Collision Code

Act I: Unexpected Collisions

Chapter 9: A Nightly Cascade

The walk back to the library took fifteen minutes under the night sky, in pretty much dead silence, since neither Corey nor John really had anything to talk about, nor did they have anything extra to say that would help their situation any. The shock of being in Equestria was starting to wear off, but it still hung over them like an omen. It wasn't too hard to find their destination, for a window lit by candlelight was pretty hard to find. The window itself was on the upper floor, where Corey recognized Twilight would be studying. As they made their approach, Corey realized something important.

He hadn't the foggiest idea how to get a sneaking suit off without thumbs or telekinetic magic. And with that realization came another: why the Hell did the ponies feel the need to get dressed anyway? Just as he seriously began to wonder how he would get himself out of the black ops suit, a third thought came into his mind.

Cartoon logic, Corey. Pinkie Pie isn't the only example of this... He recalled exactly what had happened as he ate the apple pie offered to him. He was clearly holding a fork on his fingerless hoof as though it were no big deal. None of the Apple family members seemed surprised at this, either, which startled him even more as he realized it. Then again, I can't count on that to work now...

Finally, the two former humans were at the door. The green unicorn turned to the dragon, raising an eyebrow.

"...I get the feeling someone's sleeping in there..."

From the other side of the door, an audible snore was heard. No doubt in either of the former humans' minds who that was. Yet, bound to politeness, Corey was the one that knocked upon the door with a hoof, almost losing his balance in the process. John pushed down with a fair amount of weight on his back to steady him.

"Careful, there," John reminded.

"I know, I know," responded Corey, an edge of embarrassment in his voice. From the other side of the door, a faint voice could be heard calling out, no doubt Twilight. Spike continued to snore, completely undisturbed by this. A few moments later, what could only be described as hooting could be heard from the other side of the door. The door was very slowly pulled open, revealing the same brown owl from earlier had managed to open it. It appeared to be a little winded from the effort.

"Thank you, Owlowiscious," came Twilight's voice, somewhat quiet, from the upstairs room. The owl gave another hoot in response, She appeared in the upstairs room where Corey guessed she would be, and her eyebrows moved. "...Uh...I guess you two ran into Rarity?"

"Yeah," John confirmed, since Corey was too busy feeling humiliated by the unintentional cosplaying to respond. The former human in question could no longer see facial expressions, as he was staring at the floor, now completely regretting his hay dive. "I'm guessin' she had some inspiration when doing Corey's suit there."

Twilight gave a small "hmm" of thought, then sighed.

"Well, uh, I guess you should figure out how you'll sleep outside..." said the purple pony. "It's getting late, you know..."

Neither Corey nor John felt as though they could sleep; the former having woken up from a short nap and the latter having gotten up in the morning, but they also knew they'd need to adjust to the massive time change they'd endured. So, with this in mind, the two made their way up to the second floor, John making a right for the nearest balcony. Corey trotted into the room, noticing a third bed with a plain red sheet on it. Or was that a blanket? Either way, the boy couldn't tell.

Now, how the Hell am I gonna get into this thing? the former human looked incredibly confused. Really should have asked Ivan how he managed to sleep in that bed... Before he could climb in and try to get comfortable, however, the purple mare in the room with him raised an objection.

"...You can't be serious about sleeping in that, can you?" Twilight asked, breaking Corey's thoughts entirely, and reminding him of his problem.

"I-I don't have a choice..." said Corey in response, turning to her to see her looking at him with a somewhat understanding look.

"Right, I read that you have smaller hooves on the ends of your limbs...normally, anyway." Twilight responded, confirming his suspicion that she was reading up on humans. "...And you don't have magic either..."

"...those 'smaller hooves' are called 'fingers' and 'toes', depending on which limb you're talking about..." Corey mumbled, completely focused on the first part of Twilight's statement. The purple mare wasn't paying attention, studying his situation with a thoughtful look on her face. Finally, she seemed to come to a decision. With a sigh, she asked a question.

"...Do you...want help in getting that off?"

...WHAT? asked Corey inside, taking a few seconds to process exactly what she said. Even though he knew she'd already seen him naked, technically, the thought of being helped out of his clothing was successful in tinting his cheeks a scarlet color. The heat in his face was worse than any of the awkward moments at the boutique earlier, simply because he felt he was out of options. Twilight seemed to notice the pigmentation of this face.

"What's the matter?" she asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

"It's...something I've never had to deal with before..." His voice came out higher in pitch and quieter than intended, a result of his complete and utter embarrassment at his situation. "...But...without fingers, or...magical abilities...I don't think I'll be able to take this off on my own..."

The only thing that could be heard was the owl... Owlowiscious, or however she said it, hooting somewhat, and Spike snoring. A few moments later, the gentle sound of magic being used was heard. Corey flinched as he felt invisible hands feel around the vest, and found a zipper on the back. The cloth fell down.

As the process continued, the color of Corey's face deepened. He didn't know whether to keep scowling or shiver in discomfort at the fact he was once again being emasculated by a situation he had no control over. All he could do was try his hardest to prevent himself from squeaking in utter embarrassment and thank God and Equestria's equivalents that Leo, John and Ivan weren't around to see this. Bonus points that Spike was asleep at that point in time as well. The jacket fell to his front hooves. There was a slight tugging at the headband knot.

The former human didn't object to having that removed from his person as well, however the overwhelming embarrassment at the fact a female had to help him out of his clothes, never mind the innuendo such a situation would normally carry, kept him silent. He was positively sure that he now shared the same fur color as Big and the same mane color as Apple Bloom now, because the heat from his blush now spread to his entire body, or at least that's how he felt. The room was painfully silent, save for the snores of Spike.

Twilight continued to look upon Corey. She'd seen quite a few nervous ponies, but he was trembling on the spot, and his face had taken on a disturbingly red pigment. He continued to wince as though he were being hit. Confused, the purple mare could only watch as Corey slowly began to move into the spare bed.

"...Uh...Corey?" Twilight asked, feeling the silence too awkward. "Are you...gonna be okay?"

"Yes!" he squeaked, complete and clear embarrassment in his words. The green colt--no, former human, took a deep, shuddering breath, probably willing himself to not be embarrassed.

"I've already seen you like this before..." said the studious mare, studying his reaction very carefully.

"I know," His voice had returned to a somewhat normal pitch, though it still wavered as though embarrassed nonetheless. "...but in human culture...well, we typically do wear clothes. ...Here it doesn't matter, fur covers everything up, but--"

"Okay, okay," Twilight cut in, now understanding the extent of Corey's problem. Of course, just like with earlier, his mouth continued to run on.

"...it's honestly never happened to me before..." He said this almost casually, as though he were discussing the weather. He blinked, then she did.

...Wait...did he just... Watching Corey's face twist into utter embarrassment now at the revelation he just threw out there, the purple pony fixed him with a look of skepticism again.

"...I...what?" Twilight couldn't even wrap her head around the latest rambling from the male across from her. "...Did you...? Uh..."

"F-forget I...said that..." he responded, immediately climbing into the spare bed. He fumbled about with the blankets as though he'd never been in a bed before either, but Twilight suspected this was more because of the fact he wasn't used to having four legs and no "fingers" or "toes", as he called them. However, he barely managed to orient himself into a proper sleeping position. "...G-good night, Twilight..."

Twilight watched as the pudgy pony lay down. He was still shivering out of the embarrassment he caused himself. A small thought, a whisper in the back of her mind, erupted forth.

...He's never had a female undress him before...? Remembering that Corey said that clothes generally kept humans decent, her face slightly reddened somewhat as she considered what her kind gesture meant back in his world. Immediately, her mind tried to get her back on her studies. F-focus...! Her concentration lapsed again, as the little voice in her head once again sounded. ...Does this mean he hasn't had a mare--well, whatever humans call their marefriends, before?

Her brows furrowed and her ears pulled back as she warded off this wave of thoughts. Believing Corey to be too embarrassed by his recent rambling, Twilight decided to leave him alone for the moment, and ask him about his world in the morning. From his recent statement, it seemed she still had a lot to learn about human culture.

Opening another book she'd found contained some reference to humans, Twilight continued her studies...

Alone, and with no one around, John had no issues getting out of the tuxedo that Rarity had put on him earlier. He now had the suit carefully folded up, and had set it on the side of the doorway to the balcony, on the inside. There was a lot on the former human's mind, but he knew that the only two--well, three, if the owl counted despite its lack of vocabulary--others who knew the situation didn't quite understand.

Even if he had been turned into a pony of some sorts, he didn't precisely want to be there anyway. He was around half a year from finishing college, being the oldest of the four former humans. But now that he was a social pariah of sorts, a near-adult dragon, no doubt he was going to be under intense scrutiny for quite a while.

What was that file that Ivan received that caused all this? Corey didn't seem to know, and he was there for that part. John sat down on the balcony, trying to think things over.

Exactly how will this all play out? he wondered to himself. We can't well keep the "human" side of us hidden forever. Compared to all the ponies here, some of us haven't had the greatest of lives, and it might show just from how we act alone.

He sat in absolute silence, only the chirping of crickets occasionally echoing in his ears. John knew that he and his fellow former humans would be here in Equestria for a while, but he didn't know how they felt entirely about this situation. For all he knew, they could just as easily want to stay here. On top of that, they'd be here a while anyway. Certainly enough time to change his mind before then.

John laid out on the balcony. There was such a huge time change between Earth and Equestria he doubted he'd adjust in one night, but he'd figured if he bored himself enough, he might just manage to fall back into the warm embrace of sleep. He gazed up to the sky, the stars and the moon shining brightly. As he looked, he noticed that the stars were more visible in Ponyville than they were in the city he lived in.

Hoping to bore himself to the point he'd start snoozing, the dragon decided to start counting the amount of stars he could see in the sky. For a few minutes, John was able to summon the energy to count and point at the same time, but soon his arm fell numb to sleep. At last count, he'd counted three hundred and thirty seven stars in the sky, and then he finally blacked out, able to doze off into what he'd hoped would be a good enough rest.

Rainbow Dash hovered at the town entrance, not really winded from the excursion at all. Though she tried not to show it, anypony who knew better would realize she was waiting for something. The cyan pegasus wasn't one to wait long, however, and from the way she was shifting from side to side, one would assume her short patience was about to wear out.

"Ha! Didn't think he'd show!" The athletic pony observed, scoffing somewhat. She turned around in mid-air, only to be face-to-face with a silver pegasus with red eyes. Immediately, the mare's outlook changed entirely. "...Huh, what took you?" When he failed to respond, Rainbow's eyes trailed down, and noticed two things were off about the current situation. For one, Leo's cheeks were once again the same color as his eyes. Number two, when she turned towards him, she didn't realize their snouts were touching almost perfectly with one another.

It took Rainbow all of four seconds to fully process this. Her eyebrows angled as she pulled away, already feeling heat peck at her cheeks. There was an incredibly awkward silence between them. Finally, Leo cleared his throat, and spoke up.

"I..." he started, very quietly at first. His voice gathered volume and strength quickly, however. "...I thought you said this wasn't a date, Dash."

The cyan mare took an instant to fix Leo with a confused look, but then she giggled dismissively, waving off the incident with a forehoof.

"Hey, maybe it is," Rainbow answered. Whether or not this meeting was romantic in any way didn't matter, she realized as she recalled exactly how long she had been willing to wait for him. Granted, it wasn't nearly as long as the average mare would have waited to meet up, but for her, she'd waited quite a long time. "But don't get any funny ideas, Leo!" Her voice and gaze softened a mere fraction after this, "But...I've gotta admit...I'm kinda curious about you now."

As the time passed since she last saw him, Rainbow Dash found it ever so slightly harder to push the silver pegasus out of her mind. That probably fed her patience with him to that point. She had wanted to get to know him better, especially after he'd pranked both his friends to that extreme. Indeed, while she was performing more athletic stunts, she'd wound up giggling a little from the memory of what Leo had done to Corey and John. Granted, she hadn't seen what Rarity had done to them for herself, but something about that prank just forced her to smile.

"Really?" Leo clearly was having some trouble putting a mask on his excitement. His wings almost became stuck in that..."paralyzed" position again, but he managed to correct himself. Before Dash could cut in again, he continued, "So what do you want to do?"

The cyan mare responded by taking a short time to think.

"Hmm...how are your wings?" She questioned.

"Got a lot more control over them now," he responded, "Probably not gonna be able to go as fast as you."

"I'd have been surprised if you could," Rainbow remarked, smirking again. "It's not like I wanted to go fast anyway. So...do you wanna fly with me?"

The cyan mare watched the silver colt before her nod, probably a little too enthusiastically, so once again she moved to remind him.

"Don't get any ideas, now!"

The two pegasi flew above Ponyville. To Leo's great surprise, Rainbow Dash wasn't going nearly as fast as she was earlier when she was "training" him. She also seemed to have adopted a somewhat gentler personality. That wasn't to say she wasn't boasting of how fast she could be, or how she was born awesome, but she wasn't doing so as much Leo expected. Rather, she seemed to be asking him questions about his friends.

He gave obligatory answers. He'd met his friends when he was young, and since then, they've formed a somewhat unbreakable bond. He even said that in a way, Corey tied them all together - if not for him, he and the other two wouldn't have met. And as he made that statement, not only did he realize this held true due to his friend's spriting hobby, which all four of the former humans shared, but this was another somewhat valid comparison point to Twilight.

In response, Rainbow surprisingly strayed somewhat from talking about herself and added her friends into the mix. She did a recap of the events from the pilot episodes from her perspective, how she met Twilight, how Night Mare Moon appeared, and how the six of them saved the day. Leo knew all this already, but for some reason, hearing the words coming out of her mouth seemed to make the recap worth hearing again, enough that he could convincingly say it was a shock to him.

However, Leo knew he couldn't go back to the library, even if Corey and John were already asleep. He didn't know about their sleep habits well enough to assume they wouldn't hear him coming in. He knew they'd be asking about where he was, and he was not feeling up to facing them right now.

"Hey...Dash, uh...I was wondering..." Leo began, trying his hardest to not leave a gap in his wording. "I don't have a place to stay right now...can I...stay at yours tonight? Twilight offered, but I don't want to be any trouble on her..."

The dark pink eyes of the pegasus in question narrowed, questioning him. She studied him intently, and for a moment, the former human feared the worst would come. He could already picture his green unicorn friend telling him to stop thinking with his wings when Rainbow spoke up again.

"You'll probably be trouble for both of them, if that prank you pulled on Corey earlier is any indication..." Rainbow said. "I mean, not that they'll be safe from me either if I get half a chance, but hey, let's not get off-topic! You can stay with me if you really want to! Just, no funny business!"

Leo couldn't help but notice there was traces of surprise in her tone. He had a good feeling he knew why she was so surprised.

...She's being nicer than normal... thought the former human to himself as he followed Rainbow Dash in flight. Could she...?

He looked to where he remembered the library to begin, then in a random direction he assumed Sweet Apple Acres was located.

Good luck guys...

Ivan wasn't exactly the sleepiest pony in Equestria right now. Despite the fact that most of his first day was spent napping, he actually was a light sleeper, and heavily nocturnal. It was how he behaved not only during the summer, but during the school year as well. He knew he'd probably be required to be up early as per being a farmhand, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep just yet.

He was dwelling on a few things. Firstly, the fact that he could be stuck in Equestria for a while crossed his mind. That in itself didn't strike the former human as anything strange, but his dream was the major cause of his dwelling on this fact and one other. From the looks of the injuries Applejack and Corey had suffered in that dream, assuming his dream was a premonition of things to come, things were going to get serious while they were here.

"What's gonna happen while we're here?" asked Ivan to himself, laying back on the bed he'd earlier been loaned. To his knowledge, the Apple family had already nodded off. "...If that dream is anything to go on, things are going to get really weird when it comes to relationships...and I'm actually okay with that."

Ivan spoke a combination of words he'd never thought he'd say. It didn't affect him too much other than his eyes widening from the affirmation that yes, he did not care if he or his friends wound up dating a pony, but he did care that it probably wouldn't end well when the time came to split. The brown earth pony continued to absently stare at the ceiling, not really knowing how the former humans would get home.

But hey, he wasn't going to get bent out of shape over it right now. If he had to stay a while in Equestria while things got sorted out, then that's what he'd have to do. The former human finally allowed himself to relax, and within the space of several minutes, he succumbed to the embrace of slumber.

It took about ten minutes of flight for the two pegasi to reach the mare's home. Rainbow Dash landed casually on the cloud front porch, and noticed with slight amusement that Leo was hesitating to land on the cloud. However, he finally seemed to catch on to the fact he could walk on clouds, and relented.

"...Wow, it's sort of like a castle..." Leo noted aloud, looking around. Rainbow couldn't help but to giggle at his observation.

"Well, are you gonna stay outside all night and stare?" Dash asked, leaning up against the open door. "It's getting real late."

Leo wordlessly walked up to the doors. Inside, the place was furnished with surprisingly real-looking furniture. Which was funny-a house made out of clouds, would have clouds inside it. At least, that's what Leo thought. When he considered exactly where he was, he immediately shut his brain up.

Leo closed his eyes in thought, trying to phrase exactly how he should say his thanks for it, but suddenly, he realized he had a problem. His tiredness was beginning to affect him, and it was hitting him like a train. Unlike Corey and Ivan, Leo didn't catch a nap during the first day because he didn't feel tired at all. He tried desperately to keep up with the rainbow-maned pony's words as she looked around her bedroom.

"Huh, well I don't plan to share the bed with you," Dash laughed. Though he was sleepy, and he was sure insomnia-induced dementia was already getting to him at this point, he could have sworn he heard her whisper "yet" as she hovered past him.

Rainbow Dash frowned as she realized the situation she had gotten herself into. She looked back to the silver colt she'd let into her home. He seemed to be standing up on his hooves in the cloud home, and must have been thinking pretty hard judging by the look on his face. Either that, or he heard her. She didn't know why she just said what she'd said, and blushed somewhat from the implications.

Shaking this off, the cyan mare quickly wondered what to do about Leo's bedding arrangements. It wouldn't be that hard to construct something comfortable out of clouds.

"Really, you don't have to..." Leo said, not sounding tired in the least. "I could sleep on the floor."

A sharp stab of emotion hit Rainbow Dash as though she just defied logic and flew into herself at top momentum.

"N-no," she said, with an unusual amount of softness in her voice. Forcing more of "herself" into her vocal cues, she continued, "No, Leo, I can do this!"

Again! I just turned into Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash bit back a small frustrated growl, really thanking her lucky stars none of her friends were around to see her...softness around this new pony. That would have been a complete disaster in her mind. She was a tough pony at heart, Fluttershy's complete opposite in most respects. Yet even she knew to watch out for the meek pegasus's heart. But around Leo, she'd noticed she'd been acting a little off.

As she gathered herself, her ears stiffened, responding to the light snores of somepony. Bewildered, she turned, to see a silver pegasus flat on his stomach, out like a light. Rainbow cocked her head to one side, confused at how quickly he fell asleep.

"Whoa, was he out of it," she remarked aloud. She looked to the sleeping colt in front of her.

And looked...

and looked...

And realized she was looking just a little too long. Dash quickly coughed into one of her forehooves, blushing in a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. She looked to the sleeping colt.

Just what is it about you that makes me get this way? She was now glaring into the sleeping face of Leo, as if trying to determine what she was seeing in him was worth softening up. The pegasus grit her teeth, tormented with her emotions. She took a few breaths to calm herself, incredibly glad that nopony else was around to see her like this. That would have been awkward.

Once again, she looked to the silver pegasus, then to her bed. She looked back to the pegasus, then the bed. Another emotional wave washed over her at this point, and Dash's gaze softened. With a heavy sigh, she allowed herself to relent to the emotion.

"You owe me big time for this..." she whispered, a very soft smile on her face, and the beginnings of a blush starting to form on her cheeks. "Leo."

Corey was trying his hardest to go to sleep in the guest bed, but nothing was working. He rolled on his side, he went onto his back; hell, he'd even tried sleeping in a traditional pony position. His eyelids felt slightly heavy, but his mind was wide awake. All he wanted to do was sleep, but something in him wasn't letting him. He opened his eyes, surveying the room. The candlelight lit the room still, but he couldn't really fault Twilight for keeping him up.

The purple mare in question was off to his left, where he'd last observed her, quietly reading a book while lying down. The former human then saw that there was two stacks of books, neatly stacked off to either side. The pile on her right was taller than the one on the left, which had one last book. He couldn't see the bookworm's expression from his angle. However, he assumed she was still trying to study his species, or at least his former species.

Corey's face bunched up in thought as he considered the options. Sure, he could start talking to her, but he honestly feared what the truth would bring about. Would she fear him and his fellow former humans? On the other hand, he didn't have a lot else to do. He didn't know how John was managing sleep, Spike was out like a light, Leo was off somewhere else, and Ivan was at Sweet Apple Acres. He needed to do something until he finally fell asleep, and he couldn't lie idly by now.

"Twilight?" He asked, just a little groggily. The mare didn't respond, probably not hearing him straight away. He repeated himself again, forcing more energy and volume into his voice. "Twilight, you still up?"

"Oh, Corey!" she responded, turning to him with a somewhat startled expression on her face. She studied him intently for a few moments, and the green colt honestly feared as though the pony before him was going to bring up that awkward exchange, but her expression relaxed into a sympathetic one. "You can't sleep?"

"Not really..." Corey grumbled in response. "Believe me, I've been trying..." He trailed off, already recalling the emasculating experience of having his clothing removed. "...I feel like I should ask...are you having any luck with finding what you're looking for?" Twilight looked to him, and thought for a few moments. She soon nodded, and invited him over with a gentle nod. Corey successfully managed to get out of the bed again, and made his way next to her, Twilight moving the books on her left in front of her to allow him to lie down next to her. He was only slightly affected by this.

"The information is scattered through several books, and some of it is just repeating itself. I gathered up all the reference guides I could about parallel worlds..." Once again, she appeared to be trying to recall. And indeed she did. Page numbers were specified, dietary habits and other unconfirmed materials were put into Corey's direction. The omnivorous diet of humans, and other facts, had to be confirmed by Corey himself. The former human in question was grateful that the fact humans ate meat didn't disturb Twilight.

"...So, you've been reading up on humans since earlier, huh?" Corey asked. He hadn't even realized, but he had become somewhat relaxed during the course of the conversation. His scowl wasn't as prominent as it was before, and when Twilight fixed her gaze on him after his question, she seemed to notice. Though she didn't voice it, her eyes, purple and expressive, told the story, even to someone as poor an emotion reader as he was.

"I've learned a lot, but..." Twilight responded. Her eyes flickered for a moment, and she looked away, as though she were trying to decide on how she wanted to say her statement. Before Corey could take advantage of the silence, she turned back to him, somewhat startling him. "...I want to know...what do you know about your world?"

Corey's ears peeled back in distaste as he grimaced at her question. There were so many ways his vision of Earth could be told, and all of them he could see ending in a rambling disaster on his part. Hell, he'd given his insight on his peers and to a certain extent the education system.

"I mean, if you don't want to..." Twilight trailed off, and almost immediately Corey's mouth took off ahead of him again.

"No, no...I'll talk. I need something to do since I can't sleep."

The amount of elation he could see in Twilight's face was enough to make him flinch a second time. She frowned somewhat.

"You did seem pretty...upset...about your peers at school..." She said, her eyes flickering again. In this moment, Corey felt his heart rate increase, but he quickly dismissed this. "...What exactly do you mean?"

"I sort of want to amend what I said earlier..." the former human responded, and it was true. He hadn't been too clear on how schools worked in his world. He thought for a moment for what he was about to say. "It's true. I did hate school. But, listen closely. I don't know if it works the same here, but in my world...students are divided by grade level, and to some extent, age."

Twilight gave a nod and a smile. Once again, his heart started pumping erratically, but he forced himself to not think about it, immediately going on without waiting for the purple pony next to him to give any indication of understanding.

"Let's see...from kindergarten to sixth grade--"

"Yes, the school system in your world sounds similar to ours," Twilight confirmed.

"I see," Corey nodded awkwardly, before continuing. "Anyway, from kindergarten, to sixth grade, that part is 'elementary school'. Basic math, reading, writing, that sort of thing. Average age is five to twelve."

"...Five to twelve...?" Twilight trailed off.

"Oh, well, I don't know if you all age the same way or keep track of it the same way, but...we determine age by years. I'm eighteen now. Pretty much in the prime of my life now." Corey casually stated. Twilight nodded, and smiled.

"I'm probably around the same age, then," said Twilight. The former human suppressed a growl, wondering how the hell Equestria measured the age of its ponies. The explanation of school's workings went on without further interruption, and then Corey explained he didn't like that part of school.

"However, some students like me aren't satisfied with just a high school diploma," Corey continued. It was probably the longest he'd ever spoken, and the boy was momentarily surprised at how long he'd gone. Then again, the topic was given to him. "So they continue their education. This part of the educational system I actually like. It's college."

He took a few more minutes explaining exactly what that was, and how far he'd been going. She didn't seem to mind the fact his major was in the field of technology that got him into this mess.

"So you know these 'codes', too?" Twilight asked, looking momentarily confused.

"I could get into a long-winded explanation, but there's different programming languages all around, and I really don't want to go into that." Corey responded. "But yeah, my major gripes stem mainly from other students, even now."

"Why?" Twilight asked. "I used to feel the same way...I used to think other ponies would just be a waste of time and effort, and buried myself to my eyeballs in books...but after my teacher, Princess Celestia..."

Corey listened with some attentiveness to her story of how that particular endeavor actually made her learn that friendship was something that shouldn't be avoided, but embraced. It took a great deal of effort, but he was able to prevent his inner smartass from coming out with a "I know" straight away, but that was soon negated as he found himself legitimately enthralled within Twilight's recap. He wasn't sure what it was about her account of the events that made it so captivating, but nevertheless, the former human found himself surprisingly attentive on her story.

"I have to say, that's quite a story...but in the human world, well..." he scowled again as he struggled to find a way to put what he was about to say in friendlier terms. "...I can't say I've ever been in this situation, but smart people...the more intelligent members of society, could be used by their peers for their own gain. In other words, the 'get the nerd to work on your work while you sit and do nothing' routine."

Twilight blinked once, then twice. She inhaled to speak, but Corey gently cut her off, unconsciously moving one of his hooves to brush against hers. He didn't even notice the gesture, instead continuing to speak.

"I do think of myself as intelligent," He didn't try to be boastful when he said that. "I've been told so quite a few times..."

Twilight's brow furrowed. This time, he allowed her to speak.

"...What..." She appeared to hesitate. "...What is the square root of three hundred and fifteen?"

Now Corey's brow furrowed. He knew he should have seen that one coming. He took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to turn an imperfect root into a radical.

Let's see...divisible by 4...? No. Divisible by 9...? Yes. Divide that by nine...three sixty divide by nine is forty, three fifteen is forty-five less than three sixty, so I think that makes three fifteen divide by nine a thirty-five... Extract the perfect square, leaving us with three times the square root of 35.

"Three, times the square root of 35." Corey finally responded. "You may have been expecting a decimal, but I was taught this way about those sorts of irrational values."

Twilight inhaled, then she exhaled abruptly.

"I...was...sort of expecting a decimal value, but I do know about radicals. I've got to say, though, your math is right." The purple pony nodded.

"Don't turn this into a quiz session now." Corey warned. "But...even in college, I...sit in seclusion, pursuing my own hobbies. I don't have any interests that interest other people. At least, that's how I feel."

Twilight was a little stunned by Corey's behavior. She knew there was something bubbling underneath the scowl, but she hadn't expected the cascade of information she'd just received. Indeed, Corey seemed to be more intelligent than he let on, and a little bitter as well. However, a look reflected in his brown eyes suggested uncertainty. The last time she'd seen that sort of look was when he was trying to tell her that he was in fact a human. But it wasn't the same "hopeless" look he'd given at that time.

"What is it, Corey?" Twilight asked, wondering what was eating at him now. He looked directly to her, and sighed. It was at this moment, Twilight looked to her front, and realized the colt-human on her right was still absently touching her hoof. A small blush quaked its way to her cheeks, but it soon suppressed itself when Corey spoke again.

"I guess I should explain a little." Corey said. "...I probably shouldn't mention this, but...I think you'd better know about this. John, Ivan, Leo...they know about this too."

"Know about what?" The purple mare struggled to keep her voice down.

"It's about me..." the boy continued. "Again, while I don't think such a...condition, exists here...I...was sort of born asocial. That's the only way I can put it."

The lavender pony could only blink again as she racked her brains for any way somepony could be born asocial. When none came, she looked to him again, and noticed that he was sliding his hoof away from her, having finally noticed that he never moved it.

"A-anyway," he was now stuttering, and Twilight could see his face was once again tinted red. "I was...diagnosed with a social impairment at age ten...called Asperger's Syndrome. It basically makes me smarter, but cuts down on my social skills. It was painfully visible then, but it probably isn't as visible now."

Twilight considered what he just said. Somehow, his explanation fit, and indeed, had he not told her, she wouldn't have known about this "Asperger's".

"Oh," She felt herself get a little saddened by the new information. "I see..."

"Don't..." he started. "Don't worry about me. I'm still capable of being a good friend, but...well, it's not that I don't particularly see the point, it's just...I tend to dwell on the past, and the actions of others around me."

"I don't doubt that," Twilight immediately cut in. "Just about anyp--" She halted, again reminding herself that the pony next to her was once a human, "anyone, can be a good friend to someone...but..."

"I'm passive in my friendmaking approach. Both in person and over the internet. Actually, I should say mostly passive. Very rarely do I speak. I think you know why. Another trait from that syndrome I just mentioned. I tend to go off on tangents about random topics..."

The purple pony's brows furrowed again, but only for a moment. She became more thoughtful in her posture and gesturing as she considered all that he'd been through on his first day in Equestria.

Corey watched Twilight for any sign of movement, feeling slightly guilty he'd mentioned his Asperger's to the pony. Really, what was he thinking? She seemed to be buying his explanation. His family had always scolded him for using it as a crutch of sorts, but he really wasn't trying to this time. Twilight and him weren't exactly alike, but she definitely pursued her own interests before the intervention of her mentor and the princess of the sun.

As Twilight continued to think about the information he'd just given her, for a few fleeting moments, he found himself oddly transfixed, staring at the pony as she mulled over whatever she was. A thought, a mere whisper against the confines of his mind, made itself known.

...She looks...adorable. Like, really adorable, right now. The rest of his mind considered that thought, and a small shiver coursed through him. Damn it, there I go again! Far before he could stop that whisper from continuing, it continued to send subliminal thoughts through the rest of him. She's been so understanding of you...and for all intents she really should have lost her patience with you from the word "go". Corey did appreciate the level of understanding she'd given him, but even so, that didn't change the fact thinking about it was making his heart pound.

Thankfully, the former human caught himself staring in time. He blinked a few times, and awaited Twilight's response.

"I understand...is that why...?" She wondered. This seemed to be more of a reflection than an actual question, but Corey still felt obliged to hear it. "Is that why you're the way you are?"

"Part of it. I can't guarantee I'd be the same way I am now if my family hadn't been so...supportive of me when they knew what was wrong with me. They could have either infinitely coddled me, or flat-out shunned me. Thankfully, they did neither, and for that, I have to thank them..." He closed his eyes, feeling a little saddened. He hung his head, willing himself to not break down. Something hot and wet trailed down his right eye.

At this point, he felt something brush against his right forehoof. Startled, he looked, to see a purple hoof snugly against his own foreleg. He followed the leg to a head.

"Take it easy..." There was no mistaking the concerned smile on her face.

"There's no sense..." Corey forced himself to stop wavering. "There's no sense in me worrying about some of that now. Point is, thanks to them, I'm not entirely socially hopeless, I just..." A warm feeling shot through him, filling his entire body, and suddenly, he felt the corners of his mouth tug upward. "...I just have a bad case of...sticking my foot...or...hoof, I guess, if you prefer that naming convention, into my mouth whenever I speak."

The former human looked to Twilight, who had already been looking back at him for some time. The pony appeared to be giggling somewhat, laughing into her other forehoof. However, she got control of it, and now looked at him, still smiling somewhat. For a moment, she appeared puzzled.

"Are you...smiling...?" she asked, looking at him.

"Am I?" Corey seemed bewildered. He had felt his mouth tug upward, but he didn't feel the mouth muscles after that. He'd thought they'd sagged at least somewhat downward. Their eyes met once again. This time, however, the boy found himself utterly at a loss for words. He was unable to speak. He could hear the pulsing of his heart and brain inside of his ears, and he was completely aware he was starting to stare.

Twilight was both unnerved and intrigued by what she was paying witness to. Her mind wanted her to say something, but no words were coming to her mind. She was aware he was looking almost blankly at her without so much as saying a word, but all she could do was look back at him. Neither broke the stare for what seemed like a really awkward hour. But it was really only about half a minute at most; during which Corey's cheeks began reddening again.

"...you have pretty eyes..." he said quietly, and from the way he blinked immediately after he said it, she knew he slipped again, but she had heard every word. Heat fought its way to her cheeks, and she reared back, her ears folding down in embarrassment. She didn't need to be told how red her face must have been at this moment. "...Uh..." She looked again at him, and realized now his face was even redder, his eyes were closed, and his ears were peeled back just about as far as they would go.

"Um...thanks...?" Twilight said, not having expected this. Now, she was aware that her heart was beating a lot more furiously than it should have been. The purple pony was by no means unaware of this. She'd read about these sorts of symptoms somewhere before, and the self-diagnosis wasn't hard to make it all.

Both of them realized something at this instant. Almost immediately, both of them began thinking to themselves about what had just happened. Though neither of them had any relationships of that nature before, both of them had enough real-world experience when watching their peers in the same boat; or in Corey's case, actually having harbored quite a few strong crushes in his day.

I...I can't be falling for her... thought Corey. ...But...she's so...adorable, and intelligent, too. And...well, she's shown some level of patience with me. ...and those comparisons aren't helping either...

Am I...falling in--? With him? Twilight pondered, trying to get back to her studies, but finding it a little hard to concentrate with Corey simply being next to her. He does seem smart, and yes, he's...somewhat like I was, only...worse. A new thought occurred to her, again, a mere whisper in the back of her head. ...and he's somewhat cute when he's flustered...

The two lay down in what seemed like pure silence, the air around them awkward and incredibly hard to breathe in. Finally, the green unicorn, the former human in the room, having had his fill of awkward moments, absent-mindedly setting his head down and closing his eyes. Twilight was just on her last book, and he couldn't help but notice she looked somewhat tired.

But that was the last thought he had, for soon, his conscious mind left him, and he drifted off to sleep.

After sitting in complete silence following the awkward exchange, Twilight finally finished her studies with the books she'd picked out. Her eyelids felt somewhat heavy, and she was going to finally get to bed. She turned to her left and noticed with the faintest of smiles that Corey was still there. The smile faded to a neutral expression when she realized he'd fallen asleep next to her. She watched him sleep for a moment, confused with her behaviors and thoughts about him.

She remembered the conversation they'd had about his world. He was a loner, but that was only because he probably didn't know any better, and his world probably wasn't as much like Equestria as the school system he described indicated. He made his world sound like a decent place to be, but compared to Equestria, it sounded a little darker, certainly more dismal than life here.

He didn't have a whole lot of friends if not for the Internet, though he didn't seem to mind it much. Yet, he also seemed to know things would be different here for him. It was at this moment, Twilight came to a decision.

I'll figure these feelings out later. She raised her neck and tenderly nuzzled him, meaning it to be a friendly gesture. Probably a little "too friendly", she realized as he stirred somewhat beneath her head before once again settling down. ...He needs somepony to guide him, that much I can see. A friend that is around him enough to help him to adjust, at least until he can get back...

She realized how soft the...excess weight...made him, and her eyelids got heavier. Her wakefulness was starting to leave her, faster than she expected. As she drifted off to sleep, only slightly disturbed by the fact she didn't make it to bed, her thought process finished.

I'll try to be that friend to him...

Couple of things here. One, most of the stuff in this chapter was added to try and flesh out two of the relationships. Two, the Season 3 spoiler "The Failure Song" had been released, and well, that's where the square root bit came from.