It had been a very tedious week after William’s first encounter with Queen Cocoon... however, it was that very interaction that helped him cope much better with the strenuous workload he was given. Whenever he had a bad time, the changeling queen was always there to hear him out and console him, as he started to make it a habit to visit her regularly.

And, as it just so happened, feeding on the trust and happiness she induced in him fueled Cocoon’s magic, giving her the ability to expand her residence into a fairly large mansion, now. It also allowed her more control over how the landscape looked, so she decided to give it a more lively view, with some landmarks visible from the hilltop.

Given enough time and magic, she would be able to create artificial beings to populate towns and cities she could conjure, just so she would not feel so alone in William’s absence. However, she would need to save up quitea bit of power to do just that. Still, with how often he visited, she knew it would not be too long for that.

This was definitely something William wanted to record in his personal digital logbook.

In his office one day, he stuck the GEOS floppy disk into his C64's drive, booted up the computer, and input the ever-familiar load command:

LOAD"*",8,1

From there, he waited for the OS to compile, and the GUI appeared shortly. From there, he opened up a new text document, a 3.5 inch floppy disk already in the secondary drive to store it. Since these floppy disks were generally limited to about one megabyte, he tried to keep all his entries brief. In any case, he decided to write out his log in the “special” category, being longer than normal:

September 4, 1989

For a little while, I’d been stuck in a rut, putting quite a bit of distance between this entry and the previous. I experienced yet another rejection, which, like all others before it, hurt worse than the last. However, it seems that I might not have to keep putting up with it, as I’ve experienced a major turn of events.

I’ve discovered a mystical tome that can teleport me to an amazing new world! And in this world... there is only the kindest, most empathetic living being I have ever met. She is an equine-insectoid called a “changeling,” named Queen Cocoon. After spending a great deal of time with her, having meals, watching movies, and playing games, I can safely say that we are excellent friends, which is good for her, having been trapped in that world all alone for a while.

It’s strange... but I feel like I’ve been getting a little TOO attached to her. It almost feels like I’m getting certain... *feelings* for her. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I don’t want to lose her, or make myself look like a creep. In any case, things are going MUCH better now. I can’t even begin to describe how fortunate I feel when fate lent me her hand, for once.

William completed yet another long shift at work, clocking out and making his way to the nearby café for a quick cup of coffee before he would visit his changeling friend. After receiving a dark frappe, he took a seat at an outdoor table. As he sat, sipping his coffee, he could not help but keep thinking about his massive stroke of luck the day he found the magic tome that held Cocoon.

She had become practically all William could think about, every moment of his waking life, and sometimes his dreams, too.His train of thought was derailed, however, when a café patron spoke to him.

“Is this seat taken?” The person asked.

It was a blonde, young man, with an athletic build, wearing a collared, black shirt, and dark-blue denim jeans. He had a strong German accent.

“...Huh? Pardon?” William said, disoriented from snapping back to reality.

“Is it alright if I sit here?” He said. “Just felt like I could maybe chat? I promise I’m not weird or crazy.”

Pondering for a moment, William looked back up at the blonde person. “...Sure, go ahead.”

And so, the young man took a seat at the table. “I’m James, by the way.”

“Name’s William,” William introduced himself.

“Come here often?” James asked.

“Occasionally...” William said, trailing off as he diverted his gaze in the direction of his home.

James raised a brow. “You alright?”

“Hm?” William snapped his gaze back to him. “Yeah, why?”

“Well,” James began, “you just seem a bit... distracted.”

William took a breath. “To be honest... I kinda am.”

“How so?” James asked.

“Well,” William said, “after going through a streak of misfortune... I discovered something recently that’s completely ended my mundane and boring lifestyle, giving me something to look forward to at the end of each day.”

“Oh yeah?” James asked. “Like what?”

William pursed his lips briefly. “...You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me,” James urged.

William wondered if it was wise to tell a complete stranger about what he discovered.

“Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”He asked.

James angled his head forward slightly. “Because... it’s just something I’ve dedicated my life to. Whenever I see someone suffering, whether physically, emotionally, or otherwise, I just want to do everything in my capacity to help them. And you seem like someone in great need of help concerning uncertainty.”

“Well...” William began, thinking, “...if you’re really curious, maybe you’d like to visit my place, and see for yourself what I mean?”

“Of course,” James said. “Be nice to actually acquaint myself with others from this country.”

William raised his eyebrows. “You must be from... Germany, I take it?”

“Ja,” James said with a nod. “I believe my accent gave it away?”

William also nodded, “...Ja, you got it.”

Once the two spent a good amount of time chatting about their overall lifestyles, and becoming somewhat familiar,William wrote down his home address for James, and he parted with the foreigner. From there, got back in his car, and drove on home. As always, for the past week, he had always been looking forward to this part of the day, when he would visit Cocoon in her ever-growing residence.

Of course, he got to thinking about what James told him. Apparently, he served in the German military for years. This surprised William, given how young James looked. Then again, maybe there existed people who just didn’t age until it was time? Well, as it happened, his theory about this was partially correct...

The drive gave him time to reminisce of the times, long ago, when he felt this way, back in the innocent years of his early childhood. Somehow, Cocoon was able to give him the optimism to relive what he felt during that time. To think, someone like him, who grew bitter and passively spiteful of the world, would end up getting such a great turn of events... it was almost unthinkable.

From the bustling, small commercial region, through the quiet, sleepy suburbs where William’s house resided, the drive back itself was not something he was actively focused on. The thought of spending more time with Cocoon was his main and only concern in that moment.

Come to think of it, he began to wonder how people would react if they learned about what he found. Would the tome be confiscated? Sent to a laboratory to investigate and study? Would he ever be allowed to see his new friend again? Would everyone be envious of what he found? Would they consider him outlandish or deviant? He didn’t know, and in all honesty... he didn’t care, since this was something he would most certainly keep a secret from the general populace.

Once he made it back to his house and parked his car, he picked up his letters from the mailbox, quickly sifting through them to see if there was anything requiring immediate attention. Fortunately, there wasn’t, so... he made his way around the house, discreetly pulling down all the shades, and making sure the coast was clear.

From there, he pulled Cocoon’s prison tome off the bookshelf in his office, putting his hand flush on the page, passing through it, and into the artificial world. He fell down the magical whirlwind, and came to a halt just short of the ground, and followed the marked trail to Cocoon’s mansion. The sun was setting, now a deep, rich scarlet, giving the sky a lovely red-violet color that complimented the abundant stars that slowly faded in.

“Wow...” William remarked, taking in the new tone of the world, “...Cocoon definitely picks out the best look for her realm.”

Eventually, he made it to Cocoon’s home, seeing that she really lavished the outdoor surroundings as well, expanding the lot accordingly, conjuring a lush, green lawn, elegantly-trimmed bushes, and even some stone horse statues and a fountain. A black-powder-finished metal fence surrounded the refurbished property, with a swinging gate at the front walkway. William opened it up and let himself in.

Cocoon sat in a swinging chair at the top of the stoop, where, upon seeing him approach, stood and brightened her facial expression, after a long day of waiting for him.

“You’re finally here!” She said, happily.

“Yeah,” William said. “Just took a brief detour for some coffee... but I still made it!”

Cocoon opened the front door, beckoning him inside. “Come in, I just prepared some dinner for the two of us.”

“Excellent!” William said. “Could use a bite to eat.”

With that, they went inside to retrieve their meal from the kitchen, bringing their filled plates back to the dining table. The changeling queen had taken the liberty of preparing an exquisite salmon meuniere for them, as well as fusilli in a basil pesto sauce, steamed broccoli with chives, and hot, buttered corn.

“Wow, you really went all out,” William remarked once they were seated.

“Anything for you, Willy,” Cocoon responded.

William stopped short of picking up his fork, looking back at her a moment. “...What did you call me?”

“Is it okay if I call you Willy?” Cocoon asked, a big, stupid smile on her face, with her pupils wide and sparkly, and her head angled down.

This was one thing that William learned he was quite vulnerable to: Cocoon doing anything to make him adore her and heed her requests. He could not help it. With the overall cartoony appearance she had, it only added to the effect.

Why is a horse-bug like her So. Damn. Cute? He thought.

Letting out a brief, dry laugh through his nose, William nodded. “Sure, you’re more than welcome to call me Willy, if you want.”

“Thanks!” Cocoon said, closing her eyes and grinning, showing all her teeth. “Anyhow, how was your day?”

William sighed after swallowing his mouthful of food. “Bland and depressing, as per usual. Customers harassing me... boss scolding me...you know the drill.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cocoon said. “But, hey, there’s always a silver lining to everything... you get to come and see me every day when you leave that accursed job you work.”

“Yeah,” William said, “I’m glad that there’s someone who actually listens to, and understands, me.”

Cocoon nodded. “It’s only because you have interesting things to say, Willy. Sadly... most just don’t seem decent enough to listen.”

The two of them continued to eat, discussing mainly what they’ve been doing in their personal time, away from each other.William often inquired Cocoon about what she learned about their word through her magical dimensional perception, and it seemed like she was really interested in learning Earth’s history (though, when she mentioned this, she remarked “you humans sure do fight a lot in your world,” to which William, flustered, agreed).

Before long, though, the two of them finished their dinner, and Cocoon simply made their used plates, silverware, and drinking glasses vanish with a simple spell.

“Oh, that was excellent,” William said as he took a seat on a sofa in the massive living room.

“I concur,” Cocoon said, laying right next to him. “It’s all thanks to the energy you provide me, with your sense of caring alone, that gives me the ability to magically prepare such refined culinary.”

“I’m glad I could help out in that regard...” William grasped his arms, tense. “...I just hope word of what I’m doing doesn’t necessarily... spread among the people living in the city I do.”

“Why’s that?” Cocoon asked.

“I may have...” William trailed off, “...hinted about you to someone, when he realized I was having some problems.”

Cocoon stared straight ahead for a moment.

“Don’t worry,” William said, “he seemed trustworthy.”

Cocoon squinted, glancing around. “But... how can you be sure?”

Just as he took a breath to speak, William paused for a moment. “...I’m not sure, but... something about him just seemed... like the kind of person who’d be willing to keep secrets. I know he was sincere, in the way he spoke while we were talking.”

“Hmmm...” Cocoon hummed.

“Think you’d be willing to accept a new person here?” William asked.

Cocoon, after some thought, nodded. “Given how I’ve been alone for a while, I’m open to having more visitors. And, even if he isn’t willing to keep the secret, it won’t be a problem. I could simply wipe his memories of you and me.”

“Oh,” William said, eyes wide in realization. “Well, that makes things easier.”

“And Willy...” Cocoon said, “...I think what you did, accepting the assistance from another, was actually a good thing. One thing to keep in mind, is that many working in cooperation are the ones who achieve the greatest things. By shutting yourself off from the world for so long, you deprived yourself of that.”

“I only wish I could offer something in return...” William trailed off.

Cocoon put a hoof to his mouth, shaking her head. “Your concern for me alone is more than sufficient.”

William smiled again. “So glad I have such an ability for your kind. Also... it just so happens that I have a certain ability, which I think you could benefit from as well.”

“You do?” Cocoon asked.

“Yes,” William said. “I have something that is sort akin to what you would call magic, but not quite on the same par. Basically, with intense focus, and channeling my chi, I’m able to achieve a level of influence on the fabric of reality, in which I can make situational probability favor me for a better outcome. And I can even do the same for other people.”

“Really?” Cocoon said. “That sounds rather interesting! I thought you told me that humans don’t have magic, though.”

“Well, to be fair, ‘magic’ is kind of a bad way to describe it,” William said. “I’d call refer to it more as a ‘metaphysical ability.’ Plus, it requires positive emotions in order to work. Because of this... it’s never worked in times of despair, which is, ironically, the time when I needed it most.”

“Well,” Cocoon spoke, “I feel like, if you ever need to use it now... you need think only of the happy times we’ve had, as well as the ones to come.”

“To think...” William began, “...a week ago, I thought I was just a twenty-four-year-old loser who didn’t have any hope for a future. And then, by sheer luck, I found your world-tome, and now I finally feel like, with you, Cocoon, I’ve got a good life ahead of me. And, of course... I never thought my ability alone made me special.”

“It didn’t make you feel special?” Cocoon asked.

“Thing is...” William said, “...I’ve come across other people with special abilities. One girl I met could catch accurate glimpses of the near-future... but usually without context. And an athlete from my grade-school class could channel his chi into others to give them a stamina boost when needed, through physical contact; holding their shoulder was his preferred method, disguising it as an encouraging speech. And there was a girl I met could eliminate short-term memories of other people pertaining to her, if those memories are unfavorable.”

Cocoon raised her eyebrows. “Wow... so do all humans have these kinds of abilities?”

William shook his head. “From what I gathered, we make up a very small percentage of the human population, kinda like a fictional mutant hero team, from comic books in my world, called the ‘X-Men.’ I inherited my power from my father’s side of the family. But we do exist... and try to keep a low profile, lest others call us delusional or crazy.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Cocoon said. “If only your people could embrace these abilities of the gifted few... just think of the difference you could make for the world around you.”

“I just wonder how I could make a big difference in the lives of others...” William said.

“I know your power could make a big difference to me,” Cocoon said.

The changeling queen immediately stood from the sofa, making her way out of the lounge area, but briefly turning back to William.

“Come up to the observation balcony with me...” she said, walking toward the stairwell, “...there’s something I want you to see.”

She then led William up to the rooftop of the mansion, at its highest accessible point. Upon exiting the door to the railed platform... William was met with a majestic night sky, thick with green, blue, and violet aurora among the abundant, bright stars. Long, ribbonlike clouds were sparsely scattered throughout the atmosphere. Cocoon and William stood silently, staring at the sky, as the changeling queen let her friend take it all in.

William was frozen, speechless. Never had he seen anything so beautiful in his life. His agape mouth curled into a smile, tears in his eyes. The new ambient light made the landscape looked even more mesmerizing than how it usually was at night.

“Do you see, Willy?” Cocoon said, before turning and motioning at the luminescent nighttime environment. “All of this was made from the energy you provided me to fuel my magic! You have a great deal of potential within you, most of which is still untapped. If you can give me the ability to do all of this...” she looked around at the glowing plants covering the landscape, and aurora filling the sky, “...think of what you can do at your maximal potential.”

Looking back at her, William remained silent, taking in what she just said to process.

“Simple things, like levitation, vanishing, and teleportation, I can do all under my own power,” Cocoon said. “But all of the big stuff, like terraforming, transfiguration, and dimensional manipulation require power from another source. And, like I said, my source for the power to do all these things is you, Willy. Watch...”

With a green flash, Cocoon took the form of Princess Luna. From there, she focused her power, making a beam of silver light emanate from the tip of her horn. It seemed to be aiming in the direction of a random spot on the landscape, but once she angled it above the horizon, William saw what she was doing; the moon, much larger (and dimmer, yet that made it more beautiful) ascended into the sky above them.

She stopped when it was at a nice angle among the aurora, making the sky look even more radiant, even at night. The young human took in the awe of what Cocoon was able to do, which she apparently had not been able to do prior to meeting him, as the former took her default form once more.

“And...” William began,still taken in by the drastic changes this realm underwent after his first visit, “...what does all this mean for me?”

“What I’m trying to say is...” Cocoon paused, swallowing, and then taking a deep breath, “...I need you, Willy! And not just for my magic, but... because I care about you. I want to help you realize your self-worth, and what you mean to others who care.”

All she could do after saying this was stare into his eyes. And the look in her own eyes... William could tell from that alone that she was true to her words. Never before had anyone said something like this to him. And the fact that she was doing all this, changing her world just for him to come to as a means of escaping his harsh world...

...William felt a warm, pleasant sensation filling his chest. All his negative emotions were nonexistent at that point. If she did indeed feed on his positive feelings... there was no doubt in his mind that she would be able to achieve perpetual energy so long as he was with her. He stepped closer to his changeling friend.

“Cocoon...” he said, softly.

Closing his eyes, William lightly held his fingers against the base of Cocoon’s jaw, bringing his forehead and nose against the bridge of her nose. Cocoon also closed her eyes as she gently pressed her head against his in return.

“Ever since the day I met you...” William began, “...you’ve brightened my world. I’ve seen things through a completely different lens. You’ve made my life worth living more so than before, and given me a whole new world to explore... in more ways than one.”

“You’re so sweet, Willy...” Cocoon said, still nuzzling him, “...I now have no reason to go back to my home universe... I could never bear the thought of leaving you.”

The two stood atop the roof, under the light of the moon, aurora, and stars, for what could have been hours... but the passage of time was irrelevant to both of them. All that mattered to both of them, in that moment, was how much they cared for one another. Never had they experienced such a genuine connection with anyone else in their lives...

...It was truly the greatest sensation they ever had.

Author's Note

For those who aren't aware, James is an OC of Bronycommander. I included him as part of a meta-scope.