Gabriel was in his car, driving peacefully with the window open. He was lucky, there wasn't much traffic. Still, it was the hour when everyone was heading home. Having had a hard day's work himself, he was anxious to get home. He turned on the radio and his favorite music was playing at that very moment. He smiled and continued singing.

Suddenly, he saw blue light in his rearview mirror and heard a police siren. “Oh no...” he thought, pulling over as a Belgian police car, a white Audi A4 with the characteristic blue stripes and activated flashing lights, pulled up just behind. A pegasus stepped out, her coat the color of blue and her tail and hair multicolored, dressed in her usual police uniform.

She approached Gabriel's car door, as he thought to himself, “That's all I need...” She knocked three times on the window and Gabriel opened it. “Something's wrong, Mr... Uh... Officer?”

“Do you know why I'm arresting you?”

“Uh... not really no...”

“You know it's against the law to listen to music too loudly on public roads?”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“No one is supposed to ignore the law... right colleague?”

Gabriel watched as another pony appeared out of nowhere. This time she had a dark blue coat and a sapphire-blue mane. She also had a white crescent-moon sign on a black background drawn on its flanks, and looked surprised to be here. But she answered all the same: “Uhm, yes, of course!”

“Right, well, I'm going to have to write you a ticket”

“Oh no, do you really have to?” asked Gabriel.

“The law's the law!”

“Pfff...” As the cop wrote out her ticket, Gabriel looked glumly into the distance. Suddenly, he noticed a MAN truck coming across the road with a whole series of big lights. There was a row below the bumper, one above and one on the roof. “Seriously, what's the point of it having so many headlights?”

Suddenly, all the big lights came on, blinding Gabriel and illuminating the scene far more than necessary. The two policewomen turned to see what was happening. “What's going on?” asked the one with the crescent moon.

“I don't know...” replied the multicolored one.

The truck was speeding up, coming dangerously close to their positions, continuing to blind the trio. “He's completely insane !” cried Gabriel. He wanted to move, to run to avoid the collision, but it was as if his buttocks were glued to his seat. He watched the huge luminous mass approach and reflexively covered his eyes with his arm, before everything went black.

Gabriel rushed awake, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour. He took several deep breaths, realizing it was only a dream. Once he had calmed down, he laughed nervously, speaking to himself as he said: “Ha... What a stupid dream... Getting pulled over by ponies... and hit by a truck...” He laughed again, so stupid. Sometimes dreams really could be meaningless. “Ponies... why would I much more dream of...” He paused in his sentence, his vision having grown accustomed to the darkness. “...ponies?!” he finished, realizing he wasn't in his room.

He immediately wanted to turn on the light, but it took him a while to find the bedside lamp. This one, usually on his right, was now on the left. And of course, it wasn't HIS lamp, and instead of pressing a button, he had to pull a cord.

Once the room was lit, Gabriel felt his hairs bristle as memories of the previous day resurfaced in his brain. “No... No...It's not true...”

His first instinct was to get up and head for the window. Once there, he yanked back the curtains to see what lay before him. Behind the glass still stood the small equestrian village, taunting him with its presence. It had an incredibly different atmosphere at night. He could also see the sky, which was magnificently starry. Without the usual earthly light pollution, every constellation was completely visible.

Tears began to roll down his cheeks. He was both exhilarated by the sight and terrified by the situation. “Why am I still here? Why am I still here? This was all supposed to be a dream. A fucking dream...” His attention returned to the village. For a moment, he thought he saw a dark-blue silhouette peering out from behind a house. But when he blinked, the figure had disappeared.

Gabriel closed the curtains, then went to sit back down on the bed. “Fucking hell, fuck...” He rubbed his face with his hands, then stared into space. He sensed he wasn't about to go back to sleep. His gaze wandered to his clothes lying in a ball in the corner of the room. He then looked at the desk on which lay his car keys, wallet and telephone.

He picked it up and looked at the time. It was currently 9am. A wall clock, however, showed 3 o'clock. “Ah yes that's right, the time difference...” He then went to the settings to change the time to match THAT reality. He then paid attention to the battery, which showed 83%. He was lucky, he hadn't used his smartphone much, so he had quite a bit of battery left. However, he knew for certain that there were no chargers in this world, so he had to ration his battery. He watched the screen for a moment longer, hesitating to turn it off so as not to waste energy unnecessarily, but then he had another idea... If he could film his stay here... Then it would mean he wasn't crazy. It would mean he could go home and have one, no, SEVERAL tangible proofs of what he'd experienced.

He searched among the applications, and finally found the one he was looking for. He opened it and saw his face appear. “Yeah, it works...” His heart began to race again as he pulled on his clothes and went to sit behind the window, so that the village could be seen in the background. He sat down on a chair and took a deep breath, before starting to film.

He began by describing who he was, his name, age, date of birth, where he lived, and what time and date he was doing today. At least, the date he was THOUGHT to be doing today. Then he continued to speak into the camera. “I... I'd like to say first of all that I'm recording this video as evidence. Evidence for whom? Well, for anyone who sees this video, whether by chance or not. Whether you're human... or some other hose. But above all, as proof for myself, proof that what I'm experiencing isn't a hallucination, a dream or whatever. I... I don't even know where to begin so... I think I'll just say what happened, and that'll be a good start...”

Gabriel told everything to the camera, as if it were a shrink he could confide in. He felt as if a weight was being lifted from his body as he spoke. When he reached the point he was at now, he continued. “I know you're going to think I'm bullshitting, but this isn't a joke. Even if I can't believe what's happening to me, it's just the way it is... I... I don't know what to say, it's... Look, I swear what I'm saying is true, okay? It's not a made-up story or a hoax, it's fucking true!” He suddenly stood up and filmed the still-sleeping village. “Look! It's not a human village, it's a pony village! And look at the sky, the moon... It's not the earth moon, it's a fucking equestrian moon!”

He sat back with a sigh. “I'm now addressing my family and friends. If you're seeing this video and I'm still not back, well, I'm doing fine. I hope you are too. The... locals here are very kind and one of them, the purple one called Twilight Sparkle, even offered me a place to sleep for the night. This is... the tree I'm in right now... Yes, I know, a fucking tree...” He wiped his eyes, which were starting to get wet again, then finally said. “I don't know when I'll be back, or even IF I'll be back. But I'm due to meet someone tomorrow who will apparently be able to tell me more about what brought me here... I don't know if I'll be able to make more videos as I only have a limited amount of battery power. If we don't meet again, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I'll be fine...” He took a last breath and let out a “ Goodbye!” before cutting the video.

He felt dejected, but at the same time relieved to have confided in the camera. He looked at the battery percentage, which was now at 76%. He dried his wet eyes and turned off his phone once and for all. He undressed again and lay back in bed, staring at the ceiling with disinterest, all sorts of existential questions running through his mind. “It's still early, I'd better get some sleep before daybreak” he said to himself in the end.

He pulled his blanket over him and settled back into a position he thought most comfortable. After another moment of cogitation, he finally managed to go back to sleep for the second time that day.

And, a few hours later, he also managed to wake up for the second time. This time, he was awakened gently, not only because he caught the sunlight filtering through the curtains, but also because he was simply no longer tired.

The clock read almost 7 a.m. and Gabriel stared at the room for a moment, before thinking that it would probably be a good idea to get up and do something productive. And then his stomach started acting up again. He struggled to his feet and rubbed his eyes with a grunt, then put on the only clothes he had here.

He pushed open the door to his room and scanned the corridor for a moment. From what he could tell, the inhabitants of this house were already downstairs. He descended the stairs and tried to remember where the kitchen was. It didn't take long for the smell of food to show him the way. He finally found the door and opened it.

Standing on a stool opposite the stove was Spike, cooking pancakes in a frying pan. Twilight was there too, but she didn't look very awake. In fact, she was definitely sleeping on the table.

Spike turned around when he realized that someone else had entered the room. “ Oh, hi Gabriel! Awake already?”

“Hi, you too I see...”

“Yeah, I always get up early to get breakfast ready! And you, why aren't you sleeping?”

“No more tired.”

“Oh... I see. Go on, get settled! The pancakes are almost ready!”

“Okay...” Gabriel sat right across from Twilight, who was still in a deep sleep. She also had dark circles under her eyes. “Um... Is she okay?”

Spike, flipping a pancake, replied distractedly, “Oh yeah, she just stayed up all night because she said she had to find out more information about portals leading to other worlds or something. I told her to go to bed, though, but she just did as she pleased.”

“Does she... do this sort of thing often?”

“Well... Sometimes she can get quickly panicky and out of control when the situation gets out of hand or she doesn't understand something. And she can be a real headcase too. I mean, she's not mean, she's just... Twilight”

“Um... okay, if you say so...”

“There you go, all set!” Spike placed three plates and a stack of pancakes on the table.

“Thanks a lot, I'm starving!” Gabriel said as he began to serve himself.

“Wake up, Twilight, breakfast is ready!” Twilight doesn't react.

“Uh, I don't think she heard you...”

“Hoho, Twilight, it's ready...” Still no response. “TWILIGHT!”

The pony woke up with a start, looking in all directions, crying out “What? What's going on? Is that you, Princess? I wasn't sleeping!”

“Whoa, calm down Twilight, it's me Spike! I made pancakes!”

“Spike? Ho um sorry... And thanks for the pancakes.” She suddenly noticed the human in front of him. “Oh, and hello Gabriel.”

“Hello...” Gabriel said, his mouth full.

Spike and Twilight took turns eating. Twilight used her telekinesis to maneuver the cutlery to cut and eat her pancake. Gabriel watched with interest. He would probably never tire of this spectacle.

Spike had taken out a utensil that looked very much like a pepper shaker, except that he placed sapphires inside instead. He twisted the handle and bluish grains fell onto his pancake. Gabriel was really surprised this time, but he remembered what he'd said yesterday about precious stones, and decided not to ask any questions.

When they'd all finished eating, Gabriel rubbed his belly, satiated. “Wow, thanks again, Spike! That was delicious!”

Twilight added, “Yes, thank you, Spike. That was really...” She let out a huge yawn before continuing. “...really good.”

“It was nothing but a basic recipe. But I'm glad you like it! Well, I think I'll clear your dishes“ Says Spike as he starts picking up the plates.

“Hang on, I'll help you, it's the least I can do!” Gabriel says as he stands up.

“I'll help you...” Twilight yawned again “...too”

Soon Spike found himself washing dishes while Gabriel and Twilight dried off.

“So, uh, Twilight... Did you really not sleep all night or what?” Gabriel asked as he dried a plate.

“Oh yes, but I was up late enough to...” ANOTHER yawn. “...to study portal magic.”

“Look, I... I'm very grateful that you want to know more to help me, but I'm going to start feeling guilty if you pull all-nighters because of me.”

“Don't worry about me, it's nothing to do with you. It's just that...” And a fourth yawn “... I wanted to know more so I could report back to....” She suddenly stopped in her sentence, a look of shock on her face. Then she exclaimed: “Princess Celestia! She's coming today and nothing's ready!”

She suddenly ran off in the direction of the library, Gabriel trying to hold her back. “Wait, where are you going?” He then looked at Spike, who also looked surprised. Spike shrugged.

They both headed for the same library and found Twilight levitating books back and forth. “What are you doing?” Gabriel asked.

“I'm tidying up, that's what! I've got to get everything in order before the Princess arrives! It's a real mess in here!” She replied.

“Calm down, Twilight, she wrote us that she wouldn't be here until 2pm. We've got plenty of time...” Said Spike.

“You don't understand, Spike! I haven't found any relevant information about portals to other dimensions! I thought I'd find some before Princess Celestia arrived so I could explain to her why Gabriel is here!”

“Nobody knows why he got here, and for once, I'd be surprised if you found the answer in a book...”

“Don't be silly, Spike, books always have the answers! You just have to know how to look... like in this book I was reading last night...” She levitated a huge book that looked extremely old. “There, I'd marked the page... so, inter-dimensional portals are very little known and only a few ponies...” And so she continued reading an incomprehensible passage from her book. As she spoke, her eyes gradually closed and her voice diminished in volume, until she fell asleep for good.

Gabriel looked at her, puzzled. “Did she... did she just fall back asleep? Just like that?”

“Yeah, she looks like she really needs some rest. Don't worry, I know what to do in that case!” Spike put a pillow under Twilight's head and covered her with a blanket. “There you go! Well, I've got some dishes to finish!”

They returned to the kitchen, Gabriel chuckling a little at the situation. “That pony really has a problem...” They quickly finished the dishes and Spike began tidying up the mess Twilight had made last night.

“Do you need any help?” asked Gabriel as he saw Spike putting the books back on the shelves.

“Oh no, don't worry, there's not that much of a mess, Twilight also tends to exaggerate things a bit sometimes...”

“Okay, I see... And Owlow... er... well the owl there, he's going to help you I imagine?”

“Well, I think he's gone for a trip, or something...”

“Ha okay...” Gabriel stopped talking, not sure what to say now. “Well... What am I going to do in the meantime? I can't just sit here and do nothing! I've got to find something...” Desperately looking for something to do, Gabriel glanced down at his clothes. He realized that he was literally about to meet a member of this world's royalty, and that he had nothing to wear but the old work clothes he'd been using for days.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Spike reached over to set down a particularly heavy stack of books and sniffed with his nose. “Whoa, Gabriel, not to be mean, but you might want to think about taking a shower...”

“I know. I already took a shower last night, it's my clothes that smell like that.”

“Then maybe you should take them off and wash them”

“I'd love to, but the problem is I don't really have any other clothes to spare, right now...”

Spike looked at him quizzically. “So what?”

“So... I'm not going to walk around naked!”

“Why?”

Gabriel let out a sigh. He'd almost forgotten where he was. “Because... it's not right!”

“All the ponies here walk around naked, and nobody has a problem with that! Even some ponies in town walk around with no clothes on and nobody says anything to them!”

“Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a pony! And there's no way I'm walking around naked, is that clear? Nah, what I need is some new clothes. But then again, I'd bet my life there's no human clothing store here, is there?”

Spike rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, indeed, there are no stores for humans... but I could take you to Rarity's! She's the best seamstress in all of Ponyville! Well, at the same time, she's the only one, but she's still very talented, and she knows how to make bespoke outfits!”

“Rarity? Wait a minute... wasn't that the white unicorn I saw yesterday?”

“Yes! Isn't she gorgeous?” He said, his gaze going blank, looking blissful.

“'Umm...”

Spike shook his head, then snapped back to reality. “Anyway, I'm sure she'll be able to help you!”

“You think so? I mean, she's probably not used to making clothes for... people like me.”

“Well, maybe... but she's already made me a tuxedo! And, you know, we kind of look alike considering that, well, we both walk on two legs, have hands, all that...”

“Yeah... Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask anyway...”

“Yeah! And I could show you where she lives!” Spike said in a much too cheerful tone. He calmed down immediately afterwards and added, “Well, I mean... if you want...”

“Um... Okay, that'd be cool...”

“Yeah, let's do it!”

Spike rushed out the door, and Gabriel had to hurry to follow him, a smile forming on his face. “I don't know if it's just too much imagination, but it looks like Spike's got a thing for this Rarity...”

Author's Note

Hello to all!

I know I said I'd put this story on pause, but I decided to post a chapter anyway as proof that, well, I have NOT given up. Also, I think I'm going to put this story back into “incomplete” mode since I may still post chapters from time to time.

Chapters will probably be longer than before, as you've noticed. But hey, I've still got a series to watch before I finish my story... I've just finished rewatching the first season and I'm about to start on the second...

And, finally, I know I've used the famous cliché of all HIE fanfiction which is “The protagonist goes to Rarity to get clothes”, but hey, what can I say... Gabriel has to have clothes, and I don't see where else he could get them.

I hope you've had a good read and that you'll be patient!