It took him four days, but he was finally back on his feet. Granted he felt tired after walking around for only 15 min, but still it was progress. He sat down in his wheelchair and breathed heavily.

“That was very good Michael. If you keep this up you should be able to leave tomorrow.” Nurse Red Hoof said as she examined Michael. He looked up with a smile.

“I really hope so. I don't think I can stand being in this room for much longer, but I might just miss you bringing me food every morning.” He said with a wink. Red Hoof just swatted him in the back of his head. “Ow...ok I may have deserved that, but I want to thank you for all the help. I appreciate what you've done. You have kept me focused on getting better and you have been there when I needed someone to talk to. Even though I'm surrounded by people, it feels like you and Celestia are the only ones, so far, to not treat me different because I'm not a pony.”

“I'm glad I could help.” She said with a smile. “But it is a little odd that the others haven't gotten used to you yet. I thought for sure at least one of them would take the time to talk to you at least a little.” She added with a look of concern and a little sadness. Michael just sighed.

“I may not like it, but I do understand it. It seems that ponies as well as humans are afraid of things they don't understand.” He was silent for a moment before he added. “At least there just ignoring me and not trying to kill me.” He said only to receive another hoof to the back of his head.
“Ow...I swear you're trying to keep me in this pla...”

“Don't joke about things like that Michael.” He stopped and noticed that she looked genuinely upset.

“I'm sorry. I was just kidding. Besides, I don't I have much time left considering how you are treating me OW...fuck OW. Stop it.”

“Language Mr. Happer.” Michael just rolled his eyes.

“Yes mom.” She simply pouted.

“Hmpf.” She uttered as she tried to look as dignified as possible. Michael started to chuckle and her eyes widened. “Don't you DARE.” She stated firmly, but all she managed was to seal her own fate as Michael's chuckle escalated to a full blown hysterical laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHA...oh my god you should see your face...HAHAHA...OW stop hitting me HAHAHAHA OW.” Eventually he managed to calm down. He looked over to the unamused pony as his chuckles slowly died out.
“Oh come on. You must admit that it was a little funny, right?” Red Hoof giggled a little before she spoke to him.

“Ok fine, I'll admit that it was somewhat funny. Happy?” She said with a look of annoyance on her face. Michael just smirked.

“You are just too easy to tease.” He said with a wink. Red Hoof just rolled her eyes before she picked up her equipment and headed for the door.

“I'll be back a little later. If you're feeling up for it you may walk around in the room without supervision, but there will be consequences if you hurt yourself. Do I make myself clear Mr. Happer.” She stated firmly in a mocking tone.

“I'm not gonna hurt myself. That's your job.” He said as he stuck his tongue out. Red Hoof just shook her head and left the room.

An hour before noon the next day, he was discharged from the hospital. He stood at the entrance to the tunnel that lead to the castle. He was flanked on either side by a guard and they were about to enter when they heard someone approaching from behind them. Michael turned around and smiled when he saw nurse Red Hoof.

“I thought this was your day of? Or did you come here to send me back to hospital because I accidentally hurt myself? ” He said mockingly.

“Ha Ha Very funny. No I just wanted to say goodbye to my favourite hairless sentient monkey, that's all.” She said as she stuck her tongue out.
Michael just laughed and to the nurse surprise, he bent down and hugged her.

“Thank you. For everything.” He said as he stood up and looked into her eyes. “I got a crazy idea. How about we do something, sometime, somewhere that isn't the hospital?” Red Hoof giggled.

“Deal. And I don't ever want to see you here again. Understood?” She stated firmly as Michael just rolled his eyes.

“I was about to say likewise, but that would be disastrous.” He said as they both chuckled. “Well I gotta go I can't keep “Her Majiness” waiting after all.” He said as Red Hoof laughed as she remember what he had told her.

“Take care.” She said as Michael started the long walk through the tunnel.

“You too.” She heard just before the heavy iron doors closed.

After the long walk through the tunnel and after navigating several corridors, they finally arrived in the garden. A table was set up in the same place as last time.

“The princess will be here momentarily.” One of the guards said before they excused themselves.

Michael was a little surprised that he was left alone, but didn't complain. He wanted to explore the garden, but the walk from the hospital had left him surprisingly tired so he settled with moving the chair out in the sun. He closed his eyes and felt himself relax from the gentle warmth of the sun and fell asleep.

He opened his eyes and saw a seemingly infinite grass plain. It was night and the moon was unusually bright. He was about explore his surroundings when he felt the urge to look behind him. When he turned around he saw someone standing next a tree. He approached slowly. He soon realised that it was a female human. She had long dark green hair that swayed in a non existent wind. She wore a long deep blue dress that went down to right above the ankles. Her feet were bare and the ground around them were covered in the softest moss. She had her back against Michael and as she turned the sun rose, replacing the moon in the sky. The last thing he saw was the look on her face. It was filled with sorrow and regret, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Then the world around them dissolved.

“Michael.” It was a soft caring voice. Michael slowly opened his eyes and squinted.

“Huh? what? who?” He heard a melodic laughter.

“I take it you had a restful nap?” The voice said. Michael looked up and saw a pair of magenta eyes looking down on him. He looked them for a moment, seemingly confused. Then he remembered.

“Oh right. Equestria. Magical ponies and all that.” He rubbed his eyes. “Man I must've been more tired than I thought.” He looked at Celestia again. “Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep.” Celestia just looked amused.

“It's quite alright Michael. You have been paralysed for more than a week after all. Feeling a little tired is understandable.” She said as she took a seat at the table. Michael stood up and let out a yawn. He stretched a little.

This was the first time that Celestia realised just how tall he was compared to the average pony. He had the same clothes that they found him in. Although he had chosen not wear his thick coat as it rested on his chair. Celestia calculated that he was probably only an inch or so shorter than her.

Having finished stretching Michael made his way to the table and sat down.

“It's strange. It feels like I've been sleeping for hours. How long was I out?” He asked.

“Couldn't have been more than 5 min.” She then noticed that Michael was deep in thought. “Did something happen?”

“Well...I had a strange dream and I can't shake the feeling that it's important somehow, but I don't know why.” He said as he looked over to the stream of water.

“Hmm...Tell me about it.” Celestia told as she leaned a little closer. Michael described his dream to her while she remained silent. When he finished he looked up at Celestia's thoughtful expression as he waited for a response. He was about to ask her when she spoke.

“I cannot say for sure what meaning this dream contains, but I suspect that you haven't seen the last of this it. You are right to assume that it is important. Feel free to talk to me if you ever feel the need for it. Although perhaps you should talk to my sister. She is the master of dreams after all.”

This piqued Michael's interest.

“Master of dreams?”

“She is the master and guardian of the dream realm. It's her duty to watch over ponies dreams and guard them from nightmares.” She answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Michael couldn't believe it.

“She can...see people's dreams?...how?”

“You should ask her sometime. I'm sure she would be more than happy to explain it to you.” She said with a smile. Michael remained quiet for a while before he spoke.

“Soo...There was something that you needed to talk to me about. ” He said as he leaned back a little in his chair.

“Yes, you see, there is a...dilemma that we need resolve. It has to do with you staying here.” Michael gave her a curious look, but remained quiet. “I'm sure you're aware about the many rumours that have been circulating about you?”

“You mean the monkey business? so to speak.” Michael noted.

“I suppose that's one way of putting it, but that's not the main issue. The citizens has not reacted well to the fact that you're an omnivore and while the neighbouring Griffin kingdom consists of omnivores. We have traded with them for centuries so they have become a common sight here in Equestria. The ponies are used to them.” She paused a little.

“So you're saying they fear me because they don't know me? And I'm also guessing that it doesn't help that I, seemingly, came out of nowhere.” Michael pointed out.

“You are correct. While I don't believe you will harm anypony, others might not be so trusting. Which brings me to what might be the solution here.” She paused momentarily to collect her thoughts. “The citizens wants insurance that you are not a threat to anypony. This means we have to prove, somehow, that you aren't. There is a problem though, you being an omnivore is not cause enough to put you on trial for anything. So what we could do is, with your permission, put you under house arrest for a time. After which, you will be given “a chance”, as it were, to interact with the people. This will show great trust on your part and while it's not going to convince everypony that you are harmless. It will put a lot of ponies at ease with your presence here in Equestria.” Celestia finished and looked at Michael as she awaited his response. He opened his mouth, but closed it again. He repeated this a couple of times before he waved his hands in defeat.

“I don't like it, but it makes sense...I have nothing. Well, I want to know how this “House arrest” is gonna be and how long it'll last.” He finished.

“Your house arrest will last for 2 weeks starting tomorrow and you'll have a room here in the palace. You will be able to roam free in designated areas and 2 guards will be at your side at all times, the exception being when you are in your room. That's all.” Michael just blinked in disbelief.

“That sounds more like a vacatio...I mean. I humbly accept these terms, your majiness.” He added a bow for dramatic effect. Celestia, already used to his antics, just rolled her eyes.
“I know it sounds very harsh Mr. Happer, but I'm glad we could reach an agreement.”

Michael chuckled a little to himself before he lowered his head and focus on a spot on the ground and sighed.

“Is something bothering you Michael?” Celestia asked.

“It's something that's been troubling me since I got here and I know it's not likely, but I gotta ask. Are there any other humans on this planet?” Celestia sighed. She had been expecting this question, but she hadn't been looking forward to addressing this issue.

“Michael. I have been alive since the very dawn of magic itself and I have never even heard a rumour about any creature that come close to fitting the description of a human. The closest match would be the few species of monkeys living in the land of Zebreika far too the south of Equestria. It pains me to say this, but you are, most likely, the only human in this world.” She finished with a sigh. Michael felt his heart sink to his feet. His chest was physically hurting and he had trouble breathing. Celestia leaned over and put a hoof on his shoulder.

“You may not believe me when I say this, but I know the pain of being separated from loved ones and your own kin.” She sighed, unsure if she should continue. What she was about to talk about was painful for her, but she decided to go ahead anyway. “Did you know I have been separated from my sister for over a thousand years and she only recently returned to Equestria?” Michael just looked at her in silent shock. He didn't know what to say so Celestia continued.

“You see...when Equestria was in it's infancy, me and my sister ruled over the ponies. I would raise the sun and watch over them during the day and she would do the same during the night. She spent countless years perfecting and adding to the night sky. Each night was more beautiful than the last, but because they slept through the night, her efforts went almost completely ignored. Through the years she grew to resent the ponies and she grew jealous of me.” Celestia paused. Painful memories resurfacing. Michael saw this.

“You don't have to talk about it. It's obviously something personal and I don't want to intrude.” He interjected.

“I thank you, but I've already decided.” She took a deep breath before she continued. “One day she refused to lower the moon and I tried to reason with her, but she had been transformed into something else. Something that called itself Nightmare Moon. She managed to overpower me so I had to use a powerful artifact known as the elements of harmony to defeat her. She was banished to the moon along with my sister and they were imprisoned there for a thousand years.” Celestia finished and looked down on the ground, fighting hard to keep back the tears. She stiffened when she felt Michael's hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, a little shocked, as he stood next to her and looked her in the eye's.

“I don't know why you choose to share this with me, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. You told me that I'm welcome to talk to you if I need to.” He paused. “I'd like to offer you the same thing. If you would like to talk I'll be happy to listen.” He said with a reassuring smile. “I know I'm almost a complete stranger, but it's good to get an outside opinion on things and I can guarantee you that I can offer a better outside opinion than anyone else on this planet.” He added with a wink. Celestia was stunned. Here she was trying to comfort Michael when he suddenly flipped the script on her.

“You would do that?” She eventually asked.

“Of course. It's the least I can do for what you've done. Besides I'm used to being a shoulder to cry on, so to speak. I don't know why, but people have always come to me when they've felt down. At first I thought it was really uncomfortable and I had no clue how to handle it, but eventually I got used to it and I started to enjoy helping others.” Celestia just smiled at this.

“That only shows that you are a kind, caring and trustworthy individual and I appreciate the offer.” She said with a smile.

“I'm glad I can help.” He sat down and saw some ponies walking up to them with some food. He could feel the smell of cooked mushrooms and onion which caused his stomach to growl, loudly. His cheeks turned slightly red and he looked over to Celestia who only laughed at the comical timing.

“Hungry?” She observed with a smirk.

“I suppose I can have a little something eat.” His stomach growled again, even louder this time. Michael just grumbled as Celestia just laughed again.

They were quiet for a while as they ate their food. Eventually Celestia broke the silence when she saw that Michael had finished.

“I would like to ask another question, if that's alright with you?”

“Of course.” Michael said as he leaned back a little.

“When we found you at the base of Canterlot mountain, we also found a portfolio with some...peculiar items let's say. Does this sound familiar to you?”

“You found my portfolio?” He asked, eager to get it back.

“So it is yours then? What function does the items serve?” She asked, hoping to shed some light on it's mysterious content.

“Well...There should be two computers in it. One laptop and one tablet. There should also a thick bundle of sheet music in there as well.” This surprised Celestia.

“How is that possible? Computers are, at the very least, the size of a large room.” Michael then realised that they must be in the equivalent of the 50s and 60s when it came to computers.

“It appears that humans are about 50-60 years ahead of Equestria, at least when it comes to computers. Could be because we don't have any magic, but I can guarantee that those are computers.” He paused for a bit when he realised something. ”But it's unlikely that I can prove it though. The batteries are probably long dead by now.”

“That brings me to another question I wanted to ask you. You say that you don't have magic, but we scanned you and found that you indeed have a magical signature. It is a lot more subtle than magic found here in Equestria, but it is there. Care to explain?” Celestia said as she leaned back slightly and observed Michaels reaction.

He just blinked and looked very confused. He was silent for a full minute before he answered. “ehm...I do?” Celestia sighed. It seemed that Michael was completely unaware of this fact.

“Indeed you do. The magical properties seems to differ from the magic found here, but we figured that it was due to the fact that you're from another world. Perhaps you call it something else where you're from?”

“Well...There are many philosophies around a type of...bodily energy. Some call it chakra and others call it chi and there are beliefs about what these can do, but one thing they have in common is that you must discipline your body and mind through...various exercises. These ideas have been around for thousands of years, but so far they have never really gained any foothold within the scientific community. Personally I don't believe it, but, then again, I never believed it could be possible to travel to another world. A world filled with colourful talking ponies, some of which claim to be able to raise the sun....ehm...no offence.” He quickly added. Celestia simply raised an eyebrow.

“Still not convinced I see. I will just have to show you one of these days. But enough about that. We can examine your magic in more detail at another point in time, but for now I'm afraid I have other duties to attend to.” She said as she rose to her hoofs. “The guards will show you to your room. Your portfolio is there as well. Until we meet again.

“ehm...could I just ask you a quick question before you go?”

“You just did, but I'll let you ask another question. Then I must be of.”

“This isn't really urgent, but could you tell where I can get some clothes? I only have these.” He said, gesturing to his clothing.

“Hmm...I suppose you would feel a little cold without fur to warm you so I can see the need for it.” Michael didn't exactly feel the need to point out that warmth wasn't the main concern when it came to clothing. “My personal student, Twilight Sparkle, knows a very talented fashion designer. I'll see if they could come here to Canterlot to help you. Will that be all?”

“Yes and thank you for all the help. I look forward to next time...your majiness.” He added jokingly.

“Likewise Michael.” She said as she took to the air. It was a strange site for sure and he was having a hard accepting what he saw. When he could no longer see her, he turned to the guard.

After a while they arrived at the room. Michael was surprised at how big it was. It was twice the size of the hospital room and it even had its own balcony and bathroom. The furniture included; a queen sized bed, a desk, a table and various other bits and bobs. He was glad to see that his portfolio was on the table. He took out his computer and flipped it open. He pushed the on-button and was shocked to find out that not only was there battery left, but it was full.

‘How?’ He thought to himself. ‘Did they do something with it? and how would they know to fix the battery if they're 50 years behind in computer technology?’ He searched the laptop and confirmed that all his stuff was still on it. To say that he was confused would have been a huge understatement, but he was glad it was working, however short lived it might be. He browsed through his photos, which included his family, friends and even videos of his performances. It started to truly dawn on him that he might never see them again. The final drop was when he saw an old recording of him and his mother as she thought him a song on the piano. He felt tears trickle down his cheeks as he watched the recording.

Several hours had passed when he finally stood up and realised that it was nighttime. He walked out onto the balcony and leaned his hands against the guard rail and looked up at the night sky. It was a beautiful clear night with a full moon that illuminated the room. He observed it for a while and realised that he couldn't find any familiar star signs.

He sighed as he went back inside and curled up in the bed. Sleep hit him like a rock.

Once again he found himself on an infinite grass plain. It was a bright day and the sun was high in the sky. He turned around and saw the same girl from before, leaning against the tree, watching him as he approached her. She still had a look of sadness on her face, but it was less prominent than than the last time. He walked up to her and looked her in the eyes with a curious gaze.

“Who are you?” She smiled a little and turned around and as she did the moon replaced the sun in the sky. She sat down by a pond that was next to the tree and dipped her bare feet. She was silent for several moments before she spoke.

“Come and join me.” She said as she kept her focus on the water. Michael hesitated for a moment before he complied. He sat down next to her and watched as she lazily kicked around her feet in the water. He tried again.

“Who are you?” She remained quiet.“Why are you sad?” He eventually asked.

This seemed to catch her attention as she stiffened and to his surprise she hugged him. He saw tears flowing from her cheeks.

“Because I hurt you.” It was the last thing he heard before the world dissolved around them.

Author's Note

Disclaimer: I do not own Hasbro's My little pony
Claimer: I own my OC character Michael Happer