Only Chapter 12 is any good

Chapters

Not Actually A Chapter (Or a prologue.) (Or even related to the main story, for that matter.)
Chapter 1: The Fluttershy Menace
Chapter 2: First Contact
Chapter 3: Twilight's Reception
Chapter 4: Night's Mourning
Chapter 5: Change of Perspective (Revised)
Chapter 6: A Peculiar Surprise
Chapter 7: Well, I did Nazi that coming.
Chapter 8: First impressions are very important!
Chapter 9: Broken Promise
Chapter 10: Carelessness
Chapter 11: Casino Royale With Cheese
Chapter 12: Tomorrow Never Dies (But the protagonist of this story does)

Not Actually A Chapter (Or a prologue.) (Or even related to the main story, for that matter.)

Twilight had been wandering aimlessly across town for a few hours, and had not encountered a single soul in her path thus far. She seemed to be completely alone in this town... the world, even... but this wasn't surprising considering the hour of the night she had chosen for this most peculiar sortie. Being alone like this was a feeling she hadn't experienced ever since leaving Canterlot, and had always considered those isolated days over.

...but not that her solitary state mattered to her, anyways.

Actually, it did matter. In fact, it mattered a lot!

But then again, it didn't, really.

At least, that's how it all felt to her since she still hadn't gotten over the incident... The image remained fresh in her mind: torturing her, making her remember the overwhelming barrage of emotions that overcame her that very instant... That moment when she decided to open that door, oblivious of what laid behind it.

It was all just too much, she no longer had control of her body. She ran away as fast as she could from the scene, heart-broken and in tears, wishing for it to all go away and disappear, much like after waking up from a bad dream. She covered her overflowing eyes, praying that she could un-see what hath been seen...! Twilight couldn't, however, and no matter where she tried to hide, the thought found her... It stalked her, it hunted her: lurking in the corners and in the deepest recesses of her mind.

It enjoyed making her suffer.

Hours had already past though, and now Twilight saw herself losing the will to live...

Or rather, the will to care: she was filled with apathy.

And so, the only solace she could take comfort in was walking. It used to clear her mind, but now it only served to keep her attached to this world: Twilight felt that if she didn't walk, her spirit would just... slowly drift away and never return. A painkiller of sorts, or her lifeline.

Her lonesome soul calmly drifted over the wet pavement. Fittingly, it had been raining in torrents for days, and this night was no particular exception. Every single one of her steps whispered the eternal laments and remorse of past deeds as they met the unforgiving puddles of countless tears. Every individual second seemed to linger onto eternity: never giving way for the next. Each one took its own bittersweet time... But like any mortal joy, it ended, withering and dying.

The dilapidated surroundings only seemed to accentuate the misery she found herself in, yet she just could not care less.

She could not care less of anything, not anymore...

Not now that there was no more ketchup in the fridge.

Author's Note

Please don't take this chapter too seriously.
It's only a joke, so please read on! :P

Chapter 1: The Fluttershy Menace

The Human Within.

by SRC

Note: Sentences in this specific colour indicate direct character thoughts.

As I emerged slowly from the profound darkness of the thick forest, my eyes were instantly blinded from both the sudden light and the amazing splendour I now beheld in front of me. I stood in awe, admiring the breath-taking valley of amber and sapphire in all its majestic glory. It was of unfathomable grandeur, unlike anything I had ever experienced. The delicate and soft aroma that floated delightfully in the air was certainly most exquisite, along with the sight of the dandelion seeds dancing gracefully as they were guided by the smooth breeze. Time slowed down as every singular instant took its own sweet time. At the edge of the peaceful and silent river of lapis colour, I fell to my knees. Partly because of the exceptional scenery: the heavens were of a seemingly impossible hue, reminiscent of fantastic paintings of fiction, with a perfect definite contrast between the reddish pink of the high clouds and the golden white of the setting sun. My eyes closed as I attempted to soothe my worries and pains by focusing all my attention to my senses; under my hands, the earth felt alive. It was green and fertile, with a thin and subtle layer of new spring water sprinkled over the grass and leaves. In the cradle of it all rested a sleepy little town, surrounded by farmland and protected by a staggering city built into the imposing mountain that watched over the landscape. However, I could not completely drown the shock that came with the cognizance of the situation: Larry was nowhere to be found, and I was now a long way from lovely Canada...

If only it was under different circumstances that I discovered this delightful place... For the past five days, my life has taken a most abrupt turn: awakening with a headache and broken memories, I had to do my best to survive the strange and exotic environment that is this forest. I am a man of reason and logic, always keeping my calm under tense situations; I take a hard, empirical look at the facts and then formulate a hypothesis to explain those facts. Don't get me wrong though, I am not a person without faith.

And so in the past week, I have met and studied a diverse biome of creatures and plants, all holding very peculiar characteristics and abilities I never thought possible, some performing feats that I cannot manage to rationalize, almost as if it were... magic. Ridiculous, I know, but after some very heavy thinking, the facts lead me to the conclusion that I have so feared until now: not only am I not in Canada, I am probably not even on Earth.

Yet the most disturbing and upsetting part of my situation is my lack of knowledge on how it all even came to be! The only memories pertaining to me being in this foreign land are sketchy at best... There was screaming, running... we were being chased. Most likely by one of the beasts inhabiting this forest, but I was not alone, that I am sure of. Larry was with me. My very best friend since high school, we've always been best buddies, however his location is an absolute mystery to me. How we got here even more! I can only hope he is still alive.

But I mustn't be held back by the past, I shall press on until I can find the answers, and I think I know where to begin. The town that lies a day's walk from here might very well hold the key, though it will require re-entry into the forest. Now, its inhabitants must be sentient to be organized in such a manner and likely capable of advanced, intelligent speech. This can be a good thing, or a very bad thing if they prove to be hostile... Unfortunately, I am inadequately prepared for such confrontation: all I have is a makeshift spear, a thick jacket and my backpack (containing some food, matches, a knife and an improvised grenade I fabricated with some aerosol cans of isopropyl-based insect repellent and matches as ignition), but gladly I've so far avoided trouble with the larger monstrosities that roam the forest.

Since I assume that my location is not Earth, consequently I must also assume the local population is not human, I shall therefore prepare myself for any possible scenario, and hope for the best...

What a nightmare this all is!

Nearing the town, I encountered a dirt trail and decided to follow it, it led to an exit that overlooked a modest cottage with a large open space. I closed in warily, making use of cover to conceal my approach so as to pass undetected. I hoped to catch a glimpse of the sentient creatures, and as I looked around my mind wandered off, imagining all sorts of beasts. What awaited me? I began to sweat under the anxiety, what could it be, what could it be? Green dudes? Talking fish? Huge reptiles?

My thoughts were cut off by the sound of movement, someone was coming!

I peeked over my cover.

My breathing intensified.

A meter-tall, joyful light-yellow female pony came into view, singing and fluttering about in a shy manner by the use of its wings.

"...what? Ponies? That's the menacing man-eating beasts I was so afraid of?"

I relaxed and sat with my back against my cover and set down my spear.

I took a deep breath, "Pfft. Please. Look at her, she's even adorable! My worries can be put to rest now, they look absolutely harmless!"

I stood up and turned around to see the aforementioned pony engaged in a brutal fight with a huge bear.

I fell down in shock and screamed, "OH, GOD."

She swiftly landed a few hits and proceeded to snap the bear's neck. It fell to the ground in a brutal thud and did not move. The beast didn't stand a chance. This just keeps getting better and better!

"This can't be happening! This can't be!... How-, What-, That little thing, how could-" I blurted out incoherently. I was completely speechless.

"These things are dangerous! SAVAGES. They look weak to attract their prey! They'll shred me to pieces in an instant, that yellow pony will break my bones effortlessly, I don't stand I chance! I must run- RUN!"

Cowardly, I beat it as fast as I could. I've never run so fast in my life. Sadly, it did nothing to improve my situation: I soon ran into an egg nest and tripped over an empty shell, falling face down. I stopped to catch my breath.

I panted as I tried keep it together and regain my composure.

Standing up, it was then that I realized, my breathing wasn't the only one around...

[Pause for dramatic effect.]

"Well, shit."

Chapter 2: First Contact

*Gulp*

Hesitantly turning around, my eyes look up to meet those of the clearly enraged behemoth, it being about twice as tall as me. It had the look of an azure lizard, with dark thick plates of exoskeletal armour protecting its head, belly, back, and legs. Its vicious eyes were a bloody red and screamed of hate. I froze for a moment in shock and fear. The bipedal creature raised its right claws to strike and that's when I ran for it. This was going to be the run of my life!

I did my best to navigate the thick foliage but to my dismay, it started to gain on me, with its sharp fangs starting to expose themselves as it opened its mouth.

When I thought it was going to bite my torso clean off, it did something unexpected: it spewed out torrents of fire.

I was now completely engulfed on flames and my outer jacket had ignited, I danced around like a fool in an attempt to remove it. I jumped, screamed and rolled around until I managed to free myself from it, I had suffered some nasty burns on my back and left arm, but the adrenaline numbed out the pain. Now I could not believe what happened next, the creature sat down and started... laughing. Yeah. Not only does it try to eat and burn me, but seems to find it all very funny! How sadistic. Needless to say, I was pretty damn mad, it is clearly smarter than I attributed to it at first, possibly self-conscious. Then it chases me around, giving me a deadly fright, and when it could have ended it all and eaten me, it decides to instead turn me into a show and sets me alight just to entertain itself. It was cracked up and wouldn't stop. What an asshole.

I wasn't going to stand for this, oh no I wasn't.

"Let's see if you find this just as funny!"

I grinned as I ignited my improvised incendiary explosive.

"And now, the tables turn and the biter gets bit..."

Throwing the device with moderate precision it lands near its feet, as the temperature inside the cans rise, the creature stops, straightens its back and looks at it with great curiosity. The explosive being closer to its face, this is just what I need...

The first can pops and the others soon follow suit. The close proximity blinded the beast temporarily and sent it into a mad session of growls and chaos. It was obviously in great pain, and that was exactly what I wanted.

"That won't be enough to bring down a beast of that size, it will soon recover, what do I do? I won't manage to outrun it, and a frontal attack is suicide.. I must utilize this time to gain a strategic advantage over it and deliver a fatal blow to one of its exposed parts, that is my only chance."

Climbing a nearby tall tree whose branches hung about a meter over the lizard's head seemed like a sound idea. I hastily escalated it and set myself tactically on one of the branches in order to prepare for an attack, and not a moment too soon, for the creature had conquered its pain and started to look for me. Now, truly I tell you, it was furious! If this ambush failed and it got another chance, it would not stop a second before ripping me to pieces...

It scanned its surroundings, no sign of me. There was a terrible silence, with its heavy breathing being the only audible noise. After some time, it switched tactics, using the sense of smell. It was onto me, for it got ever closer and closer until it was right below me: the perfect position. It was starting to look up when I jumped from the branch with my lance at hand with the plan to break its skull with it. I fell with all my weight on top of its cranium and concentrated all my energy into the point of my weapon.

*CRACK*

Something shattered, and it wasn't the lizard's skull. The weapon's obsidian head broke into pieces and only managed to go a few centimetres into the protective plate. Man, was this exoskeleton well made. The beast stopped for a second and then proceeded to collapse in a thundering fall. The bigger they are, the harder they fall indeed. I might have not pierced anything, but the sheer energy of my falling mass on its skull was certainly enough to give it a nice concussion and cause disorientation as well as loss of balance. (To put things into perspective, if you weigh 75 kilograms, it would very much like getting hit by a weight of 25 kg on the head after said weight had fallen one meter, under a gravity of 9.81 m/s 2, this would equal to an impact velocity of around 4.429 m/s, which would finally translate to around 250 joules of kinetic energy. Due to the heavy layer protecting the zone of impact, acting as a sort of helmet, it dissipated and distributed the energy, finally reducing the hit to some 150 joules: certainly enough for the afore-mentioned effects to manifest. Still talking proportionally, of course!)

My rival now unconscious, there was no time to waste: it was laying on the ground and its neck was unprotected. I recovered my lancet with its broken point (ineffective, but sharp enough) and raised my weapon in the air, prepared of the final strike. I had emerged victorious, and now I would deal the death blow to my adversary... At the critical moment, a lonesome cry emerged out of the calm.

"STOOOOP!!!"

Looking to my left, I perceived the cream-coloured pony run towards us.

I flinched as I recognized it, I mean, that little thing can take down a bear single-handedly, it is a force to be reckoned with... Clearly, that's someone who knows where his towel is.

I stepped aside as it got closer and took my position near the knocked-out creature. The pony looked at it attentively, and extended a hoof to touch it. She had a profoundly sad look, with a worrisome expression, much like a mother attempting to comfort her hurt child. But the beast could wake up any second, it could hurt her and myself!

I started to talk: "Leave it, it's a horrible danger to-"

She cut me off, in a captivating, sweet voice: "Don't say anything... I don't know you, but I wasn't going to let you do anything that might harm this poor guy... Right now, he needs help, and you attempting to stab him wasn't going to do him any good."

"He's the one who needs help? It was trying to devour me just two minutes ago! Where were you to protect me from being eaten alive!? This is outrageous, this-" I raised my left hand to point at her, but the adrenaline had worn off and now my injuries were in full bloom, it stung like hell when I moved it. I suppressed a groan of pain, cutting my sentence off.

I decided it would be best to sit down against a tree and rest a bit.

The lizard suddenly opened its eyes and started to move in as it tried to stand back up, it failed though, it was still too dizzy.

Coming from the direction from which the pony arrived, I started to hear sounds of movement. Then emerged a similar creature, of lavender pigmentation, with a horn on her head: a unicorn. Seeing as the yellow one had wings, this wasn't that much shocking.

She had not seen me yet, and panting, called to her comrade in a preoccupied tone: "Fluttershy! I saw you running into the forest alone and started to worry! Are you alright? What happened to that creature? What was the loud noise that I heard when-"

I got up and approached her, she noticed me and froze with a frightened look in her eyes.

"Worry not! It was merely the sonic resonance induced by the rupture of the metallic container in which occurred a deliberate exothermic reaction resultant of the combustion of isopropyl alcohol through the implementation of a phosphorous sesquisulfide catalyst with the ulterior motive of being operated as an explosive weapon-device. In other words, I blew up a can," I stated plainly.

Her intimidated expression had subsided, and she was now simply looking at me weird with a raised eyebrow, much like a scientist witnessing an anomalous phenomena... not sure why though. Maybe because I was a strange hairless and scale-less bipedal creature which she has probably never seen before, who was explaining to her the functioning of some lethal contraption he made using a ridiculous vocabulary... Yeah, I think that might me why.

"Who... what are you?" she questioned inquisitively.

Meanwhile, this 'Fluttershy' was tending to the lizard, who was still having some problems with its stability on two feet.

"My name is Charles, and I belong to the human species. I am a foreigner to your land. I arrived here some days ago and am looking for a way to get back to where I come from."

"Wow, I've never seen something like you before, this is so exciting! You are wearing clothes and you walk on two legs... There are so many questions to be answered! You talk about your home: how is it? Where is it? How many of you are there? How come I've never heard about you before? Have you heard about us? And what about him unconscious over there, did you confront him?? How did you manage this, you don't have any apparent natural defenses?..."

This pony is crazy...!

"Whoa whoa, calm down! No need to get over-excited! Yes, I did fight that creature, it tried to eat me after all. I managed to do that with the help of the explosive device I mentioned earlier, now I'll answer all your questions if you will help me, you see, I... I..."

I couldn't concentrate anymore. She was starting to blur... On that note, everything was starting to fade and blur: the trees, the sky, the monster, the other pony...

I look down on my semi-scorched jacket and place my hand on the inside of it to touch the shirt I wore underneath. I take it out.

Oh, hey! Blood.

"What a stunning tone...! A pleasing, crimson, scarlet tone; how radiant...! "

Acceleration of the heart... Weakening of the legs... Loss of balance...
Peripheral vasoconstriction... Variation of the blood pressures...

"Umm... Hey, Fluttershy, is it normal for him to be so pale?"

And that was when I blacked out.

Chapter 3: Twilight's Reception

A door opening.

A door closing.

Sounds of hooves on a wooden floor.

A reassuring voice beginning: "Hey... hey! Are you waking up, yet?"

I was laying on a table covered with a blue blanket over it for comfort, along with some pillows.

I mumbled something, straightened up, opened and closed my eyes in an attempt to get a hold of the situation: I was in a house, with dozens of books on shelves, and some littered here and there in piles: a library. It was made almost exclusively of wood, with some stairs leading up to a second floor on which there were more books, a bed, and a window looking out into the star-filled night panorama. And just sitting there, in front of me, the purple pony looking up to me with her deep attentive eyes: like a student awaiting her teacher's words. It was cute, but unsettling too.

"Umm..." Is all I could say.

She smiled heartily, "Welcome back! Your name is Charles, right? I am Twilight Sparkle, a student of Princess Celestia researching the magic of friendship here in Ponyville. I do not know if you remember very well, but you kinda passed out from blood loss about two hours ago in the Everfree Forest, and I brought you here, to my house, to help you with your burns and wounds!"

"Wait, take it slow... Princess...? Magic of friendship...? Ponyville...? What is this.. I don't even..."

The coherence of my phrases were somewhat limited by the sleepy and maladroit state I was in. A general feeling of uneasiness hung about the room: a strong atmosphere of malaise...

I was pretty damn confused about everything already, then suddenly she mentions this stuff about princesses and magic and all that friendship crap. It's just making things worse. Ugh... There's also this terrible headache I got!

"I sure have a lot of questions for you... 'Twilight... Sparkle'."

"What kind of a name is that, anyways...?"

A black pile of clothing was lying near the leg of the table, most probably my jacket..

I sigh tiredly and grumbled, covering my face with my hands and rubbing my eyes to wake me up. I look down and notice bandages covering some parts of my chest as well as the majority of my left arm, they were stained with the earth-brown tint of dried blood... I felt a discomforting irritation all over my body: quite particularly my back, where the burnt tissue was worst. (Second-degree, mostly.)

I groan again and place my arms on my bare legs.

...

My bare legs...

"WHERE ARE MY PANTS???"

I jumped in surprise and got off my resting place. I tried to stand on my feet but then an intense sensation of pain and aching overcame me due to my injuries and caused me to fall right next to the pony.

Now immobilized on the floor, I could only let out a small whimper of agony.

Twilight screamed and distanced herself in a reflex. Later realizing my distress, she approached me in a hurry.

"Oh my Celestia, are you alright?!" she exclaimed.

*Whimper*

"Oh, right!"

She tried her best to help me up, it was pretty difficult because of our proportions, but she was managing it. This, however, brought us to very close proximity, and my head was resting on her shoulders during some time. (Yeah, it was awkward.)

I remarked something interesting, though, her coat was surprisingly clean and her mane held a very peculiar scent: an aroma of... lavender; it was pleasing. (Lavender... hmm, how fitting.) So far, welcoming and cute ponies with personal hygiene and perfume! Not so bad I guess, could be worse.

Wait, but then there's the pants issue...

Now completely sitting, I felt my visage start to get warm and redden. I tried to control and dissimulate it, but then she said:

"You know I only took them off to tend to your leg burns, right? Don't get all crazy and red about it!" she giggled.

Her straight-forward response took me by surprise, but the tension between us was starting to dissipate.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit too.

"Yeah, that does make sense, I guess I was so shocked I didn't realize the obvious... :/ "

"Here they are," she said while telekinetically bringing over my pants, who were now glowing, like her horn.

My smile dropped. I now had the most stupefied expression on my face.

"How the hell did you do that??" I asked.

"Do what?"

She set down my pants on my lap.

"That! They were floating! Damn it, they were floating!"

She seemed pretty confused.

"My magic? Charles, you're not making any sense..."

"You're not making any sense! NOTHING IS MAKING ANY SENSE." I exasperatedly stated.

Using the furniture for support, I succeeded in standing up, and staying up this time. I walked slowly with a limp over to the wooden stairs and sat down on one of them. She followed me and took place right next to me.

"What's wrong?"

I had a sudden rush of information: strange new planet, pegasi and unicorns, talking ponies, princesses and magic. Shit, this is a lot to take in.

I'm pretty sure I was hyper-ventilating by now, but I must keep my cool.

"All right, calm down, Charles, no need to panic. Stop acting like a child and be a man! What do you do when you are confronted by a series of results that turn an experiment on its head, potentially ruining your conclusions and rendering all previous work useless? You do not give up, curl yourself up in a corner and cry! No, you take it in, analyze it and make sense of it all. In the end, it becomes all rational, right? Everything has a logical explanation, right? ... Who am I kidding, in the past weeks the frontier between what I thought was real and fiction has been shattered utterly, I'm pretty sure what Twilight just did broke at least a dozen laws of physics... But damn it, Charles! Simmer down and decipher your experiences... So what if nothing follows the rules you thought were to be strictly followed? What if you can change the laws of reality? Maybe this world does not abide by them at all and possesses its own set of laws? All you have are the facts, and the facts do not lie. If they contradict the rules then those rules must be changed. This is quite the thought to chew on..."

"There are many problems with what I've lived recently, Twilight. You see, my world is very much different from yours, I believe. And this is all very exotic and foreign to me..."

"I don't think I quite understand you."

"Ok. Allow me to give you some examples. Firstly, I think my world is in fact an entirely different planet."

Her face lit up when she heard this.

"Another planet?! That is amazing! Then alien life does exist, this is astounding!"

"Hmm, if you think that is strange, hear this. My planet, which bears the name of Earth, does not have unicorns or pegasi, or giant lizards and talking ponies. The only intelligent life on it are us: the humans. We dominate our world with an iron hand, modifying vast expanses of land for our use at our will. Building amazing urban centers and incredible skyscrapers... And our technology advances exponentially in a unique singularity. Every day, we become even more capable of manipulating what is around us. We have became true masters of nature, submitting it to our rule. In my world, moving around things like you did telekinetically is not possible, this 'magic' as you call it, does not exist."

She looked perplexed.

"No magic...? No ponies...?"

"Indeed, there is no 'magic', it would sound like a ridiculous concept to anyone on Earth. There are ponies, however, but they are very much different from the ponies of this land.... whatever this land is called."

"Equestria."

"Equestria? Very well. They are radically different. They do not speak, they do not think, they do not feel. They are not persons, merely animals following instincts without reason. As a matter of fact..."

I began to observe Twilight with great detail, analyzing her anatomy.

She smiled at me and shot me a confused 'What are you doing' look.

"Oh, sorry Twilight, it's just that you are a fascinating creature."

"Oh really, you think so? What a compliment to give a mare, Charles. I guess I am flattered!" she giggled cutely.

Twilight continued: "I could very well say the same about you!", and gave me a playful hit on the shoulder.

"Hehe, thanks. I did that because although you do look in a way like a pony, I noticed your physiology is really different from that of a pony where I'm from. You possess many interesting characteristics that are almost human, I'd say! Your genome is obviously completely different, therefore I think it would be somewhat misleading for you to have the same name as your Earth equivalent."

"You know, that is really interesting." Twilight said with a thoughtful look.

"Indeed."

"Well, we'll delve into pony-human genetics later. We must talk practicals now. I have some blankets and pillows we can lay on the floor for you to use as a bed for tonight, and I would not mind accommodating you as we search for a solution to your problem."

Trying to sound as posh as I could: "Why, that is most generous of you, Twilight! Indeed, I am very much grateful for your hospitality, madame Sparkle..."

"Hey! Cut it out, you're making me feel old!" she answered laughing.

"Very well then, would the lady prefer to be addressed as mademoiselle Sparkle?"

We shared a chuckle, and I felt a strange emotion grow in me, one of harmony and peace. I felt good.

"So tell me more about you, Charles. I barely know anything about you!"

"Well, where should I start? My last name is Crowne, and I lived in Montreal, a city in a country named Canada... Wait, do you have similar political entities here in Equestria? What about your leaders?"

"Yes, we do have nations here as well. There are many names for each one, but we here in Ponyville belong to one of the two pony nations: the one with Princess Celestia as our sovereign. She, along with her sister Luna, hold the title of Monarchs of Equestria, although they are only so in a de jure way, and... Ugh, it's actually really complicated... We can talk about pony politics later, they make little sense and always end up giving you a headache!"

"I am actually very interested in how Equestria works politically, but if you want we can leave that for tomorrow. So, as I was saying, I lived in Montreal, a very nice city overall, much better than many others. I wasn't however, of very high social status... I belonged to the lower-middle class, and my family was hit terribly by the economic crisis that was going on at the time... But I don't think you want to be bored by such stories."

"No, no! It's interesting! I want to know more about your family."

I raised my eyebrows.

"My family? You want to know about my family? You sure know how to pick them..."

I let out a great yawn, it was getting pretty late.

I continued: "I can tell you lots about them, but I'm exhausted and ready to hit the hay..."

"I can understand your exhaustion, but why would you want to punch your food?"

"...What? Oh! The hay, right. Oh never mind that, it's just an Earth expression...!" I said while smiling.

"Silly Twi!"

"Oh, ok, Charles. You're right, though, it is pretty late, we'll continue speaking of this tomorrow. This sure was a really informative and interesting discussion: I can't wait to write about this to Princess Celestia!"

Using 'magic' (I still can't completely believe that.), she moved the blankets and pillows to set up my bed.

"Indeed it was, Twilight. Thanks again for the sleeping accommodations."

"You're welcome, good night!"

"Good night."

"So she keeps direct correspondence with the monarch? That's interesting... It could come in useful..."

"I can certainly say today was a good day, and it feels good having a roof over your head instead of the dirt, insects and leaves I had back in the forest. I still miss my brothers, though, they must be dead worried about me. I don't know how much longer I'll be staying here, but at least I know they'll be spent in a nice way."

"You know what, Charles? Just think of this as the long, peaceful vacation you've always deserved!"

I smiled as the soothing comfort of the night took me away into my awaiting dreams...

Chapter 4: Night's Mourning

WARNING: Chapter does contain a bit of gore.

At first, there was nothing.

And then, there was something.

I was standing there in a darkened room.

Four walls, a coat hanger, a door behind me and a door in front of me.

To my left, a full-body mirror.

To my right, stains of blood spelling blurred words.

The door behind me was composed of red oak with a metal doorknob: it would not open.

The door in front had a white wood frame with a glass middle, though there were patterns on the glass and the other side was thus only visible roughly.

I held a flashlight in my hand, though it only barely illuminated the room, which seemed... crooked.

No, the room wasn't crooked, the world was. Either gravity was pulling me wrong, or the entire place had a terrible inclination.

I approached the mirror and observed myself... I was wearing a black office suit. I extended my right hand to touch my reflection.

My heart accelerated and my hand numbed, this sensation was spreading across my arm. Meanwhile, my face was death cold. I tried to warm it with the use of my hands; i did this for a few seconds until I was warm. But then I got warmer, and warmer.

My face was burning, dare I say literally? Rubbing my face one more time, I noticed something strange with my hands: they were completely covered in blood. Dark, lamenting blood. ... Was it mine?

The reflection on the image changed, I now had the largest smile I had ever seen. Inside, I was crying, I was bawling; I was afflicted by an eternal pain, a suffocating agony! The being in front of me took pleasure in my suffering, yet it was not him who was responsible for it... No, it was me who was responsible. I had brought this upon myself, somehow.

I backed down and fell with my back against the wall opposing the mirror...

He was getting closer.

He was still smiling.

I was still dying.

He traverses the glass and kneels down in front of me, making a motion to look right towards the semi-transparent door. I get up and move towards it to get a better look.

On the other side, there is a man, his face is not clear at all, though. He is holding a light to his face with his left hand, and possesses a knife on his right hand. I look at him in the eyes, his barely visible blue eyes that stared into me.

He sees me. He really sees me, and so, he knows my entire life: my mistakes, my regrets, and my sins.

My capacity to breathe is gone, no more air enters my lungs. I try, but my efforts turn out futile; I can feel the carbon dioxide accumulate in my bloodstream as it is unable to be rejected from my body. The misery had been taken to a whole new level.

He takes three steps back and shines the candle to his right, revealing another person. A woman, her face is marked with multiple bruises and though her face is also unrecognizable, her eyes I can see crystal clear.

They plead to you, they beg for their salvation, for they are filled with the horror, the fear of death.

And I can do nothing.

He shoves her and she falls to her knees. My vision begins to obscure.

He places his knife on her throat.

I fade out.

There is a terrible thud.

I come back.

Surrounded by a vivid sanguine red, she lies there on the floor, lifeless; with her eyes staring into mine.

A tear is on each one.

The sounds distort. The lights mix. My heart freezes.

I grasp for air, I grasp for hope, I grasp for my life...!

But it evades me...

Chapter 5: Change of Perspective (Revised)

Note: Dialogue in this specific color is also an inner monologue of Charles...

Author note: As I stated in the long description, I will attempt my best at depicting Charles' psychological state, including emotions, reflections and decision rationale. What I'm trying to do is describe in detail his point of view, a journey through his mind of sorts. This is the reason as to why I might use different colors to show what he is thinking: I'm representing the inner conflict of values and interests that we all experience when faced with a choice or an interesting situation. In reality, one should interpret these introspective discussions as a portrayal of this thought process through the separation of contrasting opinions... (Even to the extent of some simplification.) This is all an experiment to me, so I shall remind you the readers that your reactions and appreciation of this, as well as other aspects of the story, are very much welcome. Please excuse this interruption, and please do enjoy this chapter! :3

Darkness enveloped my being, and my sight perceived only pitch blackness. A small laugh became audible, then stopped.

A hoarse voice emerged from the void: "I'm sorry, Charles. I only did what I had to do."

I heard what seemed like an explosion, then my senses returned to me.

My eyes shut open and I let out a loud gasp before rolling on my side. My breathing was heavy and my skin sweaty: I had just experienced a dreadful nightmare whose vividness I shall never forget... A horrible dream of a merciless murder! Why did I dream that...? I wonder, and it makes me worry.

Gladly, I was back in reality, covered by my blankets in Twilight's home. My injuries did feel a little better and yesterday's headache was gone. But somehow, even after all that's been going on, at that moment I felt filled with energy! I stood up and shouted for Twilight. No response. It was pretty early in the morning, so she must have left for supplies, or maybe she had some errands to do.

"All I can do is wait here, I suppose."

I walked around the library and went through the book sections searching for what might be a good way to kill some time. I very much enjoyed reading, but never did have the time to delve much into literature: being always busy with my new work, and before that, my university studies in engineering and biology. Though I did find my chosen fields fascinating, my true passion lied in political science, philosophy and maybe theology. But then again one doesn't make much money thinking about life, purpose, human nature and et cetera!

After skimming through the entire scientific section, I picked out a few books of interest: The Illustrated Encyclopedia on Pony Anatomy, Times of Change: The Transformation of Equestrian Society and The Traditional Equestrian Doctrine.

I took them with me to my bed, were I sat down to begin my study.

I wasn't going to read them all now, obviously, but I did have some itching questions I might get the answer to if I read selectively. The first and foremost thing that was really bothering me was magic. For this specific reason I picked the encyclopedia. I just had to obtain the answers!

I had seen with my own eyes the 'proof' of it, yet my mind couldn't, it just couldn't completely believe it! There had to be some physics, some order to all that! You cannot just move things around effortlessly: firstly you need energy. You need energy for everything. Every single movement and manipulation of matter requires it... Where does Twilight obtain hers?

Opening the encyclopedia and skipping to the chapter on horns, I found the existence of an extremely peculiar biological structure found within a horn... The book described it as follows:

"The energetic center in which a unicorn's magic is ultimately focused. It permits the physical manifestation of the user's magic potential, and has been found to be uniquely synchronized to its bearer through an unbreakable genetic bond formed during the pony's fetal development stage. Though further research on this miraculous wonder is not restricted, it has proven to be extremely limited by the fact that surgical removal of the semi-crystalline organ would inevitably result in the death of the patient unicorn. And even when it is extracted post-mortem, since it may only be activated and utilized by the original owner, it reacts absolutely inertly to any and all external stimuli. Therein lies the reason of our minimal comprehension on this subject."

I was astonished by this founding. I had stumbled upon the explanation of it all, I think.

"Well, knowledge on it might be pretty rudimentary and incomplete, but I'm relieved to see that 'magic' at least isn't some sort of fairy-tale power that comes out of nowhere and just spontaneously creates energy... Hehe, that would be ludicrous!"

I set the book down and grabbed Times of Change. It looked relatively newer compared to the others, and had the image of a locomotive on its front cover, along with a team of grimy stallions posing for the photo.

I then proceeded to read the first 40 pages.

A contemporary book on history, it spoke of recent technological advances. Interestingly, none of these 'cutting edge experimental prototype inventions', as the book described them, where anywhere near the human scientific level in 2023. To Earth standards, I'd say Equestria is just beginning its own First Industrial Revolution. The signs are there, this land is indeed entering 'Times of Change'.

The volume does indicate though, that it seems Celestia's government hasn't been so quick to embrace this wave of progress, and holds very few manufacturing centers. Their trains, railroad tracks, steel and other industrial products are mainly imported from the neighboring pony nation. (With whom relationships are somewhat strained, but represent their largest trading partners.)

Lastly, I went with The Traditional Equestrian Doctrine. This one was clearly much older than other ones, but kept in a reasonable condition. Being a book on pony theology, this was going to be intriguing...

-One Hour Later-

"Now this is thought-provoking! Their beliefs hold surprising similarities with certain pagan traditions back on Earth, with a great emphasis on nature, and speaking of some bond between ponies and animals or plants..."

I neatly piled up my reading material and headed towards the library's second floor exit towards the balcony.

I opened the window-door and stepped out into the bright morning sun.

It was still before the usual waking time, since the streets were empty and the entire town was peacefully quiet. I admired the nearby mountains and forests, and basked for a few moments in the warm sunlight.

"You know what Charles? This isn't a curse... it is a blessing, don't you see? This world is naive, primitive, and mistaken; and only you hold the cure, the key to the future... the truth. With your human knowledge, you can save these people from their ignorance: you can show them the light! You know the secrets of industrialization, of science, of war... This is your unique chance, Charles. Your inner capitalist entrepreneur is calling to you: heed its call."

"Yes, truly, this is good fortune! I can revolutionize this country- this planet! I can share what I know to improve people's lives, to end social problems and grant them more freedom and better public systems. I can contribute to the well-being of society...!"

"But beware, you do not wish for the masses to become too content, if so, they will feel they that there is no need you... Then your opportunity to create the perfect society, a utopia, where things work as they should, will be lost! You must overhaul the entire system, bring about great change!"

"But what if they don't want change? What if they feel things are okay as they stand?

"Only you know what is best for everyone, and they shall listen to you, because it is you who will lead them to glory and prosperity! Most likely, they won't understand how, yet it matters little: they shall follow nonetheless... You will make them; for it is all for their own good."

"I know I can teach them great things, and maybe I do hold the truth... But I will not force anyone to do anything. They must do so by their own free will. Still, this knowledge I possess will be shared for the common good. With it, we can achieve a more advanced community... a more human one."

At loud, I stated decisively: "I understand now... I shall try to reshape and modernize Equestria, teaching them new ways to govern themselves, manage their society, grow their economy and raise their standard of living."

I nodded in agreement with myself.

"One thing though, major industrialization will require the razing of much area of forest for spacing and industry purposes... Their beliefs make them over-value this nature... Though the environment is important, it isn't to the extent of treating each tree as a person... I guess I'll have to replace their pagan traditions with human ones. I mean, might as well save their souls on the way, right?" I let out a small laugh.

"You know, conversion will also make a nice excuse to declare war on other nations..."

That would be wrong. I tried to ignore that last thought.

I went back in and descended the stairs to replace the books I took, then another thought crossed my mind.

"Wait, do ponies even have souls?"

I heard some noise coming in the direction of the door: Twilight was arriving.

She entered her home with some bags on her back.

"Hey Charles! You're awake already?"

"Yeah, I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep."

She set down her stuff on a table and noticed the pile of books near my bed.

"I see you did some reading! On what subject?"

"Just some science and history..."

"Interesting, I didn't know figure you as a bookworm... So anyways, I brought some things for your burns that will help speed up the healing: extra bandages and a potion I got from my friend Zecora. Here, drink it."

Twilight handed it to me with magic, I took it in my hands and observed it. It was blue and smelled bad.

"Sure, what could go wrong?"

I drank it slowly and felt the thick liquid pass through my throat and start to make trouble in my stomach.

The reaction got stronger and stronger, until.......

It stopped and nothing else happened after that.

"Cool. So I'll feel better after some time?"

"Yeah, it should take effect by tomorrow."

"Awesome. So what do we do now, Twi?"

"Well, I was thinking of introducing you to Ponyville, but we should get something to eat first. One shouldn't start a day with an empty stomach!"

"You're right, but as you might have guessed, I don't eat hay."

"Don't worry, I thought of that. I also went to the market for an assortment of fruit."

"That'll be just perfect, Twilight."

We sat down around a low table and began eating in silence.

Hesitantly, I asked her:

"Hey, umm, have you thought about finding a way to send me back to Earth? As nice as this has been, I have responsibilities back home... And I would hate to leave my family alone like that and never return."

"Of course, you must miss your friends and parents very much."

"Heck yeah, I do. But I prefer not to dwell on the negative. So, forget it: great things lie ahead of us!"

I gave her a smile and stood up decisively.

I declared with energy:

"Now let's go freak out some town ponies!"

Author's Note

7 months later, after having resumed writing, I erased the original end of this chapter. The more, "emotional" one. (Blergh.)
Honestly, it was terrible.

Chapter 6: A Peculiar Surprise

Nervous and scared glances were exchanged by nearby onlookers as I stepped outside into the burning pavement, along with some inconspicuous whispers here and there and a few ponies slowly backing away. This harrowing ambiance certainly wasn't very enjoyable for me, but considerably better than constantly being on your toes looking for the ever-ubiquitous danger that might be lurking around the next corner.

*Sigh...* So many sleepless nights...

But it's not like I could have acted any different. After all, how would you react to finding yourself in a creepy Jurassic Park setting without any clear recollection of past events? Though I managed to get by without too many life-threatening encounters, excluding that last one with the damn lizard bastard, I nonetheless believe that my paranoia saved my life.

Twilight, noticing the ponies' attitude towards me, tried to reassure me, saying:

"Don't worry, it's no big deal. They'll get used to you, Charles."

She then handed me over a hat, similar to a salacot, but larger to better protect against the sun.

"Of that, my dear Twilight, I am not too sure of." I muttered in a tone of resignation.

Taking a few steps forward and breathing in the fresh morning air, I looked back at her and asked:

"So, what's our heading?"

"The Ponyville city hall, we need to go see the mayor before doing anything else."

I followed her as she lead the way.

"Why the mayor?"

"She likes to be kept in the loop about everything that goes on around here. She'll get mad if she's the last one to know there's someone new in town."

"If you say so..."

From the outside, the town hall looks somewhat odd; the architecture appears hastily drafted, and the whole thing seems rather... simplistic (in the ugly way). Honestly, it looks like some graphic artist tried his hand at building design and started messing with the extrude function in a 3D modelling program. An otherwise strong possibility, if only it weren't for the fact that ponies don't have computers...

On the inside though, it was surprisingly roomy and welcoming. A warm mango color coated the walls, and a serene peace reigned over the large room filled with desks and papers; as well as ponies of varying hues, types and sizes. Also, both the curtains and the rug were Berlin-blue. In fact, the place looked more like a home than an office; complete with plants everywhere and even a few sofas.

Twilight went in first, and was greeted by a few Hi there's. Then I came in, and everyone promptly stopped whatever it was they were doing and just stared worryingly.

All noise had ceased.

Twilight was getting visibly tired of this type of reaction, and attempted to break the ice:

"I'm looking for the mayor?"

A nervous and lonesome voice emerged:

"Sh-She's in the office to your left...!"

"Thank you. Wait right outside, Charles."

She entered the room and shut the door.

For the first few minutes, things were quiet. The terrified creatures were calming down, and things seemed to flow smoothly again. But then Twilight's conversation picked up some volume...

"A new visitor, you say?! And of a species you've never heard of before! Do you know what this could mean, Twilight? For the town, for the tourists, for me?"

"Miss Mayor, I'm not sure you quite understand the- "

"Why, if a scholarly mare like you doesn't know of his origin, then surely it must be unknown to the scientific community... Wow, this is just amazing...! I mean, an exotic one-of-a-kind creature in my Ponyville? We'll be famous!"

"Please listen! New creatures show up all the time in the Everfree Forest, chances are it won't be such big of a deal..."

"Ah, but this one can talk, think and walk on two legs, can't it? You said it yourself."

"Well yes, that's true... but-"

And in a firm declaration, the mayor stated: "Then there is no time to lose."

The door abruptly opened to reveal the politician ready to address her fellow compatriots.

"Listen up, everypony: this is not a drill. I am putting code 42 into effect immediately, so go and assemble the masses!"

The silence was no more, and soon, everyone left the building in a not-so-orderly fashion; running and trampling over fallen papers and other items. Moments later, only Twilight and I remained.

I inquired her on the meaning of this.

"The mayor initiated a public address protocol. Code 42 means every living soul must report to the designated area without delay for a speech. I don't know exactly what she's planning, but I think she wants you to give that speech."

"What?! I just got here, that's insane! Surely you must be kidding!"

The unicorn glared at me seriously. "This isn't a joke, Charles. You saw what happened with your own eyes... And besides, what am I to gain from lying to you, exactly?"

"Good point."

Before departing the building, Twilight added: "Oh and, Charles?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't call me Shirley."

"Alright."

Outside, the inhabitants of Ponyville (Ponyvillians?) had set up a small platform with a podium. (Amazingly quickly and efficiently, considering the time frame.) They even placed some curtains on the sides, too.

"What is this, a play? Oh I know, it's a show, and I'm the entertainment..."

"Although, from a more optimistic point of view, this is an excellent chance to get started on my work! People get to know me, ease up, stop having panic attacks every time they see me... and soon I'll have a thriving company up and running! I'll make money, hire some magical pony-unicorns or something to do some research and I'll be back home in no time. (Yup, sounds like a plan.) Actually, this isn't a bad idea after all."

Shocked reactions were had as I climbed up the stairs leading to my bright future. The weak wood creaked under my feet, but my determination remained strong. The wind blew away the flags and curtains, yet the foundations of my will could not be swayed. The ponies shielded their eyes from my sight, yet the truth of my words could not be blocked. They might have had reason to fear, reason to doubt... but much like the coming of day, illumination is inevitable! As a ballistic object falling to the ground, so too will these creatures embrace the gifts which I bestow upon them.

For their salvation. For my redemption. For our triumph.

For glory. For wealth. For truth.

For God.

For Queen.

For Country.

"Greetings, denizens of Ponyville."

With those four words, a new chapter of Equestrian history begins...

"It's like I've been preparing for a moment like this my entire life! A grand entrance!

Slowly, I raise my clenched right hand to my eye level. Then, I open my fist in a dramatic move to incite a reaction from the crowd.

*GASP*

Their stupefied faces turned to awe and horror before me, and I must admit, I quite enjoyed it! That is, until I heard a loud thud somewhere deep in the back of the pony horde. A panicked voice called out for what was probably the name of her fallen comrade:

"Lyra? Lyra?! Lyra!!"

Other exclamations soon followed. Things quickly got... out of hand.

"Oh my Celestia!"

"What's going on?!"

"What did he do??"

"The horror, the horror!"

"Someone get a doctor! She's not responding, please! Help!" said the original pony.

"Shit."

So much for a grand entrance huh?

I tried to reassure the ponies, but my attempts were fruitless. It was chaos, many ran away from the scene: some to get help, I suppose. The following half-hour was... worrisome, to say the least. Paramedics soon arrived. They hurried out the limp body of a certain light-green pony, with her beige friend at her side. The hospital's carriage took them away, and the crowd had dispersed, so I was left alone with Twilight. I sat on the edge of the platform, my feelings unclear; my mind, in disorder...

Chapter 7: Well, I did Nazi that coming.

Approximately 37 minutes earlier, at the Ponyville Royal Park...

"Something wrong, Lyra?" asked the worried cream-colored pony to her best friend across the table, over their plant sandwiches.

"Eh? Ah, no it's nothing! Don't worry about it, Bon Bon," answered the unicorn after she had been caught wandering off into one of her frequent daydreaming episodes.

"You kinda zoned out for a moment there... Sure you're feeling okay?"

"Yeah, absolutely! I was just... thinking about something. Nothing big, really!" Lyra replied nervously.

"You're not still mad about... that, right? We talked about this..."

"What? Oh! No, no, no! It's not that, not at all!"

"Oh, alright then. If you say so. Also, please sit like a proper pony." concluded Bon Bon before taking a bite of her food.

"Yeah, whatever," was Lyra's answer.

What she was really thinking about though, was another one of her fantasy encounters with a creature that can only be described as a fur-less and unorthodoxly bipedal creature with traits similar to those of an ape. This beast was called a human.

Not that anyone in Ponyville had the most remote idea as to what an ape looked like, or even a primate for that matter. You see, the ponies' planet didn't even have primates to begin with, and the closest thing to it could only be found in some distant and foreign New World jungle in the opposite hemisphere! Evidently, there weren't any humans either. (The closest ones being roughly seven thousand parsecs away, nuking each other.)

In other words, the average pony wouldn't know anything about them or what they resembled.

Except, Lyra did know! A lot, actually: how they walked, how they talked, how they shook hands, how they smelled... Even how they tasted. In fact, her knowledge about them was so extensive, it disturbed the previous narrator out so much he quit. How, you might ask yourself, did she come across all of this, and why?

That's what I ask myself too.

Evidently, one her greatest wishes was to meet such a human. To spend the afternoon with him; learn about his culture, his likes and dislikes. To watch the sunrise together with her at his side, protecting Lyra as the world bathes in the heavenly display of warm colors characteristic of the breaking of dawn. She was absolutely fascinated by this idea, mesmerized, even. Nevertheless, it would be an exaggeration to call this an obsession. Far from it, in fact: she had gotten used to the absurdity and improbability of it all years ago. There were too many other things preoccupying her mind for her to consecrate excessive amounts of time to mere wishful thinking.

However, it wouldn't take much to revive the flames which lurked deep within the unfortunate unicorn's heart.

Of course, explaining all of this to Bon Bon would take quite a while. Not to mention the fact that it would freak the hell out of her! (While making her question her friend's sanity.) There was truly no safe way to approach the subject, so Lyra kept all of it to herself. It wasn't easy though, it frustrated her greatly not having anyone with whom to be open about this, especially considering that Bon Bon was the person she trusted the most. Such a revelation would certainly be... deleterious to their relationship. She knew could tell her anything.

Anything but this.

"Were you thinking about that time I-"

"Leave it, Bon Bon."

"Fine."

After they had finished eating, they decided to take a walk.

The sun shone delightfully, the birds happily chirped away in their summer symphony and the sky was a burnished aestival blue. They followed the path which traveled around the resplendent ponds, under the jovial trees, and over the exquisite flowers and dandelions. Along the way, they talked about everything and nothing, the usual, really: their noisy neighbor, taxes, poutine, biophysical thermoeconomic entropy... It was a sweet and peaceful day: no impending disaster, no worries... Just a remarkably beautiful evening with her best friend. It was as if Fate had finally decided to leave the poor inhabitants of Ponyville alone for a little while...

Except he hadn't, however. Fate didn't do this voluntarily, what happened was he got indigestion after eating all that Mexican food last night at his cousin Irony's bachelor party.

Indeed, the enchiladas proved too much for him.

But truth be told, the routinely-unfortunate town wasn't exactly better off this way. One could always make the argument that bad supervision is preferable over no supervision at all. In other words, uncontrolled chaos is worse than controlled chaos.

No, that is not an oxymoron.

Theoretical thoughts aside, Lyra was having such a nice time I'd hate to ruin it all, but this...

...is where it all goes wrong.

The faint sound of music could barely be heard emanating from afar, its direction unclear.

Bon-Bon, unlike her distracted friend, was profoundly immersed in the peace of the surrounding nature; her eyes closed, secondary senses receiving maximum attention. Such a meditated state allowed her to perceive the distraction easily. Immediately, she began looking around for the source of the disturbance.

Noticing this, Lyra asked her why.

“Can you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“An instrument. Sounds like a trumpet... I believe it’s coming from the plaza.”

“Well, then! We gotta go take a look, right? After all, it would be a pity to miss out on any fun... Besides, it's been a long time since the last time we had an adventure, you and I,” teased Lyra with a comforting smile.

“An adventure? What makes you think this is going to be an adventure?” giggled her friend back.

"Oh I don't know, I don't know! My adventure-sense must be tingling!"

Bon-Bon burst out laughing after hearing this.

"Please, you know what happened last time you felt that! I mean, seriously, how did you even think sneaking into Twilight's house in the middle of the night was a good idea? More importantly, how the heck did you convince me to go with you?!"

Lyra explained while blushing: "C'mon, it's not like I could have seen that coming! It's not my fault she-"

"Oh really? You didn't see anything wrong whatsoever with that idea? It was worse than the time you set fire to Rarity's cat. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that you totally owe Pinkie Pie two chickens and a pair of socks after you threw hers into the river."

"Umm, they slipped?"

"Is that so?"

"Things... happen?"

*Squee smile.*

"You are so crazy, Lyra! If you ask me, it's the best part of your personality."

"Thanks, Bon-Bon. I'm so lucky to have a friend who likes me for who I am! So, shall we take off?"

"That's what I was about to say."

As they galloped towards the plaza, Lyra kept repeating those words over and over again to herself.

I'm so lucky to have a friend who likes me for who I am!

I'm so lucky to have a friend who likes me for who I am!

I'm so lucky to have a friend who likes me for who I am!

Certainly her friend would understand, Lyra thought, but yet the fear of rejection was strong... In the end, it all came down to one question. What is stronger: her fear, or the trust she places in her companion?

After a short reflection, she concluded: "I'm going to need to tell Bon-Bon one day..."

Chapter 8: First impressions are very important!

Author Note: Just a reminder that this color indicates Charles' direct thoughts in that precise moment.

When the two friends arrived, they found around a dozen chattering ponies gathered around a brown pegasus holding the instrument. The title Public Messenger had been etched on the sides of his uniform. Once he managed to silence his audience, he flapped his wings and rose a few meters into the air in order to make his announcement more pronounced.

"By the power vested in me by this town's esteemed political representative, who is lawfully resting upon her authority as decreed by the Royal Act on the Rights and Powers of Delegates, and in the loyal fulfillment of Order 42, I urge everypony to present themselves immediately to Town Hall where you shall receive further instructions. I must, however, remind each and all of you that such a command is solemn and absolute. Unless medical conditions or justified duty impede, refusing to abide by this directive would constitute a serious offense, for which punishment shall be served out accordingly as per the Insubordination Code."

Whether they were excited or unhappy, everyone was curious as to what would make the Mayor issue a statement like that. Certainly it must be important, was the general consensus. Lyra didn't think much of it. She had already been through something similar, and it had been dull. Bon-Bon, who had genuinely looked forward to that adventure, was disappointed at the prospect of spending the next hour listening to a boring speech on how this law changed in this way for these people and blah blah blah. Nevertheless, the ponies made haste as they headed for Town Hall, albeit reluctantly.

Many were already there, and the new group simply merged with the ever-growing multicolored blob of creatures. Everything was already in place and the welcome introduction had been made, it was only a matter of waiting for this "special guest". Soon enough, he appeared. And so did the tense atmosphere.

Surprise was felt throughout, obviously, but not all reactions were the same.

Some of them cried, some of them laughed... But most of them remained silent.

Except for Lyra. I do not know what was going on with her. She was experiencing something akin to a heart attack. Or a seizure. I honestly don't know. It was creepy though.

*shiver*

Although, I could check if you want; I got both post-mortem examination reports right here.

Let's see, the original autopsy claims the incident to have been some sort of neuro-muscular shutdown triggered by a myocardial infarction combined with a period of intense fear and shock... But the revised autopsy, which they wrote with Lyra's help, indicates that the entire incident was something more along the lines of... "joy overload". Whatever the cause may be, she sure is lucky the paramedics got to her in time.

"Lyra? Lyra?! Lyra!!" shouted Bon-Bon with preoccupation.

The unicorn was already incapable of speech by the time she hit the ground, and probably in some moribund state between life and death.

"Lyra, what's wrong?! Please, talk to me, Lyra! Talk to me!"

An old unicorn standing next to Bon-Bon wisely remarked: "Well, I'm no doctor, but I think this mare should be taken to a hospital."

And so they did.

Twilight approached and sat beside me, but remained in silence for a few minutes; no doubt pondering what to say next.

"It wasn't your fault. There was no way of knowing how everypony was gonna react..." she commented.

This was undoubtedly true, but it wasn't enough.

"I know, but I still can't help feeling directly responsible. Someone got sent to the hospital, and it was because of me. Justified or not, I am the only cause."

"She's not dead, and it's not the end of the world!"

"I suppose it could be worse..."

"Yeah, you're right. I gotta try to be more optimistic. On making amends, can we go visit her?"

"Of course, but it will be a long wait before we can get any news. Also, I would advice against actually seeing her. We don't want to trigger another emergency."

"Certainly. Oh and, if I may ask, who were those ponies you were waving at earlier?"

Twilight stopped to think for a second.

"I'm not sure, I waved at many ponies. Which ones are you referring to?"

"The bunch with the jumping pink one." I replied.

"Oh! You mean Pinkie Pie? She's just unmistakable, isn't she?" giggled Twilight. "They were my girls, my best friends."

"I see. Will I ever meet them? Seeing as how it's still a few hours until the hospital releases any news, there should be some time to burn."

"An excellent idea, Charles! However, we should probably put this off for tomorrow, once things have calmed down. If you don't mind, we could go to the market; there's some items I forgot to pick up."

"Fine by me."

Handing me a strange exotic fruit, Twilight noted: "It's my favorite. I want you to try it out tonight, I'm sure you'll love it!"

I played around with it. It was roughly round, spiked, smelled nice and had the size of a melon.

"It's surprisingly heavy," I remarked.

I gave it back and asked her: "Do you mind if I take a look around?"

"Go right ahead. Just don't hospitalize anyone else," she replied in a teasing tone, along with a wink.

I returned her wink and raised my hands as I walked backwards.

"I promise."

As she turned away, I felt my feet hit something small. I look around to find a scruffy green colt mutter something, probably an apology, and dash away before I get a chance to say anything.

"What was that about?"

I didn't give it much thought at first, but as I continue to browse the diverse alien articles in this market, the image in the back of my mind resurfaces repeatedly. I try to ignore it, yet it returns. Why was he so dirty? Why did he ran away so suddenly, not even glancing upwards? Why was he alone? Perhaps he was abandoned, or perhaps he is running from his home. Could it be he has no family? If this is the case, why did no one even care to stop and talk to him; it was as he didn't even exist... I know this is just ridiculous speculation, but I can't help but be reminded of... of... of what? It strikes a memory, a memory I cannot reach. A memory I have forgotten but which nonetheless marks me deeply! How can this be possible, how can it pain me to think of something I do not remember?

What is going on?

Suddenly, a gruff voice elevated itself over the surrounding chitchat and proclaimed: "You there, stop! Get back here!"

There was silence for a moment, but the stallion spoke again soon after.

"Ha ha! I've caught you, now! Where did you think you were going?"

"Could it be he's talking to the boy?"

The reply was barely audible, for it was timid and soft, but there was no question about its owner.

"P-Please let go of me, sir... I was only p-passing through..."

"It is him!"

Everyone within earshot started to converge on the scene, forming a small crowd which attracted the interest of more and more ponies until pretty much half the market stood witness to the affair.

I traversed the group of twenty or so bystanders, something which proved to be remarkably easy as the villagers made a path for me by automatically distancing themselves at my sight. On my way to the front row, I overhead a rather revealing conversation.

"Daddy, Daddy, what is that tall thing over there?"

"Now's not the time, sweetie."

"But, whyyyy?

"Because we don't know what it wants and it might be dangerous, so be quiet, my dear."

I could now see the stallion responsible for all this fracas, a pegasus; brown coat, blond mane, nice tie, and a stubble beard to top it off. He didn't smell particularly good either. Even though his victim was right in front of him, he continued shouting:

"I see you've escaped for a second time, and have come to put on your poor colt act once more at the market, am I right?!"

"N-No, sir, I promise I only came here to buy something to eat."

"With money you probably stole! Ha! I know all about you trouble-makers, running around cheating money out of pitiful ponies who fall for a pathetic story. Your type is no good, that's the way you are, by nature. Just like your miserable father... Oh, I'll teach you a lesson. A lesson you're never going to forget..."

He raised his hoof, but before he has a chance to do anything, I yell.

"Stop! Leave the poor thing alone!"

The bastard looked to his right and left, searching for me. The colt sprinted away without making the slightest noise.

"Who said that?!"

Stepping forward, I calmly replied.

"I did."

Upon turning around to face me, he spat to the ground and stared at me for a long while. Once he was ready, he added.

"I know you, you're that weird-ass thing from earlier. I don't know what the heck you are or what the hell you want, but you better stay outta my way. Or else, someone's gonna get hurt..."

"You're absolutely right about that. Someone's gonna get hurt."

Chapter 9: Broken Promise

If I learned anything from the few brawls I fought in high school, it's got to be that whoever keeps his cool, wins. Once you outgrow the primitive idea of a fight being a conflict of strength, you realize the true nature of such a confrontation: it's all about strategy, not passion. Mere hatred won't do much more than motivate you, and rage is most definitely more of a hindrance; it blinds you to your surroundings and the tactical situation. The art of combat is precisely that: an art. It requires elegance, it necessitates finesse, it demands grace and cunning while retaining the aspect of ruthless efficiency. For example: If your enemy is untrained, why attempt to terminate him with a brutal barrage of punches and kicks, when a simple and precise hit to the throat would collapse the trachea and suffocate your adversary, thereby accomplishing the same goal in a quicker and less tiring manner? Nevertheless, physical engagement is a secondary tool, to be used only when necessary...

In the words of Sun Tzu:

"Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

Or in cases like this, when the guy really, really deserves it for being a complete asshole.

Still, there's a middle ground: When you have to beat the schnitzel outta someone, do it effectively and skillfully.

"Why are you interfering? This is none of your business!" he yelled bellicosely.

"It became my business the moment you decided to harm the boy, and I wasn't just going to stand there doing nothing!" I shouted back.

"He deserves it, and who are you to say otherwise?!"

"The real question is who are you to carry out this 'justice', let alone even make such a judgement?"

As the discussion went on, I distanced myself and took strategic position next to a market stand manned by a rather timid mare. It sold wheat, oat, barley, and a variety of other cereals. I asked if I could take a bag of flour, and she nodded.

"-the second time he escapes from the orphanage. No doubt to cause more trouble," he finished.

"And what about his mother?"

As he answered, I placed the flour in front of me. I also took the empty crate next to the stall and placed it behind me, facing the pegasus. To anyone willing to observe, the plan was blatantly obvious. Fortunately, my foe was too careless and emotional to notice it, and I used this to my advantage.

"Alright, I guess everything's set up. Still, I can't help but feel there's something missing. Let's see, I got my distraction, my backstop... Aha! I know what just what I need!"

I looked around to find someone selling clothing or fabric, and once I found what I was searching for, I approached the merchant.

"Hi, I'm sorry, but can I borrow this sheet? I kinda need it to-"

"Hey!" the furious stallion interrupted, shrieking. "Are you even listening?!"

I grabbed the black cloth and returned to my previous location.

"Of course, dude. I can multitask, you know?"

"Not really."

"So where were we...?" I continued. "Oh that's right, I was about to kick your ass!"

I tried to contain my chuckle, but couldn't. He started to breath heavily and scraped the ground with his hoof like a furious beast ready to strike... In response, I signaled him to come at me with my left hand. I don't think it was possible for him to understand the meaning of such a gesture, but I did it anyways.

My rival calmed down slightly before muttering, "Let's see if you can still laugh after I'm done with you."

And with those words, he charged at me with all his might. Little did he know, he was doomed to fail from the start... Once he was sufficiently close, I stepped on the flour bag, creating a cloud of whiteness which camouflaged my ingenious ruse. All I had to do know was hold the sheet in front of me and step aside when he had passed through the brume.

"¡Olé!" my Spanish half exclaimed as I evaded the ~~bull~~ pony.

He impacted the crate at full force, but did not relent immediately, taking a few unbalanced steps before collapsing beside a fruit stand. I advanced to take a closer look.

"He's still moving!" remarked the owner of the kiosk.

I grabbed the biggest fruit I could find and raised it over my head in preparation to strike.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" pleaded the booth-keeper. "Wait a minute!"

"Ok, what is it?"

"Use this one instead: it's rotten and nopony will buy it anyways," he said while handing over the product.

After having exchanged items, I struck my fallen opponent, incapacitating him and ending the conflict definitely.

"I'm surprised everything went as planned... Anyways, it's time for a post-combat report."

Adversary Analysis

Physical damage sustained:

-> Considerable sanguine build-up in frontal section of the head due to blunt impact. (Hematoma.)

-> Loss of consciousness and mild traumatic brain injury.

-> Breaching of epidermal layer caused by anomalous imperfections in the colliding object's material.

-> Class I Hemorrhage.

Estimated Time of Recovery: Several weeks.

Psychological effects:

-> Pride shattered.

-> -10 I.Q. points.

-> Will think twice about harming a child.

-> Will hold grudge against opponent.

Estimated Time of Recovery: Not applicable.

Justice Status: Served. (With a side order of potatoes and gravy on top.)

Jimmies Status: Rustled.

Soon after, an awful stench began to rise from the fruit's carcass.

"Whoa! You weren't kidding when you said it was rotten!"

"Yeah, a month overdue."

I relaxed my muscles and did some stretching before noticing the absolute silence the crowd was in. I turned to look at them, and with their stare, I realized they were in the process of judging the events. Were they mad at me? Perhaps I simply did what no one dared, but wanted to do? I could only await their deliberation with uneasiness. The quiet pondering was to continue until someone spoke up...

And indeed, many did.

"I say it was about time someone gave that shameless bully a lesson in decency and kindness!" said a mare.

"It was a good one, too!" shouted another.

"He'll rue the day he messed with us!" remarked a third.

"Um, guys?" a fourth whispered timidly. "Shouldn't we take him to the hospital...?"

The sound of stomping slowly began to rise in a roaring crescendo of praise and approval. With a large smile of relief, I waved at them and even bowed pridefully.

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I thought of a 'grand entrance', but this is way better than getting sent to jail for assault. Although an interesting thought is that my fate was entirely in the hands of this audience, if they had disapproved... Nah, forget it, man. It's your moment of glory, so enjoy it while it lasts!"

Except it didn't last very long, because the entire celebration was interrupted by one particularly angry purple unicorn...

"CHARLES CROWNE, WHAT THE HAY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"Oh shit oh shit-"

"I THOUGHT I HAD CLEARLY WARNED YOU NOT TO HOSPITALIZE ANYONE ELSE!"

Twilight's voice came from afar, but it grew closer as she traversed the group of ponies.

Moments later she was right in front of me, eyes gleaming with burning fury.

"Charles, you promised!" she stated in a calmer tone, with a hint of exasperation. "To whom am I going to need to apologize, now?"

She then glanced at the limp stallion covered in a smelly mix of flour and fruit juice.

"Wait, this guy? Oh, he totally had it coming."

Twilight took a small pause before finishing, "Yeah, ok. It's fine, I forgive you."

I took a deep sigh of relief and looked up at the sky.

"It's getting darker..."

"Well, look at the hour!" I exclaimed. "Time sure does fly when you're serving justice... I think we should go see our friend at the hospital now, Twilight."

She nodded in response.

And so, we left the scene in a hurry: eager to learn news concerning the state of our unfortunate pal...

Chapter 10: Carelessness

Charles waited patiently in the reception room of the hospital as Twilight discussed Lyra's condition with nurse Redheart. He looked around the place and assessed the quality of the medical services. It was obviously inferior to human technology, but still surprisingly advanced when one considers the progress of their industrialization. Suddenly, the main doors opened to a group of paramedics carrying an injured patient, his identity unclear as Charles did not manage to see his face. However, I'm sure he realized who it was when a familiar odor began to fill the place. He smirked at himself and thought,

"Well, at least Lyra will be getting some company."

Once Twilight's conversation was finished, she went and sat next to Charles in order to report the situation.

"You'll be glad to know her condition is stable, and she's already regained consciousness. In fact, it appears everything's alright now! They're still making her stay overnight to make sure she's out of the woods, though."

"I'm relieved to hear that," said Charles before passing his hand over his forehead.

"That's great. However, there's just the remaining issue of the money, but I can write a letter to my mentor and she'll take care of it," noted Twilight.

"The money...?"

"You know, the hospital fees. Don't you have hospitals on Earth?"

"Of course we do, but it's free and universal. Well, at least in my country."

"Wow, free healthcare? Your society must be quite advanced..."

"Oh, yeah. Thank God for socialism!"

It is of course well known that careless remarks change lives, but the full scale of the problem is not always appreciated.

For instance, at the very moment that Charles said "Thank God for socialism!", a freak wormhole opened up in the fabric of the space-time continuum and carried his words far far back in time. In the process, it split into two different instances of itself, and thus spit out his message at two rather peculiar times and locations, with far-reaching consequences.

The first one popped up in London; the 20th of February, 1511. It was precisely 2:16 in the morning, and the family doctor of Henry VIII of England was sleeping at his desk after hours of attempting to understand the disease which afflicted Henry's first son. At the pronunciation of that fateful sentence, the poor man woke up abruptly and tried to get up before slipping and hitting his head on the floor. When he came to, he had a revelation: it was the cure for the sick month-old boy. And so, in a miraculous event, the king's lineage was secured, and the English Reformation was avoided. This also affected colonial America and the success of the Protestant princes of the Holy Roman Empire, as the Emperor had Great Britain's aid in his reinforcement of religious unity.

The second wormhole popped up in a pub in Florida, back in October, 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis was at its peak and you could even reach and touch the physical manifestation of fear that hung around public buildings and in people's minds. Anyways, this time, everyone's favorite football game time had been interrupted by a special report on the military situation down below. A respected Irish physicist was quietly having a cold beer in a corner while engaged in deep thought about his life, when Charles' statement suddenly materialized next to him. The room was already deadly silent, but it became even more quiet so as to enter negative sound units. Everyone stared at him, and soon enough he had been declared a spy and taken to the authorities. He was to be released days later, but while he waited in his cell, he too, had an earth-shattering epiphany... He made three fundamental discoveries which would shape science and the future in amazing ways, advancing technology by years. In that precise moment, he realized why light behaves as both particles and waves, how to achieve faster-than-light travel and how to solve the quantum mechanical problems of nano-scale computing and molecular electronics... all at the same time. Needless to say, 2023 Earth was changed dramatically by the fact that we pretty much had the technological singularity happen decades in advance.

By the time I finished rambling about the effects of freak wormholes, Charles and Twilight were probably already on their way back home.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Ponyville...

The convoy of police chariots cruised swiftly through the cobbled roads under the protection of the night, the wagons' wheels creaking under the weight of the passengers and equipment. Simultaneously, squads of sentinel pegasi observed the surrounding area from above with a watchful eye; their job being to report the smallest movement, to denounce the softest noise. Any out-of-place disturbance could be a cry for help, or possibly, the killer's location.

Indeed, for a murder had been committed in the peaceful town of Ponyville, and the perpetrator was still at large. Crimes of such a heinous nature were rare in pony society; their naturally-docile nature did not permit them to experience the same extreme alterations of temper, the same heated moments of blood-thirsty passion which often fuel human homicides. This is not to say that Equestria's history is untouched by vicious atrocities, transgressions which demonstrate the darker side of their essence, but rather that they pale in comparison with man's capability. Yet, as a consequent characteristic of this exact phenomenon, the potential variance is equally great on the opposite side of the spectrum. Just as the acts and motives of our serial killers and violators would appall them completely in their failure to fathom it, so too, would they be unable to understand the meaning and extent of self-sacrifice present in the lives of our saints and heroes. Yes, humanity can hate with intensity unknown to this world, but it can also love in magnitudes superior to anything they would ever be able to conceive...

Once they had reached their destination, the investigation, support, and forensic teams disembarked from their respective vehicles. In their midst, the Altostratus brothers stood out above the rest. Coming from a respected family of cloud herders, you can imagine it came as a big surprise when the pegasi trio all decided to enroll in the police academy. The eldest, Parhelion "Sun Dog" Altostratus, was a seasoned detective and famous for his decisive evidence in the Hoofington Thefts. The middle sibling, named Borealis, took a more traditional path by becoming a constable. And lastly, the youngest of the group was forensic biologist Rodriguez "Jimmy" Altostratus.

Quickly, and with dedication, they began their work.

Parhelion entered the modest two-story building and contemplated the scene with utmost attention. His eyes darted around the room as he tried to piece the evidence together, stopping from time to time at the inert corpse that lied in the middle of the living room. Usually, these kind of cases were discrete and clean, but tonight was different. Red marks and splatters dripped from the walls and furniture, all of them flowing slowly into the central pool of blood that surrounded the body. The victim was a personal friend of Borealis, a middle-aged Earth pony who kept mostly to himself, but liked to help out around town occasionally. His coat was barely visible under the viscous coat of ruby liquid, and when Parhelion took a closer look at his lifeless face, he was met by a distinct lack of eyes. The detective stepped back in shock and disgust, his mind unable to completely process such an awful sight. The image had been burned into him, and those two empty sockets seemed to cry out to him for justice. In horror, he began to wonder who would be capable of such a brutal deed, such a horrendous act against a kind-hearted old stallion...

A photographer who was documenting the scene saw him and asked,

"Sir, are you alright?"

Parhelion snapped out from his thoughts, and answered, slightly embarrassed,

"Yes, of course. I was just... taken by surprise by the body, it's nothing."

"First murder case, sir?"

"No, no. Second one, actually. It's just the first one wasn't quite as..."

"Messy?" completed the forensic assistant.

"Yeah, I guess that's the right word."

Looking down on the static pool in beside his feet, the detective glanced into it, and saw his reflection stare back. He thought about the poor victim for a moment, and took a deep breath. Determination to find the murderer and bring him to justice filled his heart. Parhelion knew he was going to find the one responsible... and he was going to make sure he suffered a fate worse than death.

"Sun dog?" inquired a voice coming from the door.

The detective turned around to face his brother Borealis, whose face was marked with worry, and perhaps a bit of excitement.

"Have you found anything?"

"Indeed, we have. You should come check it out."

"What is it, exactly?"

"Blood," replied Borealis quite simply.

Parhelion looked around the room at the gory display of bodily fluids.

"Well, that's hardly news."

The brothers chuckled together.

"More important than what we found, is where." He took a small pause before finishing, "It's a trail of blood, and it leads to the Everfree Forest."

Author's Note

Negative sound units: like how in Canada we can go to negative Kelvins. (Yes, it's that cold.)

Chapter 11: Casino Royale With Cheese

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 12: Tomorrow Never Dies (But the protagonist of this story does)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.