(November 10th: 24th Day Since Capture)

Gasping, Neil tore his eyes open as he found himself in what appeared to be his living room. It was hard to perceive through the cold, misty haze that settled over his eyes. But, as he frantically looked around, he eventually recognized the walls and the furniture around the fireplace as his. Not that it helped much, given the strange, frozen disconnect entrenched throughout his body.

Beyond his sight, he could feel a shivering numbness that overwhelmed his entire body. He did not feel himself sitting firmly planted on the carpeted floor, nor the irritating itch that was caused at the base of his tail. He didn't know that both of his back legs were numb from not moving for over an hour. None of that pierced through the cold as he jolted upright into a precarious position, only for his back legs to give out partway and fall back on his ass.

Undeterred, Neil stubbornly tried to stand again as he did his best to ignore the numbness and the uncontrolled shaking. At the same time, he heard Cadence's worried voice breach the cold veil around him, "Neil, are you alright? What happened?"

It might have been little more than a distant whisper to his frozen ears, but he still heard her words. And his own voice soon followed as a confusing, disjointed jumble of words fell out of his mouth, trying to describe what had happened as best he could. "I don't know. I found myself..."

Honestly, he was too busy ensuring he was back in his room to shut himself up. He was double and triple-checking everything as the haze slowly lifted from his eyes. Identifying familiar things like his chair or Cadence herself, again and again, to make sure he was safe and sound, and most importantly, not dead.

Before Neil could attempt to fully stand for a third time, he felt a sudden, jarring warmth as his whole body was encompassed by a pair of pink wings and two firm, surprisingly muscled legs that held him in place with a hug. For just a moment, his skin felt like it was being seared from the temperature difference alone. If not for the added weight forcing him to remain seated, Neil would have collapsed, trying to escape.

After the initial burn, however, her warmth seemed to radiate inwards, counteracting the cold that had settled into his body. That's how Cadence held him throughout his explanation. From the cold, dark void he found himself in, the unending ice glacier he had to walk across, suddenly finding himself standing in water, and finally, the explosion.

With Cadence's neck pressed against his own, it didn't take long for the mist in his eyes to clear away from her body heat alone. Returning clarity to his vision as he finished his tale, "The light closed in. I felt the cracking. There wasn't anything I could do. And then, there was an explosion that threw me up, into the darkness. I thought I was dead..."

"Neil," Cadence stated firmly, giving his body a solid squeeze that made it slightly more challenging to breathe, "I can say, without a doubt, you aren't dead. You're alive and well, and I'm here for you. After that experience, though, maybe we should end your lesson here."

Despite her firm hold over him, Neil vociferously shook his head in the negative. "No."

That answer seemed to have given her pause as she partially withdrew from her hug and looked at him with concern. "No?"

"No," He reaffirmed as he carefully shuffled the rest of the way out of her grasp. "The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can put horn crap aside and forget about it."

Cadence gave him a long, crestfallen sigh, "Neil, you're not going to finish your lessons in a single day. We can continue if you want, but you've already made exceptional progress by finding your center."

"Speaking of," Neil piped up, eyes narrowed at her accusingly. "Why didn't you warn me about that?"

"Honestly, I didn't think it would be a bad experience. Every foal I've ever taught reacted with sheer delight when they found their center," She explained before a distant look came over her with the faintest blush on her cheeks. "When I discovered mine, well, it's kind of hard to explain? Maybe we experience things differently since we're Alicorns?"

Unwilling to let her off the hook, Neil pressed on with the topic, "What happened when you found yours?"

Cadence took a deep breath to center herself, then began her tale once she was ready. "The moment I touched my center, I found myself unable to move, tangled in an unending web of red strings. You might think that would be terrifying, but it honestly wasn't. Not only could I feel every other pony around me through the strings, but it was also like I was living their joys through my center. I was the conduit for their emotions. It was simply euphoric..."

She paused as her wings gave an involuntary ruffle against her sides, and her blush became as prominent as her warm smile. "Although, that might have been due to the head butler and one of his herd-mates who worked as a maid. They chose to take their break in the room above and showed their love for one another with a passionate bout of lovemaking. I woke up shivering after finding my center for an entirely different reason."

"So, you found your center and got off while I almost died finding mine," Neil groaned, succumbing to his urge to facepalm... Only for his hoof to glance off his horn and hit him just above his eye. "If that ain't my fucking luck."

He was cut off momentarily by Cadence's half-stifled gasp, likely caused by his crass choice of words. When she didn't say anything, however, he continued. "So, what's the next step?"

"If you're sure you want to continue?" She repeated, only to continue when he gave her a firm nod. "The next step is finding the pathway connecting your center to your horn. After that, you simply need to draw magic from your center and collect it in the area at the base of your horn."

"Before you start," She added, holding up a hoof before he closed his eyes, "I would also like to say this. When using magic, your wings and hooves act more passively. They automatically take your desires and, for the most part, turn them into action. Your horn, however, is a very different type of focus. It's more interactive and thought-dependent, which leads to the art of spell-casting, being quite complex. Luckily, there are a few spells that can be performed instinctively. Telekinesis is one such spell, and we're going to use that to our advantage today."

"That sounds good and all, but I can already pick stuff up with my wings." He told her, as the feathers on his left-wing visibly curled around an imaginary object to support his claim. "What are the other things I can do?"

"Thanks to our Unicorn ancestors, who instinctively used magic to collect food and ward off predators, bolts of raw magic and simple barriers also fall under that category." She told him while slipping in a small history lesson. "Unfortunately, it's much harder to cast those spells without a nearby threat to focus on."

"That's good to know," He told her honestly, filing that interesting tidbit away for later. Had his horn been free, perhaps he would have fared better against the timberwolves or even that cockatrice? It was food for thought as his mind turned to a much closer threat. "Do you think that's why Celestia left? She didn't want to be here for target practice?"

"I may not be the best at combat, but in all our years of sparring, I still haven't managed to hit her once," Cadence explained with a hint of chagrin, either embellishing Celestia's combat prowess, admitting how bad she was during combat, or both. "I would be absolutely shocked if you hit her with a magic bolt. Now, unless you've changed your mind, let's settle down, relax, and find your horn."

That was something he could agree with, at the very least. Before he followed her instructions, however, "One last question. After I find this pathway, how do I draw magic to the base of my horn?"

"That's something each pony has to discover on their own," She admitted before describing her own technique to draw upon her magic. "I focus on the red string going directly from my center to my horn. After that, I gently pluck it, and the vibrations draw magic out for my spell casting. I also tighten up the weave near the base of my horn so the magic can collect for larger spells."

With all that information swirling around in his mind, Neil closed his eyes and relaxed as his consciousness faded into the absolute darkness. Once he found himself in the right frame of mind, he brought into being the base replica of his body and angled it to get a good look at where his neck should have been.

His magical pathways weren't currently visible, but thanks to the radar-like blips earlier, he knew if he focused on an area, they would flow beyond the false skin of his replica if certain extremities weren't added. With that in mind, he knew he could be slightly more lax with his modeling.

That change saved him a fair amount of time as he fashioned a basic neck-like cylinder and placed it onto the torso where it belonged. A crude, horned head that intentionally lacked ears followed soon afterward. He knew the proportions were off, but all he had to do was single out one specific pathway from the rest.

The next step was to shift his focus back to the pulsing sparks, but only a little. He didn't want to be blinded as he focused and started to pick up the odd vibration in his chest, neck, and head. Seconds later, he found the sweet spot as inky black dots began to appear, filling in his pathways throughout the parts of his body he was focusing on. It worked as the dots colored in two major pathways running through his neck.

One passed along the underside of his throat, close to where his jugular should have been, or so he thought. The other, strangely enough, materialized like a coiled spring as it appeared to wrap around his spine. There was just one problem. He couldn't tell which pathway flowed into his head and which one was flowing away.

He could only think of a single solution, as well. Resigning himself, Neil bolstered his mind as he focused solely on his neck and allowed the sparks to shift into their next phase. As quickly as he could, he watched as the sparks jumped all over the place throughout his neck. However, by the fourth Prench Rose flash, he was fairly certain he had to draw on the pathway near his jugular.

With his mind made up, he allowed the colors to fade away. Leaving a single pathway that flowed into a clustered knot at the base of his horn. Similar to the pathways circling his center, that was an entirely different mess he didn't know what to do with, but he'd get to it later. His main priority now was to focus on his chosen pathway and force magic through it. The only question, however, was how?

His first instinct was to draw on it by pulling. At least, he imagined himself pulling on it. But, like partially melted ice, he couldn't get a firm grip on it. The pathway held firm under his imaginary, spectral hands. His next idea was a completely different attack vector. If he couldn't pull from the outside, he could pull, or more accurately, siphon magic through the inside. In the end, that work about as well as an inept redneck trying to steal gas out of a car.

With two failures under his belt, he felt his frustration growing by the minute until he was hit by a literal spark of inspiration. The things he was tracking through his system were sparks. They may not be made up of actual electricity, but maybe if he focused on his horn to magnetically attract his magic to it? After five minutes of nothing but a rising tension in his veins, he was also willing to write that idea off as a flop.

This particular step was becoming far more irritating than he initially thought. Even worse, he knew any minute now, unless he came up with an idea, Cadence would force him to wake up, and calm down before he could take another chance. Unfortunately, after those three failures, every idea after that was so stupid he dismissed it out of hand. Imagining a lightning strike on his horn? Sure, that would work- if he was Thor or wanted to die.

What was he missing? Cadence even explained to him that ancient Unicorns evolved to do this instinctively. This was a part of biology, so why couldn't there be a single, uniform, and, most importantly, easy way to do this! Was he overthinking this?.. Or, maybe he couldn't do it because he wasn't really a pony?

Gritting his teeth, he swatted that aside as he tried to ignore the thrumming of the blood flowing through his ears. And then he heard it. The faint mixing of slush in a glass, or maybe the bending of a half-frozen garden hose, echoed in his head. He thought his imagination was running rampant for a split second until he felt a sudden, electrifying chill. Cold ice water flowed through his neck, caressed his forehead and the base of his horn with an unpredictable swirl, then traveled up and back down his horn before literally sending shivers down his spine.

Once the cold feeling faded into his body, Neil took over a few seconds to process what had just happened. He was well and truly frustrated; that much was clear. And then... the mixing of crushed ice and water? Was that it? No, that didn't make any sense. His pathways were clear, solid ice... But so was the glacier he walked upon until it wasn't. Pressure built up underneath him, and then it exploded. Was pressure the answer?

Apparently, it was, as the pathway twitched and flexed under his amateur control. It did the job as he heard the mixing of crushed ice in water before he felt another near-constant stream of cold flowing through his chest and neck. Neil released his control once it reached his horn and continued to flow past it. For a second, he questioned what he was supposed to do next. But then, he remembered Cadence saying she had to tighten the weave around her horn. Did he have to do something similar? Obviously, but in a different manner. Something unique to him... Since he was working with ice, maybe a layer over a frozen lake?

As the idea came to him, a cool feeling suddenly settled into the back of his mind. For the first time that night, he felt optimistic that he did things right on the first try. Still, imagining two separate scenarios at once was a little odd.

He kept the frozen lake in his mind and applied enough pressure to crack his pathways like a glow stick. Even then, he felt the coolness flow up his neck, and after twirling around his skull, it went into his horn and stayed there.

"Oh, that's a lovely shade of blue, Neil," Cadence's warm, and dare he think it, the proud voice suddenly echoed throughout the darkness of his mind. "You did it!"

Neil might have been distracted by the sensation of cool water pooling inside his horn and settling into his forehead but the temptation was too great. He cracked open a single eye and looked up. He saw the entire top half of his horn was alight, glowing with the same gentle white-blue light that illuminated most of his journey through his center.

Once he discovered that, he was surprised that his chest swelled with a calm pride at his achievement instead of being mildly repulsed by the light. It did forcefully eject him, if not nearly kill him at the end of his journey, after all. But he just couldn't find it in himself to feel that way as more cool, soothing magic filled his mind.

Unwilling to move, he glanced over to Cadence with his only open eye and asked, "What do I do n-"

Suddenly, everything he knew, imagined and real, became a giant flash of chartreuse as he was thrown forcefully onto his back. For the briefest of moments, as he was being flung through the air, Neil also caught sight of a fiery, basketball-sized projectile of the same colour as it splashed against his wall. Spreading across the surface as if it were made of Greek fire or napalm.

Neil heard, more than he saw, the crackling of flames as he slid to a halt near the dining room door. The powerful but muted thud of hooves reverberated through the room as Cadence leaped up and faced the fire immediately. He blinked away his half-dazed state and watched Cadence form a large, light-blue barrier. Large enough to fully encapsulate the chartreuse fire eating away at his wall. Unfortunately, the moment it formed a seal around the fire, the fire itself seemed to leap up and dissolve the barrier as the flames gleefully ate away at it. It even released a cacophony of perfectly timed belches once the barrier finally vanished.

Undeterred, Cadence's next move was to launch an ongoing tsunami of rainbow-coloured soap bubbles at the fire. This time, instead of belches, the room was filled with the drowning warbles of a dying fire until nothing but silence and a couch-sized chartreuse burn mark were left. Looking between his rear legs, he also noticed his carpet was covered in a layer of rainbow foam, which was quickly being blanketed by a layer of smoke that billowed out from the bottom of the burn mark.

As Cadence turned to look at him, she asked, "I'm going to guess that little mishap was an accident?"

Before Neil could fully process what the hell just happened or regain his situational awareness, he met her gaze, and the first thing that came to his distracted mind was a joke. "If I knew I could cast fireball, I would have made sure the room was bigger first."

Her smile made it clear she didn't really blame him for what happened. Not entirely, at least. But, in that moment of odd camaraderie, something else clicked in the back of Neil's mind. With the way she looked over him at that moment and his current position laying belly up, with his cloak and tail sprawled haphazardly on the floor, she could probably see everything. With that in mind and fuelled by a minor spike of panic, he quickly scrambled to roll over onto his belly.

As Neil did so, he also earned a face full of acrid black smoke that mostly covered the living room floor by that point. It smelled and tasted vaguely like an oven-baked chicken. The moment it wafted into his eyes, it caused an irritating sizzle, making them water almost immediately. By the time he was standing, he could barely see through his red and puffy eyes.

Cadence apparently missed that aspect of the smoke, however. As he rolled over, she either turned to give him some privacy or to give the scorched wall a closer look as she walked up to the damage. "With that exciting twist, I think a well-deserved break is in order. We've been at this for hours, and I wouldn't want all those pastries and baked goods to go to waste. You go and eat, and I'll follow once I figure out how to clean this up."

Neil silently accepted her invitation for snacks and retreated into the nearby dining room once he was fully upright. It was the perfect sanctuary to give himself a reprieve from the smoke he was apparently allergic to. A tiny sliver of smoke managed to follow him inside, only to dissipate almost immediately as the smell of smokey chicken was replaced with apple pie, lemon meringue, cinnamon, and a plethora of other sugary goods intertwined into a single mouth-watering scent.

He couldn't see everything clearly, but his stomach gave an approving growl as he sat down. Following his nose, Neil's wings flowed from underneath his cape and went about dishing him up a plate.

Ten minutes later, just as Neil finished off his second plate and claimed a banana cream pie for himself, the door to the living room casually slipped open. Cadence walked into the room with a calm but confident presence of a job well done. As Neil leaned over the table to look past her, he had to admit it was well-earned. There was no hint of foam or smoke covering the now clean floor of the living room. And though he couldn't see the full burn mark from his position, as far as he could tell, the wall looked normal, as if it hadn't been burnt in the first place.

"Feeling a little better now?" Cadence asked as the door closed behind her with a small click.

Resting back in his seat, Neil allowed his wing to continue cutting his pie into quarters as he gave Cadence a shrug. "A little, now that my eyes aren't burning from the smoke."

Cadence nodded, acknowledging his answer as she casually walked around the table. Once she reached the seat across from him, however, she sat down and claimed a tray of chocolate eclairs. "So long as you aren't hurt. If you don't mind me asking, do you have any idea, why that happened?"

He did mind a little, but she likely needed to know either way since she was the teacher. After that momentary mental debate, he told her his best guess so far. "I was gathering magic, just like you told me to, and then I think a spark went off? That would explain the chartreuse flash I saw. The next thing I know, I'm being thrown back by a fireball of the same colour."

Instead of responding immediately, she took time to think about his answer. During that time, half of her eclairs daintily vanished before she decided to share her thoughts. "Like I said before, we're definitely in undiscovered territory here. With everything I've read over the years, I can't think of anything like this happening before."

"Oh, yay." Neil deadpanned as he transferred a quarter section of banana cream pie onto his plate with the dessert spatula held in his wing. "Here's hoping I get home before I become the first Alicorn stallion to blow himself up."

"Now, there's no use being a jenny downer." She jokingly reprimanded, "All we have to do is take your sparks into account. We'll start small, with barely any magic, and work our way up until one of your sparks triggers a reaction."

"Do you really think that'll work?" Neil asked as he finished his pie. "I'd rather not explode every five seconds."

"You shouldn't have to worry. If you can get levitation down without these sparks interfering, we can call it a day," She told him as she finished another eclair. "Just remember, even with these sparks causing some unexpected chaos, magic is a powerful gift. And, 'with great power, comes great responsibility'."

Neil was momentarily blindsided as she said that phrase. Technically, it isn’t an impossibility for her to know a saying like that. Despite the odds, they somehow shared a language. But to say those exact words, as if she knew where that phrase came from? Still dumbfounded by the coincidence, Neil asked, "How do you know that?"

"The quote? My husband says it all the time. I think he picked it up from one of his comics or role-playing games as a foal. He was such an adorable little nerd back then..." She told him as she reminisced with a yearning smile. At the same time, she set aside her now empty platter and brought over a two-tier chocolate cake with her aura.

Comic books? Role-playing games? With hindsight, it sounded obvious that ponies would have those things. But, Spider-Man? What else did they have? The Avengers, Fantastic Four, perhaps even Batman, and the DC universe? And what about the villains? Given what he knew of pony history, he couldn't imagine mass murderers and world destroyers being a welcome concept in media designed for foals.

As they ate in silence, each lost in their thoughts, Neil wondered if ponies had stores specifically designed for gaming, comics, and other nerdy things? And, if there was, should he give into temptation and take a peek? To see if stories and concepts from his world were ponified, like some bizarre Spider-Verse crossover? Unable to decide, he opted to table that for later as he finished his pie and started rooting for his next baked victim.

A quick glance at Cadence revealed she was already on her fourth platter, judging by the silver trays next to her. He didn't know if it was a royalty thing or an Alicorn thing, but Cadence clearly inherited Celestia's ability to politely wolf down massive amounts of food. He wasn't going to question it, though, as he extended a wing and nabbed what looked to be an alluring cinnamon cheesecake that smelled heavenly.

By the time he dug in, it tasted even better.

Neil didn't know exactly how long they spent in the dining room. However, as he finished off his second cheesecake, this one topped with blueberries, Cadence politely cleared her throat to gain his attention. "Neil, would it be okay if I told you something? Something not even my Aunt or my husband knows about?"

Caught off guard by the sudden request, Neil's mind immediately swarmed over all the information he knew about her, along with the glaring gaps that invited more than a few theories. Was one of his theories about to be proven correct? Was she, too, a human, and she somehow picked up on the fact that he wasn't a pony? His muscles went stiff as he looked over to her at a glacial pace. "Uh, sure. It's not like I can stop you."

"Oh, thank you!" She all but exploded with giddiness as she continued. "I can tell you have plenty of secrets you aren't willing to share. I've been trying to tell somepony about this for weeks. But, something always comes up, or it's not the right time, or I lose my nerves, or... well, I guess I'm rambling a little now-"

She cut herself off, took a deep breath, and looked Neil straight in the eyes with the biggest smile he'd seen yet on her. "I'm going to have a foal!"

That... wasn't what he was expecting to hear at all. And, knowing she was a part of royalty, his mind immediately dove off the deep end. Was her foal a bastard, in the literal sense? Is that why she couldn't tell her husband or Celestia? Was it illegal for an Alicorn to have a- He immediately threw that half-formed idea aside. Otherwise, Celestia and Luna's dynasty would have died out long ago. Were they the only ones allowed to have children?

"Congratulations, I guess?" He offered, trying his best to sound happy for the mare he just met. "Out of literally everyone else in the world, though, why are you telling me?"

"Well, as I said before. You strike me as a good secret keeper, and I've been bursting to tell somepony, but I want to be the one to tell Shining. I've been trying to tell him for weeks. But, between our busy schedules and my nervousness, nothing seems like the right time. There's also his over-protectiveness I'll have to contend with once he finds out." She quickly admitted all of that before her eyes narrowed.

"And don't even get me started on the sex!" Neil didn't, unwilling to touch that topic. Cadence didn't seem to notice, though, as she riled herself up and plowed into the topic anyway. "Don't get me wrong, I love him whether he's bucking me senseless or making gentle love to me. But I prefer it when he takes charge and overwhelms me until I'm a drooling mess on the bed. He's the first stallion to make my legs give out during an orgasm, and-"

"Okay!" Neil raised his voice slightly, unwilling to imagine Cadence having horse sex with some unknown stallion. "You like to get your brains fucked out, I get it, so stop with the disturbing imagery! Why can't you tell Celestia you're pregnant?"

"Honestly," She said, sounding somewhat flabbergasted after his outburst, "I didn't want to tell her the good news through a letter. I wanted to do it on a day like today when we were together. But, when we were talking in private, well... I couldn't. I didn't want to make her jealous."

"Well, you managed to tell me, I guess," Neil stated, calming down though he was unwilling to delve further into the topic. "Anything else before we get back to work?" He asked as he slid off of his chair. Normally, he'd do something about the leftovers and the dishes, but as Dust Cover told him, she would take care of it. Heeding her words, he made his way towards the living room.

"There's nothing I can think of," She told him as she, too, slipped out of her chair. As she pranced alongside the table towards the door, she jokingly asked, "Unless you want to share something with me?"

As Neil grabbed hold of the doorknob with his wing, he paused, acting as if he considered her question for a whole second. "Nope," Was his answer as he opened the door and passed through to an untouched living room as if nothing had happened before. "There's no way in hell I'm telling you anything. So, what am I doing now?"

"Right; the first thing we have to learn is how much magic you can draw." She told him as she walked around him and claimed her spot on the carpet again. "We'll start with the smallest amount, just enough to make your horn glow, and work our way up until your sparks react."

Mentally and physically preparing himself, Neil sat down, closed his eyes, and drew on his magic exactly as before. Needless to say, the next couple of hours were quite... volatile.

~~~***~~~

As Twilight casually made her way toward the library, she couldn't help but compare how she felt now to how she felt earlier in the day. Just that morning, she was in a frantic flurry of stressful paperwork after learning she had accidentally over-scheduled her time. Her meeting with Mayor Mare about this month's pre-planned community activities, gatherings, and festivals, which she thought had been scheduled for tomorrow, was scheduled for today instead. Meaning, that Twilight had to speed write her first draft letter to A.K. Yearling, rush through most of her Princess paperwork (which needed to be done for that very meeting), and set aside the rest for later. Any free time she had for less-intensive side projects was also canceled.

It was a hassle, which almost became an absolute nightmare. Still, Twilight managed to finish everything necessary just in time for her eleven o'clock meeting. During that hour-long meeting, however, everything else she had pushed aside was fretting at the back of her mind. Something Rarity must have picked up on during the meeting with Mayor Mare.

After the meeting, Rarity managed to catch her in the main lobby before she could rush off to her next scheduled task. Instead of the short five-minute lunch break at the Hayburger Twilight had scratched into her busy schedule, Rarity had generously offered that she go out to lunch with the Fashionista and Fluttershy, followed by a trip to the spa. She insisted that a bit of rest and relaxation would do wonders. In the end, Twilight relented, knowing she would just have to make up the difference tomorrow.

With a proper lunch, an hour of pampering under Aloe and Lotus' skilled hooves, and some light gossip, Twilight felt primed and ready to take on the rest of her scheduled tasks as she caught sight of the library's double doors. With but an afterthought, her magic wrapped around one of the crystalline doors and gently pushed it aside. Even months after moving into her castle, it still felt odd that she was inside her home and had to open the door to her treasure trove of books. She much preferred simply walking down the stairs from her bedroom and being greeted with rows upon rows of her prized possessions...

Not to say she couldn't change the past, as she entered the library proper. She already reverse-engineered one of Starswirl's spells with minimal consequences. She could do the same with his time-travel spell. The only problem with that, however, was that even minor alterations could lead to many, many untold consequences! Instead of the library, Tirek could just as easily choose to destroy Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, or any other building that could be occupied. And, it would be entirely her fault. No, despite her ability, she wasn't desperate, selfish, or stupid enough to alter the past just to save her previous home.

As she walked by the head librarian's desk, she looked past it to the shelf full of restricted books. Giving Sunset Shimmer's journal a cursory glance was quickly becoming a habit. However, it was perfectly normal, like all the other times she passed by. It felt like weeks had passed, and her message still went unanswered. Honestly, she was starting to worry that something had happened.

Then again, she helped them defeat the sirens shortly after Tirek's attack. If not for that, she might have thought Tirek's rampage might have damaged the mirror portal, Sunset Shimmer's journal, or both. But they were both in perfect working order. Putting her worries aside, she would give it another week, at most, before she did something as drastic as an unscheduled visit.

She had an entire table laden with paperwork to focus on. Now that Mayor Mare cemented November's festivities schedule, her job was to approve the number of stalls that could reasonably fit inside the town hall plaza limits and manage the overflow into the park on the other side of the river without crowding. After that, she could finish the rest of her sparse Princess of Friendship paperwork and other light duties, then finally go over the first draft of A.K. Yearling's letter, make corrections, draft a second letter, and...

...

"Twilight."

She blinked. Was she forgetting something? Her eyes shifted to the right, where a three-foot-tall stack of paperwork used to be, only to see an empty spot. Definitely not that, as she looked to the other side of the table and confirmed the existence of a neatly piled and, most importantly, completed stack of papers ready to be sent to Canterlot.

"Twilight!"

Her ears perked. For a fraction of a second, she swore she heard something. Was someone coming into the library? It was the middle of the afternoon, so that was a distinct possibility as she looked around and settled her gaze on the unmoving doors. After a second, she was just about to give up and focus on her letter to A.K. Yearling again when...

Spike's voice came from directly underneath her chin. "Twilight!"

Looking down, she saw her brother/number one assistant, not only wearing his favorite frilly pink apron with a heart but looking up at her with an annoyed expression. "Yes, Spike? Is there something you need me to do?"

"Yes, there is. I was coming up to tell you it's almost six and that dinner should be ready soon," Spike grumbled, clearly annoyed at her since she was lost in thought again. Honestly, she really had to work on her situational awareness and do better regarding her little dragon brother.

"But," He continued, pointing at the head librarian's desk behind him, "As I walked in here, I noticed Sunset's journal was flashing. You were waiting for her to answer, weren't you?"

Sunset Shimmer's journal was flashing!? Ripping her gaze away from Spike, she pinpointed Sunset's journal immediately as the familiar pink light faded from the cover. Half a second later, it lit up again, along with a muted rumble, as the shelf vibrated against the wall and the floor.

Without a thought, she reached out with her magic and snatched the book from its place. There was no telling what Sunset Shimmer responded with. Did she know about Canada from an ancient forbidden prediction or legend similar to Nightmare Moon? Or was Celestia's former pupil just as clueless about Canada's existence as herself? The moment she set the book on the table, she flipped open the cover and started racing through the pages to Sunset's reply.

The reason she noticed Spike hopping up on the table was because he used her shoulder as a brace to prevent himself from falling. Not that she minded, as she finally reached Sunset's answer:

Dear Princess Twilight,

First and foremost, I'm really sorry about the delay. I don't know when you sent your question, but we've recently had a long weekend off from school, and I left the journal in my locker for safekeeping. Otherwise, I would have answered right away.

Things have been going well for me at Canterlot High. There have been a few minor arguments here and there between our friends, mainly Rainbow and AJ, but we always make up. Our friendship is stronger than it was before the Sirens. If you're wondering, I can't think of anything magical happening since the Sirens were defeated besides our ability to pony up.

As for your question, I never found any references relating to Canada while studying under Princess Celestia. It's strange, though. You may not have learned this during your stay on this side of the portal, but Canterlot, the city I live in, doesn't reside in Equestria. Equestria itself does not exist on this side of the mirror portal.

The country I currently reside in is called the United States of Amareica. Similarly, the Crystal Empire is not the country that borders us to the north. Instead, it's called Caneighda, which sounds similar to the country you're looking for.

I hope this was helpful to you,
Sunset Shimmer.

While it wasn't an exact match, Twilight couldn't believe her luck! If the Canada she was tasked to find was, indeed, Caneighda from the mirror world, then she just completed the task Princess Celestia personally asked her to do! It now made complete sense. She couldn't find a single trace of Canada in any of her history books. Unless Starswirl mentioned the country in one of his many lost journals or half-finished tomes?

But, there was one glaring problem. Why would Princess Celestia ask her to find a country from an alternate dimension? If it was documented by Starswirl, why wouldn't she mention that important detail, or better yet, allow her to study from the text, itself?

"Um, Twilight?" Spike suddenly spoke up. "This might be a little out there, but weren't you and Rarity talking about Neil and his new ambassador title just a few days ago?"

"We were, but I can't see how that relates to this," She told him as she reviewed everything she knew about Neil from memory. "Yes, a large coincidence exists between Neil earning an ambassador title and Princess Celestia asking me to search for a non-existent country on Equis. But, without anything to directly connect the two-"

As she said that, her memories flashed to Ponyville's shared dream. How she fought off the monstrous furniture and vampony muffins with her friends. How they created a safe area to corral the citizens of Ponyville and keep them safe from harm. And, most importantly, how Neil blasted his way through the Tantabus' creations wearing a strange suit of armor and wielding even stranger weapons.

That strange suit of armor from looks alone, and her brief feel of it, made it clear it was crafted from an oddly plastic-like material if she recalled correctly. Similar to the gadgets Sunset and her friends used on the other side of the mirror. "Unless..."

Picking up the quill she used to fill out her paperwork, she quickly wrote a response to Sunset. Hopefully, she hadn't been waiting too long for a reply.

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

It's good to hear that your bonds of friendship are growing stronger with each passing day. I, too, struggle with Rainbow Dash and Applejack when their competitive sides clash and the occasional friendship problem that comes from such interactions. Even when things feel strained, we all come together as friends and help each other. Allowing our friendship to grow stronger in the end.

Regarding the main topic of our discussion, I would like to thank you very much! Princess Celestia tasked me with finding Canada's whereabouts. While not an exact match, this might be the breakthrough I need to help me in my research.

But first, I need to verify one small but significant variable. Do you know what the Halo Series is? If so, could you please describe it? This might be the one piece of information that ties everything together.

Thank you for your help,
Twilight Sparkle.

As the ink was allowed to dry, she and Spike watched the unused space at the bottom half of the page with bated breath. If Sunset was still awake or had the journal with her as she went to her classes...

Suddenly, inky black letters started to appear, slowly forming into the words:

Dear Princess Twilight...

~~~***~~~

"Then again," Squall led on secretively, as he picked up another bottle of tropical surprise and twisted off the cap with a flick of his feathers, "There was this one mare in boot camp. If given the chance, she could really suck a…"

"Please, don't finish that," Neil groaned, not wanting to think about, let alone hear, the intimate details between Squall and his mysterious mare from boot camp. "I really don't want to hear about your sex life."

Instead of the pout of mild disappointment, Neil expected to see, Squall looked at him, mildly confused... only for his expression to slowly morph into abject horror. "Oh, Celestia, no! That thestral mare could turn any fruit we gave her into a raisin. In seconds! There's no way I would let her fangs anywhere near Squall Junior."

Unbidden, an image of Sergeant Amber Sight chomping down on an orange came to mind... only for the poor, helpless fruit to turn into nothing but a shriveled peel of its former self. "Oh," Was all Neil managed to say to that. If what Squall said was true, keeping one's junk as far away from a Thestral's mouth made perfectly logical sense.

The continuation of this conversation did not as the image of Sergeant Amber was torn asunder by a pulse of pain that originated from the base of his horn. "Either way, I think I might call it early tonight. It's been a long day, and while I appreciate the drinks, they aren't doing a fucking thing for my headache."

It was a testament to his guard's abilities to adapt that Bulk didn't appear to react to his swearing anymore. Squall still twitched, but barely, as his left wing reached for the bottlecap he tossed aside.

"No problem, Neil. We all know you've had a long day," Squall offered as he resealed the bottle in his other wing. "Besides, it's rare for a pony to get a one-on-one session with the Princess of Love." He added, his mischievous tone clearly hinting at something far less innocent than what actually happened.

Neil wasn't having any of it, though, as he focused on picking up the empty bottles and caps and placing them on the coffee table for one of the maids to clean the following morning. "First of all, she's married. Second of all, no. Just no."

"I was just talking about your magic lessons, Neil," Squall gasped, feigning innocence before eagerly asking, "But, what do you think I meant?"

"We all know what you were meanin', Squall, so stop thinkin' like a stud," Bulk chided after downing the rest of his bottle. As the larger of the two Pegasi slipped out of his chair, he gently placed the now empty bottle on the coffee table and made his way to the door. "Have a good night, Neil."

Squall followed suit as he hopped out of his chair. He paused long enough to drop his bottle back into its carrying case before doing a quick, dog-like shake that ruffled his entire body. Why? Neil didn't know. But, after his feathers settled, he scooped up the case holding the rest of the unopened drinks with a wing and trotted after Bulk.

"Same to both of you." Neil offered as he, too, haphazardly slipped off of the couch. With their admittedly small mess already cleaned up, Neil kept an eye on both guests as he slowly angled himself and made his way toward the bathroom.

"Don't worry, we will," Squall reassured from right behind Bulk as the larger of the two pushed open the door and exited the room. Bulk was also kind enough to hold it open while waiting for the red Pegasus.

As Squall slipped through the door, however, he couldn't help but tease, "Hope you have some sweet and sexy dreams of your own," Before darting into the hallway.

'On the contrary, I hope I don't.' Neil internally groused as the front door closed. Now alone, he pushed into the bathroom and approached the sink. If he was entirely honest, his headache wasn't nearly as bad as he originally implied. Yes, there was a constant, uncomfortable pressure inside his skull that he wished would disappear. And yes, it was pretty painful whenever he felt a pulse from his horn. But, they weren't a constant, or as common as he let on, as he stared into his bloodshot eyes reflected in the mirror.

As was quickly becoming his routine, Neil's wings automatically moved on their own. His right extended toward the sink, and he lightly plucked a grey toothbrush (somehow, the exact same shade as his coat) from its holder. At the same time, his left grabbed a tube of toothpaste from the counter and flicked the cap open. Before he could squeeze out a dollop of paste, an odd thought came to the forefront of his mind that gave him pause.

'What the hell am I even doing?'

On its face, it was an easy enough question to answer. He was just about to begin brushing his teeth. But he could almost imagine the disappointment radiating from those mirrored eyes, his last remaining, if enlarged, trait of humanity. After all, what did it matter if he took care of his teeth as a pony? Besides basic hygiene, brushing didn't increase his chances of getting home. At all. The same could be said for all the busy work he was doing for himself.

When it came to the books he entrenched himself with, all but a few of them were useless regarding his overarching goal. Knowing about the worm roots of Minos? The unique ecology of the Teno-Whatever-The-Fuck-It-Was Basin? His only lead, tenuous as it was, came from the passage talking about the Veil of Inspiration. That unexpected discovery was a verifiable diamond in the rough, worth more than all the useless trivia he regularly read about. That alone gave him a small glimmer of hope. And even then, a disembodied voice tried to dissuade him from that path.

That, of course, brought up entirely new questions centered on his own sanity. The most obvious being, had he finally cracked? Hearing voices wasn't the mark of a sane person, clearly, though he was adamant the voice didn't originate from his own mind. If it had, the voice would be male at the very least, if not an exact copy of his own, right? Or, as an even more outlandish theory, was the body he found himself occupying originally female? And, by inadvertently taking it over...

With a petulant snort, Neil derailed that line of thought. In the grand scheme of things, the voice's origin wasn't all that important, unlike the message it sent. Was he subconsciously heeding the voice's advice? Is that why he hadn't pursued anything beyond letting Twilight verify the Veil's existence? Why hadn't he used his limited time to prepare for a trip to the frozen north?

Before he could focus too much on that particular question, another wave of pain rippled through his skull and up his horn. Reminding him once more of his newest, most pertinent ability, which he now had to worry about.

Magic. Whether or not it actually existed, he couldn't deny the vast well of cold... whatever it was inside of him. Not after almost losing his sense of self within its depths. Was it really a part of him spiritually, though? Or was it tied to the Alicorn body he was currently in? And, in the end, what did it matter? It wasn't like he could go from a complete novice to a master within the time frame of an average RPG. How long would it take if he took the time to learn anything powerful enough to help get him home? Years? Decades? Would getting home even matter at that point?

With a frustrated growl, Neil threw the implements he held into the sink and turned away from those accusing blue eyes. 'No,' He thought, focusing on bodily functions he couldn't ignore. 'I'm not going to waste my time learning some frivolous, esoteric ability that won't help in the long run.'

At most, he'd settle for learning how not to blow himself up and end whatever studies Celestia had planned from that point forward. That way, he wouldn't inadvertently destroy, kill, or turn some poor sap within a fifty-foot radius into a potted plant for the rest of their extremely short life...

With that cheery thought at the forefront of his mind, it didn't take Neil long before he finally crawled into bed. The sooner he managed to sleep, the sooner he would wake up headache-free tomorrow morning. That prospect was more than worth skipping a night's shower as he burrowed into the almost-too-soft pillows on his bed.

He just had to remember. No matter what he did, he did it to get home... and, to always...

...

Neil opened up his eyes and felt his breath momentarily pause as a spark of excitement quickened his heart. Below him was a familiar, if scarce, view he partook in only twice before in his life. A myriad patchwork of green and brown square fields, some of which were separated by greyish-brown grid roads, moved below him at a snail's pace.

He was up in the air, but how? Looking around, he saw that he wasn't sitting in a helicopter. Instead, he saw two large grey wings spread to his right and left. Wings that were connected to his back, which was also covered with matching grey fur. Was he flying all on his own? His excitement grew as his eyes took everything in. Even the lazy, wispy-looking clouds below gave him a thrill, though he didn't understand why. He was still tempted to dive down and find out.

Before he could do so or even have the chance to contemplate his current situation, a voice he never thought he'd hear again suddenly assaulted his ears. "This is Captain Christian Davidson, requesting to fly in formation with the unknown Alicorn. Do you copy?"

Neil had no idea where the voice came from. His ears flickered from side to side, but they felt constrained. Looking around frantically, it didn't take long before he spotted a slowly growing red and black dot against the clear blue sky. Was it really? Could it be?

"I repeat," Came the voice of his Dad a second time, "This is Captain Christian Davidson, requesting to fly in formation with the unknown Alicorn. Do you copy?"

Tentatively, Neil brought a hoof to the side of his head. To his amazement, he was wearing a headset, which explained how he could hear his Dad's voice. Without thought, he pressed down on the button that activated communications. "Dad? Is it really you? I copy!" Was all he could say as a mixture of happiness, excitement, and sadness welled up in him.

Without thought, he veered towards the red and black blob in the distance. Thanks to the headset, he couldn't hear the wind as he closed the distance. Even the recognizable thwap-thwap-thwap of the blades was muted, but he didn't care. His Dad was over there.

"Neil?" His Dad asked over the headset as the helicopter closed the distance inexplicably fast. "You always said you would fly with me one day. I'm so proud of you!"

Now that he was closer, it was easy to see why there was a large mixture of black on the otherwise pristine red BK117. Obviously, there was the black writing on the side. However, the cockpit was entirely blacked out, and there wasn't any clear glass. Why? Neil didn't know, but he couldn't help but feel a drop of disappointment at the fact he couldn't physically see his Dad piloting the machine. Still, he was more than willing to settle with flying next to it. So long as he could be with his family again.

"How are you doing?" Neil desperately asked, sidestepping his Dad's praise. Normally, he would feel at least a slight sense of accomplishment. But, at the moment, he was far too worried about everyone he left behind. "How about Grandma? Grandpa? My friends? I've been gone for months!"

"Everyone's been worried, but we all knew you'd come back. You've always been stubborn, like your M-" A small bout of interfering static tore through his headset, forcing his ears to press against his skull. By the time it ended, Neil just managed to catch his Dad finishing, "-copy?"

"Negative, most of it was cut off," Neil told his Dad as he flew up next to the helicopter and pressed his hoof to the lower half of the glass. He kept a fair distance from the deadly spinning blades as they hovered in place. "Don't worry about that, though. I'm back home, and that's all that matters. Copy?"

A deep, booming laugh full of relief and warmth came over the headset. "You still haven't answered my question. Permission to fly in formation, copy?"

"Permission granted," Neil snorted into his headset as he lazily scanned the helicopter up close and looked around. However, when he spotted a fluffy, sheep-like cloud far off on the other side of his Dad's helicopter, a strange, Rainbow Dash inspired idea came to him. "Race you to the nearest cloud?"

Before his Dad could acknowledge the challenge, Neil shot off, gaining a head-start of a few precious seconds before the helicopter twirled mid-air and chased him. Time seemed to blur after that. Whether it was minutes or hours, Neil showed off his newfound flight instincts with daring flight maneuvers and choreographed aerobatics. However, he was just as surprised when his Dad managed to keep up with all but the most daring tricks Rainbow taught him. He didn't think a helicopter could move like that, but then again, his Dad was an expert.

Even then, Neil couldn't help but feel deep in his chest that something was wrong. Yes, he managed to find a way home. And yes, even with his Alicorn form, his Dad accepted him without qualms. But, something about the situation he found himself in didn't feel right. He failed to regain his humanity, leaving a bittersweet tint to everything else he had accomplished, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

Eventually, Neil had to take a break as he settled on one of the clouds. He still didn't know why he was drawn to them, but at the moment, he felt somewhat more content... only to hear a thunderous metallic snap, followed by a disorienting amount of alarms blaring all at once through his headset.

Jerking his head to the right, he saw something almost impossible, yet it clearly just happened. His Father's helicopter, which had been hovering just far enough away as to not disrupt the cloud, had already drifted more than a hundred feet to his right and fell hundreds of feet below him, spinning in an uncontrolled circle as it plummeted towards the carpet of patchwork fields thousands of feet below.

Within that moment, his father's panicking voice also came through the headset amidst the beeps and blares of the dying machine.

"This is Captain Christian Davidson reporting a sudden loss of tail rotor functionality," His voice yelled, doing his best to sound clear while straining against the centrifugal force or the machine's controls. "I repeat, this is Captain Christian Davidson reporting an LTE. Attempting emergency landing south, southwest of Swift Current. Neil, Son, I know you can hear me. Stay the hell away from this death trap until I land!"

Neil did indeed hear, but he wasn't listening. At the rate his Dad was plummeting, even if he managed to stop the spinning, the crash alone would obliterate the helicopter. No, he needed to do something, and he needed to do it now! "I'm not going to let you fucking die, Dad!" He screamed into his headset as he pulled in his wings and lept off his cloud, diving after the machine.

If he could just get underneath the bottom of the hull, he could flap his wings as hard and fast as they would allow and push against the falling machine. As an Alicorn, that had to count for something, right? Would he be able to stop it? He very much doubted that. But he could at least slow it down.

No matter how fast he fell, the machine still pulled away from him. "Neil, you get as far away from me as you can, right now!" His Dad ordered, raising his voice against his son for the first time in Neil's life as he yelled through the headset. "There's no use in both of us dying."

"Damned right, I'm making sure neither of us die!" He screamed, willing every ounce of knowledge and skill out of his body to go faster, to catch up, and save his Dad... with no success, as the helicopter remained far out of Neil's reach to do anything.

He watched in despair as the helicopter passed one thousand feet, five hundred feet, three-hundred, two, one... There wasn't so much an explosion but a bone-shattering crumpling of metal as the machine slammed down in a grain field nose first. The black glass covering the cockpit shattered. Its spinning blades dug into the ground, flinging dirt and wheat into the air as each blade shattered, adding deadly shrapnel into the mix.

All of the alarms and buzzers ringing in Neil's ears went silent. He felt nothing but dead inside in that instant as he continued his dive. Deep down, he knew for a fact that no person could survive a crash of that magnitude. Throughout the wreckage, tiny embers of orange light started to spark to life and billow black, acrid smoke.

Spreading his wings, Neil felt the air battering against them as he forced his descent to a near stop a mere fifty feet above the carnage. He was just starting to resign himself to the job of recovering his Dad's remains when-

*tap, tap.*

His languid heart, slowly burning his last remaining sparks of hope, suddenly roared back to life. He didn't know the exact source of the minute sound, but it must have come through his headset. Meaning it had to have come from his Dad. Who was, impossibly, still alive! His Dad was still alive!

Hope and terror flooded his chest as he dove down and landed, imprinting his hooves at least an inch into the ground before rushing toward the front of the crash. "I'm coming! Keep tapping so I can find you!" As if to answer his plea:

*tap, tap.*

No matter how hard he focused, he still couldn't place where the noise was coming from. As he stopped next to a relatively intact passenger side door, a wing reached up and ripped the headset off of one ear. If he was going to find his Dad, he needed to know precisely where the tapping came from. "One more time! Please!"

This time, however, his only answer was silence. Knowing that time was critical, Neil didn't wait. On instinct alone, he reached for the door and pulled. Surprising even himself, his bare hooves ripped the door off of its mostly shattered hinges. Unfortunately, this allowed the embers smoldering underneath access to more air as they burst to life. Happily burning up the partially flattened but empty back passenger seat.

*knock, knock.*

This time it was louder and more distinct as if his Dad was weakly hitting glass. But he still couldn't place its origin. Every glass panel covering the helicopter had been shattered into smithereens on impact. There was no possible source left- Unless it was the visor of his Dad's helmet!

He avoided the obvious metal shards and spikes as he crawled over the wreckage. His one free ear was kept close to the wreckage, trying desperately to hear anything as he called out, "I'm almost there Dad. Just one more tap, please!"

This time, it wasn't so much a tap or a knock but a thunderous slam-

Neil jolted up, gasping for breath, and found himself suddenly awake in bed. Frantically looking around, he saw no wreckage, no flames, just an elaborately decorated but otherwise quiet bedroom draped in shadows. 'It was a dream. Just another fucking dream,' Neil groaned as he allowed his body to limply fall back into the pillows strewn about his bed.

Silence encapsulated the room. At least the pressure causing his headache was mostly gone, allowing Neil to attempt to dredge up whatever had happened during his dream without physical pain. He knew his Dad was there, flying his work helicopter. At least, he thought it was his Dad? And suddenly there was fire and wreckage, and he was searching desperately as

*tap, tap.*

The silence of the night was broken as Neil sat up once more. He suddenly remembered the tapping from his dream, but the sound he just heard didn't originate from his mind. No, the source came from beyond the drapes covering his balcony door. Cautiously, Neil slipped out of bed. Whoever, or whatever it was, he was half-tempted to give them a face full of hoof as he made his way over to the curtain.

In his somewhat drowsy state, his right-wing automatically reached for the fabric to pull it aside. Before he followed through with that, however, he pulled his wing back harshly. He had no idea if the person knocking on his balcony door knew he was an Alicorn. Best not to reveal that aspect of himself as he angled his body sideways, behind the curtain, then caught the edge with his muzzle. He only needed to push it aside an inch or so, before...

Much to his surprise, of all the ponies that could have been standing on his balcony, Luna was there with her night-sky mane and tail billowing regally in a non-existent wind. She was flanked by two imposing Lunar guards, whose tails were not moving at all, and half a dozen more hovering around his balcony as if to cover her from all angles. 'Or, to cut off all angles of escape,' A small part of his mind supplied far too cheerily as any remaining drowsiness temporarily evaporated.

Her face barely moved, but she obviously saw him as her eyes latched onto his. What was she doing here? Was this it? Was she here to finally get rid of him? If she was, she was taking her sweet time. She also had plenty of eye-witnesses, or would they be accomplices?

Before he could decide one way or the other, her lips started to move. Neil couldn't hear what she said, likely due to the fact every single door in the castle was somehow soundproof. However, Luna must not have known that, as the guard on her right leaned in and said something after she finished speaking, causing her eyes to furrow with annoyance. A second later, her horn lit up.

Neil felt the momentary urge to dodge, but instead of an attack, Luna's light blue aura started to trace letters, then words, into the air. Eventually, she finished off with an elaborately curved question mark as her semi-translucent statement lingered in the air:

'May I have permission to enter?'

Neil found himself at a crossroads. There was a temptation to say no, just to see how she would react. However, as the more aggressive and self-important of the two princesses, he knew Luna would disregard his answer and force herself into his room anyway. On the other hand, he could avoid some of her superior-then-thou bullshit by simply opening the door. She could state her business, he would deal with her shit, and then he could go back to sleep.

'If she's here to arrest me on bogus charges, though...' Neil left that thought unfinished. He wasn't a football player, but he'd do his best to live up to the Saskatchewan moniker of a Roughrider. Keeping his eyes on Luna, his left-wing reached around the curtain and pulled the deadbolt, locking his balcony door in place.

"What do you want?" He asked after he cracked the glass door open by an inch at most. His wing remained tense, ready to slam the door closed in Luna's face and push the deadbolt if she were to try anything.

"I wish to speak with you, Neil," She told him placidly, without any of her customary authority, which confused him a little. "As the Princess of the Night, it is my duty to protect all ponies as they sleep, yourself included. Had I not woken you right now, I would have failed in my duties. Your previous dream affected you in a detrimental manner that requires intervention, lest they eventually lead to further consequences."

Detrimental dreams? Obviously, he just woke up from a nightmare not even two minutes ago. But bad dreams were a common occurrence ever since he appeared in Equestria. Even if he occasionally lost an hour of sleep, he didn't see that as much of a detriment... Unless it was related to recent events, as the image of a shadowy Alicorn diving down his throat came to the forefront of his mind. "Is this about the Tantabus?"

"This is not related to the Tantabus. Not directly, at the very least," She told him honestly as she settled down on her haunches. "If it would make you feel more at ease, I can remain here as we speak. Or, I could enter your abode to keep the topics of your dreams private. The choice is yours."

"And if I asked you to leave now so I can get back to sleep?" He asked, genuinely curious as to how she would answer his question.

"That is also an option, though I would advise against it," She told him pleadingly as her ears fell flat against her skull. "Many nightmarish creatures claim the dream realm as their hunting ground. Your dreams act like a beacon, drawing them to you on a near-nightly basis. One such manifestation of terror slipped by my vigil and began to feast tonight."

Neil barely had any idea as to what she was talking about. Hell, if not for the dream shared by the entire town of Ponyville, he would have assumed her words were nothing but insane rambling. However, if these manifestations were in any way similar to the Tantabus...

"Fine, but this better be quick," He growled as he stepped backward, dragging the door with him and allowing Luna free entry.

"Very well," She agreed immediately as she stood up. At the same time, she made quick eye contact with each of the lunar guards surrounding her before she ordered, "All of you, return to your posts as we discuss things privately."

She then trotted through the balcony door, not wasting any time as she crossed his bedroom. With a flash of her horn, Luna exited the living room through the door (which she held open for him). Begrudgingly, he closed the balcony door, locked it, and followed after her. She had already claimed the couch by the time he entered the living room, and her aura was stoking the fire, causing the light in the room to grow exponentially within a matter of seconds.

"So, why do you need to talk to me, specifically?" He asked as he sat in his reading chair. Without his cloak, he was forced to sit like a dog with his front legs close to his belly to cover everything private from Luna's view.

"To begin," She said, momentarily pausing as the light of her horn faded.

The fireplace gave off a sharp crackle as it was allowed to merrily burn on its own, "Given my lack of success through conventional means, I felt it prudent to ask about your nightmares directly."

"There isn't much to talk about," He admitted, earning an intent look and a raised eyebrow that conveyed her meaning quite clearly, 'Really?' which he ignored as he latched onto the beginning of her statement. "Besides, what do you mean by conventional means?"

She held her look for an extra second before relenting and answering, "By entering a pony's dream and helping them deal with the root of their nightmare. It would be much easier to show you and explain simultaneously if you would allow me?"

"Is this going to knock me out or put me to sleep?" Neil asked, only for Luna to shake her head in the negative. If it had been any other answer, he would have kicked her out right then and there. There was no way in hell he would allow himself to be put asleep, alone, with only Luna or Celestia in the room. He still didn't trust her, but she hadn't done anything to him tonight. Yet. "Fine."

Luna gave a soft nod as she focused on the coffee table. It was still covered with empty glass bottles, but she didn't seem to mind as her horn lit up. The image of a solid-looking, rectangular oak door still encased in its frame began to rise from the table's surface. It only took seconds, but once the door finished materializing and detached from the table's surface, it began to change. It cycled between different colors and decorative designs. Windows, mail slots, and other additions appeared and disappeared. The door itself, however, consistently kept its rectangular shape, which was odd in Neil's opinion.

"This is a normal dream as I see it. Note the overall thickness of the door's construction? This represents the dream's stability and allows me passage without collapsing the dreamscape."

The methodical shifting stopped, solidifying into a pink door with a bubble-like glass window centered in the top half. Seconds later, a small, two-foot-tall image of Luna manifested at the other end of the coffee table. As if watching a 3D image in real life, the door automatically opened for the small Luna as she flew through the threshold but did not come out the other side.

"And this," Luna muttered sadly, "Is a door leading into a nightmare."

When the pink door closed, the paint began to darken and peel away. At first, Neil thought it was decaying. However, as larger and larger patches of the paint fell off, he noted the white, black, and ashen grey of burnt wood. As the transformation neared completion, a dark, ominous-looking smoke began to billow from the bottom of the door. Flooding over the entire surface of the coffee table, only to spill over the edge and fade away before it reached the carpet.

"Finally, this is a representation of your door."

Given his frequent, unpleasant dreams, Neil expected something similar to the burnt door. It made sense, obviously. He wasn't expecting to see the door and its frame shrivel up before the door itself shattered into four misshapen pieces. After that, each section of the door began to change into something unique from the others.

The first quarter to finish its transformation barely changed from the door it originated from. It kept its original shape, but it looked freshly painted with steaming black oil, except it was thicker. Tar, perhaps? And, to finish off the look, it was sparsely covered with long, grey feathers with which he was intimately familiar. Due to their poor condition and the blood, it was clear to both him and Luna that they had been violently ripped out and stuck to the panel. His wings ruffled at the unsettling implication.

The second quarter to finish was the top left section. That part of the door appeared to melt at first, shifting into a semi-liquid state before solidifying into a solid sheet of chains and shackles that were all welded together. It was the most solid quarter compared to the rest of the door, but that was the only positive thought it managed to invoke.

The third to finish was the top right, which took the form of a very large rectangular book cover or an empty leather canvas. Then, ever so slowly, a wretched-looking, gaunt, sinewy face with empty eye sockets and no nose pushed from below the leathery surface.

Neil immediately recognized its human-like appearance and hoped that Luna didn't know or hadn't noticed that particular aspect yet. As the face settled into its role as a morbid centerpiece, its mouth opened, revealing two broken, toothless jawbones that twisted in an unending but silent wail of despair...

And finally, the last panel burned up and dissolved into a deep, thick, almost cloud-like smoke. Since each panel had a unique transformation, Neil expected something more to come of it. Such expectations never came to fruition, however, as the billowing, cloudy tuft of smoke remained... while also seeping into and filling the other gaps and cracks found throughout the rest of the door. It acted like a supernatural glue, as it somehow bound all the different pieces together and wound itself around the shaky, twig-like frame.

Many emotions boiled just below the surface as the door completed its transformation. Panic, anger, frustration, fear, and paranoia, all of which were mixed with and filtered through the tiredness Neil felt. Ending with him sounding profoundly dumbfounded as he asked, "Why the hell is it so different?"

"I can only guess," Luna told him, sounding far less concerned about it than he felt. "You are the second creature to have such an odd construct, and unlike her dream door, your dreams are uniquely frail."

When Luna mentioned a second creature, Neil peeled his eyes away from the image floating above his coffee table. He focused solely on her as he peppered her with question after question. "Second creature? What do you mean? There's another like me out there, somewhere? How is her door similar to mine?"

"She is nothing like you," Luna told him with a sudden, noticeable distaste that caught him off guard. As if she disliked this other creature even more than she disliked him. Instead of elaborating on who or what this creature was, Luna returned to the presentation she was giving. "Every attempt to enter your door, without reinforcement, ended with your dreamscape collapsing."

Another miniature image of Luna appeared for the second time as she approached his door more cautiously than the first. The door refused to swing open as she neared, and the moment the facsimile of Luna tried to push against one of the solid quarters, it shattered into dozens of pieces. The remains quickly dissolved into smoke before they all gathered together and slowly started to reform.

Except, it wasn't reforming into his door or any other type of door previously shown. The roiling sphere of smoke grew more prominent by the second, expanding beyond each end of the coffee table and reaching a foot beyond the mantle of the fireplace before its expansion finally ceased.

"Whereas her door is neigh impenetrable, not that I would ever touch such a grotesque display," Luna stated with even more distaste.

The smoke eventually coalesced into the size and shape of a massive arched portcullis, similar to the ones built into the face of grand fantasy castles. However, that was the only door-like aspect before the smoke around the edges started molding itself into the vague shape of an outer frame.

The shape initially reminded Neil of a curved banister, or perhaps cylindrical pipes, before solidifying into an absolute mishmash of materials. Woods, metals, crystals, and more, all of which should have been solid but stretched, squeezed, and undulated, like the wax inside of a lava lamp.

It was slightly mesmerizing in a way, and not at all what he would call grotesque- until he finally caught onto the reoccurring pattern of ribbed shafts, flared heads, spines, and a wide array of ball-sacks the frame consistently morphed into. Worse still, by the time he noticed that unique aspect of the door, the smoke covering the rest had already started solidifying... Or, more accurately, liquify into a viscous pool of creamy white-ish pink ooze. Dozens upon dozens of creatures, of all shapes and sizes blissfully floated to the surface without a care as they all began to participate in a grand orgy.

Neil was flabbergasted as his eyes were magnetically locked onto the hedonistic display before him. It was a kaleidoscopic sex scene of every colour imaginable, taken up by humanoid and feral creatures alike, whether they wore fur, scales, feathers, or skin. And, at the very center of it all was an unlikely pair of Alicorn sisters. Their light and dark colors contrasted like a yin-yang symbol amid the sea of pink ooze. Each sister held the other's flank in place with their wings as their necks curved down, and their muzzles vanished in between the other's hind legs for fairly obvious, if incestuous, reasons.

The door remained like that for only a moment or two before a large section of the orgy submerged, only to be replaced with a giant winged dragon that took up an entire third of the door. He was covered in grey-blue scales and had two sets of massive orange, tusk-like horns. The first set was anchored to his head and hung down like mammoth tusks. The second set of tusks were just as orange but appeared far more flexible and phallic, thrust forward when he fully emerged from the ooze.

One of the dragon's penises slipped between Luna's flanks and vanished underneath her tail. It noticeably distended her belly as she threw her head back, the perfect picture of orgasmic bliss. Thankfully, the image itself was silent. However, that didn't stop his mind from conjuring Luna's enraptured, orgasmic wail or the melody of sultry moans and bliss in the background.

The other tip somehow managed to line itself up with Celestia's mouth and rammed itself down her gullet in the same smooth motion. Expanding her throat to twice its normal size and perhaps even dislocating her jaw?

As the portrayal of hedonistic fetishism continued to play out in front of him, Neil felt a sense of pressure and revulsion join his mix of barely contained emotions. Wrenching his eyes away from the display, he looked straight up and stared adamantly at the ceiling. Without that obscene distraction, he could focus his mind on a more critical task. Sifting through all the Equestrian history he knew, he dutifully ignored the soft, somewhat spongy, and sensitive reaction pressing against his front legs.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Between the history books and Celestia's account of history, only one creature fits the bill. That door could only belong to Eris, but why? What made them both unique enough to have strange doors? As he tried to puzzle out his thoughts, he also noted the unwanted pressure that began to build in his sheath slowly came to a halt and then receded. Leaving behind a small dribble of cooling fluid intermixed with the fur on his forearm before his arousal completely vanished. Then, and only then, did he ask, "Is it gone?"

"Yes," Was all she said.

Tentatively, Neil shifted his eyes down towards the coffee table. True to her word, the orgy door was no longer on display. Instead, his dream door was back, floating ominously with the fire burning from directly behind. It was still disconcerting to see the door's mismatched panels and the meaning behind them. But, he much preferred to look at a representation of his own fears as he violently cracked his neck, then leveled a glare at Luna.

"First of all, what the absolute fuck was that!?" He half-shouted, angry at himself for having an uncontrolled reaction and Luna for being the cause of it. "And second, why the hell did you show it to me?"

"You asked to see her door and how it was different, did you not?" She asked simply as she brushed aside his anger. However, her tone softened as she continued, "I also wanted to show that you are not alone when it comes to having your fears and doubts of a sexual nature used against you. My sister and I have also borne the brunt of such attacks."

With a slight pulse of her horn, the chained and manacled aspect of his door started to grow and expand as it overtook every other aspect. After subsuming even the frame, the metal chains and shackles began to heat up and melt, dripping onto the coffee table and collecting into a large, molten puddle. Though he knew Luna had the spell under her complete control, he couldn't help but worry that the table might catch fire. It didn't, thankfully. Instead, the molten metal began to rise up at eight different points. Four points on the left end of the coffee table and four on the right.

The metal appeared to shape itself into hooves, then legs and solidified on the outside as more molten metal flowed up through each limb like a straw. The metal expanded once both sets of equine legs (too long and slim to be normal ponies) were complete. Forming into a pair of bodies that perfectly mimicked an Alicorn, along with a set of grand wings each, an elongated neck, and finally, a long, pointed horn.

By then, all the molten metal on the table had been used up, leaving two red-hot but cooling Alicorn statues on the table. Neil was just starting to wonder about the point behind such an elaborate display when the fur began to grow from each of the statues. The one closest to him was pure white, matching Celestia's exact colour, while the other matched Luna's coat perfectly. From their necks, an ethereal mane blossomed into being. Soon followed by a tail that sprouted from their haunches.

However, as both of the small Alicorns looked at him, unlike the real Celestia and Luna, these copies wore cruel and malicious smiles that promised plenty of fun for them and them alone. He also watched as familiar leather strap-on harnesses formed, hugging each of their hips alluringly. Thankfully, the hidden silver rings pressed against their bellies remained devoid of their large, phallic weaponry.

Luna lazily waved a hoof, gesturing towards the miniature rape doppelgangers before she continued. "I can only guess, but I feel as if each panel on your door represents one of your greatest fears. The chains and manacles clearly tie into your fear that my sister and I will press you into unending bondage against your will."

Staring at the two small Alicorns, he couldn't help but remember what had almost happened during that Tantabus-fueled nightmare. The chains, the panic, and the fear. All of which was promised a hundredfold within each of the sister's sinister grins. Thankfully, they didn't stay for long.

As if compelled by gravity, both evil sisters were brought together at an accelerated rate. Crashing into one another and shattering before the many pieces dissolved again into wispy black smoke... After which, it collected off to the side and reformed into his door again.

While the unobstructed light and heat of the fire felt nice, it was a poor balm against the wounds and feelings Luna had been dredging up over the last five minutes as Neil glared at her. "Yeah, like that's a real fucking surprise. Each and every Alicorn? All mares. Each and every position of power? Held by mares. It really makes you wonder what happens to an uppity stallion that rebels against the system now, doesn't it?"

"Is that why you fear my sister and me? We might see you as an uppity stallion and lock you away?" She questioned, tilting her head ever so slightly. "If that belief of yours was correct, wouldn't you already be caged due to your unorthodox speech during the Tantabus' assault? It is regrettable you feel that way, but I understand why my previous actions make you feel so."

That had been one of the most likely scenarios his brain had constructed after the Tantabus' defeat. The thought of being locked up on false charges, like insubordination, after yelling at Luna had been one of the main reasons behind his escape into the Everfree. Even then, he wouldn't confirm or deny anything she said as she continued after their brief silence.

"During my time, before Nightmare Moon came to be, your fears would have been valid," Luna confirmed as she disparaged the sins of the past before moving on to praise the progress of the present.

"Mares were overly protective of their stallions and allowed them to do little more than labor, or breed during estrus. Nowadays, they are allowed to do as they wish. A stallion may choose to stay at home and tend to their foals. Or, he may choose to serve as a Wonderbolt or a guard with little resistance. Even owning a business is not above a stallion nowadays," She all but cheered before looking at him with a small, knowing smile. "Donut Joe's is a fine example of such a success."

"Yeah, I'm sure lifting his tail and flaunting his balls at every mare that enters the building has nothing to do with it," Neil snarked, trying not to remember all the times Donut Joe did precisely that.

That seemed to catch Luna by surprise as she looked at him oddly.

"How else would a stallion attract mates?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Is the span between Canada and Equestrian customs so large that it requires a bridge to cross?"

"Is this really why you're here? To learn about Canadian dating?" He countered, layering on even more snark as he pointed towards his bedroom door. "If so, you can go jump off my balcony so I can get back to sleep."

"You are correct," Luna admitted after a few seconds of awkward silence. "While I find differing customs fascinating, perhaps it is best we return to the topics of import. We know one of your fears. Now, we must discover the others. After that-"

"I already know what they are," Neil stated, uncaring that he cut her off. At least, he was pretty sure what some of them were. As painful as it was to admit, Luna had been spot on about his fears of being locked away. He was reasonably sure the tarred and feathered panel represented his fear of being discovered as a non-pony and the vast array of unwelcome scenarios that came with it. The other two, however, he didn't have much to go on. Perhaps the smoke was alluding to his recent fire?

Either way, the fact that he claimed to know what they meant seemed to elate Luna as she quickly asked, "Truly? Would you like to share your thoughts?"

"No," He told her bluntly, killing her enthusiasm as quickly as it came. He refused to give her any more information that could be used against him, as he asked, "What's the next step?"

"The next step would be to confront them and learn the roots of your fears. Only then can we dismantle and resolve them," Luna told him with a heavy heart as the blue glow enshrouding her horn died away, taking the image of his door with it. "Nevertheless, if you do not wish to discuss your fears, that is your choice. Instead, you must be ever-vigilant in your dreams. Recognize when your dream changes into a nightmare, and understand the need to wake up immediately."

'Just go and tell you I'm not a pony? Yep, sure. I'll schedule that right next to being crushed underneath a mountain, falling to my certain doom, and freezing to death on an expedition north,' Is what he wanted to say. Instead, he simply asked, "Anything else? Or is that it?"

"Going to sleep feeling happy and relaxed would also decrease your chances of having a nightmare," Luna suggested after a moment of thought.

Neil fought the urge to lean back into his chair and cross his arms. Of course that was an obvious solution and one he might even enjoy if he was left alone for an entire day or passed out drunk. But no, he was constantly being harassed by ponies instead. "After the last ten minutes, I think you've done a pretty good job destroying any chance of that happening," He added, venting some of the frustrations Luna caused back at her.

"I cannot deny that," She admitted, seemingly taking the blame. "I do have a remedy that may help if you would allow me?"

A remedy? Really? Was she audacious enough to offer another mind ward, spell, or whatever the hell they were? "Oh, fuck no. You aren't doing anything to me after your little shock treatment!"

His sudden accusation caught Luna off guard, and she took more than a few seconds to regain her composure before she finally acknowledged, "I was not offering a spell to ease your mind, though I know quite a few. In its stead, I was going to offer a relaxing flight around Canterlot to help ease your mind."

Despite the lateness of the evening, her offer was more than a little enticing to Neil, strangely enough. Just the thought of physically flying gave his wings a small rush of excitement as they ruffled in anticipation. However, if he could do so alone and without outing himself as an Alicorn to the whole damn city, her offer would have been even better. "And how are you going to pull that off? The sight of you and an unknown Alicorn flying around? I'd be plastered all over the front page of your newspapers. Again."

"That would be true if two Alicorns were spotted flying side by side in the night sky." She admitted with a knowing glint in her eyes. "The sight of two Thestrals enjoying a midnight flight on the other hoof?"

Luna's horn flickered back to life before he could ask what she meant by that. It emitted her natural blue glow, but only for a second, at most, before her horn simply vanished. In fact, the entirety of Luna disappeared along with it, only to be replaced by a Thestral mare. Her coat was a darker grey but with a tint of blue that blended into her even darker navy blue mane and tail. Her eyes appeared to be the same colour as Luna's but with slits like a Thestral.

"A form like this shan't cause too much of a stir," The Thestral said, sounding exactly like Luna, If you would care to join me this night?"

Neil was surprised to find himself feeling torn on the matter. On the one hand, it was Luna, the only pony that had physically harmed him so far. She also tried to actively silence him, or his swearing, at the very least, with the same action. When it came to her offer, there shouldn't have been any doubt about dismissing it.

Yet, she was also the pony who warned him about the Tantabus while protecting an entire town from its wrath. It was initially caused by her, of course, but it was also her will that defeated or perhaps reconciled her differences with it in the end? He still didn't know exactly what happened after Luna merged with it. The urge to get out and fly was also a strong motivator. Far stronger than he initially expected after a few days cooped up in his apartment.

In the end, if he didn't give her a second chance after saving an entire town... 'If Kris ever heard about this, he'd chew my ass out after what I did.'

Plus, with just the two of them flying without guards? Obviously, Luna was far more experienced as a flyer and would be able to keep up with him easily. However, despite her slender physique, there was a slim chance that life as a royal also made her slow and sluggish. His chance at a possible escape might have been infinitesimally small, but it clearly wasn't zero.

It might have been a flight of fancy, but the layered thoughts of freedom eventually outweighed Neil's desire to say no. "Fine," He groused as he hopped out of his chair. Once he ensured he was adequately covered by his tail, he made his way toward the bedroom.

...

The next three hours were spent flying around every nook and cranny of the mountain. And, as predicted, the only thing Luna allowed to slip away was the hours of the night.

Author's Note

Or, as this chapter was almost called, Feeling Horny (With the Princess of the Night).

For those of you who resent the fact that I originally split this chapter in half, you can blame the dream sequence. Which, of course, led to so much more afterwards.

Then there was the whole learning to connect with magic that was supposed to start as a simple 5 step plan, which invariably spiralled out of control. To the point it spawned it's own mini-scene! Which meant cutting it off there, and tacking the rest onto the start of part two.

I don't look forward to writing other essential scenes, if they're going to balloon into massive word counts like this one did. XD

In other news, Twilight learned something! Hooray!

And although Neil didn't make it home, he did learn a thing or two about the dream realm from Luna, while also sharing a private midnight flight in disguise. He might even take her lesson to heart, if he still believes anything she said when he wakes up the next morning.

Of course, there's the Discord chat where people hop on to talk about the story, or random junk, when it's not quite dead: https://discord.gg/JhhwM89VPY

Oh, and throw my Editor Dat_Random_Fur something Americanistic in appreciation. Preferably with cleverly hidden typos, or written in localized English dialects that'll drive him insane.