The Long, Dark Tunnel

Chapter Two: Déjà Vu
~BlackRoseRaven

In the morning, Twilight Sparkle found Scrivener reading quietly at a desk, a mug of coffee that had gone mostly untouched beside him. Several other books were piled over the surface, and Twilight smiled faintly as his eyes roved up to her. “Good morning, Scrivy. Did you sleep?”

“No.” Scrivener smiled a little in return, reaching up and rubbing slowly at one cheek. “But honestly, I'm not tired, either. I don't sleep much and... I prefer to nap a little during the day, if I sleep at all. It's... safer.”

Twilight studied him for a moment, then she nodded slowly before striding towards him, hesitating, and then smiling a little bit. “I read the story last night, Scrivener. I stayed up... a lot later than I usually do to get past those last fifteen chapters. Well... your writing didn't help much. I think chickens write neater than you do.”

“Thanks, Twilight, but we don't all have fancy unicorn powers, you know.” Scrivener said mildly, but Twilight only laughed and shook her head a bit before the earth pony asked awkwardly: “So... what... what did you think?”

“Dark. Strange.” Twilight hesitated, and then she stepped forwards and surveyed him quietly, studying him as Scrivener looked back at her. Her mouth opened... then it closed before she simply smiled, asking finally: “How would you like some pancakes for breakfast?”

“Sure.” Scrivener began to get up, and then he rolled his eyes when Twilight pushed him gently back into his seat. “Oh, as if you know how to actually make pancakes.”

“I know perfectly well. Besides, I have a recipe book that Pinkie Pie gave me.” Twilight replied with a shake of her head, giving him a soft look. “I'm supposed to be the one making sure you take care of yourself and getting you used to things again. Not the other way around.”

Scrivener only shrugged a bit, and then Twilight paused, bit her lip, and then she asked softly: “Scrivy... at the end of the story, you and Luna... fall together. End up in... darkness, together, it seems like... why... why that ending?”

“Because that's what I remember.” Scrivener said finally, and Twilight nodded slowly to him, studying him intently for a few moments before the stallion shook his head quickly and lowered his gaze. “I know you and... the rest of the world, pretty much... all think I'm crazy-”

“I don't think you're crazy, Scrivener...” Twilight interrupted, and then she sighed when Scrivener held up a hoof and gave her a half-imploring, half-frustrated look.

“You don't have to lie, Twilight. And it's okay. I understand why everypony thinks I'm more than a little off and it's not like I can blame them at all or anything. And I'd... I'd rather people be honest and say they think I'm crazy than be pitying and tell me it's okay and they believe that I believe it's real and all that nonsense.” Scrivener paused, and then he shook his head slowly, muttering: “Honestly. Better to have people telling me I'm a psycho than that 'it's okay if you believe in spooky demons and magical dwarves.'”

The violet mare studied him for a few moments, and then she nodded before saying softly: “I do believe you're a little... delusional, Scrivener. But I also was being honest... I don't think you're crazy.”

Scrivener looked up for a moment at her, and there was silence between them before he smiled a bit when she turned and left. He went back to his reading, and twenty minutes later, Twilight called him to the kitchen, embarrassedly giving him a plate of half-burnt pancakes. Scrivener smiled at her, and she only gave him a flat look in return before he picked up a bottle of syrup she had set out and murmured softly: “It's still better than I've eaten in years, Twilight.”

The unicorn seemed oddly touched by this, and the two ate in peace and quiet before the mare asked curiously: “So what exactly are you researching out there, Scrivener?”

“Crazy things.” Scrivener said after a moment, and when Twilight sighed and gave him a flat look, the stallion shook his head and smiled a bit in return. “Well, it's true. But I was looking into... some old fairy tales and mythology. Stories about ponies appearing out of nowhere, 'descending from heaven,' who traveled into other worlds. It's a lot of interpretation and digging, but there are a few that... well...”

Twilight only looked across at him curiously, not judging him, and it made the charcoal stallion smile a little before she asked softly: “So what if... you're right, Scrivy? Then what would that mean for you?”

“It would mean I'd have to find a way to get back home. Opening the Bifrost or... finding some other portal or... figuring out a way to contact someone up in Asgard maybe.” Scrivener looked down moodily, rubbing at his face slowly. “Assuming Kvasir is willing to help, of course.”

Twilight continued to gaze at him softly, and there was silence for a moment as Scrivener tried his best not to blush, going over the words in his own mind and realizing how insane that must sound to anyone other than him: how senseless, crazy, and... stupid. Horses of Heaven, I... I'm not insane.

Instead of pointing any of that out, however, Twilight only studied him for a few seconds longer, then she finally asked gently: “And what about Luna, Scrivener?”

“I... I'd have to find her. She... she must be somewhere in this world. With our link, though...” Scrivener fell silent again as once more, that question rose up in his mind. As once more, he felt his inner beliefs tremble a little more as the problem of their soul-binding returned: how could he be here, if Luna wasn't? One couldn't exist without the other... so why wasn't she here? How could she be gone? Why couldn't he sense her in anything but his memories...

There was silence, and the two ponies let the subject drop, picking at their food until Twilight asked softly: “Are you up to going out to the bank today, Scrivener? You can withdraw some money, and just get a look around town.”

“I... I feel good today, actually. And as long as we don't run into another surprise party, I think... I think I'd like to actually spend a little time outside today.” Scrivener hesitated, and then he blushed and looked down, mumbling: “But I would really appreciate it if you could... stay by my side. I'm not quite ready to be alone in society yet.”

Twilight Sparkle only smiled faintly, replying: “Well, I have to anyway, Scrivener. That was one of the conditions of getting you out of the mental institute, remember?”

Scrivener grunted, nodding moodily before he pushed himself away from the table, picking up his plate to toss it into the sink. He looked over the growing pile of dishes, and then he smiled over his shoulder, saying finally: “If I have so much money, let's buy something special for tonight. And Twilight... don't take this the wrong way, but... do you know if there's any place around Ponyville where we can buy meat?”

Twilight looked less-than-thrilled at this, leaning back with a grimace before she said slowly: “Scrivy, I'm... all for letting you believe what you want, but I don't think I'm about to let you start cooking and eating meat.”

Scrivener grumbled a bit, but then he nodded and mumbled: “Guess the craving will pass sooner or later anyway. I just got used to having it fairly regularly with Luna... been weird without it.”

“Actually, it's kind of weird that you want it at all.” Twilight replied pointedly, and Scrivener gave her a dour look before she hesitated and said slowly: “Scrivener, ponies don't eat meat. It would make you sick to eat it... you've never eaten meat in the past, and nor has Luna, nor Celestia. None of us have, just like I... I never...”

She glanced away awkwardly, and Scrivener smiled a bit as he strode towards the table, picking up her empty plate to take to the sink for her as he asked mildly: “Just what topic are you so embarrassed about, Twilight? There's something you think I would have forgotten if I was really the Scrivener you knew, something about something that happened between you and me and Luna... and Twilight, you do know that we can't advance my recovery if you're lying to me. That might just make me more insane and deluded and I might start talking about the little gray ponies that want to come and kidnap me to probe me on their spaceship.”

“You'd probably like that.” Twilight muttered, and Scrivener stared at her as she looked back at him with defiance through her embarrassed blush... and then the two ponies shared a laugh, Scrivy shaking his head slowly as Twilight looked surprised at herself, but also happy.

Then Scrivener smiled and turned towards the corridor, and Twilight seemed relieved to have the subject drop as she slipped away from the table to hurry after him, saying: “Give me about twenty minutes to get ready and make sure everything's in order, then we can leave. It should be pretty quiet around Ponyville until midday … are you sure you're up for this, Scrivy? No offense, but your reaction at the party...”

“I was... I was just in a bad way, that's all.” Scrivener shook his head quickly, laughing a little before he dropped his head forwards and nodded slowly once. “And besides. I went from being locked up in a sterile prison to having Pinkie Pie bouncing gleefully around me and all the ponies of Ponyville cheering in my ears. I'm doing better today... besides, I already took my pills this morning and we can take my downers with me. If I start freaking out, I'll pop a double dose and put myself in a stupor.”

Twilight sighed at this, looking tiredly at Scrivener before the charcoal stallion gave her a flat look in return, saying dryly: “Hey. You should be glad I'm willing to take my pills at all. I could just as easily not take my meds, and then the day before my blood work, take a triple dose. You know how inaccurate those tests are to begin with? Particularly when they're just looking for whether or not it's in my system, not any certain amount.”

The violet unicorn shook her head slowly, and then she simply turned to head back towards her room as Scrivener added almost cheerfully: “Crazy people learn to manipulate the system just like convicts in jail do, Twilight!”

Twilight only grumbled in response, and Scrivy couldn't help but smile despite himself: it was a little strange, perhaps, but getting to tease Twilight really did help his mood and made him feel... saner. Like things made more sense, as he gazed after her thoughtfully before shaking his head slowly and murmuring: “Still, Twilight, no offense... but you're not my Twilight Sparkle.”

He laughed a bit at this phrasing, realizing after a moment how awkward it sounded... and then, slowly, his eyes roved to the side as he thought quietly of her. Wondered how she was doing... wondered how long he'd been away from home. Sure, he had spent... so many months in the mental facility, but who knew how much time had really passed back home? It made him worry for his family... it made him wish that he could at least know what was going on, because not knowing was likely part of why he felt so goddamn tense all the time.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head out and forcing himself to calm down: working himself into an anxiety fit wouldn't help with going out, after all, and he was... honestly excited to be reintegrating into society. Weird for him, but after two years of being locked in a small padded cell, allowed only short and carefully-watched visits, never permitted more than to look out into the metropolis of Canterlot from the barred and dirty windows, he thought it was understandable.

And besides, he was... curious. No, that wasn't the right word to use... but it was the closest he could come up with to the feeling he had. He wanted to know just what was waiting for him in his bank account, and he wanted to see what it was like to wander this Ponyville. He wanted to test his sanity, and see what would happen, exposing himself to a world he knew in his heart wasn't his own... and even with all the friendliness around him, constantly felt paranoia creeping on the edges of his senses, trying to convince him that these ponies all didn't like him.

Scrivener grimaced a bit, feeling another shiver run down his spine: before, with Luna, things had never been like this. He didn't crumple up into a little ball when faced with noise and ponies, even if he'd been... shy, he supposed was the word. Now, ponies and sounds seemed to do more than just agitate him... they hit nerves, made him scared and angry and defensive. So why was he getting that way now? Why did he react so badly? Was it because of the corruption?

Scrivener slowly looked down at his hoof, then he shook his head slowly, closing his eyes as he felt another shiver run through him. The corruption, as far as he knew, was gone... he couldn't see auras or 'behind the masks' anymore, his blood was red instead of black, he healed quickly but not with supernatural speed. For a moment, he only studied his hoof... then he finally sighed and shook himself briskly out, muttering even as he felt a pulse inside him: “It's not important. Don't... don't think about it. I'm not crazy, I can't have just made everything up...”

He lowered his head, and when Twilight came back shortly, she frowned a bit as she found him sitting silently near the door, satchel on his side and head bowed. “Are you okay?”

“What? Oh... yeah. Just thinking too much.” Scrivener shook his head out a bit, murmuring: “It's funny how... I'm thinking more about things now than I ever did in the asylum. But I guess it makes sense in its own weird way, too. I never did do well taking orders, did I?”

“Now that part is true, yeah.” Twilight smiled a bit as she headed past him to the door, pushing it gently open, and Scrivener looked almost nervously at it for a moment as he felt his confidence deflate into sudden worry, butterflies fluttering through his stomach. The lavender unicorn looked at him softly for a moment, then she smiled again, beginning quietly: “Look, if you're too scared-”

“What? No, no, no.” Scrivener scoffed, shaking his head hurriedly before he added lamely: “Why don't you go out first, though? You know. To make sure I don't go charging off without you.”

“Right.” Twilight gave him a faintly-amused look despite herself, shaking her head before she headed out into the sunlight. Scrivener carefully peeked his head around the door, and then he stepped hesitantly out into the square in front of the library, glancing lamely back and forth before straightening as his eyes slowly roved up to the sky above.

He gazed into it: clear and blue and beautiful, the sun shining high above, a few wispy clouds floating slowly through the air... and Scrivener closed his eyes, simply basking in the rays of the sun for a moment, feeling the natural warmth over his body as his anxieties settled little by little. When his eyes opened, he felt... almost revitalized, ready once more to put his best hoof forwards as Twilight smiled at him, then asked curiously: “Do you want to pick up some new glasses, Scrivy? I always forget to ask but... how's your sight? They... they told me that you weren't allowed to wear your glasses in the mental institution because you could hurt yourself or someone else with them.”

Scrivener grunted a bit, reaching up and slowly rubbing at his features as he said softly: “My eyes are pretty good, don't worry. The glasses I used to wear were just fakes... after Luna shared her vitality with me, and then bound her soul to mine, it strengthened my senses and my body a lot.”

Twilight was looking at him almost sympathetically, and Scrivener winced a bit, but thankfully the violet mare didn't say anything before she turned and gestured for him to follow.

The two ponies fell in pace with one-another, and Scrivener felt himself relaxing little by little as they made their way through Ponyville at a slow, easy pace, heading for the bank. For the charcoal earth pony, it was both strangely uplifting and exhilarating, his first true taste of freedom after so long being locked away in the asylum.

He smiled over at Twilight as they finally approached the bank, realizing that she had likely led them on the long way on purpose before he murmured quietly: “Thank you, Twilight. I'm glad... you're here.”

“It's the least I can do, Scrivener.” Twilight replied quietly, and the charcoal earth pony turned his eyes forwards before Twilight asked curiously, as they strode through the double doors and into the large, stoic structure: “But if I'm not the Twilight from the story, why do you seem to treat me... a lot like her?”

“I think you just want me to treat you more like the Twilight from the story.” Scrivener replied dryly, and Twilight rolled her eyes but looked at him insistently, and the charcoal stallion sighed and shrugged awkwardly after a moment, saying finally: “Because you seem... similar to her. I mean, okay, you're not a winged unicorn-”

“Alicorn.” Twilight corrected, and Scrivener gave her an amused look. “What? You know that's what they're called. Like Celestia and Cadence and... like... Luna was.”

She quieted a bit, and Scrivener shook his head as the two stepped up to the back of a line, the stallion glancing down before he said softly: “Where I come from... that word has a different meaning, actually.”

Twilight looked curiously over at him, tilting her head, and Scrivener reached up and gently touched her horn with a hoof, the violet mare blinking in surprise. “Where I come from, the material a unicorn's horn is made of is called alicorn. 'Corn' is actually the word that eventually evolved into horn and the 'ali' part I think comes from 'áil,' which can be translated as 'wish.' I'm obviously not arguing that Celestia isn't really called an alicorn or anything in this world, I'm just... telling you what I know the word as, and I never heard Celestia nor Luna referred to as an 'alicorn' in my own world... but then again, they were also the only two of their kind, too. Well, until you became one.”

“Wishing horn.” Twilight frowned at him, but it was a curious look, as she prompted: “Well, you're saying that they were just called winged unicorns, then?”

“Well, yeah.” Scrivener smiled after a moment, shrugging a bit. “Again, the only two of their kind in my world. We didn't have Cadence or an entire species around them or anything... so instead, alicorn just referred to the horn material.”

“You're pulling my leg.” Twilight said finally, and Scrivener looked at her mildly before he sighed and rolled his eyes. “You can't be serious.”

“You know I am. There's poems and everything about it... although it's very obviously illegal to do this, unicorn horns are said to be able to heal any disease if ground into a fine powder and mixed into an ointment or elixir.” Scrivener said mildly, and several ponies standing in line looked back to stare at him, before Scrivener glowered in return, and they hurriedly looked back ahead.

Twilight sighed and shook her head, but she seemed to be mulling something over now as the line lethargically moved forwards until they reached the counter. Then Scrivener simply looked stupid for a moment as he stared at the grumpy-looking teller behind the counter, before Twilight winced a bit and turned to dig in her own satchel, saying awkwardly: “Oh, wait, I have your bank book and everything.”

The teller sighed, the drab green unicorn looking sour as she adjusted her oversized glasses, and Scrivener offered a dumb smile even as he felt something twist inside him. She was judging him, mocking him in her mind, he could see it in her eyes... she didn't like him and here they were, standing around like idiots, and he could feel the gazes of all the other ponies behind them on the back of his neck...

Scrivener forced the paranoid thoughts away before they could take over as Twilight straightened and quickly put a card and a payment book on the bank counter, and the teller looked down at this, tiredly picking it up and flipping through it... then almost falling out of her seat as she stared at something before dropping the book and quickly righting herself. “I... uh... how can I help you today, sir?”

“So I take it that's good?” Scrivener asked dubiously, and when the teller gave him a forced smile, he gave her a meditative look in return. “Okay, that's very good. Well, uh... I've been... away... for a while, and I need to know what my account looks like.”

“Well, uh...” The teller picked up the booklet, flipping it open and looking through several authorization stamps that looked like they were in fairly new ink. “According to this... sir... you have two accounts with us. A savings account where most of your money has been accruing interest for the past two years, and a checking account with roughly five thousand bits.”

“So how much is in savings?” Scrivener asked dubiously, and the green mare looked at him for a moment before she turned the accounts book around and pointed at a number on the page, Scrivener glancing down at this... then staring stupidly as he mumbled: “Oh. Well, I think I can afford to buy groceries for you, Twilight.”

Twilight leaned in curiously, then she reared back in surprise herself before Scrivener smiled faintly, closing his eyes as he murmured: “Luna... Luna always did take care of me... always made sure I'd be okay, even when I was...”

He broke off, then cleared his throat and shook his head out hurriedly, returning his eyes to the bank teller and saying finally: “I want to withdraw two hundred and fifty bits for now from my checking account. And I guess I should order some checkbooks, too.”

The teller nodded hurriedly... and ten minutes later, Twilight and Scrivener left the bank, the charcoal stallion's satchel now heavy with money as he smiled a little over at the violet mare, bowing his head towards her and saying quietly: “Thank you.”

“No, it's no problem, Scrivener... thank you for... offering to help out some. I really appreciate it.” Twilight replied, and Scrivener only shrugged a bit, smiling a little as they walked onwards and she studied him for a few moments, then asked curiously: “So... Scrivy... I noticed in there you got a little... tense.”

“Yeah, I guess... I got anxious. Paranoid, to be more precise.” Scrivener said finally, shaking his head out a bit as he lowered his head, then he smiled a little. “But I still feel pretty good, and... I'm up to walking over to the pharmacy or something, at least. I know you want to put in that order for my meds, and you know. I feel good still. I'm getting used to being out here, bit-by-bit... it's still just a little weird and all.”

Twilight nodded slowly, and then she hesitated before stepping a little closer to him, studying him almost intently as Scrivener winced back a bit before the violet mare said gently: “You're doing good, Scrivy. Just... just try and stay loose, and relax, okay? Have any more memories come back?”

Scrivener only smiled a bit at this, asking quietly: “You mean, has my delusional shell magically vanished from around me and I've come to realize that everything I believed was a lie and my wife is dead?”

Twilight sighed a little at this, shaking her head slowly as she muttered: “Only you would try and joke about this.”

“Yeah, well. It works for me.” Scrivener shrugged a bit, looking up before he murmured softly: “And maybe that's my real delusion, Twilight. If I keep telling jokes, if I keep refusing to take things seriously, I don't have to think about... what might have happened to Luna.”

The violet mare softened as they walked slowly across town together... but before she could ask another question or even think of anything to say, there was a loud call from above before a sky-blue Pegasus shot down from the sky and dropped in front of them, grinning widely as she leaned in brightly. “Hey, guys! I've been looking everywhere for you two!”

“Rainbow Dash.” Scrivener said softly, and he gave a hesitant smile after a moment even as Rainbow leaned in close, studying him intently. It set his nerves on edge as he looked back at the sleek mare, measured her in return with his eyes as Twilight winced a little.

“Rainbow, hey, it's great to see you and all, but-” But Twilight was cut off as Rainbow laughed and hopped into the air, hovering eagerly around Scrivener and ignoring Twilight completely as she rapidly began to ask questions.

“So you're Scrivener, right? You were in an asylum, yeah? How'd you get those scars? How strong are you? Do you race? What's the deal with you and Twilight?” Rainbow flitted back and forth, almost marveling over him as Scrivener winced a bit before the Pegasus brightened and shot suddenly in front of him, making him rear back a bit. “No, wait, wait, I remembered the question I wanted to ask! You think you're from some other world, right?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight half-shouted, and Scrivener grimaced a bit as he pawed a hoof nervously at the ground, as the Pegasus finally looked lamely at the violet mare. “We talked about this!”

“But look at him!” Rainbow exclaimed, shaking her head rapidly. “The dude is huge! Besides, seriously, Twilight, out of the blue last week you just come and tell us that some guy is moving in with you into the library and we all have to treat him nice 'cause he's a little crazy-”

“I didn't say that! I didn't say it like that!” Twilight interrupted hurriedly, wincing at Scrivener, but the charcoal stallion was still only looking moodily at Rainbow, who was continuing to ramble away.

“-and yet last night you threw us all out of the library before we could even meet the dude and here you two are, walking around like best pals ever after you also said we had to leave you and him alone for like, a week or something, while he... deflates...”

“'Adjusts,' Rainbow, the word I used was 'adjusts.'” Twilight said flatly, and then she shook her head quickly, almost pleading: “Look, I'll explain everything to you all when I can. You're all my friends and you're good friends, but Scrivener is a good friend too, and... and he's had a really rough time. Please.”

Rainbow didn't look convinced, turning her eyes to Scrivy and measuring him again before she dropped down, asking curiously: “Well, have you? I don't think I've heard you say a word yet. You're quieter than Big Mac.”

“Yup.” Scrivener deadpanned, and when Rainbow gave him a sour look, the charcoal stallion sighed before he said mildly: “Yes, I'm crazy.”

“Cool. So what was it like in the insane asylum?” Rainbow asked with a grin, leaning forwards as her eyes brightened. “Did you ever get a hole cut in your head? Did they do electroshock therapy on you? Was it secretly run by an evil overlord?”

“You need to stop reading Daring Do. I'm banning you from the adventure section of the library.” Twilight said flatly, and Rainbow glowered at her as a faint blush rose in her cheeks. “Come on, Scrivy. And Rainbow, I will-”

“Why don't you come over tonight? I know a story you can read.” Scrivener said abruptly, and Rainbow Dash looked at him meditatively before he said seriously: “It has evil monsters. And demons. And it's about a different world where you and your friends battle terrifying evils. The world where I come from.”

Scrivener put his best 'I-am-very-possibly-insane' expression on as he stared across at Rainbow Dash pointedly, and the Pegasus leaned slowly away from him before she huffed a bit and hopped into the air, flapping her wings and saying finally: “Twilight, your friend is kinda weird. But sure, I'll see you tonight. I'll round up the others and bring them, too.”

“Wait!” Twilight winced and flailed a hoof in the air, trying to get Rainbow's attention, but the Pegasus was already flying away, and now Scrivener stared morbidly up into the sky after the winged pony before the violet mare shot him a sour look. “If you have a breakdown tonight, it's not my fault when you end up back in the mental facility.”

Scrivener only grumbled a bit, turning and muttering: “Well, how was I supposed to know she'd immediately want to grab all your friends? Besides, the only one I'm really worried about is Pinkie Pie. I might like her and all, but she's very loud and energetic. Applejack's loud too, but at least she understands personal space. And Rarity and Fluttershy will probably both just stare at me.”

Twilight frowned curiously at this, as Scrivener started to meander down the street, and then she followed after him and asked slowly: “You know, I meant to ask this before, but... how do you know about all my friends and everything? Luna... Luna met them a few times, but never really knew them. But the way you write about them...”

“I'm sure I didn't capture them perfectly, but... that was how I knew them in my world.” Scrivener said softly, shaking his head and smiling a bit. “I wasn't... as close to them as you are, of course, and it was only... only at the end that Luna and I really developed an appreciation for certain ponies... but... they were friends, too. I got along well with them...”

The violet mare studied him as they headed onwards, and then she sighed a little, murmuring: “You have so much conviction, Scrivener... it kind of scares me a little. The doctor's orders included reminding you regularly when you start talking about these delusions and not to reinforce them, but... but you honestly believe them, don't you?”

Scrivener was quiet for a few moments, and then he lowered his head a bit, murmuring: “Let me tell you a secret, Twilight... I... have my doubts sometimes, about everything. I mean, it does sound insane, doesn't it? And impossible, and... I look around at reality, I hear all these ponies telling me I'm insane and what the real truth is and walk around in this world and I think... I might be crazy after all. I look at all the medication I need just to stay stable and I think all these unhealthy thoughts, and I know that even if I'm not insane... I'm not sane, either.”

The two ponies were silent as they strode onwards through Ponyville, and they only spoke again when they reached the front of the pharmacy, Scrivener looking up over the storefront and asking after a moment: “Everything here is so quaint. I really... I really like that. I hate Canterlot, I hate big cities...”

“I know.” Twilight smiled a little after a moment as they headed to the door, pushing into the building and heading towards the counter at the back, the unicorn looking across at him softly. “It took me a few weeks to learn that... even though Ponyville might not have the best facilities, it has a lot of the best people I've ever met. And good ponies make all the difference in the world.”

Scrivener grunted, not knowing if he wanted to agree or argue as they approached the counter at the back, and the pharmacist looked up before Scrivener glanced over at Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn smiled at him, stepping ahead as her horn glowed and lifted the flap of her satchel, pulling free a few sheets of paper. “My friend needs to set up an account here and get these prescriptions filled.”

It took them thirty minutes to set up the account at the pharmacy and get one of Scrivener's prescriptions: not a bad time, all in all, considering how the dispensary at the mental hospital had regularly been roughly an hour behind schedule. After they left, Scrivener realized Twilight was looking at him, and he looked back at her for a moment before almost blurting: “Do you want to go and get lunch somewhere?”

Twilight looked surprised at this, but then she smiled a little and nodded before leaning towards him, saying softly: “So long as you honestly feel up to it, Scrivy. I'm glad to just go home with you, too.”

“Home...” Scrivener looked over at her curiously, and Twilight shrugged after a moment, giving him a small smile.

“Well, it is your home now, Scrivener. I mean, I gotta look after you and all, right?” Twilight laughed a little despite herself, and Scrivener thought he could see the faintest of blushes in her face as she smiled across at him. “My home is... your home, Scrivener. At least for now.”

She glanced away almost embarrassedly, and Scrivy nodded hesitantly before he'd looked back and forth, then started towards what looked like a cafe a short distance away. Twilight quickly fell into pace with him, and the two had fallen into comfortable quiet until they'd been seated at an outside table by a waiter and passed menus.

Scrivener grumbled a bit at the selection, but Twilight only looked amusedly over her menu at him, asking finally: “You can't seriously still be looking for meat, can you? Scrivy, that's one part of your delusion I refuse to believe.”

“Oh, don't be a wimp.” Scrivener scoffed, and Twilight gave him a flat look before the charcoal stallion added meditatively: “Besides. Think of it this way: if I get my hooves on some meat and eat it and it makes me sick even after I prepare it properly, it'll prove pretty conclusively that I'm crazy, right?”

“I know you well enough, Scrivener Blooms, to know that if the urge took you, you could find a reason to deny that the sky is up and the ground is down.” Twilight said mildly, and then she put down the menu, smiling across at him. “Have a sunflower sandwich.”

“That's gross.” Scrivener muttered, and then he added, glancing over the top of the menu: “And up and down are relative terms, Twilight. They only exist because of our perception of reality. Being crazy as I am, up could very well be down and down could very well be up.”

“Oh, quiet.” Twilight laughed all the same, however, shaking her head, and when Scrivener smiled and went back to his menu, she leaned forwards a bit with a soft smile on her face. “I'm... I'm really surprised you're doing so well, Scrivener. But I'm glad for it.”

Scrivener only grunted a bit, then he put down the menu as he looked across at her curiously: she was still gazing at him tenderly, and he cleared his throat, looking pointedly back at her before Twilight smiled amusedly, shaking her head a bit even as a faint blush rose in her cheeks. “Sorry, Scrivener. I just... I'm so glad to see you doing better. Every time I visited you in that institution, after all, you were always so depressed...”

The stallion softened at this, looking across at her before he asked hesitantly: “I... how often did you come and see me, Twilight? I know you were there more often than Celestia, but... the way my memories of that place are all blurred together, and how I spent so much time sedated or... addled... or just, you know, in a bad way...”

“At least an hour every week.” Twilight said softly, and Scrivener looked up in surprise before Twilight shook her head slowly, smiling faintly. “We were good friends. You, me and Luna. And... after she passed on... I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible. I really... got to know you, I think. I saw a lot of sides of you, good and bad, while you were in that institution...”

She looked away, and Scrivener gazed at her quietly before she glanced up, hesitating, opening her mouth slowly... and then she closed it and simply shook her head. Before Scrivener could prompt anything, either, he was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter, as the pony asked calmly: “May I take your order, sir and madam?”

Twilight looked up with a nod as Scrivener smiled hesitantly, gesturing at the violet mare to go first. He couldn't help but study her curiously all the same, however, wanting to know why she kept looking at him the way she did... and moreover, what secret she was half-hiding from him, hidden just beneath the surface of her thoughts.

After lunch, Scrivener and Twilight returned to the library, and the two had just talked for a while, on all kinds of different topics. A few times, Scrivy tried to tell her that she could go about business as usual, but... Twilight seemed to honestly prefer spending the time with him, and he appreciated it more than he could say.

Spike returned to the library sometime in the afternoon: a baby dragon, he was a chubby, cute little thing with mauve scales and a lime-green underbelly. His emerald eyes were large and expressive, and his nervousness was almost palpable as he looked awkwardly up at Scrivener and Scrivener looked meditatively back down at the dragon.

“You're not really crazy, right?” was the only question Spike had a chance to ask before Twilight embarrassedly hustled him off to take care of some cataloging for her, and Scrivener had smiled despite himself before Twilight had come back with an apology.

Scrivener insisted on following through with his plan of getting something nice for dinner, and Twilight relented after only a little badgering. Mostly, he thought, it was because she seemed surprised that he was doing so well, and enjoying the time spent outside, free... and the charcoal stallion was admittedly surprised himself at how well he was holding up.

So the two ponies left to pick up food, and when they came back with all the junk food they could carry, Spike seemed to lose most of his apprehension for the large stallion. The three ate together, talking a little, letting Spike get a bit more used to Scrivener and giving Scrivener the chance to study Spike... who he'd known as an teenage dragon, not as a baby.

After the meal, Spike and Twilight flitted around the library, preparing for the arrival of her friends as a worm of anxiety twisted through Scrivener's stomach, even as he poked through the shelves of the library until he found the manuscript he was looking for among the other archived papers. He looked thoughtfully down at it as he sat with it in his hooves, feeling the same nervousness as he always had when allowing other people to read his writing... and then he winced and jumped a bit when Twilight touched his shoulder.

He turned to her, and she winced back a bit, looking embarrassed before he smiled lamely, shaking his head quickly. “Sorry. Guess I got lost in my own thoughts and... didn't hear you coming.”

Twilight nodded a bit, and then she smiled a little and nudged him quietly. “Well, come on, Scrivener, my friends are here. They're anxious to meet you.”

Scrivener smiled after a moment, then Twilight hesitated before her horn glowed and gently lifted the manuscript from his hooves, saying awkwardly: “Also, please do me a favor and don't be too much of a jerk, huh? And remember, these... they're not the same ponies you wrote about.”

“Well, they are but they aren't.” Scrivener replied, but he nodded slowly all the same, turning to follow Twilight back to the main room. He paced behind her almost nervously as she carried the manuscript for him with telekinesis.

Five ponies were waiting for them: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. The last two Scrivener hadn't met yet in this world, and yet he recognized them easily all the same: the shy blonde Pegasus with her pink mane and sea-green eyes looked as humble and pretty as he remembered, and the beautiful ivory unicorn was, if anything, more flawless than he recalled, from her styled mauve mane and tail to her glimmering sapphire eyes.

He studied the five of them, from their cutie marks to their faces, as they looked back at him, even as Twilight cleared her throat and announced almost shyly: “I know you've all been curious... so uh... here he is. This is my friend, my very good friend, Scrivener Blooms. He's going to be staying with me for a while, because...”

She looked at him nervously, and Scrivener smiled a bit before he straightened a little, bowing his head forwards and reminding himself not to be too crazy, but to also try and be as honest as possible as he swallowed back both nervousness and a whisper of shame. “I was in a mental institution in Canterlot. I suffered a bit of a breakdown after... my wife died.”

“Oh, you poor thing!” Rarity leaned forwards as a murmur went through the ponies, the white unicorn studying him for a moment before her eyes widened. “That's why I thought I recognized you under all those awful scars! You were Princess Luna's fiance!”

Scrivener nodded with a quiet laugh, feeling a tremble run through his mind that he did his best to ignore as he said softly: “Yeah. She was...” He halted, then cleared his throat and asked hurriedly: “So, odd question, but do any of you remember meeting me before? Rarity, I know we must have met, but... Fluttershy, do we know each other?”

“I... no, I don't believe so...” Fluttershy murmured, shifting a bit so her long pink mane half-covered her face with a blush, likely only responding out of surprise. She studied him from behind her safe curtain of her mane, and then she smiled hesitantly as she rose her head a bit, saying quietly: “But I could be wrong, of course...”

“Yeah, how do you know us all?” Rainbow Dash asked mildly, the Pegasus hovering in the air and looking a little suspicious before her eyes flicked to Twilight moodily. “And what's the story with you and him, anyway? And hey, what's that, that story you were talking about?”

“Yes, it is.” Scrivener said mildly, glancing up at Rainbow Dash and giving a slight smile. “It has all of you in it, actually, and it's one of... six?”

“Yeah. Six.” Twilight replied quietly, gazing across at Scrivener softly for a moment before she shook her head and gave a bit of a smile in return. “Although you should probably warn them that-”

“Oh, no, no, it'll be fine. It'll be fine.” Scrivener interrupted with a slight smile, waving a hoof airily, and Twilight Sparkle sighed and rolled her eyes even as she gave him an amused look. Rainbow was now looking more curious than before, however, before Scrivener said mildly, glancing up at her: “It's the second story in the series but... somehow, I think it's fitting you start with this one.”

“I don't trust you.” Rainbow Dash said finally, even as she swooped forwards and snatched the manuscript from Twilight's telekinetic grip, looking down at it thoughtfully. “Lunar Lights. This better be good.”

Pinkie Pie smiled brightly, looking enthusiastically up at Rainbow Dash. “You'll have to tell me all about it! I wanna read it next if I'm in it, too! Imagine, having a story written about you... you could read about yourself doing all sorts of crazy things.”

“I already do all sorts of crazy things. And awesome things.” Rainbow Dash said mildly, even as she flipped the manuscript open, and asked while she began to scan the page: “So like. You still haven't told me how you got all those scars. Were you like a soldier or something, is that how you met Luna?”

“No, no, no... he was a scholar, isn't that right?” Rarity interjected, studying the earth pony stallion oddly intently, and Scrivener shifted a bit with a small smile.

“Well, kind of. I was a scribe... I worked for Luna and that was how we met.” Scrivener replied quietly, trying to stay away from specifics before he frowned a bit when Rarity stood suddenly.

“Would you mind terribly standing up?” she asked, and Scrivener looked at her blankly before the white unicorn strode quickly forwards, and Scrivener staggered to his hooves more out of reflex than anything else as she briskly began to flit around him as the other ponies stared. “Yes, yes, I thought so! I may not remember each and every customer perfectly, but I remember that particular order I was working on for Princess Luna very well, and the sizes of clothing I made for you are completely different than what I estimate your sizes are now... my, you're much bigger than I recall!”

“I work out?” Scrivener said lamely, and Rarity straightened and looked at him mildly as the charcoal stallion smiled awkwardly, feeling her judging him, a shiver running through his body... but at the same time, a strange kind of relief rising in his heart. So he was larger... so much so it was noticeable.

Then Rarity hesitated for a moment before she straightened and looked at him softly, saying gently: “Perhaps this is improper, Scrivener Blooms, but if you would like to stop by my boutique, I would be very glad to take your new measurements and... finish the outfit I have sitting in storage for you. And... it may not be much, but... I would be very glad to let you have Princess Luna's dress. I don't know why I kept it and I don't know what you would do with it, but... perhaps you could find a place to keep it.”

Scrivener looked at her for a moment, and then he bowed his head and closed his eyes with a faint smile as the paranoia and anxiety were both washed away by honest, tender gratitude, murmuring: “I... I would like that a lot, Rarity. I... thank you.”

Rarity only smiled, then turned to head back and sit down again as there was quiet for a moment, before Applejack piped up curiously: “So uh, Scrivener... you gonna be living here long? You look like a good hard worker, though, don't expect you'll find it hard to get a job.”

“And hey, can we have a party now?” Pinkie Pie asked brightly, leaning forwards with a warm look at Scrivener. “'Cause I gotta welcome every new friend to Ponyville with a party, and it just doesn't feel right to delay a party, 'cause that's like delaying making a new friend and that's never right!”

“Manic as ever.” Scrivener murmured softly, but he was smiling all the same before he glanced over at Twilight as she gave him a nervous look. “Maybe tomorrow, Pinkie Pie. A small party.”

“Good..” Pinkie Pie said warmly, and then she leaned forwards and studied him almost intently. “You know, it's funny. You remind me of a dream I had once. Not a dream, really, more like a nightmare, but it wasn't a nightmare either, it was like Nightmare Night: scary but good. Do you know what I mean?”

“I have those dreams all the time, Pinkamena.” Scrivener said softly, and Pinkie Pie laughed as she straightened a little.

“Pinkamena! No one calls me Pinkamena...” Pinkie Pie suddenly cocked her head quizzically. “Hey, wait, how'd you know that was my name?”

Scrivener only shrugged and glanced at Twilight pointedly, and the violet unicorn shrugged back before half-reasoning: “I probably mentioned it at some point, that's all. But oh, I know. We have lots of leftovers from dinner, so I'll get Spike to help me bring some of that out... if that's okay, I mean.”

She looked at Scrivener softly, and the male nodded a little, smiling almost embarrassedly before the violet mare turned to head towards the corridor leading out of the main room. For a moment, Scrivy watched her leave... and then he was distracted as Rainbow scoffed loudly from above: “You can't do stuff like this. Luna wasn't like this... was she?”

The pale-blue Pegasus softened visibly as she looked up from the manuscript in her front hooves at Scrivener, even as Applejack and Rarity both glared up at her, but Scrivener only smiled faintly as he looked up at the Pegasus mare and said gently: “She was my hero.”

This earned smiles from the mares... and Scrivener cleared his throat after a moment before he looked mildly up at Rainbow Dash, adding: “And besides. You haven't gotten to the fun part yet.”

Rainbow Dash only grunted, then she closed the manuscript and hugged it against her body, looking moodily down at him. “Well, I'll start reading later. But this better be good. And no offense, but you're no Daring Do.”

“I would hope not, I'm a stallion, after all.” Scrivener remarked dryly, and Pinkie Pie giggled as Rainbow fixed him with a flat look before he drew his eyes over the five ponies, then asked impulsively: “So does anyone know about... Twilight visiting me?”

“Kind of.” Applejack answered, and when the other ponies looked at her, the earth pony mare hesitated before she asked quietly: “You were really in an asylum for two years?”

Scrivener nodded slowly, glancing down and clearing his throat as he pawed a hoof at the floor. “Yeah, I... I was. Delusions, they tell me... believe in an entire world that was all inside my head, raving and ranting about it and unable to... connect to this reality. Being inside my own world, that entire time...” Scrivener smiled a bit. “That's... what they told me.”

“And what do you believe?” Fluttershy asked softly, clearly catching on to what the stallion wasn't saying, and Scrivener looked at her with surprise before she blushed and lowered her head. “I mean, you don't have to answer, but... I suppose I'm very curious. You sound... you're so...”

She broke off, and Scrivener shrugged a bit, saying softly: “There's just... no point in hiding it. I get paranoid anyway from time-to-time and keeping the truth from ponies just... just makes them question me even more. What I believe is...”

He hesitated, as all five ponies leaned towards him expectantly... but before he could answer, Spike toddled into the room, smiling and holding a large box of pizza out in front of him. Behind him, Twilight followed with glasses and bottles of cider, calling easily: “Come on, more than enough for everyone.”

“Hey, great!” Rainbow Dash flitted down with a wide grin as Pinkie Pie bounced cheerfully past Scrivener as well, and the stallion sighed in relief as he turned towards the food. As the ponies helped themselves to pizza and then the other snacks that Spike and Twilight retrieved, the conversation naturally shifted to lighter topics. They were curious, of course, about Scrivener's life behind padded walls... but their questions were so honest and almost naïve that he had little problem answering most of them, and Twilight seemed relieved to see this.

Their visitors only stayed a few hours, then left almost as a group: surprisingly, it was Fluttershy who was the last to go. She lingered for a moment even after Rarity, who stayed to wish Scrivener well and remind him to come by her boutique when he had the chance.

The blonde-coated Pegasus looked with quiet insistence at Scrivy, blushing a bit as he stepped in close to her and tilted his head, as Twilight stepped hesitantly backwards after a moment. For a few moments the Pegasus remained silent... and then she asked him quietly, closing her eyes: “Were you alone, when you were... in that world?”

“No. No, I was...” Scrivener bowed his head forwards, closing his eyes. “I was the luckiest stallion in the whole world, whatever else it might have seemed like.”

Fluttershy was quiet for a few moments, then she nodded a little before turning and hurrying out, and Scrivener looked after her curiously before he sighed and shrugged a bit, stepping forwards to close the door. He turned around, then smiled a little when he saw Twilight gazing at him softly, saying after a moment. “I was... glad to see your friends. They're good ponies.”

“Yeah. They are.” Twilight said softly, and then she smiled back at him, saying quietly: “I'll be back down in a few minutes, Scrivy. I'm just going to make sure Spike gets to bed okay.”

Scrivener nodded a little in return, and while the violet mare was gone, he busied himself by cleaning up the library. She returned just in time to find him pouring himself a new glass of cola, and then she smiled when he poured her one as well in a clean cup, joining him at the table as he said finally: “Thank you, for... you know. Everything. I guess you know I have my demons, huh?”

“Yeah, I do. But we all do, Scrivener.” Twilight said softly, looking down into the cola before she shook her head a bit when Scrivy glanced up at her. “You did really, really well today. I hope this doesn't come across as patronizing, but I'm proud of you.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” Scrivener said softly, and the two sipped at their cola in silence for a few moments before the charcoal stallion asked finally: “So tomorrow...”

“You have an appointment at the mental health clinic in Ponyville, to assess how you're settling in here. And next week, you have a visit to Canterlot to see a psychologist.” Twilight replied, then she smiled. “But that's all. Otherwise, we can just take everything as it comes.”

She and Scrivener studied each other across the table, and then the charcoal stallion nodded slowly, glancing down and looking into his cola as he said softly: “I still felt... paranoid now and then tonight. I don't think they all liked me very much and I worry what they think of me, and... what they think of us.”

“Why... why do you worry about what they think about us?” Twilight asked slowly, looking strangely hurt, and Scrivener looked up at her dumbly.

“What? I mean, here I am, after two, two and a half years of being locked away in a mental institution because I got unhinged when... when my wife...” Scrivener shook his head hurriedly, then continued wryly: “I just mean, I don't want them worrying I'm going to kill you in your sleep or something. Or that I'm abusing your trust and well-being.”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed a little, playing a hoof over the tabletop before she smiled faintly across at him. “Scrivy, come on. You look scary, but... I don't think you made a bad impression tonight. And I've never seen Fluttershy take such an interest in a pony before...”

“Yeah, what was with that?” Scrivener rubbed meditatively at his features, and when Twilight glanced away, the stallion looked up at her curiously before he frowned a bit. “What?”

“Nothing.” Twilight mumbled, and then she shook her head quickly, gulping down the rest of her cola before standing up from the table. “I'm going to go to bed, I think. We aren't all crazy night ponies like you, Scrivy, and... I think I can trust you to not... do anything silly. I can, right?”

Scrivener nodded after a moment, saying softly: “Yeah, of course. I'll take my pills like a good little colt and maybe even try to get some rest for a few hours or something.”

The violet mare smiled a bit at him, hesitated... and then she stepped around the table and hugged him almost impulsively, and Scrivener was surprised, but quick to return the embrace as she buried her face against the side of his neck for a moment.

A strong, intense feeling rose up through his being, reminded him of all the times he'd felt this: holding Twilight, holding Luna, features buried into his mane like it was now... and then Twilight pulled back, and Scrivener felt what could only be described as emptiness the moment contact was lost even as she smiled at him and said quietly: “I'll see you tomorrow, Scrivy. Have a good night.”

Twilight turned and hurried to the steps before Scrivener could speak, and the earth pony was left looking after her, still sitting back in his chair, front hooves half-raised as he sat alone in the room. Fullness... then emptiness.

He closed his eyes, fighting off the feelings and resisting the urge to chase after Twilight: that would be a great demonstration of how sane he was, after all, chasing down the violet mare for another hug. He shook himself out, grimacing as he scrubbed his hooves against his face for a moment before sighing quietly and embracing himself, closing his eyes as he whispered: “These feelings can't be lies... these memories... Twilight... Luna...”

Scrivener shivered for a moment, but then forced himself to still as he looked down at the table. Memories played through his mind, comparing themselves to the reality around him... and the charcoal stallion wondered silently if he really was insane for a moment... and if he wasn't, how he would ever manage to find his way back home.