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four…

In what felt like no time at all, Connor’s frame of mind was yanked back to the present with Cadence speaking four simple words: “And here we are.”

Connor stopped and looked up, past his friends, at the tall, solid white walls and wrought-iron gates of Canterlot Castle’s perimeter. They loomed intimidatingly over him, representing the final barrier between him and his fate. But it was all an illusion; getting past this final threshold would prove no more difficult than the walk there.

Two unicorns of the Royal Guard stood watch at the entrance, vigilant and unmoving. With a clearing of his throat, Shining Armor stepped forward to address them, and they instantly responded with a formal salute.

“At ease, soldiers,” their captain told them, and they resumed standing at attention. “Go ahead, open the gates.”

“Yes, sir,” said the guards in unison, turning to the side and lighting up their horns. Wrapped in a similar glow, the heavy gates behind them creaked and slid apart to allow the group passage. Once they were safely within the castle courtyard, the gates then closed shut.

Past the outer wall, the relative tranquility was a great contrast to the bustling capital they’d passed through. The expansive, open space leading up to the castle itself was empty, save for a few flaming braziers placed along the paved roads to light them -- not that they were necessary, given the lights of the city and the moon and stars high above. For what was about to happen, the less bystanders, the better.

As the ponies made their way forward, their destination came into view. Waiting at the steps to the main entrance, around the stone foundation still cracked and broken from Connor’s arrival, were Celestia and Luna, watching them patiently. As soon as the distance between them was closed, they stopped. Connor’s journey was finally at an end.

General words of greeting and welcome were exchanged, before finally, Princess Celestia addressed Connor directly.

“Well, Connor? Have you come to a decision?” she asked.

The red colt looked up at the alicorn and tried to speak, his heart pounding, his mouth dry. “I… I don’t…”

Struck by hesitation, Connor swallowed nervously and looked away, causing Celestia to take a few steps forward.

“The last thing I want to do is rush you, but time is truly of the essence,” she said, trying to sound sympathetic. “I need your answer.”

“...Can’t he just have a few more minutes?” Fluttershy pleaded, more than able to sense to conflict still brewing in her friend.

Celestia shook her head. “I cannot give any assurances of how long the impression will last,” she said. “All I can tell you is that it is still present, but it could fade to the point of inefficacy if we wait for too long.”

Connor breathed in, mind locking up, desperate for anything to forestall the inevitable. “...How is this going to work, exactly?”

“If you decide to go through with this, then it will require a massive influx of magic in a very short time,” Celestia explained. “Luna, Cadence, and I will each provide enough energy that, combined, will trigger the spell. After we do so, you will have only a few moments to step past the threshold before the spell activates -- with, or without you.”

“And it is only possible to perform this once,” Luna added. “It is now or never, so you must be absolutely sure.”

Connor closed his eyes. Decision time; stay or go. If he seemed stressed on the outside, inside was another factor entirely.

His mind was an utter scramble. Nothing about this was easy for him, and as Connor’s body started to shake almost imperceptibly, he could smell the sweat starting to mat down his fur. He wanted something to happen; to take him away from this place and time just so he wouldn’t have to feel this way anymore. He wanted someone to tell him what to do, what the best choice was, but all he had was himself.

Meanwhile, his seven friends stood back with bated breath, watching him, also anxious in anticipation of what he’d do. Especially Twilight, who could feel her own blood rushing past her ears as the air between them hung thick and heavy.

“Do it.”

The tenuous silence was shattered by Connor’s pronouncement, in a voice so soft and quick he wasn’t sure if he’d said the words himself. He didn’t really know what he was doing, running on autopilot and simply picking one of the two options. Everything was set up and ready to go, and all of this -- the preparation and the consternation -- couldn’t have been for naught. Did they all expect it to end this way? Regardless, the decision was made. Let the chips fall where they may.

As Twilight gave a short gasp, Celestia looked to Luna and Cadence, nodding to them respectively. “Very well, let’s begin at once.”

The three alicorns turned and walked away, their hooves clipping on cracked stone as they took up position at equidistant points around the dais. They closed their eyes, and soon, bright cones of yellow, cobalt, and cornflower blue formed around their horns while they gathered their formidable alicorn magic.

Meanwhile, Connor, a little more resigned to his choice now that events had been set into motion, turned to the other ponies; his friends. “I… I guess this is it,” he told them, choking up a little.

“It would appear so,” Rarity replied first, calmly trying to avoid tearing up. “Farewell, and good luck.”

“So long, Connor,” said Applejack next, removing her hat as a gesture of respect. “It’s been one heckuva ride.”

Then, going right down the line, came Fluttershy, saying, “We’ll always remember you.”

“Hope everything works out for ya,” followed Rainbow, rubbing the back of her neck. “You know… on the other side.”

As for Pinkie Pie, she appeared to be so overcome with emotion that she immediately burst into a literal river of tears accompanied by a pitiful, mewling wail. She sniffed a few times, before somehow producing a white hanky and loudly blowing her nose into it. She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t bring herself to form the words.

Seeing her having trouble, Spike walked over and patted her gently on the shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, Pinkie.” He turned to Connor. “I think what she’s trying to say is, she’ll miss you. All of us will.”

“Thanks, you guys… I’ll miss you, too,” Connor replied, fighting back tears of his own. Lastly, he directed his gaze to Twilight, who had yet remained conspicuously silent. Not that she meant to, but she found that she just couldn’t seem to get a word out. Her lips parted, but no sound slipped past.

Then, behind Connor, three beams of brilliant colored light suddenly appeared, grabbing his attention. They shot outwards from the three alicorns’ horns to meet in the center between them, and there, a sphere of bright white luminescence came into being. Like the surface of a neutron star, it shifted and undulated beautifully, while two concentric bands of light formed around it and began circling it like gyros.

As the princesses kept their supply of magic constant, the sphere slowly grew brighter, and eventually started to cast out tiny, almost invisible lines of light, reaching into the air like a spider’s web. They extended out a fair distance until they stopped, and at those points, strange, ghostly apparitions appeared, resolving themselves into some kind of arcane symbols. Connor immediately recognized them as the kind that appeared on the surface of the Terminus Enchantment back on Earth, only these had a shifty, watery sort of appearance as they flickered in and out of reality.

As everyone watched, transfixed by the spectacle, Twilight was far from awed by it; inside, she was anguishing.

As the events she'd feared would come to pass played out before her eyes, she was now thoroughly convinced that Connor was going to leave for good… and her heart was breaking. It felt as though a piece of it was turning black, shriveling away and about to fall off.

She wondered… was this what it felt like to truly lose a friend?

Twilight still remembered what Connor had said before, about friends staying friends, even though they might be worlds away. But right then, what she was feeling was unbearable. She embodied the Element of Magic. It was all connected: Her magic, her life, her friends, and the bonds of fate and harmony that tied them all together. So in-tune was she to the magic of friendship that the thought of losing even a part of that was causing her real pain.

...She hated the feeling. Despised it. She wanted to fight it, to rebel against it with every fiber of her being.

Twilight never wanted to feel this way again. Ever.

“Wait!” she cried out, casting a hoof to Connor. His ears perked up in her direction, and he turned to face her. She then shook her head, fresh tears falling freely to the ground. Then she prepared to tell the truth she refused to keep hidden any longer. “...I don’t want you to go!”

“Twilight?” Connor asked softly, unsure of what to make of this.

“I know it’s selfish of me, and I know that it’s your choice, but… but you’re my friend, and I just… I can’t…” Twilight sobbed openly, wracked by emotion. “I want you to stay!”

Without warning, Twilight broke into a gallop, closing the distance between her and Connor before she desperately threw her forelegs around his neck. She buried her tear-stained face in his fur, her breaths coming erratically.

“...Please stay…” she choked out in a whisper.

As the lavender unicorn clung to him tightly, Connor quickly got over his stunned surprise to bring one of his legs around and hug her back, closing his eyes. Something peculiar happened at that moment as everything just seemed to… fall away. Time slowed to a crawl, and even after the frantic pace of his journey up until that point, Connor felt like he had all the time in the world.

This was just like that time in the library, Connor thought, remembering when Twilight had been there for him when it felt like he’d lost everything. Only now, the positions were reversed.

He could feel her squeezing him like she never wanted to let go. He could feel her wet tears soaking into the fur on his neck. Her heart against his skin, beating at a mile a minute… but he could also feel something else.

Like an old friend, that comforting, magical feeling returned, burning stronger than ever before. And not only that, but it seemed... different, in a way. In the back of his mind, he felt something click, like the final piece of a puzzle slotting itself into place.

This, right now, that very moment… it felt right. Bypassing all logical thought, all conscious emotion. His body, mind, and soul were resonating with that feeling.

It was telling him something. For that moment -- that one infinitesimal moment -- embracing Twilight tightly and surrounded by his friends, Connor knew what needed to be done. He’d finally made his choice.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Twilight,” he whispered in her ear, while removing his leg and subtly pushing her away from him. She interpreted this as a sign that, despite her pleas, Connor really did intend to leave… and there was nothing more she could do. In her current emotional state, she could do little more than let him go, slumping to the ground, unable to say anything.

Connor’s temporary reprieve was over, and now that he was thrust back into the heat of the moment, there simply wasn’t time to explain.

He turned away from the other ponies to once again face the spell that was forming in front of him. In the intervening moments, the ephemeral symbols in the air had solidified, and the magical sphere was shining brilliantly, the rings around it moving blisteringly fast.

Connor closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath. Then he whispered, in the quietest voice possible -- so quiet that nopony else could hear, “...I’m sorry.”

When he next opened his eyes, they were lit from within with a steeled determination. “Celestia… stop.”

Visibly straining from the magical exertion, Princess Celestia’s eyes focused on him. In an instant, she understood what was going on.

“Are you sure!?” she called out, the tone in her voice communicating the fact that, if they stopped right then, the spell would be lost forever.

Connor nodded solemnly. “I’m sure.” And he was. Maybe not a hundred percent, but just enough to tip the needle.

The Princess then gave a subtle indication -- nothing more than a flicker of motion -- to both Luna and Cadence, and with perfect timing, they each cut off their magic.

The beams coming from their horns halted at once, leaving only the sphere of magic between them. With no source of energy to sustain it any longer, the spell began to fall apart immediately. The bright ball of light, glowing as intensely as the Sun, grew one magnitude brighter before collapsing in on itself in a fraction of a second. With a cataclysmic sound, the spell imploded, splitting off into a million shards of light and releasing a shock-wave that tore through the air. When it reached the floating symbols, they were shattered to pieces and blown into nothing, but other than that, it merely ruffled the fur of the gathered ponies.

It was all over in a matter of seconds, and when the dust settled, nothing had changed. Everything was as it had been before the spellcasting even started… save for one detail.

While Twilight was sitting, gaping open-mouthed in utter shock at what she’d just witnessed, Connor tenuously looked to Celestia. “Is it…?”

In response, the white alicorn closed her eyes and her horn lit up for a moment, scanning the area and searching for a trace of the impression. When her horn faded and she opened her eyes again, she nodded. “It is done. The remains of the enchantment have been… depleted.”

Her words bounced around in Connor’s head for a moment before he sat his flank down and truly began to absorb the impact of what he’d just done. But while that was going on, Twilight was nearly speechless, tears still fresh in her eyes as she stuttered.

“Wh...why!?” she demanded, glaring accusingly at Connor. She was trying hard to balance her emotions after feeling convinced that her friend was leaving her forever, only to watch him turn it down at the very last moment.

“That’s something I’d like to know, too,” said Shining Armor as he walked forward and apart from the group standing back. He was the first of them to recover from this dramatic reversal of expectations. “I don’t really understand what’s going on, but it’s obvious that you upset my sister, and I’m not going to just let that slide.”

“I-I know, just…” Connor looked between them all, from the girls, Spike, Shining, Twilight, to the three royal alicorns also drawing closer with curious expressions. “Just gimme a minute, okay? I promise I’ll explain, just… I need a minute right now.”

Connor was blinking rapidly, his breath sounding loud to his own ears while he processed the consequences of his decision. A thought bubbled to the surface of his brain, and rather than fighting it, he just let it wash over him: His life on Earth was gone… and his life in Equestria had just begun.

He found it surprisingly easy to accept, at least, the fact that his trials were over. Come what may, there was only one future he had to worry about now, and he could feel tangible relief as that terrible weight was lifted from his shoulders.

“Okay… I’ll try to explain as best as I can,” Connor started by saying. His thoughts were still organizing themselves, but at a pace he could somehow still manage. “To be perfectly honest… I don’t know what I was doing when I told you to start. I actually think I went a little crazy, there.” Connor chuckled weakly, then sniffed a little and rubbed his mouth with a hoof. “...I couldn’t decide what I wanted. Maybe I did it because… for so long, I thought that’s what I wanted. No, I did want that... before all of this. Earth is where I came from… where I'm supposed to be…”

Connor closed his eyes, feeling a little lightheaded, still trying to translate his feelings into words. "I thought I knew what I wanted, but I didn't... Not until just now."

Connor paused in his monologuing to gauge the responses of his audience. Most of them were listening patiently, and Twilight at least seemed to have gotten herself under control for the most part.

“...What finally made up your mind?” she asked him softly.

He turned to her, and without a trace of irony in his voice, he told her, “...It was you.”

Twilight gasped and pulled back slightly, a tinge of blush coming across her fur. Connor then turned his attention to the other ponies. “But it wasn't just you. In a way, it was all of you. Twilight, when you said those things… when you held me, it… it made me feel… something. I don’t know if it was you, or the magic inside me, or this place, world, whatever. I guess it doesn’t matter where it came from… because it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever felt in my life.”

“And it was then that I realized something. I don’t know what was waiting for me on the other side of that spell. Maybe everything would work out, maybe not… Probably not… There’s no way I could know without trying.” Connor inhaled sharply, trying to recompose himself a little before clearing his throat. “But just then, I realized just how much I was giving up by leaving. I have so much here for me already. I have the best friends anyone could ask for, and a place in this world where I can be myself -- be a pony -- and it wouldn’t matter. A world that’s strange and… wonderful… scary and exciting… and kind.”

Feeling his emotions starting to get the better of him, Connor brought up his hoof again to wipe away his eyes. But he still had more to say, and Goddammit if he was going to break down now.

“I-I know… it’s not going to be easy. And it’s going to... to take a while. And I’m definitely going to need help. But…” Connor took a deep breath. “I know I can be happy here… and I’m not about to throw that away. For anything.”

He sighed, bowing his head forward, finished. “That’s all I got… I hope it’s good enough for you.”

For a long while, everypony was dead quiet as they digested everything Connor had just spilled forth. He observed them through the corners of his eyes, worried at first about what they were going to say, or that saying anything would break the fragile peace that was keeping everything absolutely still and silent.

And then, as his gaze fell on Twilight, she did something that carried within it all the bundled emotion that had come pouring out of him, putting it right back where it belonged.

She smiled.

“It’s more than enough,” she told him, before suddenly rushing forward, reaching out to grasp him in the tightest hug she could manage. She started crying again; not tears of sadness… but of unbridled joy.

All at once, the other five ponies and Spike said nothing as they joined in for a massive group embrace, each of them wanting nothing more than to communicate their acceptance, their unconditional love, and their desire to make him feel welcome after such a heartfelt confession.

To say that Connor was overwhelmed would be a gross understatement, and he finally let go, releasing the tears he’d been fighting to keep inside; letting himself get caught up in the wave of emotions that had swept up him and his friends. In a moment of tranquility, he looked inside himself again, just to be reassured that the magical feeling was still burning strong as ever. And he knew -- deep down, simply knew -- that everything was going to be okay.

It felt like they stayed that way for a long time, and in a way, none of them wanted to see it end. But like all good things, end it did.

“...As reluctant as I am to interrupt, it’s getting pretty late, don’t you think?” came Celestia’s voice, penetrating the bubble of cottony warmth that had encompassed the eight friends. “You all should really be heading back to Ponyville soon. Unless, of course, you intend to watch me raise the Sun today.”

“Hoo, boy. Ya know, the Princess has a point,” Applejack said, being the first one to break away.

“It is rather late, isn’t it?” Rarity agreed, herself slightly embarrassed by how much time she’d spent in the huddle. The rest of the ponies soon reluctantly followed their example, leaving Connor in the middle to shakily get to his hooves after feeling like his whole body had been reduced to so much happy jello.

“I am curious, Connor,” spoke up Luna, who came forward then. “What do you intend to do now?”

Connor looked up at her. “Uhh… heheh…” he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “I… haven’t really thought that far ahead yet... I guess I’ll be staying at Golden Oak for now, if Twilight will still let me.”

“Of course you can,” Twilight quickly said.

“Yes, well, there will be plenty of time to square things away later,” Celestia interjected. “You shouldn’t worry about the details yet. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“Okay, yeah, sounds good.” Connor nodded to the alicorn. “Thank you so much, Celestia. For everything. And… I’m sorry you had to go through all this trouble for nothing.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Celestia replied with a wave of her hoof. “I have no complaints. I’m simply glad that everything worked out in the end.”

“Alrighty then, let’s go!” said an exuberant Pinkie, bouncing up and down in a mixture of excitement and impatience. “Don’t wanna miss the train!”

“Hey, wait up.” Shining Armor held out a hoof to get everyone’s attention. “Me and Cadence can see you guys off, right, honey?”

“Absolutely,” Cadence agreed, turning to face her relatives. “We’ll be back soon, Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna.”

“We’ll be waiting,” Celestia said with a smile. “Goodbye, all of you. Until we meet again.”

After each of the ponies said their goodbyes to the Royal Alicorn Sisters, they departed as a group down the path leading away from the castle. As they went, though, Celestia and Luna noticed Twilight casually walk over to her brother and gently elbow him.

“Hey, brother, it’s ‘Cadence and I.’”

Shining shot his baby sister a look, playfully shoving her back. “You just can’t let up for a minute, can you, Twiley?”

Celestia snickered slightly as she watched them go before breathing in and out in a contented sigh.

“Once again, you were correct, Tia,” Luna mentioned offhoofedly, when she was certain the others were out of earshot.

“As it would seem, Luna,” her sister replied, gazing up contemplatively at the night sky.

“How did you know that he would choose to remain in Equestria?”

Celestia gave an amused huff. “Call it an educated guess,” she replied truthfully.

“Humph. You and your ‘educated guesses,’” Luna cryptically replied.

“What can I say?” Celestia said playfully. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, you learn a thing or two about the magic of friendship.”

Luna was quiet again for a while. Off in the far distance, there was the sound of the castle gates opening and closing.

“...Will he be alright, sister?”

Celestia got a contemplative look in her eye, before nodding her head. “I think he will, Luna.”

Unbidden, she found herself thinking back to the past decade of her life. Back to a timid, yet ambitious little filly, so full of potential, if only she could muster the courage and the drive to realize it. And how, over the years, she watched that filly exceed her wildest expectations, growing into the incredible mare she was proud to call her student.

“After all… he’s in good hooves.”

The trip back to the Canterlot train station went by with little fanfare. The most notable thing to happen was when the bell tower in the center of the city rang out three times, reminding the ponies of just how long they had gone past their normal bedtimes. Especially Spike.

By the time they arrived at the station, the dragon child had taken the opportunity to completely pass out, and the rest weren’t all that far behind him. They collected their tickets, and as they patiently waited for the train to arrive, they kept up a light conversation to pass the time.

When the train to Ponyville finally did arrive, they said their goodbyes to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, before filing one by one onto the train, with Spike laying splayed out across Fluttershy’s back.

When the last ones to get on were Connor and Twilight, Cadence stepped forward, right up to the red unicorn, and coaxed him into a gentle hug.

“It was nice meeting you,” she told him before pulling away.

“Same here,” Connor said, giving her a nod and a smile. Then, the alicorn turned to Twilight wearing a curious expression.

“Do you have a minute or two to talk? In private?” she asked.

Connor looked over at Twilight, who gave him a reassuring nod. “Go ahead, I’ll be right there.”

“...Alright,” he said understandingly. “Goodbye, Shining, Cadence.”

With that, he turned himself around and pulled himself up into the train car, with one last look outside, then took a left and headed down the aisle.

Cadence was then about to lead Twilight away, but stopped when she noticed her husband still standing close by, watching them curiously. She tossed him an amused glance and a tilt of the head. “Girl talk.”

It took a second, but Shining eventually gasped in comprehension, getting the message. “Oh, right… Okay then, I’ll just be… over here.” He pointed a hoof in the other direction, then turned and bashfully walked away.

As soon as they were alone, Twilight took the liberty to ask what was going on. “What’s this all about, Cadence?” she asked innocently.

The princess got a suggestive look in her eyes. “You know what this is about.”

Immediately, Twilight broke out in a nervous blush, lowering her ears and her head to the side, but saying nothing more.

“It got pretty intense back there, didn’t it?” Cadence continued.

Twilight rubbed the back of one of her legs, knowing exactly what she was referring to. “Yeah…”

Cadence flicked her head over to the train car behind them. “He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”

“Of course he does,” Twilight argued, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He’s my friend.”

In response, Cadence’s expression turned sly. “Come on. I think he’s quite a bit more than that.”

Twilight’s blush intensified. “You don’t--”

“Don’t know what I’m talking about? Please, Twilight. Remember who you’re talking to,” Cadence interrupted, drawing attention to the crystal heart-shaped cutie mark on her flank. “And I know you quite a bit better than most ponies do. I can tell there’s something going on here.”

Twilight was quiet for a couple of seconds, pawing at the smooth stone of the train platform. After what had just happened back at the castle, it had grown impossible to deny that Cadence might be on to something. Bashfully, she turned her eyes up at her former foalsitter. “...Do you really think so? I mean, isn’t it absurd to think that something like this could happen? I haven’t even known him for longer than a week! And even before all of this, I never thought…”

“That he could be... more than just a friend?” Cadence finished for her, putting bluntly into words what Twilight had been stubbornly refusing to accept.

“...Are you seriously suggesting that I might...? I can't see how that's possible,” she tried, desperately clinging to her idea of the status quo. “For all I know, these… feelings... could be something different entirely. So he’s been absorbing magic, and most of it’s been my magic. Maybe I’m just sensing that on some subconscious level and expressing it outwardly as attachment and affinity. That could be why I feel…” Twilight trailed off, shaking her head exasperatedly. “I don’t know… I just don’t understand what’s going on anymore.”

Feeling sympathetic, Cadence stepped forward with an outstretched hoof, playfully brushing back a lock of Twilight’s rich purple mane. “Love is complicated like that, Twilight. It isn’t something you can just study, or analyze, or rationalize away. It simply is.”

Twilight pleadingly looked up into Cadence’s eyes, looking for guidance. "But how can I know if any of this is for real?"

Cadence tapped at her chin in thought. “Hmm…” Then, her ears perked up with an idea. “Tell me, Twilight: When you are with your friends -- the other Elements -- how do they make you feel?”

Twilight’s eyes closed as she followed her foalsitter’s inquiry, skimming across the closely guarded memories of her time spent in Ponyville.

“It’s like… like I’m a part of something bigger than myself,” she described, getting a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. “Like we complete each other.”

“And when you’re with him?” was the princess’ next question.

“With Connor… it’s different,” Twilight said. That much was immediately obvious to her. “It’s like… like on some level, we resonate.” She thought back to all the moments when she’d been close to him, and not just the troubling times, but the moments when they were simply together, enjoying each other’s company. “...When I’m with him… I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Twilight shook her head again, trying to free herself of this certain flavor of sappiness that had infected her speech. “You're the expert. Is that what... love... feels like?”

Cadence couldn’t help but giggle a bit at the unicorn’s adorable internal conflicts. “I can't answer that for you, Twilight. Only you can.” She turned her head slightly over to Shining, waiting patiently off in the distance and trying hard not to eavesdrop. "Granted, for me and Shining, it didn't take long. But every case is different. I can't tell you what you're supposed to do."

Twilight guessed that made sense… kind of. It still didn’t help her all that much. She still had no idea how to respond. “Can you at least give me some friendly advice?” she asked, paying acute attention.

“Alright... At the risk of sounding like a bad cliche?” Cadence said with a smile. “Just follow your heart, but don’t rush into things. You’re a smart pony, Twilight, but you do have a tendency to… overreact.”

“Yeah…” Twilight laughed nervously before coughing into her hoof.

“The important thing to do at this stage is give yourself some time to figure things out on your own,” the alicorn finished. “In the meantime, I doubt Connor’s going anywhere soon.”

It wasn’t exactly a step-by-step road map to this unexplored frontier that Twilight had never anticipated being in, but it was a start. At the very least, her foalsitter’s words had helped make her feel better. “Thanks, Cadence. You’re the best,” she told her, beaming.

“Anything for my favorite sister-in-law,” Cadence said with a chuckle. “And if you ever feel like you want to talk some more, you know where to find me.”

Suddenly, the shrill whistle of the train engine signaled its imminent departure, drawing Twilight away. “I should probably get going.”

“Alright, hurry up, then.”

Together, the two of them returned to the train car entrance, with Shining taking his cue that the conversation was finished.

“It was great to see you two again,” Twilight told them as they stood side by side, before swiftly clambering up into the train car. “I promise I’ll keep in touch!”

Her brother raised a hoof in farewell. “Later, Twiley!”

“Goodbye, and good luck!” Cadence added knowingly, also waving.

They stayed that way, looking across the gap in the train platform even as the doors slid shut and the train lurched forward to begin its departure. From the window, Twilight watched as the couple pulled away, right up until they faded from view.

The unicorn then gave a heavy, tired, yet satisfied sigh. She’d been given a lot to think about recently, and the sheer weight of it sure seemed more than a little daunting. But now… she finally felt free to take her time; to figure everything out at her own pace, just like Cadence said.

Twilight turned around, seeing that once again, her friends were together in the forward car while Connor kept to himself towards the back. She was briefly conflicted about bothering him, but considering everything that had happened, it couldn’t hurt to check on him, could it?

Her mind made up, she walked over to the seat, catching the red colt’s attention. “Hey… is this seat taken?”

Connor directed his gaze over to her from the window, regarding her for a moment, then smiling. “Not if you’re the one taking it,” he said in invitation.

He scooted over, trying to give a little more space on the seat next to him. The bulky saddlebag he wore on his side still got in the way, though, so Twilight used her magic to unbuckle the strap and lay it on the floor before hopping up to join him.

“Thanks,” Connor said, motioning to the bag. “I’d have taken it off myself, but, you know… hooves.”

Twilight snickered. “We’ll have to figure out what to do with that stuff, eventually.”

“Yeah… guess so.” Connor then went quiet, returning to staring out the window as the scenery rushed past, his face neutral and lost in reflection.

After they both shared a bit of uncomfortable silence for a while, Twilight finally asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Connor breathed in and out, slowly. “...Not particularly.”

Despondently, Twilight looked off to the side, and Connor could see her expression reflected in the glass of the window, and closed his eyes.

“...I’m a coward,” he muttered unexpectedly.

That got Twilight’s immediate attention. “What?” she asked for clarification, and Connor responded by sadly shaking his head.

“I’m a selfish coward,” he repeated.

Twilight’s expression fell. She definitely wasn’t expecting anything like this, considering the emotion-filled events prior. “Why are you saying that?”

There was more silence, and Twilight patiently waited for Connor to speak again. “...I should’ve gone back,” he said lowly. “It would’ve been the right thing to do.”

Oh, no. Is he having second thoughts? Twilight wondered worriedly, wanting to understand why he was talking like this all of a sudden. “What do you mean?”

At Twilight’s bequest, Connor prepared to make what felt like a painful admission. One that, to him, made perfect sense, and was something he’d been dreading since the first time he ever considered that he might be stuck in this world.

“...My family, my friends back home… they’ll never know. They’ll never know the truth about what happened.” Connor sighed, placing his head against the back of the seat. “They’re going to live the rest of their lives thinking that I just… disappeared one day. They won’t even know if I’m still alive. There isn’t even a body for them to bury.”

Twilight stayed still, not saying a word as she let Connor continue to voice the feelings of guilt and betrayal that were starting to build up inside him. “I could have given them that. I could have given them closure,” he went on. “And, sure, maybe things would never be like they were before, but at least they would know. At least they would have something.”

“But I didn’t. I chose to stay. I chose to keep them wondering forever, and why?” Connor paused, sniffing loudly and trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “...Because I was scared of what was waiting for me… Because I knew how hard it was going to be for me. Because I wanted to be happy.” He breathed in unsteadily, his voice growing hoarse as he began to choke up. “Does that... Does that make me a bad person?”

I tiny stream of tears started to form at his eyes, causing Twilight to immediately place a hoof on his back. “No… No, of course not,” she consoled him, trying to pull him back from whatever dark place he was headed to. “Nopony should ever have to make that kind of choice. You did the best that you could, given the circumstances.”

Connor brought a hoof up to wipe his eyes and coughed a few times, trying to recompose himself. “Yeah… yeah…” He didn’t sound too convinced, though, so Twilight decided to press further.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be happy… I’m sure that if they knew, they would understand why you did it…” Demurely, Twilight averted her eyes, and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Besides… I’m glad that you stayed. That counts for something, doesn’t it?”

Connor turned around to look at her, face to face, to see the hopeful smile she was projecting toward him. Her kind words and soothing presence performed their job admirably, and he couldn’t help but give a small smile in return. “Thanks… That means a lot, coming from you.”

Connor and Twilight locked eyes, the pupils of each pair so wide and dark that they could see each other reflected in them. In the brief shared moment, neither of them was thinking of how it might have looked to an outside observer, nor of attributing any deeper meaning to it, other than it being a moment of tenderness between two close friends. It felt good, and the two of them remained like that for a long time.

That is, until the moment was interrupted when Twilight was overcome with the powerful urge to yawn, giving Connor a close-up view of her molars. When she was done, she blinked a few times, surprised by herself.

“Wow. Sorry, that just came over me all of a sudden,” she said, blushing.

Connor chuckled at the scene, before his expression grew a little tinged with concern. “You look tired, Twilight. Maybe you should get some rest.”

“No, I don’t…” Twilight was about to say, but she got cut off as another yawn forced its way past her lips. “Ugh… Maybe you’re right.”

“Go ahead,” Connor urged her. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?”

Connor nonchalantly tilted his head back. “Yeah. I’ll wake you up when we get back to Ponyville.”

Twilight gave him a sleepy nod of acceptance, and Connor turned back to watch the window again. He was surprised, however, when he felt a sudden warmth and pressure against his flank, causing him to turn around again. When he did, he saw Twilight resting her head directly on him, making herself comfortable.

“Hey, what do I look like, a pillow?” he said in mock protest.

In response, Twilight merely shifted around and curled up tighter. “Mmmno, but you feel like one.”

Connor scoffed at that a little, then he bemusedly raised a hoof to rub his own fuzzy chest, finding it kind of hard to argue. “Yeah… I guess I do.” When he didn’t hear anything back from Twilight, he looked over to see that she was already fast asleep, nestled up against him.

In that moment, she just looked so absolutely adorable, and Connor didn’t even think about disturbing her. In fact, the way she looked now strongly resembled the picture he’d taken on his now defunct iPod, and that, in turn, led him to thinking about a song that would have been perfect for this situation, if only he could play it.

“...Sleep well, Twilight,” he whispered, before going back to looking out the train window. By now, the train had entered a tunnel carved into the mountainside, and so the view was pitch black.

Reminded of his music, he was naturally led to contemplating all of the things he’d forsaken when he chose this new life over his old one; all of the things he’d left behind and forever shut the door on.

The places he’d never get the chance to see, all of the things he would never get the chance to do… All of his favorite hobbies, video games, television shows, movies, books; so many experiences he’d never partake of again, and all of the stories he’d never know the ends to.

But upon further thought, those things really didn’t matter in the long run… it was the people he would miss the most.

He could still picture their faces clearly. His mom. His dad. His brother. His dog. Grandparents and cousins, aunts and uncles. High school friends, college friends, his Dungeons and Dragons group that didn’t really meet all that often, hell, even the people he’d only ever known online. All of them were gone… and he was never going to see them again.

It was then that a harsh reality was revealed to Connor: He could learn to love his new life, his new friends… his new family. But he could never truly be at peace with his choice unless he could bring himself to let it all go.

He would never forget everything he’d left behind… but he still had to say goodbye.

Connor squeezed his eyes shut, letting one last, single tear fall from his cheek. He then promised himself that it would be the last.

“...Goodbye.”

It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.

The faint sound of the train whistle flowed from the corners of his hearing, bringing him back to reality, and he opened his eyes again. And when he did, he was treated to a somewhat familiar sight, that even now defied description.

As the train left the tunnel, the sky broke open. For as far as the eye could see, a blanket of stars and dust shone brilliantly to every corner of the horizon. Equestria’s rolling hills and distant, snow-covered mountaintops unfolded below, bathed in serene moonlight. It was even more breathtaking than the first time as Connor looked at it through entirely new eyes.

Looking at just how radiant and striking it was stirred something deep within himself. To think… every night would be like this. It was a reminder; a sign of everything he had to look forward to in this world. It was so easy to see now the kind of opportunity that stretched before him, the unlimited potential, and he intended to make the most of it.

It would be a long and arduous journey, but with one look back at Twilight lying beside him, and over in the other cabin, where his other friends were as well, he was reminded that he would never have to face it alone. With their help, he had no doubts whatsoever that he could make this work.

Connor leaned his head back against the seat, smiling softly as he watched the landscape speed by while the train descended the mountain. From here, he could barely make out the lights of Ponyville, flickering like candles off in the distance. But it wasn’t just Ponyville any more.

No, it was more than that. It was a place to return to. A place to live and make a life for himself with Twilight and her friends. A place to call home.

A place where he belonged.

Author's Note

Thank you all for sticking with me until the end. I'll admit, an ending like this was probably anticipated for a while now, and I'm sorry if I disappointed anyone. But I'm not a genius or a master of drama. I'm just me. This is the story I've wanted to tell, and now it's told, and I couldn't end it any other way. And if things seem just a little too bright and sunshiney, well, just hold off on your absolute judgment until the epilogue. That's all I ask.

I did the best that I could, given what I set out to do, and after two years, 1487 likes, 87 dislikes, and hundreds of comments, both good and bad, I can't help but feel proud.

As a thank-you present, here's a link to the song that was referenced in that final scene. Keep listening past the end, you won't regret it.

Sleep Well.

Prologue: A Cosmic Contingency

You Do (Not) Belong

Prologue: A Cosmic Contingency

It all began with a storm.

It was the kind of storm that only comes along once in a generation; equal parts mysterious, ferocious, and utterly unexplainable. It appeared completely out of nowhere one night, with pelting rain, howling winds, and ear-splitting thunder and lightning. For a small town like North Tonawanda in the northeast United States, it was enough to even provoke fears of a tornado. But then, as quickly as it had arrived, the storm system blew itself out, disappearing completely, as if it had never been there in the first place.

For most people living in the area, they were just glad it was over. But for one person in particular, it was arguably the most interesting thing to happen during his entire nineteen year-old life -- or, at least, during his week home from college for spring vacation.

There was nothing particularly special about Connor. He was an above-average college student with a healthy obsession for video games, and an aversion to social situations. That's not to say he didn't have many friends; on the contrary, he had plenty of friends, both on campus and across the Internet. It was just that he preferred spending his time at home on his laptop than hanging out around other people.

Staying up late on the night of the storm, he had managed to tear himself away from his computer screen long enough to sit back and observe the weather from the safety of his living room. And even though the power eventually went out due to a particularly devastating bolt of lightning, forcing Connor to navigate his way to bed using nothing but the meager light from his iPod, it was still quite the entertaining spectacle.

Yet, there was no way for him to know that as he lay himself down to rest, certain events had just been set in motion. Events that, under the right circumstances, had the potential to change his entire life in ways he could never even imagine...

Three days passed with nothing much of import, and despite the local news stations' bafflement about the storm, it was nothing that couldn't be brushed off as a freak occurrence due to global warming or some other token explanation. Regardless, it was the farthest thing from Connor's mind as he spent his time playing games, watching television, and making the most of what was left of his vacation. Everything was perfectly normal, and that suited him just fine.

Normal, that is... until that night.

Connor was dreaming -- at least, he figured he was. It was always hard to tell: usually, the night passed his unconsciousness by with absolutely nothing to show for it but a blank span of emptiness. And even on those occasional nights when something interesting did happen, by the time he woke up, it would already have started to fade from memory; nothing more than a half-remembered fantasy by midmorning. Regardless of the case, what may have started as a dream this night quickly became something more, as Connor was instantly aware of a bright, blinding light filling his entire field of vision.

The teen groaned involuntarily, bringing his hands groggily up to his face even as the interruption of his sleep brought his eyes open by a sliver. As he did so, the irritating light immediately ceased, and Connor shut his eyes again, spots swimming under his eyelids even as his fingers moved to massage their corners.

“What the hell?” he croaked, still feeling half-asleep as he raised himself up in his bed, waiting for his eyes to stop stinging. Soon, the pain had mostly ebbed away, and Connor chanced opening his eyes again in order to find the someone or something responsible for his rude awakening.

His vision panned slowly across his modest bedroom and he noticed that, while not nearly bright enough compared to just before, the ambient light in his room was far more than the meager supply streaming in through the window from a pale moon. He then turned his gaze from the object-crammed shelves on the far side of the room, to the door leading out into the hallway, and it was then that the mystery deepened further. Underneath the crack between the door and the carpet, a soft glow emanated through from the other side without shifting or flickering in the slightest. It was just... there.

That’s not the hallway light... Connor could tell, it wasn’t the same color or shade.

His curiosity piqued for the moment, he lightly tossed back his bedsheets and swung his legs over the side, shivering as he did so as the cool night air greeted his exposed upper body. He paused for a moment in order to twist his body around at the waist, and was rewarded with a short series of pops and cracks from his back as his stored up tension was slightly relieved. He then did the same for his neck.

Satisfied, Connor stood up and walked slowly and silently up to the door, hand hovering over the handle. Gently, he pressed down, and with a muted squeak of the hinges, popped the door open by a small crack as he positioned himself to see through. The moment he did so, however, there was no source of light there to greet him, the hallway looking just as empty and dark as his bedroom.

Thinking this strange, Connor propped the door open a few more inches and stuck his head out, looking from side to side. Even without his glasses, he could now see that same bothersome light now peeking around the corner from down the stairs into the kitchen.

Is it moving? he wondered, and decided then and there to voice his suspicions. “Mom? Dad? That you?” he called out into the house, to which he received only silence and stillness as his answer.

He turned to face the other end of the hallway, to the door that led to his parent’s bedroom, and found it still shut, with no signs of movement audible within. He instantly regretted raising his voice now, hoping that it wasn’t enough to rouse his parents if they were still asleep.

Connor brought his head back and closed the door without shutting it completely, contemplating his next move. He spared a glance at the alarm clock on the dresser, of which the digital readout had just ticked over to 12:03 AM. With a look of consternation, he peered at his bed, looking warm and inviting, then back to the door, behind which that eerie glow had somehow returned, peeking through around the cracks.

That cinches it. I’m investigating.

And with that, Connor stepped over to his closet, reaching in to grasp a plain white T-shirt off of a random hanger. He threw on the shirt as he walked to his dresser, fished a clean pair of socks from one of the drawers and slipped them on. Summarily dressed, he grabbed his glasses off his bedside and put them on, the world around him once again crisp and clear. Before setting out, he had a brief thought.

Wait. What if it’s a burglar or something? No, no, it couldn’t be. A burglar wouldn’t bring a freakin’ searchlight. And besides, Riley would be making noise if someone was snooping around. Still... better stay cautious.

His bedroom door creaked open all the way, and ever so quietly, Connor tiptoed out, closing it behind him. Without making a sound, he made his way in the direction of the illumination, stopping when he reached halfway down the stairs. Steeling himself, he peered around the corner into the kitchen...

...to find that the light had suddenly shifted still further away, now pouring in through the entrance to the back porch.

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he pressed onward, the final steps of the staircase groaning slightly under his weight. The sound was accompanied by the light jingle of a collar coming from from the direction of the living room, and he turned to see his dog, Riley, raise his head and give a long yawn.

“Heh. Sorry, Riley. Did I wake you up?” Connor whispered softly. “Nothing to worry about, just go back to sleep.”

The dog simply stared at him for a few moments, before placing his head back on the floor with a groan and breathing in deeply to let out a loud exhale.

Now situated on the ground floor, Connor made for the other end of the kitchen, stopping before the door trying to look behind the shades to get a better view. Outside in the open air, the mysterious incandescence now shone from behind the back garage, seeming to have covered a distance of many yards in mere moments.

This is beyond freaky. I am so getting to the bottom of this, Connor decided with no hesitation.

He snatched his blue Dockers jacket off a hook in the wall nearby and put it on, securing the buttons as he slid his feet into the pair of black sneakers sitting below it. Bending down to make sure they were on tight, he then got back up and briskly made his way out the door onto the porch breezeway. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the handle of the last door, and opened up the portal to the outside, where a cool breeze swept onto his body and threw his hair back a little.

Connor gave an involuntary shiver as he stepped out into the cold night, the porch door slamming behind him suddenly and with a loud crash, causing him to jump.

“Goddamn! I keep forgetting about that stupid door,” he berated himself, now remembering this particular door’s tendency to react badly to any sort of wind.

Connor looked around the scene of his backyard. Despite it being in the dead of night, the world around him was plainly visible on account of both the unexplained luminosity, and also the serene glow of the crescent moon among a handful of stars, high in a sky completely free of clouds. The result bathed his surroundings in a surreal bluish tinge, with fences, buildings, and trees on either side outlined crisply against the dark.

After sparing a moment to adjust to the cold, Connor made his way across the backyard and around his garage, the sound of his sneakers hitting pavement being the only noise echoing amidst the steady breeze. Now at the chain-link fence separating this portion of the yard from the wide open expanse of grass beyond, he could see clear beyond to the wooded area far on the other side. The light was now what seemed to be miles away, peeking out between the multitudes of trees, and almost beckoning him to follow down the one dirt path that cut through the tree line.

Connor moved through the gate in the fence, closing the latch behind him with the clink of metal on metal, then proceeded in a fast walk across the grass towards the woods. He was growing increasingly eager to be done with these shenanigans, and as he left his house further behind, his pace quickened into a brisk jog, the sound of dew-covered grass squelching underfoot. By the time he reached the tree line, he was in a full-on sprint.

Yet, no matter how fast or how far he ran, the enigmatic luminescence remained just out of sight, along the path that was more or less a straight line right through the wooded area. So close, yet still seemingly far away, it taunted Connor with its elusiveness as his legs pounded along the dusty ground.

Finally, after a minute of solid running, he suddenly stopped short at the end of the forest path. He bent down, his head bowed forward and his hands on his knees, gasping and wheezing to catch his breath; he hadn’t run like that in a long time.

“Whew... I need to... hah... get out more,” he said between breaths, then closed his mouth in order to breathe through his nose in a deep, steady rhythm. His respiration slowed after a few moments of doing this, and with his heart no longer trying to force its way out of his chest, he allowed his gaze to shift from his shoes, up towards what awaited him at the woods' edge.

He’d been to this place before: a wide, yet shallow lake filled with murky water. He’d come here a few times back when he was younger; usually to skip rocks or something whenever he got bored and wanted to get some air, but he hadn't been back for a while. Not that there was much interesting here to begin with. The lake itself was standard, with its only defining feature being a small island about a hundred or so feet from the shore.

The island itself: a barren little patch of dirt, on which stood a decent-sized stack of three large, oblong stones. This formation, a little over ten feet in height, surely couldn't have been natural, yet it remained innocuous. Just another misplaced curiosity. Their positioning reminded him of a snowman, and so he simply figured some people got together one day and put them there somehow, to use as a base for making such a sculpture.

As Connor looked up this night, however, he was surprised to see a number of changes to the landscape that weren’t present all those years ago. For one, the island itself was no longer an island, as a raised path of land now bridged the gap between it and the shore, turning it into a shallow peninsula.

And on the far end of that bridge, he could now see the brightness that had eluded him until now was emanating from the bottommost of the three giant rocks. It shone like a beacon in the night, reflecting off the placid surface of the water in such a way to give the whole scene a strange, almost haunting beauty.

Connor found himself unable to describe what he was feeling out loud, or in his thoughts, and he felt the barest sensation of foreboding in the back of his mind as he took a few timid steps forward onto the land bridge.

Seems stable... Barely wide enough to walk on... But, why? This wasn’t here before. Did someone make this?

Eyes trained on the stone monolith, he edged his way forward cautiously, alert for any sign of changes in his surroundings. But the light remained stationary, a perfect disk of pure white on the surface of the rock, barely wider than his own hand. It was just then he realized that the wind had died down. It was completely and totally quiet when Connor tentatively approached the formation. Even the myriad sounds of bugs and other nocturnal animals were absent.

His heart now beat almost as fast as when he was running earlier, his skin was flushed, and he was now shaking very slightly. Something was wrong, and his body was trying to tell him. He felt apprehensive... nervous... scared. This was scary, and he knew it. But he was so close now. He wouldn’t settle for coming out all this way for nothing.

He wouldn’t stick around much longer. Just touch the stone... just to see what would happen.

His hand trembled as it hovered over the glowing beacon, and he licked his lips before swallowing deeply. This was it. He was going to do it.

Without a moment’s more of hesitation, Connor took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pressed against the surface of the rock.

It felt warm to the touch. Not hot, but a soft, gentle warmth that felt stark in contrast to the chill air.

He held his hand there for a few moments, opening his eyes in a squint to see if anything had happened. He was disappointed when, after a few moments more, nothing did.

“Well,” he said, his breath still a little shaky. “That’s a bit of a letdown. I guess that’s it?”

Connor blinked a few times, then, feeling like there was nothing more to be gained by sticking around, pulled his hand back from the strange obelisk and its mysterious luminosity.

Just as he did so, however, the circle glinted brightly in a brief flash before fading away, leaving the dull gray stone behind. Connor looked around nervously, unsure of what to do next, before he was caught off guard by the light’s sudden return... from underneath him.

The circle appeared again, tracing around his shoes and forming a perfect disk of white on which he now stood.

“Wah! Whoa! Get away!” he cried out ineffectively as he stumbled backwards out of the radiating periphery. Or rather, he would have moved, if his legs would even respond. But alas, they refused to budge, almost as if an invisible force was holding him in place.

“What the hell is this!?” Connor shouted frantically, heart pounding, breathing rapid, and very much wanting to be anyplace but there right now. “Help! Anyone! Oh, God, no. No, stop it!”

He then looked up back at the three stones, now giving off a multitude of glimmers across their entire surface as a series of odd glyphs traced themselves into existence. The formation itself, indeed, the very atmosphere surrounding him seemed to thrum with eldritch power. On the pallid circle below, streams of light, weaving together into a sort of wall, pulsed their way upwards as dust and grass from the ground picked up in the air, swirling around.

Too frightened now for words, Connor could only helplessly watch as the scintillate wall raised past his waist, then his chest, then up to his eyes, completely filling his field of vision. He raised his hands in a futile gesture, hoping beyond hope that whatever this was, it would end soon.

And then, suddenly, everything went black.

To an outside observer, the scene on the lake would have been a beautiful thing to see. A light as bright as the daytime sun covered the whole of the island and its sole occupant, making the whole surface of the lake seem ablaze with holy fire.

And then, suddenly and without warning, the emanations drew inwards and condensed on a single point.

A split second later, that point exploded onwards and upwards into a vast, growing column of pure white, piercing the heavens even as a great and powerful roar pierced the absolute silence.

As the brightness slowly faded, and all sounds echoed off before dying in the distant horizon, the only light remaining was that which was provided by nature.

The light from the lonely crescent moon, sitting amongst a sea of stars, filtered down through the crisp night air to reveal the island, completely stark and bare save only for that which had stood from time immemorial, and a lone line of dusty footprints.

Connor had vanished, without a single trace.

The Second Day: Interview With a Unicorn

You Do (Not) Belong

The Second Day: Interview With a Unicorn

When Twilight Sparkle had awoken that day, she had been greeted with your perfectly typical, perfectly average, picturesque Ponyville morning. The birds outside were singing merrily, the bright yellow sun peeking just over the horizon -- her beloved mentor’s hoofiwork -- was casting a hazy, comforting amber glow through her window, and her admittedly short, yet immensely satisfying rest coming after another fruitful late-night study session had left her peppy and eager to start yet another day filled with work at the library, errands around town, and time spent with her closest friends.

That is, until Spike, her number one assistant, interrupted her in the act of brushing out her unruly bedmane. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the purple-scaled dragon child drowsily handed her a letter he had discovered in his bed -- apparently delivered via the usual dragon’s breath spell by the Princess overnight. It was a rare occasion indeed to receive letters from her mentor out of the blue like that, unless of course she was replying to one of Twilight’s many reports on the trials and tribulations of friendship. And as she had opened it and read its contents, she had a sneaking suspicion that the day would end up being anything but average.

A suspicion that was confirmed just a short while after being introduced to a creature that nothing in the whole wide world of Equis could have prepared her for. Quite literally, in fact, if the claim of this "Connor" as having originated from a parallel universe held any water at all.

Twilight had just watched Princess Celestia gracefully walk out of the castle foyer, followed closely by the most recent addition to her guard services: Captain Sky Armory of the Equestrian Royal Army’s First Regiment. A stocky, bad-tempered pegasus who, oddly enough, seemed to have it out for the strange being she now found herself with, as evidenced by the withering looks he was giving to the boy until just before he departed.

“Great,” Connor breathed out in a dejected sigh. “One day here and I’ve already made an enemy. Seriously, what is with that guy?”

The comment brought Twilight’s attention back to the alien, and she took a moment to look him up and down now that the Princess had taken her leave. She analyzed him with a studious curiosity, but it was like trying to derive the meaning from a sentence that didn’t make sense no matter how many times you read over the words. Of course, he was unlike anything that resembled any creature the well learned mare had ever come across, with his nearly hairless peach-colored skin, flat face, and plantigrade extremities, among other things. But there was something else... A nagging feeling that there was some underlying detail that eluded her attempts at definition, even though the clockwork inside her mind had been working double duty, churning away ever since she walked in the door.

There’s just something about him. I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but something just seems... off. It’s as if he’s--

“Um... Would you mind not staring at me like that? It’s kinda creepy.”

The verbal interruption served to snap Twilight out of her internal monologue, just now realizing that Connor was looking up at her from his seat on the middle of the stairs with a worried expression. “W-what? Who’s staring? I wasn’t staring,” came her hasty reply, as she blinked a few times and looked away.

Her deflection seemed to work well enough, and Connor merely let out a sigh, bringing the end of his arm up to his forehead and rubbing it in circles as he grimaced slightly.

Twilight tilted her head to the side, concerned. “Are you alright?” she asked, not knowing whether he was in pain or if this was perhaps some strange cultural idiosyncrasy of his people.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a headache,” he replied. So, a no on the cultural thing.

There was an awkward pause, with neither party able to think of what next to say, until Connor breathed in deep and let it out slow, then brought his arms out behind him to lean back against the stairway. “Soooo, how are we going to do this?” he said slowly.

“Do what, exactly?” Twilight responded, eying him skeptically.

Connor made a slight roll with his small (comparatively speaking) brown eyes. “Me, staying at your place.”

“I still haven’t made up my mind about that, you know,” the unicorn stated flatly, turning her head up and tossing back her bangs, though still holding her violet eyes in Connor’s direction.

To this, the boy merely tossed a light shrug with his shoulders. “Eh, I guess that’s fair,” he added, noncommittal, and turned back to face away from Twilight, a distant look in his eyes.

He sure seems harmless enough. A bit spacey, if you ask me, she thought to herself, closing her eyes in consternation. Oh, ponyfeathers. What am I going to do? I really don’t want to let the Princess down, but I can’t just invite him into my home! I know next to nothing about him!

A sudden series of light popping noises brought the purple pony’s attention back to reality, as she noticed the Connor working over the stubby claw-like things on the ends of his arms.

“What are you doing to your... your... whatever those are?” Twilight exclaimed, half out of confusion and half out of shock borne from the unsettling nature of the sounds, like a hoof scraping against a chalkboard. Connor stopped what he was doing instantly, and turned towards her before looking back down at the offending objects with an unsure look on his face.

“What? You mean my hands?” he responded, waving the things around for emphasis. “I’m just cracking my knuckles. Why? Does it bother you?”

She assumed that by "knuckles" he meant the bones in his "hands," and she happened to recall that a certain rainbow-maned pegasus was fond of doing something similar to her wings while she limbered up before flight. To tell the truth, it was not a sound she cared much for.

Twilight shook her head as she realized that this was going to get her nowhere, over-thinking every movement the creature before her made. At best, it would make her come off as annoying, and at worst, well... her critical attitude had gotten her in trouble before.

Completely at a loss, Twilight found herself wondering: what would her friends do in this situation?

Applejack?

No, she couldn’t just lasso him down and interrogate him.

Okay, what about Rainbow Dash?

No. Gushing about how "awesome" it was to meet a trans-dimensional alien and then bragging about how she’s the fastest flier in Equestria wouldn’t help, either.

Fluttershy, true to her name, would probably be too nervous to even speak a word to the guy.

Maybe Rarity...

Oh, who was she kidding? The only thing her unicorn fashionista friend would be concerned with at this point would be the state of Connor’s clothes.

As for Pinkie Pie, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how Pinkie would behave. Trying to predict anything the eccentric party-crazed pony would do was as simple as unraveling the mystery of her Pinkie Sense -- which was to say, hardly simple at all. And that was speaking from experience.

Well, just sitting here doing nothing is getting us nowhere, she thought, as a heavy exhale came past her lips. As if sensing this, Connor tried his best to keep the conversation flowing.

“Look, I’ve... never really been good at starting conversations,” he looked a little ashamed to admit, scratching the back of his head.

I’ve noticed.

“Oh, here’s an idea!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together while Twilight could almost imagine the metaphorical light bulb switching on above his head. “Q ‘n A.”

“Cue and ay?” Twilight responded, turning her head slightly while raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know, Question and Answer? One of us asks a question and the other answers, then we take turns, back and forth and so on,” he explained animatedly, pointing between himself and her.

It... actually was a pretty good idea, Twilight had to admit. In fact, the logical part of her brain tripped over itself a few times just then, wondering how she could’ve possibly made it this long without thinking of indulging her curiosity. After all, this was a being never before encountered in the history of Equestria! There was so much information to glean from him; a whole new world of things to learn and absorb that couldn’t be found even in the seemingly never-ending shelves of the Canterlot Library. She started feeling a familiar, bubbly, giddy sensation that she normally reserved for the prospect of cracking open a brand new book. If the circumstances of the situation were any different, just the thought of it would probably have sent her jumping around the room in excitement.

Though, Connor must have noticed the way her eyes widened and sparkled in anticipation, because he then cracked a smile and gave a short chuckle. “Heheh. I take it that sounds like a good idea, then?”

Twilight blinked a few times, then smiled and nodded, if a bit over-enthusiastically.

“Okay, great. It’s something to start with, at least,” Connor agreed, before getting up to stand at his full height while raising his arms above his head in a long stretch. He then breathed in deeply and released, letting his arms fall loosely to his sides, and turned back towards Twilight with a grin. “I get to go first, though. Since it was my idea.”

There was a small, crestfallen look that came across the unicorn’s face for the briefest of moments, before she reluctantly acquiesced. “Oh, alright,” Twilight breathed out, her voice tinged with slight disappointment. “So, what’s your first question?”

“Hmmm...” Connor said, pursing his lips and stroking the short hair underneath his chin in an exaggerated motion. “You wanna go for a walk? My legs are starting to get fidgety.”

The informal nature of the question caught Twilight slightly off-guard. “Uh... sure, I guess. Did you have something in mind?”

“I dunno,” Connor replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Anywhere, I guess. Celestia did say we had free reign of the castle. Hah... ‘reign,’” he added under his breath as he grinned goofily, amused by the unexpected pun. “If you happen to know your way around, you’re free to lead on. Oh! And that counts as a question, by the way. It’s my turn again.”

An annoyed scowl came over Twilight’s face as he said that, and she let out a short huff. She wasn’t mad, though. Technically, he was right. And if he wanted to make this into a game, she would just have to play by the rules.

“Fine,” she said resignedly, and turned around to start walking down the path that led down the right wing at the top of the staircase. Then she paused, and looked over her shoulder at the boy. “Well, are you coming, or not?”

“Oh, yep. Right behind you,” Connor replied quickly, as he bounded up the remaining half of the steps two at a time, still grinning lightly, coming up alongside the lavender unicorn.

Twilight simply rolled her eyes widely, and had to resist the urge to facehoof at Connor's hapless behavior. Intellectual curiosity or no, she had a feeling this was going to be an interesting conversation.

It’s going to be a long five hours, that’s for sure.

“Human?”

“Yup, that’s me,” Connor responded with a dose of nonchalance. “Earthling, Terran, mankind, or homo sapiens if you prefer the ‘scientific’ term.” He raised his hands and curled his "fingers" twice as he said the word "scientific."

It had only been a matter of several minutes since the two had left the foyer, and the few questions Twilight had already asked had hardly chipped away at the curiosity weighing heavily on her mind like a block of solid granite. They had already covered what little Connor had to tell about how he came to Equestria, and following that, Twilight had jumped right into questions about the residents of Earth.

As both Twilight and the human boy continued on their impromptu tour, they walked down one of the castle’s side halls with no particular destination in mind. On their left side, light from Celestia’s Sun streamed through crystal clear windows and cast their surroundings in bright clarity. Just then, Connor happened to glance out the window and drew Twilight’s attention to what lay outside: the castle courtyard, where the teenager had apparently made his mysterious and thoroughly spectacular entrance. The stone foundation at the center remained as it had been rendered that day: a pile of loose rubble at the center, with innumerable cracks and crevices spiderwebbing out to its edges, as if it were a target that had suffered a direct hit from a mighty cannon. Planted firmly in the short grass of the surrounding area was a wide circle of yellow and black-colored flags flapping in a gentle breeze, obviously meant to cordon off the area for the time being.

A few words were shared regarding the scene, before they both agreed to continue on down the hall. Twilight kept noticing, however, that Connor was sneaking furtive glances outside the windows as they passed by, silent and contemplative for a time, before taking his turn and asking her a question.

“So, you’ve been pretty accepting of the stuff I’ve been saying so far. Does that mean you believe me now? That I touched a glowing rock and ended up in another world?”

Twilight turned her head to look up at the human, before breathing deep and releasing in a short sigh. “It would seem I don’t really have a choice. From a logical standpoint, the evidence that does exist to support your claim...” She tossed her head in the direction of the courtyard. “...is circumstantial at best. But then again, there isn’t any reason to assume you’re lying. That, and the Princess seems to put her faith in you, and I trust her judgment. So I guess what I’m saying is, yes, I believe you.”

“Heh. Jeez, it was just a yes or no question,” Connor muttered with a light chuckle. “Speaking of the Princess, do you two--”

“Upupup!” the purple pony interrupted, having paused in her walking to raise a hoof in Connor’s direction. “You know the rules. It’s my turn.” She flashed him a grin of smug self-satisfaction, to which Connor replied by rolling his eyes and resumed walking.

“Hmm...” Twilight mused, pondering her next move. There were still so many things left unanswered, she was starting to worry she wouldn’t get to them all. But, she reasoned, if she simply methodically covered one topic before moving on to the next, then maybe, just maybe, she could cover all of her bases. And so she decided to keep the purview of her questions limited to humans for now. “What other kinds of humans are there?”

“Kinds? Well, there aren’t really different ‘kinds’ of human. We’re all pretty much similar except for physical stuff: skin color, hair color, stature...” he listed off, counting along his fingers as he did so. “Tall, short, male, female, etcetera and so on. I guess there are some specific differences based on where in the world you come from, but there’s still only one species as a whole.”

Twilight nodded enthusiastically, filing away the knowledge like yet another book on the shelf as Connor resumed speaking.

“Okay, back to what I was about to say then. How do you know the Princess so well? You two shared a pretty tender moment back there.”

“Well, yeah... It’s kind of a long story,” Twilight responded with a bit of hesitation. She hadn’t been expecting such a personal question. I guess there’s no harm in telling him. It’s not exactly a secret, after all, she concluded. “To me, she’s not just Princess Celestia. She’s my mentor. My role model. She’s the one who first inspired me to learn more about magic and to foster my magical talents.”

Twilight’s thoughts shifted to the memory of her youth, hardly more than a little filly, going to her first Summer Sun Celebration. How she had eagerly awaited seeing Celestia perform her most sacred of duties: raising the morning sun on the longest day of the year. For the young and impressionable filly, it was an event to behold. The grace, the subtle power, the mysticism of the act... It was something that she would never, ever forget, and the sole reason she became so devoted to every aspect of the magical arts.

Connor raised a hand to his chin, listening patiently, while the tone in Twilight’s voice shifted from slightly meek to one of prideful adoration as she continued.

“When we first met, I could just tell she saw something in me. She saw potential, and her only desire was to see me succeed. On the day I earned my cutie mark, she came up to me and offered to make me her personal protegé, just like that! Not just anypony gets that kind of opportunity from the Princess. Even today, she still considers me her faithful student, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” she finished with a contented smile on her muzzle.

Connor, however, seemed to be only half-listening at this point, waiting for her to finish speaking before acting on his quizzical expression. “I’m sorry, back up a few. I know it’s not my turn, but what the heck’s a ‘que-tee mark’?” he asked, sounding out the syllables in "cutie mark" like he was fighting the urge to grin while saying it.

Twilight turned her head skeptically, the question throwing her off. “You don’t know what a cutie mark-- Oh, right...”

Of course. Knowledge that she and everypony else took for granted would be completely lost on someone like Connor. The pony let out a weighty sigh, resigned to the fact that it would probably be best to indulge his ignorance whenever the issue arose, instead of delegating it to their back-and-forth routine.

“This,” she started, as she brought up a hoof and indicated the six-pointed magenta starburst adorning her flank. “...is a cutie mark. Everypony gets one when they discover their special talent. For some it takes longer than others, but it always happens eventually.”

“So, lemme get this straight. When a pony finds something they’re good at, they get a tattoo?”

“It’s not a tattoo, cutie marks are different! They just, sort of appear when you realize your talents. Mine represents my affinity with all kinds of magic. I got it when I was a filly, during my magic school entrance exam, when I, uh... sort of overloaded on the magic. Just a teeny bit,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, rubbing one foreleg against the other.

“Okay, that makes a little more sense.” Connor put his hands in his jacket pockets and continued walking. “Well, not really, but thanks for trying to explain.”

The two continued down the castle corridor for several more minutes at a slow, leisurely pace, passing by more closed doors, art arrangements, and the occasional guard or other pony. Some of whom recognized Twilight and offered a brief, casual greeting before continuing on their way, eying her bipedal companion with interest as they did so.

Eventually, they came across a wide, circular room, surrounded on all sides by branching pathways and immaculately carved windows, with a small fountain in the middle, the stone spire at its center producing steady streams of crystal clear water that trickled down in short, pebbly arcs. Twilight paused as they came up to the fountain, glancing at all of the different paths that lay before them, taking each into consideration.

“Please tell me you know where you’re going,” Connor asked the lavender unicorn, idly biting on the end of one of his fingers.

“Of course I do. Just give me a minute to get my bearings.”

Now, I know I’ve been down this way before. Let’s see... Was it a left at the fountain? Twilight mused silently, trying to remember the layout of the castle. Even after spending so much time there in her youth, two long years of living in Ponyville had somewhat muddled her sense of direction in the sprawling complex. No, it was a right. Yeah, that’s it. Then another right and two doors down to the stairs that lead to...

“The observatory!” she exclaimed suddenly, eyes lighting up with recollection.

“Observatory?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s in one of the tallest towers in the castle, and has the absolute best view of Canterlot from way up there. I think you’d like it,” she said with a committal nod, before cantering off at a brisk pace away from the fountain and down the hallway on their right.

“H-hey, wait for me!”

The Canterlot Castle observatory was a modest affair, as removed as it was from the more well traveled parts of the castle. Like every other room, it was kept fastidiously spotless and free of dust and grime, yet somehow it still maintained an air of reclusive, musty charm. It was a circular room with a low, domed ceiling sitting above a smooth checkered floor. In the middle was a bowl-like depression, carpeted and lined with plush, colorful pillows, over which hung the dangling eyepiece of the wide, barrel-shaped telescope that extended into the ceiling and dominated most of the space. Alongside the outer wall, nestled between the door to the stairwell and the small curved windows that let in the sunlight, were an assortment of shelves and tables that each contained a number of objects: various intricate measuring devices, several candlesticks -- some brand new, others nearly burned down to stubs -- empty beakers and other glass containers, reams of paper alongside quills and inkwells, and stacks of thick, heavy books, their surfaces cracked and weathered with use and time.

The scene was perfectly silent and still, save for the occasional chirping tweet from a crowd of birds that sat on the roof outside, enjoying the view and the nice weather. That is, until a faint voice could be heard on the other side of the door, steadily getting louder as it approached from the lower levels.

“...used to spend a lot of time up here after my lessons with the Princess. It’s a really nice place to think and study because hardly anypony comes up here, so it’s great for avoiding distractions.”

Twilight’s voice came, muffled from the other end of the door, before the soft wood was enveloped in a light magical aura and pushed open with a well worn creak. As the magic faded, the lavender unicorn cantered inside, slightly out of breath from the climb, but wearing a satisfied smile nonetheless as she breathed in the familiar scent of the observatory: one of musty tomes, burnt wax, and long nights spent between a good book and the endless night skies.

Following in her wake was Connor, hand gripping the rail of the stairwell tightly as he labored for breath. He coughed loudly a few times as he entered the room, ducking under the door frame as he did so, and placed his hands on his knees while bending forwards as he took in air at a steady rhythm.

“Yeah... No kidding... After eight flights... of stairs... who would want to... come up here?” he said between breaths.

Twilight turned to face the human with a look of obvious amusement. “Oh, come on, it really isn’t that much of a climb. Are all humans as quick to tire out as you?”

Connor managed to straighten himself up and return her expression with one of acute annoyance. “Hey... gimme a break... I’m not exactly a marathon runner,” came his reply, before taking another deep breath and reaching up to readjust his glasses. “I just hope whatever you dragged me up here to show me was worth it.”

“Trust me, it is.”

Twilight made her way over to one of the windows, shooting Connor an expectant glance as he went to follow. Once at the wall, he used one of his arms to prop himself against it, leaning down to get a good look through the glass.

The human’s eyes widened slightly, and he let out a low whistle as he joined her in looking upon the scene.

Though it wasn’t anything Twilight hadn’t seen before, it was still a remarkable view. From their vantage point in the castle tower, the ivory spires and dazzling gold colors of Canterlot stood in incredibly stark relief with the robin’s egg blue of the spotless sky, and the bold greens and striking ambers of the surrounding countryside and the valley below. Off in the distance, the prismatic splendor of a rainbow came down over the waterfall flowing down the side of the mountain. Every beautiful building, every sloping rooftop, every tree, river and work of public art was on display, all bright and shining in the afternoon sun. Surely, Canterlot was the crown jewel of Equestrian architecture -- easily the most breathtaking city known to ponykind -- and only a pegasus would stand a chance of getting a better look at it.

“Woooow...” Connor apparently agreed, breathing out the word in astonishment. “I’ve looked at the city before, but this... this is just amazing.”

“It sure is. I take it you don’t have very many cities on Earth?”

Connor swallowed lightly, before pushing himself away from the wall before turning and taking a few slow steps around the room as he responded. “Actually, it’s the opposite. There are hundreds of cities at least this big the whole world over.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to stare openmouthed in surprise. “Hundreds? Really?” Her mind’s eye flooded with the idea of so many Canterlots, and what it would take to build them a hundred times over. Not only that, but the thought of a civilization powerful enough to do so across the surface of a whole world; the sheer scale of it was nearly impossible to comprehend, and the pony could almost imagine the smoke pouring out of her ears as she attempted to do so.

Connor somehow didn’t notice her stunned expression as he continued to explain, pulling a chair across the floor from among the desk tables and casually sitting down. “To be fair, they don’t really compare to here. Most of ‘em are sprawling, cramped, noisy, dirty, etcetera. Impressive, sure, but Canterlot looks like it jumped right out of a work of art.”

“Could you... tell me more about these cities?” Twilight asked, her curiosity once again piqued by another unexpected fact about Connor’s world.

“Well, technically it’s still my turn to ask a question...” Connor rubbed his chin, thinking. “Actually, I don’t think the game is working out so well now. How about we just talk normally?”

Twilight thought about this for a moment, before giving the human a nod of wary approval.

“Okay, then. Where should I start?”

For a time, the two had a lengthy discussion about a great many aspects of human civilization, and it told Twilight a lot about the kind of world Connor lived in. A lot of which even she labored to comprehend; things that her logical mind struggled to think could be possible.

Things like buildings called "skyscrapers," which, true to their name, rose to impossible heights, reaching up into the clouds like mighty trees among forests made of metal and concrete. Streets and thoroughfares bathed in electric lights that would make the night seem as bright as day. Vehicles that were miles ahead of Equestrian ingenuity, like giant metal airplanes that carried humans through the air at speeds great enough to encircle the planet in less than a day. They had even pushed beyond the boundaries of their own atmosphere, sending ships and even living beings out into open space, and going so far as to touch the surface of their moon! Technology even infused into their everyday lives, with Connor producing an example from his jacket pocket: a small, handheld device he called an "I Pod," which he claimed was a tiny computer capable of a wide range of functions. None of which he was willing to demonstrate beyond turning it on for a moment, much to Twilight’s chagrin. (He explained that it was due to a finite energy supply.)

And perhaps most boggling of all: the notion of a planet seven billion strong... and counting. Spreading out to conquer the landscape, taming the vast expanses of nature through technology, ingenuity and sheer force of will. Truly, humans seemed to be more than just different, more than just alien. They seemed, in their own way, more than a little terrifying.

“Amazing... It’s incredible to think that your people could accomplish so much,” Twilight said, exasperated, after Connor complained that he had had enough explaining for a while.

“Yeah. I mean, say what you want about us, when we want something done, we find a way to get it done,” Connor summed up, working his sore jaw from having talked for so long. Then, with a snicker, he added as an afterthought, “No accounting for politics.”

“Still, though, I would say the most progressive place in Equestria would be the city of Manehattan, and even that place wouldn’t hold a candle to one of your Earth cities.”

Connor gave a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement, before his face took on a puzzled expression. “Wait a minute. Did you say ‘Manehattan’?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, it’s just that there’s a city I know called Manhattan. It just seems funny that you would...” he trailed off, before his eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly. “Oh, God. I didn’t even realize before now. I’m so thick, it’s been staring me in the face all this time.”

Twilight stood up from her position lying down in the depression in the center of the room. “What? What is it?” she asked.

“Puns. Horrible, horrible puns.” Connor reached up to take off his glasses, then proceeded to bring a hand up to his face, shaking his head. “You’ve all been saying them since I got here. Everypony, anypony, Manehattan, Canterlot. They’re like words and places from my world, but... ponified.”

“That’s just the way we talk in Equestria. Is it really that strange?”

“To me? Yeah, kinda. It’s just gonna take a while to get used to, that’s all.”

I don’t see why he would consider it a pun... Oh, well, it’s not really important, after all. Twilight, deciding that nothing else needed to be said on the matter, gingerly hopped out of the dip in the floor and walked over to the door leading to the stairwell. “Well, I think that’s enough of a break for now. Let’s continue, shall we?”

“Unngggh, do we have to? My legs are still sore from climbing all the way up here,” Connor whined in response, massaging the muscles in his thigh. This elicited an amused snort from the unicorn.

“Well, you’ll have to climb down eventually, unless you sprout wings in the next couple of minutes.”

With a resigned groan, Connor pulled himself out of his chair and made his way over to where Twilight was waiting for him. He winced a couple of times, coaxing life back into his stiff limbs. “So, do you think it would kill the Princesses to put in an elevator?”

----------------------Some Time Later-----------------------

Finishing the last bite of her daisy sandwich, Twilight cast a chiding glance at Connor’s direction as he walked alongside her.

A short while after their little foray into the observatory, Twilight’s stomach decided to interject, reminding her of the fact that she hadn’t had time for lunch that day, and had barely anything to eat for breakfast. When she brought it up, asking if Connor wouldn’t mind a short detour to the castle kitchen, she was relieved when he heartily agreed, explaining that he too could use a snack.

Although, a fairly large misunderstanding at the time left Twilight thoroughly embarrassed at the human’s expense, after a brief "incident" with one of the chefs. One that had left the colt understandably incensed at Connor’s first choice for a meal.

And now, the two found themselves on their way down one of the main castle thoroughfares, Twilight starting to feel the stress after hours of, for lack of a better word, foalsitting the teenager.

After a few seconds of glancing at him in silence, Connor looked up from the rug running along the floor to notice, tilting his head back indignantly. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? Is this still about that thing in the kitchen?”

Twilight let out a heavy sigh in response after swallowing the last of her light snack. “It’s not just ‘a thing.’ I still can’t believe you asked for something made of meat from a pony chef! He was insulted!”

“I said I was sorry! How was I supposed to know the menu was vegetarian only?”

“You should’ve considered that before flat out asking him to cook something like that. And before you ask, yes, there are species that are...” Twilight braced herself, as if the word itself would leave a bad taste in her mouth. “...carnivores on Equis, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one in civilized pony society.”

“That’s...” he paused, as if trying to think of something clever to say. “...dietary discrimination.”

“Discrimina-- I’m not trying to judge you on the eating habits of your species!” the unicorn countered. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to be staying here for a while you should at least have a little more tact.”

“Alright, already. I’ll try to be more careful. Next time I’ll just ask for a fruit salad or something,” Connor said, throwing his hands up.

“Humph. For your sake, I hope so.”

They continued to walk, tossing the conversation back and forth in an idle way, until Connor seemed to realize, yet again, that he had no idea where they were headed. “Tell me where we’re going, again?”

“I told you already. Canterlot Tower,” Twilight responded with a huff, as the two of them rounded yet another corner of the palace. “You said you wanted to know more about Equestria, and the window art there depicts some of the most pivotal moments in Equestrian history. Rather than just tell you, I can show and tell.”

“Sounds like fuuuun,” Connor followed up, in a tone that seemed sarcastically overeager.

I wish he would drop the attitude, Twilight thought, accompanied by a barely audible groan. I don’t have to be doing this. A little gratitude would be nice, is all I’m saying.

But she didn’t give her thoughts a voice, deciding to keep her mouth shut as they approached the tall, heavy, gilded doors that opened into the Canterlot Tower, beyond which lay the promised historical depictions, along with the Chamber of the Elements of Harmony itself. The way forward was blocked, however, by two members of the Royal Guard: a white pegasus and a gray unicorn, both steadfastly protecting the entrance while cautiously eying the approaching visitors, alert for the smallest sign of trouble.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Connor leaned over to whisper as he and Twilight walked closer. But the purple pony was undaunted.

“No problem at all, let me handle this,” she replied nonchalantly, as she continued forwards and addressed the two stallions in a firm, yet casual manner. “It’s alright. He’s with me.”

The two guards wordlessly exchanged a look, one of them nodding, only to have the other return the gesture. Then, they brought their attention once again to the mare, and the armored unicorn spoke up in a deep, placid voice.

“Miss Sparkle,” he said in an affirmative tone, then he and his compatriot stood aside in order to no longer bar the passage. The unicorn’s horn glowed with a pale, ghostly gray, and within moments, the enormous door clunked several times with the turning of a locking mechanism. It was something unfamiliar to Twilight. Perhaps it was just another measure of increased security in the wake of the changeling attack, which made sense; the Elements of Harmony, despite being usable only by herself and her friends, were still the most potent source of magical energy in Equestria. Of course their safety would be considered a top priority.

But that wasn’t really a concern at the moment, as the way was now open, and both Twilight and Connor slipped past the guards without another word. As they passed the threshold, the door remained ajar, though the soldiers moved to resume their position, blocking the hallway and standing resolute.

The human’s head remained turned, looking warily at the guards, before he looked back to Twilight with a confused expression. “What was that all about? They just waved us by! One of them actually talked! What makes you so special?” he asked, exasperated, causing Twilight to let out a curt laugh.

There were a number of reasons, any one of which would have qualified as an explanation. She was the Princess’ personal protegé, bearer of the Element of Magic, one of the most magically gifted unicorns alive today, and had (with the assistance of her best friends, of course) happened to have saved the whole of Equestria from certain disaster on no less than two occasions. Also, her brother, Shining Armor, was none other than Captain of the Royal Guard, who had only recently married the lovely Princess Cadence, niece to Princess Celestia herself. So on top of all that, she was technically related to royalty.

All of which Twilight had a suspicion might just be a bit of information overload for the hapless human, at least for now.

“Oh, it’s nothing, really,” she explained, waving her hoof dismissively. “I’ve spent so much time in the castle, everypony here knows who I am.”

“Riiiight, okay. Well, now that we’re here, what’s the plan?” Connor asked, looking around at the expansive hallway.

Bright light cast itself through the walls and into the expansive room, made up almost entirely of gigantic windows between solid, inlaid columns and baskets of vibrant flowers. As promised, every other window was styled and colored garishly, depicting in stark relief various events of great importance to all of ponykind. Each one had a story to tell, and Twilight was ready and eager to tell them.

She steeled herself in anticipation for this. Now it was her turn to be the dispenser of information; a feeling she relished whenever she could, and never turned down the opportunity to do so. She raised a hoof to her muzzle and cleared her throat, and entered the trance-like state her friend Pinkie Pie jokingly referred to as "Lecture Mode."

The first historical point shown in the stained glass was of the founding of Equestria itself, and the depiction showed three ponies, each representing one of the main pony races. They were shown shaking hooves among a fertile valley while a metaphorical shaft of light splayed upwards from their position, driving away three ghostly equine figures: Windigoes; malevolent creatures that fed on bad blood and negative emotions.

From there, the generations skipped by in great numbers as Twilight moved on to events ranging from wars that were fought and won, treatises that were signed, and eventually the coronation of the Royal Pony Sisters themselves: Celestia and Luna. Each instance immortalized forever in a crystalline display.

She talked at length about the menacing Discord -- a draconequus: the physical and actual embodiment of chaos -- and how his appearance heralded a time of great despair amongst the denizens of Equestria, until finally, in a last ditch effort, Celestia and Luna combined their power with that of the Elements of Harmony to encase him in a prison of stone, ending his rampage. There were three windows to supplement her explanation. One depicted solely Discord, his body the product of a mismatch of animal parts; a form fitting for a God of Chaos. The next showed the draconequus hovering menacingly over the trio of an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn, visibly suffering under the manipulative puppet strings held in Discord’s claws. And finally, an image of the beast, his body bleached white by his petrified prison, surrounded by Celestia and Luna, horns blazing with the power of the Elements.

Through it all, Connor was strangely silent, only speaking up once or twice to ask for clarification on certain aspects. Things such as the apparent age of the Princesses, seemingly immortal as they were, and on the nature of the Elements of Harmony --though she was holding off on mentioning her personal stake in them until that relevant point in history.

Eventually, Twilight spared a few words on the tragic transformation of Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon: a twisted, malevolent mockery of the normally kind Luna, who had grown to despise the ponies who treated her nights by sleeping them away, ignored, while relishing her sister and the bounties her Sun provided. Her voice took on a slightly morose tone as she spoke of how the fallen princess had tried to envelop the world in eternal night, and how Celestia’s hoof was forced: using the Elements to banish her own sister to a thousand yearlong imprisonment in the very moon she was steward of.

This event in particular... had no corresponding window, and it was easy to imagine why.

“So that’s what she meant,” Connor mumbled to himself, eyes staring into the distance, causing Twilight to pause momentarily in her recounting.

“I’m sorry? You say something?”

“What? Oh, no, it’s nothing. Please, continue.”

The lavender unicorn eyed him curiously, before shrugging her shoulders and continuing where she left off. “And then we come to just two years ago, when, as foretold by prophecy, a spatial alignment of the cosmos allowed Nightmare Moon to break free from her millennial imprisonment. ‘On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape,’ or so the prophecy said. She returned to Equestria, once again attempting to plunge the world into night... forever.”

“And then what happened?” asked Connor.

“Well, after that, it gets a little... personal,” Twilight admitted, slightly bashful.

“How so?”

“Well, just take a look at the next window,” she offered by way of explanation.

At her suggestion, Connor turned to face the next image in sequence, the one showing six ponies: herself and her closest friends. Through the Magic of Friendship, they brought to bear the power of the Elements on Nightmare Moon, cleansing her of her wickedness and restoring Luna to her former self.

Connor stared at the window for a while, before giving up with a sigh. “I give up, I don’t get it. I’m assuming the big one up there is Nightmare Moon, but who are the other six?”

This caused Twilight to facehoof at his underwhelming reaction. “Look closer, on the left there. You see it now?” she asked him, thinly veiling the annoyance in her voice.

Connor walked up closer to the glass, peering at the leftmost pony with a studious expression. It took a few moments, sure, but soon enough, his eyes widened gradually as it apparently dawned on him. He jerked his head back to Twilight, pointing speechlessly between her and her image in disbelief.

“And the bit drops,” she muttered under her breath. “Yes, that’s supposed to be me.”

“How?” was all Connor managed to say.

“Well, as it turns out, me and my friends from Ponyville -- the other five ponies in that window -- each embody the virtues of the Elements of Harmony. It’s a pretty long and complicated story, but suffice it to say we were able to overcome a lot of hardship, discovered the power to use the Elements, and eventually free Luna from Nightmare Moon’s corruption,” she noted, thinking fondly on the memory of their triumph.

“That... That's...” Connor looked between the window and the unicorn an extra time. “That’s pretty cool. So, wait, does that mean you’re like, some kind of superhero?”

“Heheh. Well, I wouldn’t say that,” she said, the notion making her chuckle. “It wouldn’t be fair to say so without including my friends. Without them, none of it would’ve even happened.” Twilight then breathed in deep, a twinkle in her violet eyes and conviction in her voice. “It just goes to show, anything is possible when you believe in the Magic of Friendship,” she stated conclusively, finally, wholeheartedly, and with a genuine smile on her face.

There was silence in the Canterlot Tower.

Neither Connor nor Twilight moved an inch, save for an intermittent blink.

After several seconds of absolutely nothing, a flicker of motion passed across Connor’s deadpan face. A slight turn of the lips, nothing more, but it was enough to trigger a chain reaction. A reaction that Twilight was wholly unprepared for...

Uncontrolled laughter.

“Thhpppthahahahahahaaaa!” Connor blurted out has he bowed his head forwards, eyes clenched shut. After the first outburst, he abruptly stopped, took a deep breath, and looked back up at Twilight to see a look of genuine confusion, before it was followed by another bout of wheezy laughter, even louder than the first. “Ehehahahahahaha!”

The mirthful teenager had thrown his head back at this point, bringing a hand down to slap one leg in his jubilation. Twilight, still unable to bring herself to rebut him, felt the corner of one of her eyes start to twitch, as Connor seemed to try and bring himself under control, gasping in and out a few times. He then brought himself face to face with her again, seemingly having suppressed his reaction long enough to note her bemused expression and ask, “You’re serious!?”

“Of course I’m serious!” Twilight replied indignantly, shocked and more than slightly appalled at his overblown reaction. “What they hay do you think is so funny!?”

“I just, I... Oh... Whooooh,” he breathed out in a whoosh of air, his speech still interrupted by and intermittent giggle. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. Really, it’s just, your face, ‘Magic of Friendship.’ It was too much, I couldn’t help myself. For a second it seemed like I was stuck in a bad children’s cartoon.”

“I... I just don’t understand what you could find so hilarious! My friendships are the most important thing to me, and it’s like... like you’re insulting them!”

Twilight’s eyes burned like embers, boring into the human with indignation, as she waited to hear what he had to say for himself. Her intense glare seemed to strike at something in Connor, and his mirthful expression fell away almost instantly.

“H-hey, I... I didn’t mean--”

“Save it. I don’t want to hear it,” she said flatly, holding up one hoof. “This little history lesson is over.”

And with that, Twilight started moving towards the exit, the impact of her heavy stomps lost to the muffling effect of the rug on the floor. A tiny part of her felt bad for being so flat-out dismissive, but then the rest of her ganged up on that tiny part in a mob of hazy, righteous anger. The night she and her new friends defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria was perhaps-- No, it was the defining moment of her entire life. It was a day and a memory that held a sacred place in her heart. And with a few choice words and an entirely uncalled for reaction, the flat-faced alien had all but spit on it. That’s how deeply she had felt wronged, and she had every inclination to just leave him to himself.

“W-wait, where are you going?” Connor called out after her, raising an arm.

“To the library to get some peace and quiet, and more importantly, away from you.”

“But...” he lowered his arm, crestfallen. “What am I supposed to do? Celestia said we needed to stay together.”

This caused Twilight to give pause for a moment. Ungh, he’s right. The Princess did trust me to look after him until six... Fine, then, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.

“Fine. Follow me if you want, just don’t. Say. Anything. Because I’m not in the mood to hear it.”

The Canterlot Library could just as easily be described as a fortress as well. Though instead of tall ramparts and heavy stone, the walls were made of what seemed to be miles of shelves, stocked to the brim with books, scrolls, and on occasion, objects representing slightly more arcane methods of recording information. The multistoried, dimly lit room was a bastion of knowledge. The accompanying reading room also had a role to fill, providing a wide, open space with a healthy selection of desks, tables, plush armchairs, elongated couches, and a plethora of lamps casting off a warm, comfy glow. Its current occupants, however, could hardly be described as comfortable.

Twilight lay across one of the couches, a sour look on her face as she buried her chin in the mass of a large red pillow. Across the table beside her, Connor himself sat draped across a large armchair, resting his head against his fist, propped up on the arm of the seat. He kept having to force his eyes to the side, not wanting to be noticed looking at the incensed unicorn for fear of reprisal. Twilight too, was trying hard not to disrupt the tenuous balance, afraid of being held responsible for what might happen if she started to blow up at him again.

After a time, the human started making intermittent noises, like attempts to speak out that were dragged down and kept silent in his throat. Without moving one iota of the rest of her body, she turned her eyes to look in his direction, before giving off an intentionally loud huff.

This tension is driving me almost as crazy as he is, she sighed inwardly, wishing the day would be over and done with already. Well, sitting here stewing isn’t going to improve things. I’ll let him speak his piece and be done with it.

“Okay. I can tell you want to say something, so spit it out,” Twilight said forcefully, with a bit more venom than she had intended. Just a bit, though.

“I... I just... I want you to know...” he said, his voice slightly reluctant. The words sounded forced, but not in such a way as to seem insincere, more like he was simply struggling to find the right thing to say. “I’m... sorry.”

One of the lavender unicorn’s ears perked up in his direction, but she didn’t turn her head. “About what?”

“About, well... I just...” he breathed in loudly. “Everything. I was so completely insensitive. I can see that. With everything that’s going on... I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s... Ugh, God, I suck at this,” he said with a sigh.

“If you’re asking me to forgive you, I’m still a long way off from that.”

“I don’t expect you to. I know you’re hurt, and... Look, can we just agree to drop it and move on?” Connor asked, raising his hand to massage his forehead. “I can already feel another headache coming on.”

“That’s fine with me,” Twilight replied indignantly, tossing her bangs with a flick of her head. Sweet Celestia, now even I’m starting to get a headache.

At this point, Twilight was in desperate need of a distraction, something to take her mind off of things. Reading usually did that for her, and she was in the Canterlot Library. She could indulge herself and do something relevantly productive at the same time.

“I’m going to go take out some materials on teleportation magic,” she explained as she got up from her seated position and started heading off in the direction of the nearest staircase to the upper levels. “You just... stay here.”

She only managed a few steps before Connor called after her. “There’s nothing I can say, is there? I was stupid and insensitive and I don’t know why I couldn’t handle myself better. I’m sorry I’m being an ass. I’ll understand if you don’t want anything to do with me anymore. Just... Rrrgh!” He sounded as if every word was a struggle, like they were trying to force their way up just as his pride was being swallowed down.

A little while passed as neither of them saying anything further.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Twilight finally spoke up. Then, saying nothing more, she continued to walk off into the library, intent on finding the books she was looking for.

This section of the library happened to be devoid of other occupants at the moment, and Twilight found herself alone with her thoughts as she maneuvered between floors and through aisle after aisle of neatly ordered tomes. She started feeling more at ease in this fortress of knowledge, and as the stack of books held nearby in her magic gradually incremented, she found herself jockeying with the issue at hoof: the main reason Celestia saw fit to saddle her with this responsibility.

I think it’s obvious at this point. Speaking from a purely logistical stance, my home is already crowded enough, what with me, Spike, Owloysius, and Spike’s new phoenix friend. What did he call him? Peewee, right. Adding the alien into the mix would be inviting more trouble than I think I can handle.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she plucked another tome from a nearby shelf, titled Tenuous Transportation: A Laypony’s Manual to Instantaneous Travel and added it to the pile.

Not that he would even make a very nice houseguest. He’s abrasive, annoying, introverted, disrespectful, inconsiderate... He almost reminds me of...

Twilight paused, a copy of Theories on Object-Oriented Dimensional Manipulation stuck halfway off the shelf where she had stopped pulling it out. This wasn’t something she had expected, finding herself reminded of the way she used to act around other ponies. Before she went to Ponyville and learned the true value of friends and companionship, she just utterly brushed off anything that wasn’t related to furthering her studies. Those kinds of things were well and fine for everypony else, as long as they didn’t concern her. It was no small comfort to realize that the thing she cherished most these days... she too would’ve considered childish at one point.

Twilight stood still, looking down and off to the side in a moment of reflection, before she finished fishing out the book and placed it with the others. Then, she started making her way slowly back to the reading area, the thick stack of books floating heavily in the air beside her. She felt the anger slowly ebb away, replaced with a renewed focus on the why, not just the what.

Maybe it’s not his fault that he’s acting like this. After all, he did seem genuinely sorry afterwards. Her thoughts turned slightly dour, as she remembered the tenuous situation that the human found himself in. How can I judge him in these circumstances? He’s so far from home and he even doesn’t know if he’ll be able to go back.

As she rounded another corner and started down the steps to the first floor, another thought occurred to her.

I can’t even imagine what it must be like. Just being... cut off like that. If somehow, our situations were reversed... As she ruminated on this, she felt a tightening ache forming around her chest. Lost in an unfamiliar place, without the ponies I care about. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike. Celestia, my parents, my brother... Left behind... perhaps forever.

Twilight forced herself away, clearing her mind of these distressing notions before they threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t bear the thought of going through that kind of pain -- that special kind of loneliness. And she realized: there was no way she could understand what Connor was going through. Frankly, she was surprised he was keeping it together at all, that one outburst in Canterlot Tower notwithstanding.

Eventually, she made her way back to the place she’d left him, setting her books down on the table and sighing heavily, looking down at the floor.

“Look, I was thinking, and, well... I can’t imagine what it must be like for you. I know I couldn’t bear being separated from my family and friends,” she started to explain, drawing one of her hooves across the floor. “I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I realize you didn’t mean what you said. You’re going through a lot right now and, well... What I guess I’m trying to say is... I’m sorry too.”

She waited several seconds for a response, but when there wasn’t one, she tentatively looked up at the human boy, to find him slumped over in the chair. Eyes closed, head propped up against his arm, he was breathing slowly, mouth hanging slightly open.

“Aaaand, you’re asleep,” she noted flatly, though soon after couldn’t resist the urge to chuckle lightly. I guess all that walking around really tired him out.

As Twilight absently maneuvered one of the books off the stack beside her and opened it up, she kept her eyes on Connor’s sleeping form, and a small, sarcastic part of her noted how he was so much easier to deal with when he wasn’t conscious.

When she turned to focus her attention on the words in front of her, she thought once more about Celestia’s proposal. Sure, it seemed outlandish. Sure, there was no way of knowing how it would all turn out. And it would most certainly not be easy.

But...

The Princess is right. Right now, he needs the support. He needs to know there are those here who care about him. He needs this. He needs to... Twilight’s eyes widened as she stared straight ahead, a stray memory bubbling its way to the surface of her thoughts. One of that fateful day when Princess Celestia sent her on what seemed at the time to be a pointless venture: to go to Ponyville and...

"...make some friends."

A sly smirk creased itself across her muzzle as she remembered the words in the Princess’ letter as freshly as if Spike were reading them out right next to her. “Oh, Princess... That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”

Twilight closed her eyes and nodded to herself with conviction, now knowing, in spite of everything, that it was simply the right thing to do.

Epilogue: One Day at a Time

You Do (Not) Belong

Epilogue: One Day at a Time

Dear Princess Celestia,

Guess who? It’s everyone’s favorite trans-dimensional alien! Bet you weren’t expecting to get a letter from me, huh? By the way, I apologize in advance for my ~~handwriting~~ ~~hoofwr~~ penmanship. Twilight’s making me write this so I can practice with my telekinesis, and I’ve just barely got the hang of it yet.

It’s hard to believe that only a week’s gone by since the last time we saw each other. I feel like so much has happened, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, a lot happened in the previous week, too.

So, I’m officially a member of the community now. At first I was worried about how we were going to handle reintroducing me to the townsfolk, but the girls eventually convinced me that it would be for the best if I came clean about everything right away. Applejack was the one who suggested talking to the mayor about having a town meeting about it, and after we explained the situation to her, Mayor Mare thought it was a great idea. And it turns out that I didn’t have to worry all that much. Everyone in town was so supportive and understanding, especially after Pinkie’s grand welcoming surprise party.

What else? Oh! I got a new pair of glasses, finally. I don’t even care what kind of voodoo they had to pull in order to make them stay on my face like this, I’m just glad I can see clearly past my hoof again. Speaking of which, I think I’m finally getting used to walking with these things. (Took me long enough…) Running, on the other ~~hand~~ hoof, that’s going to take a little longer.

Not that I prefer being a pony, but if there’s one silver lining to all of this, it’s being able to use magic. You probably know this already, but magic is so AWESOME! I only started my lessons a few days ago, and it hasn’t been a cakewalk, but at least I’m making progress. It definitely helps that I have an incredible teacher to begin with.

Anyway, I’m about halfway down the paper already, so it’s probably time for me to get serious for a moment.

I want to tell you and Luna that I’m okay, and that you shouldn’t worry about me, but to be perfectly honest… that’s not quite the truth. I won’t deny that it’s sometimes been… difficult to deal with all this.

After we got back to Ponyville and I came down from that incredible friendship high I was having, it really struck me how different everything’s going to be from what I’m used to. I realized that I wasn’t going to just get over everything overnight, no matter how much I wanted to. Sometimes, when it’s quiet and I’m by myself, I can’t help thinking about everyone I left behind; what they’re doing, what they’re thinking...

If I have one regret from all of this -- aside from touching that stupid rock in the first place -- it’s that there just wasn’t enough time to do anything more. In hindsight, if only I could’ve written a letter, or taken a picture, wrapping it up in my stuff and letting that go back to Earth in my place. Just something to at least let them know that I was safe and happy, and not to worry about me.

But I made my choice, and that I don’t regret. It may be harder now, but I know it’ll get easier. And whenever I’m feeling down, there’s always something I can turn to for a little comfort. Stuff like knowing that Twilight and Spike are always close by, or having Rainbow Dash stop over to chat and maybe show off one of her special moves, or remembering that Rarity invited me to go with her and Fluttershy on one of their “spa dates” (still debating on that one). Any one of those things to remind me that things can only get better from here. All I have to do is just keep tackling one day at a time.

I realize I’m rambling at this point, and my horn’s starting to hurt, so I’ll make this quick, since I’m running out of room, anyway. Thanks again for everything, to you, Luna, and Cadence as well. I promise I’ll try to keep in touch with you guys. Until then!

Your friend, and newest loyal subject, Connor.

-- P.S. “Connor” isn’t exactly a typical name for a pony, is it? I’ve been thinking of changing it to something more appropriate. What are your thoughts on “Crimson Flare”?

“Aaaaand, done!” With a heavy sigh, Connor let his body relax, the weak red glow around his horn fading to nothing and the ink quill hovering above parchment dropping to the table.

“Time.” With the click of a button, Spike pressed down on the stopwatch in his claws. “Welp, would you look at that. Eighteen minutes and twenty-four seconds, and that’s after you took two breaks in between.”

“Gee, thanks,” Connor replied sarcastically, reaching up to rub his hoof in small circles just beneath his horn.

“Spike…” Twilight said from off to the side, tossing her assistant a chiding glance.

“What?” Spike threw up his shoulders in a shrug. “It was a compliment. I’m really impressed!”

“Suuure you are,” the red unicorn retorted, before twisting his neck around, trying to relieve the stress from having stood stock still for so many minutes. “Anyway, I’m just glad to be done. Is it supposed to hurt this much?”

“Only at first. Magic is like a muscle; the more you use it, the easier it gets,” Twilight explained, moving up to the table where Connor’s letter sat. Her horn lighting up, the mare brought the piece of parchment up in the air in front of her. “May I?”

“Uhhh,” Connor said hesitantly, adjusting his new glasses a bit. “Sure, I guess. What, do you want to proofread it or something?”

“Or something,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s fine. I’m just curious to see what you wrote about.”

“Okay…” Feeling a little put on the spot, Connor chewed on the inside of his lip, letting his eyes wander around the library while Twilight started reading.

It was a pretty awkward silence, permeated only by the sound of Twilight’s magic and that of Spike’s legs as he shifted them back and forth on the pile of books he was sitting on. A little while in, Twilight let out a giggle or two, followed closely by an “Aww…” as she looked up briefly with a smile and a blush. But then, as she continued reading, she grew more serious, the rapid movement of her eyes slowing down as she took her time with the later bits.

Connor was watching as she reached the end, and he could plainly notice when she slowly raised her head to look at him with one eyebrow raised.

“Something wrong?” he asked her.

“No, no, the letter’s fine.” Twilight shook her head, lowering the parchment. “Although, I have to ask… ‘Crimson Flare’? Seriously?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?”

“Don’t you think it sounds a little…” The mare’s mouth scrunched up in thought. “I dunno… pretentious?”

“Pfft, whatever,” Connor scoffed a little, brushing her off with a wave of his hoof. “It’s just an idea. I’m not married to it.”

“Hmph,” Twilight snorted, before shrugging with indifference and walking to a nearby desk. Using her magic, she opened it up and brought out a blue ribbon and a seal, wrapping up the letter and preparing it for delivery. Then, she levitated it over to her dragon friend as he hopped off his perch. “Go ahead, Spike.”

“You got it, Twi.” Taking the letter in claw, Spike turned away from the two of them, held it up, took a deep breath, and blew. Out of his mouth came a bright green gout of dragon flame, incinerating the paper in a fraction of a second.

Connor’s eyes went wide with shock. “H-hey! What was that for!? I worked really hard on that!”

“Um, Connor?” Twilight questioned, tilting her head to the side. With an amused look on her face, she made a motion towards one of the windows cut into the library wall.

Connor followed her gaze, just then noticing that the plume of glittering green smoke that used to be his letter was snaking its way up through the air, just before it zoomed right outside in a manner that made it all too obvious what had just happened.

“...Oh.” Bashfully, Connor rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh, guess I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

Twilight flashed him a reassuring smile. “All in due time. You’re doing great so far.”

“Yeah, well, I’m feeling pretty magicked out right now,” he said, standing his hind legs up and stretching out his back like a cat, eliciting a few refreshing pops and cracks. It never ceased to amaze him just how good it felt to do that.

Maybe I will take Rarity up on that spa thing, he thought for a moment, before turning his attention to the more immediate future. “So, what should we do next? Got any plans?”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe--” Twilight began, before she was cut off by the sound of a barrage of knocks coming from down the stairs to the first floor. “Oh! Sounds like we have company downstairs.”

“I’ll get it,” Connor offered, making his way over to the steps. He took slightly longer going down since, like galloping, stairs were something he still hadn’t quite mastered yet. As if to remind him, there were more impatient knocks from the Golden Oak’s entrance just as he reached the bottom. “Alright, I’m coming! Jeez, hold your horses!”

The colt had a private snicker to himself as he walked past the table in the center of the room and up to the door, taking the handle in hoof and pulling it open. What greeted him on the other side was a genuine surprise, as three bright and cheery young faces thrust themselves up at him.

“Hi, Connor!” shouted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo in unison, all three of them positively beaming. The Apple filly was wearing a small satchel around her midsection, and for some reason, Sweetie was carrying some kind of box balanced on her back, tied up in a bright red bow.

“Well, if it isn’t the Crusaders,” Connor returned in kind, looking them over curiously. “Wait, hold on. It isn’t even noon yet. Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Miss Cheerilee’s attending a Teachers’ Conference in Hoofington today, so we got the day off!” Apple Bloom replied happily.

“That sounds like fun,” Connor said with a smile. “I haven’t seen you guys since the party last week. It’s good to see you.”

“Sure is!” spoke up Scootaloo, whose little wings buzzed a little, pushing her up in the air with excitement. “Hey, so, are you doing anything right now?”

“Uh…” Connor looked behind him for a second, just in time to see Twilight and Spike also making their way down the stairs. “Not really. I just got done with a little magic practice. Why?”

“Great!” said Sweetie. Then, the three fillies suddenly came forward, squeezing past Connor and entering in the tree house.

“Hello, girls,” uttered a slightly stunned Twilight as she reared back from the unexpected intrusion. The Crusaders stopped at the table, with Sweetie swiftly depositing her package as they did so. “What’s all this about?”

“Beats me, I’m just as confused as you are,” Connor said, nudging the door closed with his flank before joining the others.

“We got somethin’ to tell you!” Apple Bloom piped up.

“And something to give you!” followed Scootaloo, which explained the gift box, at least.

“Aw, you shouldn’t have,” Connor replied humbly.

“But we did it anyway,” said Sweetie Belle, her smile gradually fading as her and her friends put on slightly more dour expressions. “We still feel really bad about taking your music thingy without your permission.”

“Yeah, we’ve been trying for days to come up with something we could do to make it up to you,” added Scootaloo, bringing a touch of warmth to Connor’s heart at their sincerity.

“Well, that’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you.” Connor tilted his head. “So, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nuh-uh. That’ll come later,” the cream-colored filly told him adamantly. “Just open yer present first, then we’ll tell ya!”

Connor rolled his eyes, going along with it. “Alright, let’s see what we got here…”

The Crusaders backed away from Connor, privately grinning at one another as he approached the table and the gift. It wasn’t a very big box, and judging from the way a tiny unicorn like Sweetie could carry it on her back, it probably didn’t weigh all that much.

Taking a moment to concentrate, Connor then reached deep inside himself, tapping into the wellspring of power he’d only recently learned how to utilize. His eyes narrowing, he focused intently on the ribbon securing the lid of the box, and willed the magic into existence. Faintly, his horn began to glow, and so did his target as he slowly undid the knot without so much as lifting a hoof. For so simple a task, his recent exertions with the letter were making it a little difficult, but this wouldn’t take long, and he knew he could do it.

With one last tug, the knot came free and the ribbon fell away, and Connor let out a puff of breath as his horn went dark again.

“Keep going, you can do it!” Twilight spurred him on, nodding in encouragement.

“Heh, thanks. Yeah, don’t worry, I got this,” said Connor, blinking away his fatigue even as he failed to notice the faint shuffling behind him, or the knowing, half-concealed smirks on both Twilight and Spike.

Next came the lid, which was enveloped in a misty maroon glow as it too was lifted off the box and dropped to the side. With the gift now open, Connor probed the inside with his magic, grabbing ahold of the object -- whatever it was -- and slowly lifting it into the air. It appeared to be some kind of red fabric, neatly folded into a tight square, and with a bit of concentration, Connor was able to pick it apart and unfold it to reveal… a slightly bigger square.

“...It’s a two-by-two red square,” he said dully, not bothering to hide his disappointment.

“Turn it around!” came Sweetie’s voice from behind him, and Connor obeyed, rotating the fabric so that he could see the other side.

Once that was done, he could plainly see that there was more to it. Sewed into two opposite corners along the bottom were two bright blue and yellow patches, each one with a center depiction of what looked like a smiling filly reared up on its hind legs.

“SURPRISE!” came a sudden shout from the three fillies behind him, causing Connor to jump with a start and lose focus on his magic, dropping the cloth. He instantly jolted around, about to chastise them for scaring the bejesus out of him until he noticed that, apparently, the Crusaders had been busy while he had his back turned. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had emptied the farm filly’s bag and were now each wearing capes patterned identically to the one he’d been gifted, albeit tailored to their small bodies.

“What… Um, okay, what is this?” Connor asked, plainly confused as he tried to calm his heart back down.

“Silly Connor! What does it look like?” Sweetie Belle answered, grinning from ear to ear. “Us three have decided to officially welcome you into…”

The unicorn filly paused as she and her friends each took in a big breath. Connor only had a second to forcibly pull his ears down before they all launched into a group shout.

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!”

Even with his preparation, Connor still had to gently rub the outside of his ears to stop them from ringing, which also allowed him just enough time to process what the young ponies were saying. “Hold on, let me get this straight… You want me to join your little club?”

“Hey, it ain’t just some club!” Apple Bloom argued back. “As Crusaders, it is our sworn duty to help our fellow blank-flanks get their cutie marks and discover their special talents!”

“That’s right!” Scootaloo nodded her head vigorously, her tiny wings buzzing again. “And, seriously, you’ve got to be, like, the oldest blank-flank ever!”

Connor’s fur changed a fraction of a shade redder as he looked behind himself at the bare patch of fur on his own backside. “Uh… Yeah, I… guess you got a point there.”

“So, whaddaya say? Are you ready to don the Crusader colors and embark on a sacred quest to obtain your cutie mark?” Sweetie Belle implored with a healthy dose of grandiosity.

Connor hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth across the young, expectant expressions held by the three fillies. Standing on the very tips of their hooves, they leaned in with bated breath, as if the fate of the world hinged on his answer. And after a few seconds, Connor’s stoic demeanor gave way to a warm smile of resignation.

“Oh… how could I possibly say no to those faces?”

With a “Yippee!” a “Woo-hoo!” and an “Alright!” all three ponies reared back with utter joy as Connor turned to address Twilight, who, along with Spike, appeared to be immensely entertained by the spectacle.

“Can I get a little help, Twilight?” he asked her, tilting his head at the cape lying on the table.

“Sure thing,” she replied, her horn lighting up as she grabbed the garment and levitated it over to Connor. With flawless dexterity, she wrapped the cape around his back and tied it securely around his neck, letting it fall across his shoulders. “There you go.”

Knowing that he probably looked more than a little ridiculous -- and not particularly bothering to care at the moment -- Connor turned on the spot, trying to catch a glimpse of himself in his new digs. “So, how do I look?”

“Ah think y’all look great!” said Apple Bloom, garnering nods of agreement from her friends.

“Welcome to the Crusaders!” Scootaloo said next. “With you at our side, we’ll all get our cutie marks in no time flat!”

Suddenly, Sweetie’s ears perked up. “Oh! Speaking of which, we’d better get going!” she mentioned, running over to the library door and pulling it open.

“Wait, going?” Connor asked, raising an eyebrow at the little unicorn. “Going where? To do what?”

“To try and get our cutie marks, a’course!” Apple Bloom said as she maneuvered behind Connor and started not-so-subtly nudging him towards the outside.

The earth pony filly was quickly joined by Scootaloo. “Yeah, and guess what? Today, we’re doing Cutie Mark Crusaders Rock Climbers!”

“Uhhh…” As Connor’s hooves scraped against the wood floor, he threw a worried look back at Twilight and Spike, who looked to be on the verge of breaking out into laughter. “Hey, Twilight? A little help…? Please?”

The lavender mare raised a hoof to her muzzle, trying to maintain her composure. “Heehee… Sorry, Connor, but you should’ve known what you were getting into before you agreed to it.”

From her spot near the door, Sweetie bounced in place. “Come on, Connor, it’ll be fun!”

“I think you and I have very different definitions of the word ‘fun,’” Connor said, grinning uneasily even as his obstinance devolved into something more resembling mock protest. As he let himself go along with the children, he bent his neck one last time to address Twilight. “So, I guess I’ll see you guys later, then… hopefully…”

Now moving -- albeit grudgingly -- of his own accord, his fellow Crusaders raced ahead of him once they were all out the door. “Come on, this way!” Sweetie urged him.

“Alright, I’m coming!” Connor yelled back as he put on a little more speed. “I can’t run that fast yet, gimme a break!”

Meanwhile, back inside the library, it was once again peace and quiet, with both Spike and Twilight left staring dubiously at each other until they both broke out into a fit of laughter at the absurdity of the event they’d just witnessed.

“Heheheheh… Wow. I can honestly say I didn’t see that coming,” said Spike as he reached up to wipe a tear from his eye.

“Heheh… Me neither, Spike. It’s great, though, isn’t it? At the very least, it’ll give him an excuse to get out of the library more often.” Twilight took a few more seconds to get the last few giggles out of her system. Then she sighed, looking back at the wide open door for a little longer than one might expect, wearing a contemplative expression. “...Maybe I should go with them.”

Watching his pony friend with interest, Spike picked up on it, rolling his eyes and nudging Twilight gently in the ribs. “What, are you jealous?”

Twilight did an immediate double-take. “N-no!” she defended vociferously, her cheeks tinging slightly red. “I just want to be there to make sure nopony gets hurt.”

“Sure, Twi. Whatever you say,” the dragon said, unconvinced, as he threw up his claws and started walking away. “Go ahead, I can handle everything here.”

Twilight looked at her assistant. “...You sure?”

“Yeah, totally.” Spike waved a claw dismissively.

Smiling softly, Twilight cantered up and surprised Spike by going beside him and pulling him into a brief, affectionate hug. “Thanks, Spike. You’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Spike glanced off to the side, scratching at his head ridges, embarrassed. “Go on, get outta here.”

After just one more nuzzle, Twilight let go of her Number One Assistant and broke for the door. She stopped at the threshold for a second to say one last thing. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Spike waved goodbye. “I’ll be here.”

And with that, Twilight nodded once and stepped outside, closing the door shut in her wake. Now that she was outside, she took one look around, scanning the surrounding area for the whereabouts of the Crusaders and their newest inductee, but they were already apparently long gone.

“I take my eyes off you for one minute…” Twilight sighed exasperatedly. But she didn’t let it bother her. After all, since getting to know them, she’d become quite adept at tracking down the three little troublemakers. Well… make that four.

The unicorn chuckled to herself, shaking her head at the foolishness of it all. One thing was for sure: dull days were going to be even more few and far between with Connor around… and on reflection, she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Twilight opened her eyes and breathed deep, filling her lungs with the rich, clean air of Ponyville and letting it refresh and re-energize her. Then, with a mixture of pure mirth and determination, she picked a direction and broke into a sprint. Her hooves felt lighter than air as she ran, her muzzle breaking open into a wide grin as she imagined what was in store for her and her friends that day, and every day that was to come.

After all, it was a magical world, full of stories just waiting to be experienced. A world where no story was too long or short, too happy or sad, too simple or nuanced, so long as you could share them with the ones you treasure the most; your friends.

And with that in mind, Twilight couldn’t wait to see what the next chapter would bring.

The end.

Author's Note

And so our story comes to a close. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I would like to thank everyone who's ever given my story a try. Whether you liked it or not, whether you've said good things or bad, I appreciate at least giving it a chance. Every favorite, upvote, and constructive critique have helped me deliver a story I can feel proud of. And to everyone who downvoted without even giving a reason why, well, odds are you won't be reading this, so thanks a lot, jerks.

I would especially like to thank my pre-reader and good friend on the site, Loyal2Luna, whose feedback and support were invaluable these past two years. I invite you to go check out her own stuff. Seriously, click on that link. Do it now, you won't regret it.

And to anyone who may be curious about a sequel, well... I'm not ruling it out.

In the meantime, I'll just leave this here...