The Revival of a Heart

Chapters

...Begins Another
A New Day
The Awakening
A Warm Welcome
Of Pink Ponies, Pastries, and Underpants
The Strength of the Heavens
Royal Exposition
A New Day
Transformations Part 1
Transformations 2
Transformations 3
The Face of Remembrance
Beautification Through Pain
A Simple Luncheon
Three Days Grace
This Little Pony Went to the Market
Post-mediated Trauma
A Working Title
Four is More
A Day of Rest
My Little Hide-Out 1
My Little Hide-Out 2
What Dreams May Come
Oh, the Humanity 1
Oh, the Humanity 2
Oh, the Humanity 3
Un-Conscious Motion
Neverfree 1
Neverfree 2
Neverfree 3
Neverfree 4
Neverfree 5
Send Me Away
Twilight's Library
Sanctuary
Jacob's Stairway
The Foundations of Ruin 1
The Foundations of Ruin 2
The Foundations of Madness
Heart's Desire
Twilight's Resolve
Ash's Folly
Some Days...
The Second Revival
The End of One World...
Loo of the Loonies
Transformation Completion: Baby Steps and Criticisms
School Day Follies
Our Little Resolution
...Are Worth Waking Up For

...Begins Another

…Begins Another

Next to a small peaceful creek laid a young creature known as a Draconequus. Unusual in appearance and playful and mischievous by nature, such creatures had once been abundant but now few remained. This one had barely left adolescence, his horns just growing out.

The young Draconequus stretched his wings and yawned. The sound of running water was making him drowsy. He curled like a cat and laid down his head to sleep.

His nap was interrupted by an explosion.

The Draconequus was blown away by the force and found himself several feet from his resting position, his eyes spinning his ears ringing. When he finally regained control of his sense, the Draconequus turn toward the direction of the explosion. What appeared before him caused the Draconequus to drop his jaw.

The peaceful creek had disappeared; in its place was a fountain of lava. In the center of the fountain stood something the Draconequus had never before seen. Nothing of his world had.

Sticking out of some molten rocks was a giant dark obsidian blade, or at least the top half of one. Despite the heat of its environment, the sword kept its shape. Even more surprisingly, the Draconequus was not affected by the heat. Even if the Draconequus could feel the temperature, he would have been too mesmerized by the black blade to care.

At first glance, the only remarkable feature of the weapon was its color. As the Draconequus stared however, the hilt became more intricate. Complicated designs formed then disappeared as darkness freely flowed out of the blade. Runes of an unspeakable language were engraved into the blade by an invisible finger and despite never before seeing the symbols, the Draconequus understood every word.

The blade spoke to him of the powers of deceit and treachery, of the strength of anger and cruelty, of the might of gluttony and despair. Of elements so great, one could rule over all. Of chaos. Discord.

The blade promised all this and more.

The young Draconequus stepped forward and with shaking claws, grabbed hold of the sword’s hilt, releasing the broken blade from the surrounding stones.

If it had a mouth, the sword would have smiled; it had found a new worthy host…

*****

In a quiet pasture, two young ponies were collecting flowers. One pony, the eldest, was pure white with a long, flowing pink mane. Her sister was of a dark blue coloring, with a short curly mane was also a shade of blue, though lighter. Each had a horn growing from the forehead and a pair of feathery wings. Alicorns, they were called, neither Unicorn nor Pegasus nor Earth Pony but of all three in one.

The younger had just found a majestic blossom, red in the center with blue petals, and proceeded to eat it, much to the annoyance of her sister. With a laugh, the blue one ran off, with the white one giving chase.

Their game was interrupted by a low whistle.

The sound was a beautiful sound, as calming as running water and as joyful as a child’s laughter. Intrigued, the ponies ran to the source, an imprint in the tall grass.

Before them in the center of the imprint laid six gem stones, cut and polished by something beyond their world. The gems shined, though the sun hid within the clouds as if it had intruded on some sacred ritual.

Red, magenta, yellow, blue, green, and purple, the crystals laid in a circle, flashing their respective colors and to the young Alicorns, they sang.

They sang to the two of the unlimited power of honesty and loyalty, of the unending strength of laughter and kindness, of the joys of generosity and of friendship. Of elements that could bring happiness and guidence to all. The crystals sang and sang and the two young Alicorns sang with them.

Tenderly, the Alicorns levitated the crystals with their magic. With some string, the sisters made necklaces and shared them among themselves and their friends.

If they had mouths, the Essences of Concord would have smiled; they had found a new home to protect.

*****

Some thousand years had passed and Ash remained where he had first landed after the Essences had teleported him. When he had awoken, he had first noticed the pain; Cerfuli’s blade was still through his stomach, though a large portion of the sword, including hilt, had gone missing.

The giant blade had pinned him to a large tree, where he hung, his feet dangling uselessly. The Essences of Concord were nowhere to be seen.

Ash cried out in pain as a spasm of agony trembled through his entire body. Though broken and without a welder, the blade of Cerfuli still powerful. Though the dark aura surrounding the sword had faded slightly, Ash received no relief; he shivered in pain and despair
.

The sword was not happy. It was trapped and wanted to be free. To be free to conquer its new home. All its thoughts and emotions, Ash knew and could feel. And he knew he could not allow the blade to be released.

And so began a battle of wills, one between a Man and a Demon’s blade. When Ash resisted his pain, the blade attacked his mind, poisoning it with hopeless feelings and dark memories. And still Ash resisted.

Though he did not know it, some thousand years had passed, kept alive and young only by the sick and mad mind of Cerfuli’s sword; its pride would not let Ash die before it had defeated him.

But Ash was tiring. Weakening. The blade’s reach of influence that expanding, twisting the surrounding plant life and wild life. A once beautiful meadow had become an eerie forest, home to several hostile animals. The blade looked toward the magnificent castle that lay just beyond the border of the forest.

Ash closed his eyes, struggling to stay awake. It had been a long time since he slept; every hour was spent fighting off Cerfuli’s blade.

You’ve lost. You lost a long time ago. Just let go.

Ash fought against those thoughts, uncertain if they were his own or another attack by the evil blade. His struggle, however, was not as powerful as before and the blade knew this.

Sleep, young fool. You were destined to fail. Sleep.

Ash released a mighty yawn that nearly dislocated his jaw. Perhaps a quick nap…yes just for a few minutes…

Dark aura burst out of the blade, forming a giant shapeless cloud of darkness. It was free at last. The darkness spread, expanding the forest and corrupting life. The darkness turned to the castle…

…and begun its conquest.

A New Day

--Approximately 1000 Years Later--
(Present Day: Ponyville)

Twilight Sparkle woke up with a start. Once again, the purple Unicorn found herself laying on top of an opened textbook, next to a note filled scroll, the fruits of her late night studies. Draped over her shoulders was a warm blanket, courtesy of Spike, her number one assistant. The baby dragon could be found in curled up in his little basket, muttering as he fought off imaginary foes.

Twilight got up with a yawn and a stretch. After picking herself up, she lifted her book up with her magic only to change her mind and gently float the text back down; she could reshelf the book later.

The book was opened to an undetailed map of the Everfree Forest, the large dark woods that laid on the border of Ponyville. The forest stood a testimony that Equestria wasn't not always the most peaceful place. Frightening tales of hostile creatures that took care of themselves and plants that grew on their own and weather that no Pegasus could control generally kept ponies from visiting the area. Twilight herself had barely escaped the forest with her life some several times.

The studious Unicorn had come to the belief that learning the history of certain holidays would be a fun and enlightening experience for everypony. The next Winter Wrap Up was a flop, as Twilight's lectures proved to be great distractions and obstacles; several plows and the school's chalkboard had to replaced after an incident in the fields.

Twilight decided that she would be better prepared for Nightmare Night. That meant starting her studies on the subject an entire season before the actual celebration.

Texts on the subject of Nightmare Night or Nightmare Moon were, however, few and far between. Besides the prophesy she had read some time ago, Twilight could find no information on the actual history of the holiday, though this was to be expected, seeing as no one had recognized Nightmare Moon (besides Twilight) when she had returned.

Twilight had changed her approach and began studying the Elements of Harmony and the old castle found in the Everfree in search for clues. From what she gathered, Twilight concluded that the disappearance of the Elements corresponded with the abandonment of the old castle because of the growing Everfree Forest. If these times were accurate, then Nightmare Moon's rise must have been related to the growth in the Everfree, Twilight thought logically. From there, Twilight redirected her energy and studies to those shady woods. Unfortunately, little information could be found on that subject as well.

To Twilight's frustration, the map she had been studying provided only two landmarks: the old castle and the statue of Nightmare Moon. No other details were provided save for a few wicked trees and furious animals drawn in the cartographer's attempt to remove space.

I should visit Zecora later. Twilight thought to herself. If there was any expert on the Everfree Forest, it would be the zebra who dwelled mysteriously in the dark forest by herself.

Any further thoughts were interrupted by the roar of a ferocious beast.

Right after breakfast...

*****

"Remind me why we're going into the Everfree again," Rainbow Dash said, the cyan Pegasus with a polychromatic mane attempting to mask her discomfort with annoyance and indifference. The short distance between her and her ground-bound friends was, however, an obvious indication that the high flier held some apprehension in entering the unnatural forest.

"I am also confused as to why you, er, 'invited' us out here," a white Unicorn exclaimed. Her name was Rarity and did not bother to hide her displeasure of spending the day in a dangerous and, over all, dirty environment. The Unicorn had just finished grooming her purple mane to perfect and the possibility of soiling her coiffure did not sit well with her.

"Any reason why yah ask'd fer rope, hun?" asked Applejack, an orange Earth Pony, her blond mane tied in a pony tail beneath her light brown stetson hat. On her back was saddlebag, each pocket with a coil of strong rope. When stretched, each piece was over twenty feet in length.

Behind the farm pony was Pinkie Pie, a cheerful Earth Pony who, as in accordance with her name, was pink. If the dreary environment had any affect on this pony, she did not show it, bouncing while the others walked, humming a cheery little tune.

The Pegasus behind her was a different matter; Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder every so often, squeaking in fear at anything that could be a threat. Which, as far as this yellow pony was concerned, was everything

"Can't we want until day?" the timid Pegasus asked quietly.

"Fluttershy, it's noon."

"Oh, how about tomorrow then?"

"Oh Fluttershy, there's nothing to be afraid about, silly billy. Your auntie Pinkie Pie has it all taken care of!"

"I'm a year--"

"When I was a little filly and the sun--"

"Well Rainbow Dash, to answer your question," Twilight quickly intervened, "I thought we should all pay Zecora a visit. She rarely goes to town and we rarely come over to say hi. After all, Friendship Report 93.3 states--"

"'Friends should always be up to date with the issues and events their friends are having so as to avoid appearing insensitive and to always be ready to help at times of need,'" her friends droned monotonously.

"Er, well, yes," Twilight said, a little surprised and a bit annoyed at her friends' lack of enthusiasm.

"So what are we gonna say?" asked Rainbow Dash. "'Hi, we were just in the neighborhood'?"

"Well actually, I was wondering if Zecora knew any history on the Everfree..."

Twilight's answer was met with groans of varying levels and volumes. She ignored them.

"Did you know these woods apparently just appeared. There are no documents measuring or mapping the growth of the forest at all. Isn't that strange?"

Twilight glanced over to her companions, expectantly. With a sigh, Rarity spoke up.

"Very well, why is that strange?"

Twilight grinned wildly. "The Everfree Forest surround the Princesses' old palace. You'd think that if the Princesses were so close to such a dangerous place, everypony would be monitoring the forest. But there have been no maps, no charts, not a mention of the Everfree until after the rise of Nightmare Moon."

Twilight took a breath and looked down, frowning at the barely visible path. "I'm sure if we knew more about the Everfree, it wouldn't be so scary." The purple Unicorn's face lit up. "Maybe if we understood the forest, we could try civilizing it. Yeah, we replace this old trail with a paved road and signs cautioning ponies of Poison Joke and wild animals. Ooh, and we could set up lanterns and lamps and..."

Twilight began to trail off, lost in her own world and imagination. If she could get permission from the Princess and the mayor, there could be so many changes.

Applejack chuckled and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, the touch returning her to reality. "Ho there, Twi, lets not git ahead of our selves. I'm guessing this here rope is step one, so we don't lost, right?"

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea! I just thought we should bring rope as a precaution if anypony was stuck at the bottom of a ravine."

"Silly Twilight. If that happened, we could just build a pony ladder. Ooh, I've always wanted to be part of a pony ladder! Can we build a pony ladder? Can we? Can we?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head and laughed. "Pinkie Pie, you're so random."

*****

"Twilight Sparkle, this is a very pleasant surprise," Zecora the Zebra exclaimed, "It's been awhile since you've appear before my eyes. Oh, and I see you have brought your friends; wait out here, I will bring out tea of my special blend."

"Thanks Zecora. We've been walking for quite some time."

The Zebra entered her hut, leaving the six ponies with the partially finished masks laid on the grass.

"Maybe I should also ask Zecora about her homeland. These masks must have some history behind them."

"Twi, hun, maybe you should focus on one subject at a time."

"Ugh, they're soooo tacky. I hope the finished product will look a little better."

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight shouted, "Don't wear them!"

"Grr! I am a big mean monster! Grr!"

"Eep!"

"Fluttershy, get out from under that rock! You'll ruin your mane!"

"Rawr!"

"Rainbow Dash! Not you too!"

*****

"Sorry Zecora for breaking your masks," Twilight apologized, giving Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash a dark glare. The pink Earth Pony was still wearing the remains.

"Do not fret, do not fear. There are no hard feelings here."

The six ponies and Zebra sat around a large table, sipping tea.

Rarity could not understand why Twilight enjoyed Zecora's "special blend" so much. It was bitter and tasted of sour grass. Manners were, however, what separated a lady from the rift-raft and Rarity had enough tact to appear to enjoy herself. Rainbow Dash and Applejack did not have the control Rarity held and each sip they took created a new disgusted face. If Zecora noticed, she didn't show it.

"So Twilight, is there something you need to know?"

"Well, why yes. How did--"

"My dear Twilight, it is obvious. You always must make you knowledge grow."

Twilight blushed as Rainbow Dash snickered. One glare from Rarity silenced the light blue Pegasus, who took a quick swig of her tea and turned green.

"Well I was wondering if you knew any history on the Everfree Forest."

"Plant life I know as well as the way to go but history is knowledge I do not hold."

"Oh," Twilight mumbled, crestfallen, "well, sorry to bother you."

Zecora's ears drooped at the sight of Twilight's sadness.

"If you seek history, go to the palace of old. There are stories there that have never been told."

Twilight's mood picked up immediately. " Have you been there before?"

Zecora nodded and said, "There were symbols I did not understand, but then again, I am not from this land.

"In addition, there is something beyond the castle place; beyond turrets, the hall, and the gates."

All eyes were on Zecora, including a light purple pair belonging to a certain mare with a multicolored mane. Inside, Zecora was proud; she always had the gift of a dramatic storyteller. Perhaps it was the rhymes.

"Animals avoid the place I speak, as do plants, when they can. The Sun itself seems to avoid the land. When I was young and had gotten lost, I found the place at a cost. Such a place may hold the knowledge that you seek."

At this, the six ponies moved in closer. Zecora became solemn.

"Before my eyes was a giant tree. A tree that lived, a tree that spoke. This I am sure for, though I just a filly. This I assure you, this is no joke."

"Are little zebras also called 'fillies'?"

"Shh!"

"The tree spoke not with words, but with emotions and feelings and thoughts. What the tree showed me, I wish it did not.

"Do not ask what it showed me, I will not, cannot say. I am still haunted to this very day. My spirit crushed, heart was broken. If only the tree had not spoken

"So, my little ponies, if you choose to go, beware: who knows what that tree will say to you if you venture near..."

The Awakening

The old royal palace was once the greatest piece of architecture Equestria had ever seen; it stood both as a testament of the power and grace of the Princesses and a monument. The royal sisters themselves oversaw the building of their home, handpicking each worker and designer.

It was said that the castle would shine in the sun like a jewel and at night it would glow like a beacon, reflecting moonlight just as the moon reflects sunlight. Many poets were invited by the mischievous Princess of the Sun simply so that she could delightfully watch their wide-eyed dismay as their flowery speeches failed to do justice to the beauty they saw. The Canterlot Castle was a mere imitation of the old palace, though modernized.

Time, however, holds no appreciation for beauty; after the fall of Princess Luna and the rise of Nightmare Moon, the castle was emptied and abandoned. The magnificent walls lay now in ruins as vines of ivy and other plants grow wildly within the once beautiful hall. A crumbling tower stood in the center, once housing the hibernating Elements of Harmony before being awakened to defeat Nightmare Moon for a second time.

Twilight and her friends had visited this once majestic place and had not visited since. Nor had they planned to. Though their journey had brought them together, it was not the type of trip any of them wanted to experience, not even the adventurous Rainbow Dash.

Twilight's curiosity overpowered her anxieties and cry of knowledge became too strong to ignore. Naturally, her friends accompanied her, knowing perfectly well that while the little unicorn was well versed in magic, she was nearly helpless on her own. The sight of the purple pony hanging off the side of a cliff from their first adventure still burned in their minds.

They had arrived without incident, with Zecora's guidance, and with the rope leading to the Zebra's hut, they had no worries about getting lost on the way back.

The exhibition proved to be as uneventful as the trip.

"Agh, how long are we gonna be here for?" asked Rainbow Dash with a groan.

The rest, save Twilight, turn to her in annoyance and in unison, hushed her. Twilight meanwhile was focusing. Before them stood a giant mural. Though the image had faded, below was a inscription of an strange, yet somewhat familiar, language.

"It's Old Equestrian," Twilight had said, "It was used at the time of the three pony tribes, before the blizzard and founding of Equestria. Princess Celetria also told me it was the original language of the Alicorns"

It had been many years since Twilight had studied Old Equestrian with her mentor Princess Celestria but she was sure she could translate the inscription.

That's what the unicorn had told her friends and that was ten minutes ago.

Rainbow Dash's limited patience was at its limit. The Pegasus was born to fly, born to fight, born to action, not to sit around and watch an egghead try and read a short line of symbols. She hovered impatiently, debating internally as to take a nap or not. Before she could decide, Rainbow's thoughts were interrupted by an "Aha!".

"I got it!" Twilight shouted as she practically danced around in excitement. Her friends closed in.

"Well, good fer you Twi, I knew you could do it."

"Well duh! Twilight here is a super smarty McSmarty pants. Only she's not a doll!"

"Bravo, Twilight, bravo."

"Gasp, maybe the doll was fashioned after you! Wow, you'd be the original Smarty Pants!"

"Yay..."

"Well?"

"Well what?" Twilight asked, looking confused at Rainbow Dash, who placed a hoof over her face and shook her head.

"The message thingy, what did it say?"

"Oh, right," Twilight looked embarrassed, having completely forgotten her purpose in her excitement of the accomplishment of the goal.

"Ahem well,"

Even Rainbow Dash leaned forward.

"'Luna was here'"

The disappointment was audible as Twilight's companions made no attempt to suppress their frustrated sighs and groans.

Only Fluttershy managed to say something relatively kind: "Oh, that's...um, nice..."

Twilight made no indication that she notice her friend's less enthusiastic reactions, still jumping with excitement.

"I know, nice. I wonder what it means. Maybe I can find more information if I try translating the other engravings. Oh, I wish I had a translation spell on me but I don't even know if it would work on such an ancient language..."

"Wait, other engravings?"

Rainbow Dash turned around and before her eyes stood a massive wall, covered in scribbles and marks. Her jaw dropped a significant length.

"And lets not forget the inner palace, I'm sure there could be more information there too! Oh, what fun! Applejack, did you pack parchment and a quill?"

"Hold it, Twilight," intervened the cyan Pegasus quickly, "you mean you're gonna stand around and stare at the wall for a couple of hours."

"Actually, I'll be translating and it won't--"

"And then you'll go into the castle to look for more rocks to have staring contests with?"

"No, I'll translating,"

"And we're supposed to just lay around, waiting for you to finish?"

"Rainbow," Twilight looked hurt, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble. Is there a problem?"

The cyan flying pony opened her mouth only to encounter the glares of her friends and the sad eyes of Twilight. Rainbow sighed.

Twilight may be an egghead, but she's my egghead. She still a awesome friend...

"Nah, no problem, just a little tired,"

"Oh good," Twilight's cheerfulness returned. "If you're bored maybe you can help me take notes,"

Ponyfeathers.

*****

"...and this means, uh yeah, it means 'six', probably indicating some date. And and here...."

Rainbow nodded in agreement, hoping to at least appear interested. The glares she received from Rarity, however, told her she had fooled no pony, though Twilight had become far too absorbed with her interpretations to notice.

In Dash's hooves there was a piece of parchment and a quill. The parchment had a crude doodle of what was suppose to be a Pegasus fighting a hydra (it had been a dragon before Rainbow gave it one too many limbs).

Pinkie Pie meanwhile was explaining how high quality the stones creating the castle wall were to Applejack. The sight of Pinkie acting quite knowledgeable and professional in any subject was a little disturbing to behold.

Rarity attempted to interpret the faded images themselves, hoping to capture the appearance of the ancient times as inspiration for a line of dress. Fluttershy followed her timidly.

Rainbow Dash slumped down, listening not at all to Twilight's linguistical discoveries. Ugh, this is sooo boring. I'd do anything for something exciting. Anything.

As if on cue, a horrible idea wormed its way into Dash's brain.

"Hey, Twi, you mind I go do some exploring too?"

"Nope, go ahead."

"Awesome!" With a great flap, Rainbow Dash lifted herself into the air and speed off.

"And that's how Equestria was changed forever!"

"Huh?" Twilight looked up from her work; behind her stood Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Rarity arrived soon after, chatting with Fluttershy.

"Hi Twilight! I was telling Applejack super-duper these rocks were and how valuable they must have been. I bet the rock farmers who harvested them must have made a fortune. I wonder if they were related to the Pies. Then maybe they had a giant party afterwards for the rocks, like a rock party."

"Twilight dear," Rarity exclaimed suddenly after giving the purple Unicorn a look over, "how long have you sat there? You're covered in dust."

Twilight got up and shook the dust of her body, much to the disgust of Rarity. "Oh, I must have lost track of time. Rainbow Dash and I have been having so much fun translating these inscriptions. I'm mean, must of it is just nonsense but I'm sure something of use will pop up."

"Speaken of RD," Applejack said, looking around, "where is that filly?"

"Oh, she went off on her own just a little while ago."

"In that direction?"

Everypony followed Applejack's hoof toward a rainbowed streak in the sky.

"Isn't that toward..." Twilight squinted.

"The end of the castle..." Rarity finished, becoming unnaturally whiter.

Zecora's story and warning burned fiercely in their hearts.

*****

"We need to hurry," Twilight spoke between pants, "Who knows what could happen."

"Look!" shouted Applejack, ahead of the rest. "A clearing up ahead!"

"That...must...be the...place," wheezed Rarity, the fashionista unaccustomed such rigorous activity.

"Wwait!"

The ponies skid to a stop and turned toward Pinkie Pie, who was shaking from head to toe.

"Is it, the Pinkie Sense?" Fluttershy asked cautiously.

"And a doozy, by tha looks of it."

"Then we really need to hurry," Twilight ran ahead, worry and fear replacing weariness.

If anything happened to Rainbow....

*****

The clearing was quiet, and eerily so; birds did not chirp nor did insects buzz. The only sound was the soft sobs of a certain cyan Pegasus, covering her head as if trying to protect herself from incoming blows. Tears flowed freely from her face.

"Rainbow!"

Rainbow Dash slowly lifted her head. Her friends quickly approached, horrified to find their friend who was normally so strong in such a position.

My friends...my awesome friends...

The sight of them caused Rainbow to release another sob.

"R-Rainbow, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked before she heard it too.

They all heard it.

A song, a lamentation so beautiful on a subject so dark and depressing. It was as if angels had gathered to mourned the loss of another.

The song told a story of companions, of great friends. The song praised their abilities of working as a team and through each other, they grew.

The song told of the adventures these friends had, of how they became closer after each exploit. How they overcame obstacles, both tangible and within their friendship. How they were able to conquer each other's fears and resolve their differences.

The song told of how it all ended, by the betrayal of a close friend, motivated by his own desires.

The beginning of a friendship, the maturation of a friendship, the sudden murder of a friendship.

Rainbow Dash wept long and hard. The welder of the Element of Loyalty could not understand how one could be so false, so treacherous, to their friends. What was the point of loyalty, then, if one could betray another so easily? If it was a decision between herself and her friends, what direction would she follow?

Next to her laid the welder of the Element of Kindness. As Rainbow Dash sobbed into her wing, Fluttershy used the other to cover her own tears. The sensitive little pony wept. In her kindness, she wept for the traitor, who had returned his friends' kindness with treason. But mostly, Fluttershy wept for the friends who were betrayed, who were lost. They had blinded themselves with their kindness and failed to see a traitor, only a friend that needed love and compassion.

Rarity leaned onto Fluttershy. Tears flowed freely and though her eyes would become red and puffy, she did not try to hold them in. The welder of the Element of Generosity may have had many ambitions but she would never sacrifice her friendship to achieve them; her trip to Canterlot had tested her resolve. To be so selfish as to throw away one's friends, all those years of being together and all those experience, the thought sickened Rarity to her very core.

The representative of the Element of Honest stood some distance away, hat covering her face as tears streamed down. Lying never suited Applejack and to her, deceiving one's friends was a crime. She had made an exception when planning Pinkie's surprise birthday but to lie and deceive a friend simply for one's own desires. Trust, a friendship needs trust and a friend needs trust but the thought of using that trust against a friend forced the strong farm pony to to weep like wounded filly.

Pinkie Pie laid next to her, her puffy mane deflated. No comical fountains of tears, no over-the-top cries. The ponified Element of Laughter wept with sincere solemnness. Laughter and happiness are one of the greatest gifts of friendship and to return such gifts with anger and sorrow, the pink pony's heart broke. To her, all problems could be solved through laughter but this, this song, the only response Pinkie could create was one of equal sorrow and guilt.

Twilight stood apart. Friendship reports and lessons she heard throughout the ballad and she listened in horror as each was crushed before her ears. Tears fell like a raging waterfall as the friendship the song had described fell apart violently. Magic makes it all complete, but if the magic disappears... The welder of the Element of Magic suddenly felt very lonely. My friends wouldn't leave me. This could never happen to us!

Everypony shared the thought and together they shared the doubt.

Right?

Before the sobbing ponies was a giant tree, the largest anypony had seen before. Its branches spread toward the heavens, though near the center was one unusual appendage, sticking out of the tree like a gray needle in an empty brown pincushion. The center of the tree had a large lump of bark, much of which was dead and had been grown over. Despite its diseased center and mutant branch, the tree stood majestically. Before the weeping ponies stood the great tree Zecora had warned of.

The tree that sang subconsciously of a group of friends that were lost, forever separated. The tree sang of Ash's story.

The lump in the center stirred.

*****

Ash had been sleeping for a long time. A millennium had passed while he had slumbered. Nature and time, however, did not sleep and the tree he had been pinned to grew over him.

Ash had been dreaming. For every moment he was tormented by images of his friends and the adventures they had had. How he missed them. Nostalgia soon turn to rage and sorrow as Ramth's betrayal replayed in his mind. He was stabbed over and over again and felt the pain every time. He watched in horror as his companions were slaughtered before him.

Rage became guilt. Before Ash stood a massive being, like a dragon but grotesque. Flames flew from its pores as it began to chant in some dark language. Cerfuli the Dark One.

His friends had gotten up, their fatal wounds miraculously healed. Darlene had somehow found her head, though blood still leaked from her neck.

They approach Ash. As a unit they pointed bloody fingers and accused him. He had doomed their world to the mercy of the Dark One.

Ash attempted to reason with the bodies but to no avail. They pointed and accused and Ash was soon crushed with guilt.

If Ramth had won, he could have stopped Cerfuli.

Then he would have ruled in the Dark One's place.

Would that have been so terrible?

The sound of crying fuzzed the images. Ash's dreams became faded and as he reached out to his friends for the last time, the dream ended.

The crying grew louder and Ash became annoyed. A thousand years did nothing to relieve his exhaustion and he did not want to wake up. Ash shut his eyes but sleep was slipping through his finger tips. With a sigh, Ash opened his eyes.

It was pitch black.

Confused, Ash attempted to reach out but was stopped by the remains of Cerfuli's blade. The spirit had left the weapon, leaving only the smallest of traces of dark aura. Its black color had faded into gray.

Ash shifted himself and grabbed the blade. He grit his teeth as he began to pull it out of his body.

*****

The lump began to glow, lightly at first, but picking up strength.

Twilight Sparkle was the first to notice the lump. Her horn tingled as magic poured out of the cluster of bark.

The light illuminated by the clump soon had the intensity of the sun. Everypony had stopped crying to watch. The song had ended anyways.

"Wh-what's going on?" asked Fluttershy from behind the safety of Applejack.

"Whoa Nelly," the orange farm pony exclaimed, using her hat to cover her eyes. "Twilight, what's happenin'?"

The purple unicorn groaned, clutching her head with her hooves, her horn glowing with magic.

Before Twilight could answer, the clump of the tree burst with light, blinding everypony. With a scream, they attempted to shield their eyes from the burning figure before them.

The figure floated in the air, fiery light hiding details. From what Twilight could tell amidst all the light, the figure was tall with four limbs, two at the bottom, two to the sides.

As the light died down, the ponies could make out more details. As the figure floated down to the ground, it stood on its two bottom appendages. Its other limbs hung attached near the head, which was covered in a thick white beard. On further notice, the being did not wear a long white robe but rather was covered by its beard and its long white mane. A dirty brown cloth stuck out in places, indicating that the figure was indeed clothed. Small brown eyes, almost hidden beneath the white mane, shone in the dying light. At the end of each limb were five smaller appendages, though the ones attached to the upper limbs were much longer, similar to claws that Spike the Dragon had. The creature held with one limb, again much like Spike, the gray deformed branch, covered in a dry red substance.

****

Ash's eyes took a minute to readjust and before him stood six beings, similar to ponies but of unnatural color and eye shape. He used his free hand to rub his eyes but the ponies did not leave. Ash reached out his mind to determine whether or not they were illusions. The purple one took a step, alarmed. Ash quickly withdrew, hoping to prevent panic. He felt enough to know they were real and intelligent. Ash noticed a set of blue wings and a set of yellow wings and horns that adorn the forehead of two of the miniature horses.

Pegasi and Unicorns? Where am I?

Ash began to stroke his beard only to stop, alarmed. When had he grown such a long beard? And why was it white? He couldn't been asleep for that long.

He looked toward the ponies, whom had gathered and were huddling together. Perhaps they or their owners had answers.

Ash stepped forward, hoping to communicate. The ponies all withdrew in terror. Quickly, the mage lifted his hands and walked back, hoping to show he meant no harm.

As he took a step back, Ash's foot was tangled by his immense hair. With a cry, the mage fell back, hitting his head on the solid ground. Plant and animal life may have avoided this area but rocks did not.

The last sight Ash saw before losing conscious was the face of a curious pink pony.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like you around..." Ash thought he heard the pony say.

A Warm Welcome

Ash stood in a massive wasteland. To his left, nothing but rocks, dust, and the horizon. His right was equally bare.

The ground he stood was cracked and dry, its monotonous features broken only by the smooth white rocks that decorated the desert.

Dark ominous clouds filled the sky, blocking out the sun or moon and stars. Ash couldn't tell day from night here. Blue lightning flashed and thunder rumbled but rain refused to fall on the accursed land.

Ash looked up. The clouds were forming together, becoming a growing spiral. As it grew, Ash could feel himself being sucked into the vacuum.

Ash turned, trying to escape the black cyclone but tripped on one of the strange stones. As Ash picked himself up, he got a good look at the hindering rock.

The smooth white stone stared back with blank eye sockets and a toothy grin. Ash had stumbled on a Human skull, small enough to be held with a single hand. A child’s skull…

Ash quickly crawled away only to run into another, this one big enough for an adult. Ash recoiled in horror, finding himself surrounded by the remains of people had once lived here. This wasteland had once been the home to many and Ash knew it had also once been his.

The skeletal heads seemed to chant, “Your fault, your fault.” Ash covered his ears, his head, but could not hide from their accusations, from his own guilt.

A distant roar thundered over the tempest…

Ash opened his eyes and immediately shut them, regretting the action. Bright light had filled his vision and Ash had to blink several times before his sensitive eyes had adjusted.

Ash was in a small bed, his legs dangling from the edge. The all too small bedspread barely covered his chest, though his gigantic beard and hair seemed to work fine as a blanket.

The Human lifted a hand to his head and found it bandaged. He groaned at the touch, his forehead still tender. He turned his head to get a better look at his surroundings.

He was in a quaint little cottage, small and cozy. All around were little habitats for small critters and birds, all who were staring intensely at the Human, wary of his presence.

Darlene would have been at home here. Ash's thoughts drifted to the Elvish druid and her love for animals. He tried not to remember her as how she appeared the last time he saw her. As a corpse...

Ash quickly shook his head, attempting to drive those thoughts and memories away. He cried out in pain as the movement caused him great discomfort. Ash grabbed his head in a vain attempt to stop the room from spinning.

"Oh my, you shouldn't try to move."

Ash jumped at the sound of the soft voice, smashing his head against the cottage's support beam with a loud thud. After leaving quite an impressive imprint in the hard wood, Ash fell back, unconscious and with a second bump growing atop his head.

Fluttershy watched in horror as the strange creature knocked itself out, startling several animals out of their little homes.

"Oh Fluttershy, you're such a loud-mouth," the yellow Pegasus scolded herself quietly as she searched for extra bandages.

*****

Ash groaned, lifting his hand to head, tenderly touching his wounds. Fresh bandages had replaced the old ones, he noticed.

Slowly, he opened an eye and directly in front of him was a little yellow pony, staring at him.

Ash shouted in surprise. The pony screamed in fright and hid herself behind a table, her pink tail peaking out. The pony stuck her head out, only to withdraw quickly back to the safety of the table.

Curiosity got the better of Ash as he shifted himself to get a better look at the pony. He failed to recognize the size of the little bed he resided and found himself face first on the floor.

Fluttershy's concern override her fear and the yellow Pegasus quick approached the Human, who was groaning softly into the ground. With great effort, the little pony managed to push Ash onto his side.

"Oh, are you hurt? I don't think you're ready to move around yet."

Ash stared at the pony in bewilderment. He knew these ponies were intelligent to the point of having emotions and thoughts but being able to speak? And in a dialect he was to understand.

Fluttershy took Ash's look of disbelief as a sign of confusion.

Oh, maybe it doesn't understand me.

The little yellow began making small cooing noises, nuzzling Ash gently. Ash blinked, confused.

"It's alright, no one's going to hurt you."

She trying to comfort me. Ash realized. And she was succeeding. The mage was becoming calmer and more relaxed. Confusion was replaced by bubbly optimism. A smile reached Ash's face for the first time in over a thousand years.

With a shaky hand, Ash reached out to the Pegasus. Hesitantly, she sniffed at it and rub her face against it. Ash stroked Fluttershy's mane; it was softer than any material he had felt before. The Pegasus was like nothing he had ever encountered before, not even similar to the winged horses the Sethiopian Pegasus Knights and Valkyries rode.

"You're a cute one, aren't you?"

"Eep!"

The little yellow Pegasus squeaked in panic and dove behind the table. Ash cursed his idiocy and got to his knees, slowly crawling over to the shaking pony.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you," Ash tried coaxing the pony out of her hiding place with his softest voice. She stuck her head out, staring intensely at the Human with big blue eyes.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm." With a shaky hand, Ash reached out to the Pegasus. Fluttershy popped out from her shelter and approached the Human.

"Oh my, I've always talked to my animal friends but they never spoke back. This is so exciting."

Ash blinked, take back by the shy pony's sudden assertive nature. Fluttershy placed both hooves on his chest, giving each other a good look of the other.

"Uh, do you mind getting off me?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You should be resting right now."

Ash got to his feet and hit his head against the ceiling. He knelt, clutching his head with both hands.

"Are you alright?" asked the little yellow pony. Concern had filled her voice.

"Ye-yeah," Ash managed to say slowly as he forced himself toward the bed. With Fluttershy's help, he got into the bed and laid down, hoping to control his dizziness.

"There," Fluttershy said as she placed a checkered quilt over Ash's body. Again, it was much too small for an adult Human.

"So, uh."

"I'm Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy," Ash felt silly as the name rolled off his tongue. "So Fluttershy, can you tell me where I am?"

"Well," Fluttershy thought carefully, "you're in my cottage right now."

"I meant the country, world, kingdom, whatever I'm in," Ash was getting a little frustrated but was, with great effort, holding himself from directing his frustration at the poor Pegasus.

"Oh, well this is Equestria."

"Equestria?" The name was unfamiliar yet somehow appropriate. "Where's that?"

"I think I should Twilight Sparkle explain. She much smarter than me."

"Twilight Sparkle," Ash repeated. Are all the natives' names this ridiculous? "When do we meet?"

"Maybe tomorrow. You're in no condition to be moving about."

"I'm fine, really." Ash attempted to lift himself up but was pushed back by two yellow hooves.

"No, you're not. You need to rest right now. Twilight isn't going anywhere so you can ask all your questions tomorrow."

Fluttershy surprised both Ash and herself. "I'm sorry," she quickly added.

Ash sighed. "Fine, but do have anything to eat? I'm starved." As if on cue, his stomach chose that moment to rumble. Ash blushed furiously.

"Oh, I have some apples right now but if can't eat those, maybe I can find something else."

Ash stared at the bowl of red fruit presented. "They'll be fine, thanks."

"Okay, if you need me, I'll be downstairs."

As Fluttershy left, Ash picked up an apple, examining it.

When was the last time I had an apple? Or any fresh food? Ash sighed. On the majority of their quest, he and his party had eaten mainly dried meat and preserved fruit. The rare occasion was visiting the Dwarven capital. He began to salivate at the memory of roasted boar and duck and all those potatoes.

Releasing another sigh, Ash looked at the apple; it would have to do.

Ash took a bite and immediately spit it out. As he clawed at his tongue, he found a clump of white hair as a result of taking an accidental bite of his cumbersome beard. Or hair; both were so long and intermixed that Ash had difficult discerning between the two. With a sigh, Ash took another bite, this making sure it was out of the apple and not out of his own hair.

The fruit was delicious. Sweet as candy. And just as sticky Ash concluded as juice ran into his beard. Ash laid back, stroking the white mass of hair; there had been a time long ago when Ash had once dreamed of having such a long and white beard, like his master. In his mind, it made him look wise and powerful. Now he just felt old.

Wished I had mirror. Maybe...

Cosmetic magic was not his expertise, Ash knew, but he had seen Matilda perform such spells dozens of times.

Can't be too difficult...

*****

"Well, hello Applejack, how wonderful of you stop by."

The orange farm pony stood outside with a large steaming apple pie.

"Howdy, Fluttershy. Jus' thought I'd make sure you're alright, takin' care of the monster and all."

"Oh, I'm fine, and the creature is no trouble at all. Why, he's actually really nice."

Applejack chuckled. "Sugarcube, you think all critters are nice."

"Oh, but he really is," the Pegasus asserted. "He's just very shy, I think, but I got him to talk a bit."

"Is he shier than- wait, did ya jus' say ya got him to talk?"

"Oh yes, he talks just like another pony. Not at all like a parrot. Maybe you should stay and-"

Fluttershy was interrupted by an explosion from upstairs, followed by a shout and a stream of obscenities that caused Fluttershy to turn bright red.

"Looks like it can talk," Applejack noted, inviting herself in. "Could stand ta learn a few manners, though."

*****

Cursing, Ash beat away the last of the flames. Despite the noise, the blast was relatively small. The room was still intact, though all of the Human's roommates left quickly to the safety of downstairs.

The explosion managed to burn away a significant portion of Ash's beard and hair, leaving both at a bearable size, though the edges were singed and at many points one side was longer than the other. Burnt white hair cover the floor and the bitter smell floated and spread throughout the area. Ash got up to open a window only to once again smash his head against the ceiling.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?"

Ash turned. Fluttershy stood before him, her face filled with concern. Behind her stood another pony, one that was orange and wore a strange hat. Unlike Fluttershy, this pony had no wings to speak of but Ash could tell this pony was filled with strength. The orange pony glared at the Human, her eyes filled with mistrust.

"I, uh, I can explain."

"Oh, you poor dear. Look, you're shedding."

"I was- wait, what?"

"Oh no, are you sick? Is that smell smoke?" Fluttershy gasped. "Maybe you're a type of phoenix. Don't worry, soon you'll rise from ashes as a beautiful bird."

"I'm not a phoenix. And I feel-"

"Say 'ah'."

"Whaahh-!" Ash choked as the little Pegasus jammed a thermometer down his throat. Fluttershy gently push him back into bed and covered him once again with the checkered quilt.

"This blanket is much too small and with your fur falling out, you'll freeze. Oh, what should I do?" Fluttershy tapped her hoof against her chin thoughtfully, ignorant of Ash's vain attempt to communicate with his hands. The thermometer had gone too far; the Human was beginning to turn blue.

"Why don't ya go see if Twilight knows anything about this thing," the orange pony in the hat spoke up. "Maybe she's gotta book in that library of her's."

"Of course, Twilight must know something," her friend exclaimed, yanking out the thermometer. Ash gagged and choked. "I'm sure she had book on phoenixes after what happened to Philomeena."

Fluttershy studied the thermometer. "Doesn't look like you have a fever, but you still need plenty of rest. Applejack, could you watch him while I get Twilight. That is, if you're not to busy or anything..."

"Don't worry about a thing. This thing ain't goin' anywhere." Applejack glared at the Human. "Am I right?"

"Yes ma'am," Ash squeaked weakly. He rubbed his neck furiously with his hand. Color slowly returned to his face.

"I won't be gone long," and with that Fluttershy left, leaving Ash with the orange pony, whom still glared at the Human with mistrust.

"So," Ash said, attempting to start a conversation. "Applejack, huh."

"Darn tootin'."

"You wouldn't happen to be an apple farmer, would you?"

"Mah business ain't none of your business."

Ash sighed and looked out the window. Applejack did the same.

Both Earth Pony and Human shared the same thought:

Fluttershy, please hurry.

Of Pink Ponies, Pastries, and Underpants

Ash got to his feet. Without the constraints of a low ceiling, the Human stood to his maximum height. At 5 feet 10 inches, Ash was of average height by Human standards. By Dwarven standards, he was a giant.

"Whoa, you're huge!"

By pony standards, it appeared, he would also be seen as a colossus.

The unusual colored Pegasus hovered up to eye level. Her enthusiasm had died down after Ash silently refused to answer her questions but it had returned in full strength in response to the Human's sudden act.

The two other ponies were still arguing. Neither had managed to gain any rhetorical ground and had resorted to name calling and insults.

Though they stood at distance and the Pegasus had discovered new questions to ask, Ash managed to hear the words "dangerous" and "threat" several times.

Ash shook his head and whipped himself with his own white hair. It was apparent the orange pony did not trust him. He could understand her feelings. After all, he had treated and had been treated the same way initial by the Elves.

Ash cautiously approached the nearby creek. Thankfully, no noose had tightened around his neck; Applejack was currently locked in verbal combat with a foe that demanded her full focus. Ash knelt in the grass and cupped his hands in the water. He splashed the chilling water against his face a scrubbed furiously.

The Human stroked his wet beard. More than ever, Ash wished for a mirror. The creek, though clean, was not able to present a clear reflection of Ash.

With a sigh, Ash flicked his wrist...

*****

"Ah'm tellin' ya, that it ain't nothin' but trouble. Can't ya see that without yur fancy-smancy spectacles?"

"My eyesight is perfectly fine, thank you very much. I can see perfectly clear that the only one causing trouble is you!"

"That thing can be dangerous! Ah ain't goin' to risk tha safety of mah family!"

"You've almost killed it with your stubbornness."

"Who are ya callin' stubborn?"

"You, if you are going to continue call him a threat. He has done nothing to deserve such suspicion. Look at him!" Rarity jabbed at Ash's direction in emphasis.

"Does he look like a threat?"

Both ponies turned toward the creek and toward the being near it.

With a wave from Ash's arm, a large stream of water pulled itself out of the creek and flowed in front of the Human face, like a little sideway lake. Rainbow Dash hovered on the other side, watching through the floating body of water in awe.

With a small flick of his wrist, the water solidified into a thin and icy block of reflective crystal.

Ash examined his hair with a grimace, his tongue sticking through pursed lips. Rarity and Applejack examined Ash with shock, their jaws hanging loosely above the ground.

*****

"Whoa, how are you doing that?"

"Huh?"

Ash gave the Pegasus a sideways look from behind his makeshift mirror.

"Uh, magic," Ash answered, hoping the flying pony would accept such a vague response.

"Magic?"

"Magic."

Ash returned to his grooming. "You sound confused. Haven't you seen magic before?"

"Well, yeah. But only Unicorns are supposed to be able to use magic. And that looks nothing like the magic Twilight uses."

Ash shrugged. "Maybe I'm a different kind of Unicorn."

"Pff. Wait, really?"

"... No."

*****

"Not dangerous? Lookit what's it's doin'!" Applejack nearly screamed.

Rarity, while visible shaken by Ash's sudden display of aquatic manipulation, kept her voice calm and composed:

"This proves nothing."

"Nothin'? Nothin'? Are yah payin' attention? Look at what it's doin'! Look at what it can do!" Applejack pointed a shaking hoof. "How is that harmless? What if it's somethin' like Discord?"

"I still think you're jumping to conclusions. Simply because he has strange abilities does not mean he will them to cause harm."

"Yah don't know that it won't!"

"And you don't know that he will!" Rarity was beginning to tire of Applejack stubborn nature and her frustration was showing.

"Ooh, ooh, what if you made him Pinkie Promise? Then he can't hurt us cuz no pony breaks a Pinkie Promise."

Applejack and Rarity turned around. Pinkie Pie stood behind them. Standing was not the best description; if anything, the hyper pink pony was bouncing in place behind them. Next to her was a picnic basket filled with muffins.

"Pinkie, how long have..."

"Pinkie Pie, what are yah doin' here?"

Pinkie Pie grinned. Suddenly, neither pony wanted to know. Ignorance was truly bliss when dealing with this Earth Pony.

"Except you, Applejack. You kinda broke your Pinkie Promise even though you didn't. Oh wait, he's not a pony, is he? I'm getting tired of calling him 'him' and 'he'. That's probably not even his real name. Or if it is, that be real weird, wouldn't it. I know! I'll go ask him his name! Then I'll know what to call him. Then I can throw him a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party! See you later, alligator! Bye!"

As Pinkie picked up the basket and bounced toward the creek, her friends picked and pieced their one sided conversation together.

"Ah told her Ah didn't break my promise."

"Wait, where did Pinkie say she was going?"

The two mares turned toward the direction the pink party pony was in. Their blood chilled when they saw that Pinkie was headed straight toward the tall figure near the floating frozen puddle.

*****

"So, you got a name?"

"Eh?"

Ash look up from his losing fight with his hair; it simply would not stay out of his eyes.

"A name. You know, what you're called?"

"I know what a name is," Ash answered with slight irritation. "And yes, I do have a name."

The Pegasus stared at the Human expectantly with a goofy grin. As if to prompt the Human, she nodded. Ash returned to combing his hair back.

"I just chose not to give it out freely."

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped and her smile became a frustrated frown

Just when I thought I was getting somewhere she thought to herself with a sigh.

"So, do you have a name?"

"Huh?"

From behind his mirror Ash grinned.

"Do you have a name. As in, what do others call you?"

Rainbow crossed her front legs (Ash: Legs? Arms? Do legs work that way?) across her chest and looked away, apparently without interest.

"Sorry, that's not something I can just out like that."

Ash chuckled softly. His grin grew wider. Has a sense of humor, this one he thought to himself before saying, "Tell you what, you give me your name and I'll give you mine. Fair enough?"

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment before nodding.

"Sounds fair. They call me Rainbow Dash," the Pegasus announced proudly. "Fastest and best flier in all of a Equestria."

Rainbow Dash Ash mouthed. With difficult, he managed to control his laughter, though his shoulders quaked.

"Fitting name, Miss Rainbow Dash."

"Argh, just call me Dash or Rainbow." The Pegasus shook her head, her messy mane became more chaotic as strands of her hair stuck out. "So what's your name?"

Ash opened his mouth to answer before he was interrupted by screaming. He turned around and saw Applejack and the white Unicorn rush over toward him. Both were yelling frantically about the color pink.

Ash turned back to his mirror only to fall back in surprise. Instead of seeing his own reflection Ash saw a pony. A pink pony.

Ash rubbed his eyes. The pony was still there. A giant smile grew on her face and the frozen mirror shattered.

Ash covered his face but felt no shards. Instead, something had landing on his chest. Ash brought his arms down and found the pink pony sitting on top of him. She opened her mouth and sucked in a gust of air.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you! That's what I'd say if we were at the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party I'm going to throw for you. I throw one for everypony that's new in town! Oh, and I threw one for a Griffin but she didn't really like it here. I know everypony in Ponyville and now I'll get to know every whatever-you-are in Ponyville and we'll be great friends and you're new here so you don't have any friends but don't worry; Twilight made lotsa friends here and so will you! Maybe we'd have to change the town's name since you're here and you're not a pony. But wait, Gummy's not a pony either and we don't need to call here Gatorpolis. Ooh, that's a new one! Gatorpolis! Gatorpolis! Ooh, but what about Alli-, Alli-, hmm, what's another word for city? Alliville? Los Alligus? Alliviana? The Allimo? Or is that a better name for a fort?"

Ash turned to the three other mares who stood at a distance, unwilling to be in hearing range. Applejack stood the farthest away, muttering to herself, "Make it stop, make it stop," as repressed memories resurfaced.

"Help?" he said weakly. No pony did as Pinkie Pie took another deep breath.

*****

"Oh no, I totally forgot!"

Fluttershy landed while Twilight skid to a stop and turned around.

"Is something wrong?" the Unicorn asked.

"I told Rarity I'd stop by for tea but so much happened that it slipped my mind. Oh, Rarity will be so disappointed."

"Rarity?" an orange Earth Pony with a carrot for a cutie mark asked. "I saw her headed to your cottage. She was in such a hurry she almost knocked over my carrot stand."

"A lot of ponies went that direction," said a nearby mare with a rose colored mane. "I saw Rainbow Dash fly over there too."

"Oh my, so many ponies. I hope he won't feel overwhelmed. I know I would."

"Don't worry Fluttershy," Twilight assured, "I'm sure they'll all be fine. There no need act all panicky."

"You know, I think I saw Pinkie Pie head over there too."

"Really? Huh, explains how quiet the marketplace was."

Twilight stopped in her tracks. "Wait, Pinkie Pie too?"

"Is now a good time to panic?" Fluttershy asked.

"...Yes."

*****

"...and that's how I got my cutie mark!"

"Uh huh." Ash laid on his back and watched the clouds. For the first time in a while, Ash tried amusing himself by creating pictures and images with the clouds but one could make only so many bunnies and battleships before that became old. What furthered his frustration was the lack of new clouds. Despite the relaxing breeze, those clouds stood stationary, using to move or reform or reshape. With a sigh, the Human closed his eyes. He would have taken a nap if it weren't for the pink pony bouncing on his belly, with words flowing out with more force than a raging river.

"Well?"

"Eh?"

Ash opened his eyes and stared straight in to a pair of wide blue eyes accompanied by huge smile.

" Uh, what, oof, was the question?"

"Silly, did you forget already?"

"You asked a, oof, bunch of questions."

"Oh right, I did, didn't I? Hmm, which one should you answer first?"

"Hey, he didn't answer my question yet!" Rainbow Dash said with irritation. "You still owe me a name."

"Ooh, that's a good one! Wait, let's try guessing first!"

"I am also quite curious to know your name," spoke the white Unicorn. "Oh, where are our manners? I am Rarity and my friend here is Applejack." Rarity gave the orange pony a glare. "And she will apologize for her behavior."

"We've oof, met."

"I ain't apologizing fur nuthing."

Rarity gave Applejack another dark look before sighing. "And I see you have already met Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie."

"You could, oof, say that. My name's, oof, could you please stop that?"

Pinkie Pie seemed to slow in mid air. "Coulduplzstoptat? That's a funny name."

Ash sat up and the pink little pony slid into his lap. She looked up with a giant smile.

I'd say the same about your name "Pinkie Pie" Ash thought. No wait, Coulduplzstoptat is funnier.

"My name is Ashley but I'd prefer it if you called me Ash."

"Ash, huh." Rainbow tapped her chin. "Cooler than 'Ashley', that's for sure. Could be cooler though."

"Aww, I liked Coulduplzstoptat."

"Well, it's a pleasure to formally meet you, Ashley, um, Ash."

"Now what kind o name is 'Ashlee'? It don't sound Equestrian at all."

Ash shrugged. At this point, he found no reason to reveal anymore information besides his name. While he was positive that none of these ponies meant to do him harm (Well, almost none Ash amended as Applejack continued to watch him with eyes of a hawk) it wouldn't hurt to take some precautions. He had been wrong before.

At least until I speak to this Twilight character. I need information as well.

Ash got to his feet once again.

"Where are yah headed?"

Ash sighed. Applejack's distrust was understandable but was also quickly getting on his nerves.

"I need another mirror. Gotta get this mess of hair into something semi-presentable."

"Ooh, you should get Rarity to help. Look at how fancy smancy her mane is."

"I dunno." Rainbow Dash leaned onto Ash' shoulder with some difficult. "I think it looks fine."

"Really?" The Pegasus nodded. "Then it really does need to be changed."

Ash's comment earned him a scowl from Rainbow Dash, which Ash responded with a grin.

The Human turned to the Unicorn. "Welp, do you think you can do something about this?" With a gesture Ash indicated his hair.

"Of course, this shouldn't be too difficult." Rarity pulled out a pair of scissors from her saddlebag.

"Rarity..." Applejack began.

"Hush, I need my full concentration. Now would you like this?"

"I dunno. Short enough so it stays out of my eyes."

"And the beard? I could give you a magnificent mustache"

Ash thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I'd prefer to be clean shaven." I'm ten years too young to be sporting that kind of thing.

"Very well then. I need full silence now. And stop giving me those looks Applejack; it's just a haircut."

Ash closed his eyes. At least now no one would ask him anymore questions.

.............

..........

.......

......

....

"Have you ever had a cherrychanga?"

*Snip*

"Oops."

"Oh, ur, don't worry I can fix that."

•••••

Meanwhile, Spike had just finished shelving the books. He took a step back to admire his work. It didn't take long for his deference to die out.

With a sigh, the little dragon turned away from the book shelves and sat right outside of the library. Man, I wish I could go on my own adventure Spike dreamed. Images of the dragon, large and muscular, fighting off hoards of enemies danced in his head and he sighed in bliss.

His daydream was cut short as Spike's stomach began to rumble with a quaking sensation. Spike quickly jumped to his feet and began to heave. With a final heave, Spike released a torrent of green flames. The resulting smoke became a sealed scroll with the royal regalia.

Spike broke the seal and quickly read through the letter. After finishing, the young dragon jumped to his feet and ran in the direction Twilight and Fluttershy had headed. While he couldn't understand the letter in its entirety, Spike understood enough to have a sense of urgency.

*****

"There, it's done."

Ash put his hand to his now smooth chin. Rarity had a gift with scissors, he had to admit. Ash had seen many experienced barbers but all had used razors to shave their patrons' facial hair.

The Human turned to the ponies. "Well? What do you think?"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie sat there, with mouths ajar for a few seconds before breaking out in a large and heavy laugh. Pinkie Pie rolled in the grass giggling while her Pegasus companion laid on the ground with her legs kicking the air.

Applejack managed to keep a straight face for half a second longer than the other two before she began to snicker. It wasn't long before she had joined Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash in the grass.

"Ha, you look worse than before!" roared Rainbow before breaking into another fit.

"Hah, hah, wow Rarity, didn't think yah could mess up sumthin' like beautifyin' a mane." Applejack managed to snort between breathes. Rarity blushed angrily at the orange pony's comment.

Pinkie Pie had been unable to make a single coherent sentence out of her laugh attack.

Rarity gave Ash a sad glance. "I admit, it was much harder than I expected it would be. I'm not much of a barber, more of a stylist, really. But nothing I had in mind seemed to fit you."

Ash sat there, stroking his chin. "I want a mirror."

"I'm sure Fluttershy must have one in her cottage."

"Nah, this is easier."

With a wave of his hand, the creek nearby once again jumped before the Human and froze into another reflector. Applejack's laughter died away.

Ash peered at his reflection. He turned his head from one side to the other and back again. Ash ran a hand through his hair, brushing it off to one side, then to the other.

Rarity watched anxiously. It took all her will power not to start biting down on her hooves.

Applejack also watched in anxiety, though for a different reason. Every fiber in her body wanted to pounce on the strange creature with strange powers but held back; who knows what he could do if he was attacked.

Ash was silent as he continued to examine his new appearance. at least, Rarity couldn't handle the silence.

"Well, what do you think?"

Ash tilted his head back in deep thought. All eyes were upon him, waiting for his opinion. Even Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie stopped laughing to hear his verdict.

Ash grinned suddenly. "I love it. Man, I don't think I've ever looked better."

"Oh, you're just saying. I know it's too short but..."

"My hair is normally this short. It's fine."

"Oh no!"

Everyone turned to the direction of the scream. Ash had enough time to widen his eyes in surprise as a yellow Pegasus tackled him to the ground. The crystal mirror reverted into water and landed with a splash.

"Oh, look at you. All your fur is gone. Oh, what to do, what to do?" Fluttershy planted a hoof onto Ash's forehead. "Don't you worry, we'll take good of you. You're going to be just fine. J-just fine"

"Then why do sound worried?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Hold on now, sugarcube," Applejack said as she picked Fluttershy off the Human.

"What's,,,up....everypony?"

Twilight Sparkle stumbled toward her friends, wheezing and gasping for air. The constant gallop took a lot out of the eggheaded Unicorn.

She managed two more steps before collapsing.

*****

Six ponies and a Human sat in a circle just outside of Fluttershy's cottage. The little abode was not made to entertain so many guests.

It took several minutes of reasoning before Fluttershy was convinced that Ash was not in fact dying. Even so, the Pegasus did everything she could to make her new animal friend more comfortable. The end result was a very awkward Ash siting on top of several pillows and covered by a blanket. Ash found it impossible to refuse and tried his very best not to spill muffin crumbs on the quilt.

Applejack and Rarity had been whispering to Twilight, each giving their own views on the new creature. Applejack had grudgingly admitted that the creature didn't seem to be hostile or wanting harm and Rarity conceded that Ash needed to be watched as his strange powers may pose as a threat.

In the end, Twilight managed to conclude that Ash (Twilight: What a strange name) was an intelligent creature that deserve some respect. What was truly intriguing was the creature's apparent magic abilities. Twilight had never even heard of any other creature besides Unicorns who could utilize magic.

I need to know more.

Across from the purple Unicorn, Ash was thinking the same thing. Questions danced in his head: where exactly was he; how did he get here; how could get back home. I still have a mission to finish...

Do you?

Ramth's image appeared before him, his humorless smile sending chills done his spine. Pictures of the corpses of his companions, his friends, were presented before him. Was there still a mission to complete?

Ash took a giant bite out his muffin, the sugar brightening his mood slightly. No he thought to himself. I haven't failed yet. If I don't finishing my quest, everyone would have died in vain.

It never crossed his mind that it may have been impossible to return home.

Ash choose instead to focus at the issue at hand; he chewed the muffin slowly as he thought of the best way to formulate his questions. Across from him, Twilight was doing the same thing.

What to ask. How should I ask?

"So..." started both the Human and the Unicorn. Both quickly withdrew.

"Oh, sorry, you can go first."

"Not at all, I'm sure you have plenty of questions."

"You probably do too."

"Ladies first."

"Guests first."

"If neither of you are gonna ask anything," Rainbow Dash spoke up, "I've got a bunch of questions."

"Ooh, me too. Me too. Like do you like muffins? Cuz it sure looks like you do! Then you'll love cupcakes! Have you ever had a cupcake? They're the best! I've never meet a pony that didn't like cupcakes!"

"I have a bit of an inquiry myself."

"Can't say I ain't curious tah know more about whateva yah are."

"Oh, I don't think we should...it's his business after all..."

"Can I ask a question first?" Ash quickly interjected.

The ponies looked at each other and nodded.

"Where am I, exactly?"

Twilight Sparkly answered, "You're in the kingdom of Equestria. More specifically, you're in Ponyville, which is near the Everfree Forest. Does that answer any of your questions?"

Ash shook his head. Equestria? Ponyville? Everfree Forest? He never heard of any of these places. But then again, he had never heard of colorful ponies who could talk.

"Sorry, that doesn't give me any information I can really use. Your turn."

"Ooh, ooh, what word do you think is funnier: cherrychanga or chimi--"

"What are you anyways?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked, cutting Pinkie Pie off.

"Blunt, aren't we?" Ash said with a snort.

"Just answer the question."

"I'm guessing you've never seen a Human before, have you?"

The ponies all shook their heads, though Pinkie Pie had to think a bit first.

"Well, congrats. You've just discover one."

"Do you all think so strange?"

"You already asked a question, let another pony ask."

"Ah was about to ask tha same thin'."

Ash thought for a moment. Again, another harmless question. Harmless, yet difficult.

"Lets see...Well, all Humans walk on two feet, have two arms with hands, a head, a rear...Yep, besides a few details with the face and differing levels of height and wideness and complexion, Humans all look this 'strange.'"

"Can you all talk?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ash answered, a little relieved that Pinkie Pie had asked such a rational question.

"Are there more of you? Cuz then we can a giant 'Welcome to Equestria, Humans' party and we'd have so many guests of honor!"

"I've been meaning to ask you about your attire."

"My clothes?"

"Yes. In Equestria, clothing is worn only on certain occasions or to demonstrate one's status in society. Did you come from an important event? Although, and please take no offense, your dress seems rather...worn."

"Well duh, of course they're worn. His wearing them right now!"

"Actually, Humans tend to wear clothing all the time. I'm a bit surprised you ponies wear clothes, no offense." Ash placed his hand on his chin and thought for a moment. "Actually, I don't suppose there's a tailor in, what was the town called?"

"Ponyville. And I happen to be a distinguished seamstress. And I would more than happy to mend your garments."

Applejack snickered. "Are yah sure Rarity? After how yah butchered his mane?"

The white Unicorn blushed furiously. "I have full confidence in my dressmaking abilities. Have you forgotten your gala dress?" She turned to Ash. "Don't worry, dear. I assure you, I am a professional. Let us continue this at my shop."

Everyone got up and followed Rarity toward the direction of the town. Twilight put away her quill and notes and ran to catch up with her friends.

"I didn't even get to ask anything," she grumbled to herself.

*****

"Wh-why is everypony staring at us?" Fluttershy tried to hid herself from the watchful eyes of Ponyville's inhabitants. Old memories from her dreadful modeling career resurfaced, causing the poor Pegasus to shudder.

Indeed, it had appeared that every member of the pony society had come to stare at the six mares. It didn't exactly help that they chose a route that ran directly through the marketplace during a very busy time.

Or that a strange and unusual being had accompanied them.

Ponies of every color huddled together, whispering. As soon as the group got close, however, the ponies would scatter. None dared approach, despite the reassuring looks given by some of the six ponies that stood together with the strange creature.

"How rude, they should know better than to stare."

"It's worse than that, Rarity," Twilight said. "They all seem afraid, like with Zecora."

"Well, can yah blame them?" exclaimed Applejack. "Zecora was at least pony-like."

"Yes, but I thought we all learned not to discriminate based on appearance. I thought you learned that too."

Applejack flushed and said nothing.

Twilight turned to the Human. "I'm sorry for the cold reception. Normally, Ponyville is a very welcoming place."

"Meh."

Ash was much more perturbed by the actual sight of a pony based society than its reaction toward him. Unicorns, Earth Ponies, an occasional Pegasus, there were so many of them. And the colors, the variety of colors.

"As long as they don't start chasing us with torches and pitchforks, I'll be fine. Once is enough and I haven't exactly lived down that memory."

In truth, Ash was much more worried than that. So many Unicorns, so many magic users. His confidence in his own abilities melted at the sight, or rather the feel, of magic in the area, much of which was leaking out the purple Unicorn next to him.

At last, they arrived at Rarity's shop. Ash stood there, his mouth agape. Even at his height, he needed to look up.

Maybe I should have taken poetry thought Ash, for he could not describe the building. At best, he could say that it was obviously owned by Rarity, with all of its laces and fanciness.

"Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, My pride and joy and home! Please, do come in."

With difficulty, Ash wiggled through the doorway and crawling inside. It seemed a lot bigger on the inside. Fabrics of all sorts of colors and types were organized neatly on the selves. Completed dresses adorn several pony mannequins. Naked ones stood to the side.

As the rest of the ponies filed in, Rarity got to her work station and picked up her red reading glasses with her magic. Everypony else closed the curtains to hide them from spying eyes.

"Now, may I please have your dress."

"It's a robe. Please refer it as such. I get enough grief at home." Ash took off his mage's robe and toss them over to Rarity. He had expected her catch them. She didn't.

"Are you, wearing clothes underneath your clothes?" the Unicorn asked as she levitated the robe off her.

"Uh, yeah."

"Whoa, doncha get hot with all that on."

"Rainbow, he doesn't have any fur. He probably needs to wear more clothing so he doesn't get cold," Twilight said.

"Huh, guess that makes sense."

"Well then, give them here. I'll restore those as well."

Ash looked back and forth. He rubbed the back of head in embarrassment, saying, "Is there a changing room or something? I'm not exactly used to standing in the nude, especially in front of ladies."

Rarity slapped herself on the forehead. "Of course. Please forgive me." Quickly, she set up dividers around the Human.

"Ah jus' don' get why yur makin' such a big deal out o this. Ah've got no problem changing in the open." Applejack's comment received a mortified glare from Rarity.

Ash peeked right above the the top of the divider. "If you wear clothing as long as I have, you would have a problem. Besides, you ever change in front of a stallion before?"

"O' course not. Ah don' even let Big Macintosh in mah room."

Ash disappeared behind his little cubicle. "Same deal. Different species maybe, but same deal."

Another article of clothing flew on top of Rarity, who quickly shook it off.

"Sorry," Ash said, peeking from above once again. "Next time, I'll warn you."

"It's quite alright. Shirts are much easier to mend."

"Ponies in shirts, what next?" Ash muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Incoming."

Another article was tossed over the dividers, which Rarity quickly caught with her magic.

"What are these?" Rainbow quick grabbed the unusually piece of clothing from Rarity. Unlike the tunic, this thing did not have a hole for one's head.

"Oh, oh, I know!" Pinkie snatched away the item away and put it over her head. "It's a hat! Like what jesters wear."

A small chuckle came from behind the makeshift dressing area as Rarity took the "hat" off of Pinkie Pie, commenting on how tacky it appeared.

"Those are pants. I wear them over my legs and rear. One last thing, and please don't put it on your head."

A tan piece of cloth landed in front of Rarity.

"Wh-what is this?"

Pinkie Pie gave it a close examination. "Looks like a diaper."

"It's not a diaper. Those are underpants."

"Underpants? Why would yah have underpants if yah already wear pants?"

"To wear underneath my pants."

Gingerly, Rarity levitated the final article in front of her. "They look a bit stained."

From behind the dividers, Ash turned bright red.

"If you like, I can wash them."

"If it's no problem, I'd appreciate that very much."

"Well, if that's it," an increasingly impatient Unicorn said, "I still have some questions that need answering."

As Twilight began to take out her notes, Applejack walked over to Rarity, whom had just begun to repair a small hole in Ash's pair of pants.

"Are yah sure yah want tah do all this? Yah know yah don't have to."

"Applejack, what are you trying to say? Do you really distrust Ash this much?"

The orange pony shook her head. "It's not that. It's jus' seems mightly generous of yah tah be doin' all this. Ah jus' don' want yah tah exhaust yah self, yah hear?"

Rarity smiled, touched by her friend's concern. "You have nothing to fear. This sort of thing is very easy, even if Ash' anatomy is different from our own. Besides, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to help."

"If you say so." Applejack turned to join her friends, whom were once again grilling the Human with questions. "Yah really are tha Element of Generosity, yah know."

*****

"Can all Humans use magic?"

"No, just a few."

"How do you use magic?"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, puzzled.

"Well, Unicorns use magic by directing it through our horns. I can see you don't have a horn so how do you use magic?"

"Well..."

"Hold up, Twilight," Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Fluttershy hasn't got a turn yet."

"Oh, it's quite all right. I really don't have anything to say."

"Ah, come on. You can't say you aren't curious."

"Well..."

"Yeah," exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "After all, you love learning about animals! Or was it taking care of them? Or talking to them? Or all of the above?"

"Oh, I don't know, Twilight has so much ask too."

The purple Unicorn sighed and put down her notes. "It's fine. I remember how you first reacted to Spike. I bet you're all curious about Ash's, well his everything, really."

"The least I can do after I was in your care for so long is to answer some questions," Ash said behind the dividers.

"Well..." Fluttershy took a deep breath.

"I'd love to know where you came from and how you live and if you live with any other Humans and if you're close to any of them. I want to know why they wear clothes all the time instead of having fur. I want to know if they can sing like they can talk. Oh, I'd love to hear a Human sing. I can't even imagine what it would sound like. I'd love to know what type of habitats you live in and how you interact with other animals. I want to know how you are born and how you're raised and how old you get and how big you get and how small you begin. Oh, how I'd love to see a baby Human. I want to learn how you got to Equestria and why you're in Equestria and if you're part tree. Oh, I just want to know absolutely everything!"

Fluttershy stopped to catch her breath. In her excitement, the Pegasus had taken flight and was now several feet in the air. It took her few moments to realize that everypony's eye was upon her. Even Pinkie Pie was amazed by the normally reserved Pegasus' sudden display, her mouth stood agape. Ash had a similar reaction, blinking several times before he could process all of Fluttershy's inquiries.

Fluttershy became self-conscious and quickly landed, digging softly at the floor. "Th-that, that is, if it's okay with you..."

Ash sat himself up, leaning his head on his fist, considering which questions he could answer. While the Human was positive that the ponies he had met were peaceful, he couldn't be sure if they were a fair representation of the entire nation. Information about his home needed to be kept a secret for the time being. As for how he got here, well, Ash had the same question.

Before Ash could collect his final thoughts together, the boutique door swung wide open. Ash got to his knees and peeked over at the intruder.

At the threshold stood a scaly creature, panting and sweating. Dull spikes adorned its head,traveling all the way down to the end of its tail. With one clawed hand, the creature held a scroll and with the other it braced itself against its own knee.

"Tw-Twilight!" the reptilian managed to wheeze. Its voice was full of youth and obviously masculine.

Twilight immediately recognized the creature, who ran to his side and let him lean on her back.

"Spike, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay in the library?"

Spike waved the parchment in the air. "This is important! I looked everywhere for you guys!"

"What could be so urgent that got you to drive yourself into this condition?"

"The Princesses! Princess Celestia and Nigh- I mean Princess Luna. Th-they, they..."

"Spike, take some deep breaths first." Spike obeyed his guardian, breathing in and out slowly. "Now, what about the Princesses?"

"They're coming Twilight!" Spike's relaxed state shattered and he began to hyperventilate.

"The Princesses are coming!"

The Strength of the Heavens

"The Princesses? They're coming to Ponyville? Both of them?"

Twilight was practically beside herself. To call her worried would be a total understatement, like calling Pinkie Pie different or the sun's surface warm.

"When are they comin', then?" Applejack asked Spike.

The baby dragon, who was currently taking deep breathes through a brown paper bag and in no condition to answer, handed Applejack the letter.

"My Dear Twilight...uh huh...hmm...we will be arriving some time before sun down."

Rainbow Dash peeked through the curtains. "Sun down? The sun's already setting!"

"Whaaat?"

Twilight quickly shoved the rainbow maned Pegasus away from the window to get a look herself. With a shaking hoof, she parted the curtains and slowly raised her head to watch powerlessly as the sun set.

To her amazement, the sun hung high in the sky. From its position, sun down wouldn't be for a few hours.

Rainbow snickered. "Gotcha. You should of seen your face."

"Not funny." Twilight turned to Applejack, whom was still in procession of the Princesses's letter. "Does the letter say why they're visiting so suddenly?"

"Far as Ah can tell, they wan' tah see, what's the word they used? Oh yeah, 'alien'."

"S-so not even the Princesses know what a Human is?" Fluttershy looked over to the cubicle Ash sat in. Ash looked over the edge in curiosity.

"Guess not. Says here you an' Twi's description don' match anythin' from Equestria. Or this world."

"Or this world?" Pinkie Pie asked. She gasped. "You mean, he's out of this world, like a real space alien?"

"Whoa!" Rainbow flew over to Ash. "How come you never told us you're from space."

"I'm not from space!" Ash screamed. "Hey, ge-get out of here! I'm freaking naked here! Argh!"

"Geez Louise, I was just leaving. Stop worrying, I didn't see anything." When she was out of ear reach, Rainbow Dash quickly added, "At least, didn't see anything interesting..."

Her comment and actions quickly earned her a scolding from Rarity at here work bench. Twilight meanwhile took the letter and read it herself.

"Your descriptions fit no know creature we know of, mythological or real, living or extinct. Luna even did some research of dealing with outside of Equestria but her search was fruitless. The nature of your creature perplexes all our knowledge of life. What you have described to us does not appear to exist in Equestria. Luna goes as far as to say that it may not even be of this world.

"Twilight, stay on your guard. Luna and I will arrive in Ponyville some time before sun down to conduct our own personal investigations. You need not prepare an overly large welcome, though I would appreciate it if there were a few cupcakes from the local bakery, if it is not much trouble. Luna has developed quite a sweet tooth after her first Nightmare Moon Night and would greatly appreciate it if a few sweets were set aside for her as well.

"Be safe. Luna gives her regards and looks forward to our visit. Your mentor, Princess Celestia."

Twilight put the scroll down. " Spike, how much time do we have until sun down?"

Spike ran to the window, having fully recovered. "I think we have three hours."

"Three hours..."

The Unicorn quickly pulled out a clean piece of parchment and began to organize a to-do list.

"Rarity, how long will it take for you to complete restore and wash Ash's clothes?"

"I should be done with in the next hour."

"Good. We need him to be presentable to the Princesses so try to add some of your own personal touch."

Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie, I need you to run to Sugar Cube Corner and whip up some cupcakes and candy within an hour. You think you can do that?"

"Yes sir ma'am sir!"

"Good. Applejack, make sure she stays on track."

"Yah got it, sugar-cube."

"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, can you watch for the Princesses and tell me when you see then?"

"Not a problem! Right, Fluttershy?"

"Well, I..."

"Come on, let's fly!"

"Eep!"

Twilight walked over to the makeshift dressing room.

"Spike?"

"Huh?"

"I need you to tell Ash about the Princesses so he knows how to act."

"Why can't you do it?"

"I need to head back to the library."

With that, Twilight ran out of the dress shop, leaving a Unicorn heavily concentrated in her work, a baby dragon, and a very awkward feeling alien. Ash promised himself never to take clothing for granted ever again.

Ash got to his knees. He stared at the dragon. Spike stared at the Human thing.

"Hey."

"Sup?"

..........

"So..." Ash began, rubbing the back of his head. "What do I need to know about the princesses?"

"Well, first you need to know that Princess Celestia is the best pony ever..."

*****

"...and that's why Princess Celestia is the best pony ever! Though Rarity comes in a close second."

Ash sat with the baby dragon, wearing his newly restored robes. Rarity had even added some fabrics, giving the simple uniform a more regal feel. His other clothes, on the other hand, rubbed tightly against them; the pants, shirt, and underwear had shrunk in the wash.

"What about the other princess. What was her name again?"

"You mean Princess Luna? Eh, I dunno much about her besides that she used to be known as Nightmare Moon and tried taking over Equestria and drowned it in an eternal night a thousand years ago before being banished by her sister. Oh and she has a holiday named after her that's pretty awesome and controls the moon or something like that."

"Wait, you just spend the past two hours explaining how amazing the first princess was and now you give me a five second summary on the second?"

"Hey, I don't know much about Princess Luna. She spent the past one thousand on the moon." Spike leaned closer, beckoning. "And if you don't watch out, so will you," he quickly whispered.

Ash leaned back on his hands, staring at the ceiling. Rarity was busy trying to get herself presentable, leaving Spike his only companion at the moment.

"So your government is run by a pair of princesses, one that apparently controls the sun's movement and banishes those who are disagreeable onto an orbiting rock in space, and the other is a former nocturnal tyrant." Ash laid on his back with his hands behind his head. "And you find nothing wrong with it?"

"What do you mean?" Spike had been raised worshiping the Princesses, especially Princess Celestia. The alien's attitude toward the rulers of Equestria got on the dragon's nerves.

Ash merely shrugged and wisely kept his mouth shut. The notion that a pair of horses controlled night and day was far-fetched, at best, but Ash saw no reason to upset their beliefs. Humanity, with the assistance of a couple of Dwarven scientists, had already concluded that the planet revolved around the sun because of some physical pull. Ash chose not to reveal this but remained skeptical about the Princesses for their claims of power.

"Well, what do you boys think?"

Rarity stepped into the room, wearing a grand lavender gown.

"Whoa, Rarity you look amazing!"

"Oh, Spike, I sure hope so. What do you think?" The question was directed at Ash.

Crap! Of all the questions...geez, should I just compliment her? Wait, how do I compliment a pony without sounding creepy...

"I, uh, really like your mane."

.......

Spike gave Ash a dark glare. The baby dragon was about to say something just as Rainbow Dash burst through the door.

"Twilight! Where's Twilight?"

"She went to check up on Applejack and Pinkie Pie."

"Thanks!"

"Wait, before you go..." Rarity quickly posed "...how do I look?"

"I dunno, no time. I need to tell Twilight the Princesses are here! Gotta dash!"

"Wait...WHAT!"

*****

"You said we had three hours before sun down." Twilight grumbled.

"Sorry."

Spike followed closely behind Twilight. Ash walked behind him. Behind the Human trailed Rarity, trying her best to keep her dress pristine and spotless; it would have been much easier if they weren't on a dirt road.

"It's only been two!"

"Well, they did say some time before sun set," Ash noted.

"Yes, but an hour before?"

Ash shrugged. "You never know what royalty's thinking." His statement brought forth images of another, more familiar royalty whose actions he could not comprehend. Ash quickly pushed away the images and mentally prepared himself. Much of Spike's hour long rave had been forgotten.

A giant crowd had formed in town center, courtesy of Pinkie Pie. Royal Pegasus guard stood proudly, discouraging further progression by the mass into the center. Streamers and balloons decorated the surrounding buildings and many ponies had a cupcake in hoof.

Twilight groaned. "Pinkie Pie. I told her this was suppose to be private."

As if on cue, a very Pinkie Pie-ish giggle filled the air, relieving some tension.

As the group approached, the crowd quickly made way. Some ponies simply stared at the Human with fascination while other ran the other direction, trying to put as much distance between them and the strange creature.

"Now remember," Twilight whispered to Ash, "The Princesses are the most powerful beings in all of Equestria so--"

"I get it. Be respectful. Don't speak unless spoken to. Always use a fork with your left hand. Laugh at everything they say, even if it's not funny. Do all this and I won't be banished then thrown in a dungeon in the place I was banished."

Twilight blinked.

"I told him everything he needs to know," Spike said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Spike, you know that's not true. At least, not all of it. Don't worry Ash, I'm sure everything will go fine. Ash? Ash?"

Ash had stopped some feet from where the crowd was the thickest. Though he couldn't see them, he could knew the Princesses were there. He could feel them. And their power.

Ash had begun to shake. Sweat fell like a heavy summer rain. He felt as if an invisible force was pushing down against him, threatening to crush him between it and the ground. Ash's breathing became labored. The world began to spin.

"Ash, what's wrong?"

Twilight's worried voice seemed distant. How is she able to stand? Ash asked himself. Can't she feel it? That power? That magic?

The sheer energy seemed to crush him like a wave. Ash had never felt any being so powerful. He fell to his knees.

The crowd split and he saw them, the Princesses. To magnificent creatures, with the horn of a unicorn and the feathery wings of a Pegasus. He felt their auras more distinctly, feeling as if caught between two equally unrelenting forces.

The power of the sun burned against him. The power of the moon froze him to the very core. Ash's head threatened to split open as he became overwhelmed.

Ash had not even attempted to assess their abilities; what he was experiencing was merely a taste of their true powers, he knew.

I was ignorant. I was wrong. With that kind of power, they truly can control the heavens.

The white one approached him with caution. From her, he could almost see the sun and feel its endless and immeasurable heat. As she got closer, the burning sensation increased.

Voices surrounded him but he heard no words, just noise. Everything was so bright, so white. So pure.

Ash's eyes rolled back and he fell face first into the dirt.

"Is he alright?"

"You don't think he's, you know..."

"No, he's still breathing."

"Oh, thank goodness."

Princess Luna appeared before her sister's side.

"We hath heard our sister hath had such affect on thy subjects, but We all but assumed such tales were exaggerated."

The Princess of the Day sighed. "I wish, though its been awhile since somepony actually fainted at my feet." Celestia turned back the unconscious being before her. "But then again, you're not a pony, are you? Twilight?"

Twilight had been helping Rarity pick Ash with magic. At the call of her name, the purple Unicorn, ever the loyal student, quickly turned all her attention to the Princess. Ash fell to the ground with a giant thud. An involuntary groan escaped the Human.

"I need you to tell us everything you've learned about our guest. That goes the rest of you as well."

*****

"Hi again!"

Ash groaned and rubbed his eyes. Nope, pink pony still there.

The Human slowly sat up, clutching his head as he experienced a heavy cause of vertigo.

"He's awake!" At Pinkie Pie's call, her friends quickly surrounded Ash.

"Are you alright?"

"Geez, what the hay happened?"

"Yah sure caused quite a scene back there."

Ash let out another groan, rubbing his forehead. His headache had just begun to die down.

"How long was I out."

"Only half an hour." Twilight pointed toward the horizon. "Look, the sun just begun to set."

Indeed, the sun had just touched the edge of the world and was beginning its descent. There was at least another half hour of daylight and before night truly began but most of the other ponies had went home. The only ones left besides Twilight and Spike were Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.

"Ah, good. I was wondering when you would awake."

The voice was regal, with the force of authority, and yet calming, like a mother. Ash turned to the origin of the voice. To his surprise, the white Princess stood behind him.

Her aura was just as powerful and yet did not affect Ash as violently as before. Was it because the Human had gotten used to it already? Or did the Princess understand what had happened and managed to control her power?

Behind her was her sister, smaller and much darker. A huge lollipop stuck out of her mouth.

The elder smiled, a smile that seemed to convince Ash that all was fine in the world, that everything would be okay.

"I don't believe we've met. I am Princess Celestia."

"And you stand before Us, Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, Moon and Stars. Together, Our sister and We, are rulers and protectors of Our fair nation, Equestria!"

Luna's older sister brought her hoof to her face. The transition into the modern world was a difficult process and while Luna's antics amused Celestia greatly, sometimes she felt that her younger sister took it far over the top.

That introduction would have been much more impressive if you weren't holding that giant piece of candy. Ash thought, amused and slightly intimidated. Ridiculous or not, Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, Moon and Stars, was almost a powerful as her older sister, if not equal.

Silence filled the air, the awkward kind. A few moments passed before Ash realized everyone had been expecting an introduction.

"Uh, I'm Ashley." Ash suddenly wished he had some sort of title. "Ashley, apprentice and potential successor of the Archmage."

In his home country and neighboring nations and even in the Dwarven mines and Elven woods, eyebrows would be raised in surprise and awe. All he got here were blank looks.

Ash sighed. So much for trying to be impressive.

"So..." Rainbow Dash appeared before him. "Wanna tell us why you fainted in the middle of the street."

"Rainbow! Can't you tell the Princesses have questions too?"

Celestia chuckled. It was a musical sound. "Actually, I have the same question. Care to explain?"

The Human turned to Twilight and Rarity. "You didn't feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The magic that surrounds them. The aura. It was so overwhelming."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted, "you can see magic?"

"Feel. You can't?"

The two Unicorns shook their heads.

"Interesting, Twilight told me you could use magic but to be able to detect magical energy..."

"Such a thing is unheard of, dear sister. Perhaps..."

"Yes, it does seem that your theory is right. But there's one more test."

Celestia turned back to Ash. "With your permission, my sister and I will perform a quick analysation spell."

"Sure, I guess..."

Celestia nodded to her sister. Their horns glowed with an intense brightness. Ash felt himself engulfed in magic, unable to move. He felt his own magic being drawn out, his aura much darker and colorless than the ones he had seen here.

With another nod, the spell ended. Ash found himself panting in exhaustion, as if he had been performing some demanding exercise.

"It seems as if We are correct." Princess Luna grinned. "You have lost."

Her sister groaned. "That was an unfair bet. No fair."

"A deal is a deal, dear sister. No paperwork for me tonight." Luna was becoming less formal, both Ash and Twilight noted, as the Princess of the Night began to giggle.

Celestia turned to more pressing matters, namely Ash. He and the surrounding ponies gave each other confused looks.

"What was that about?" asked Rainbow.

"I mentioned in the letter that Luna had an idea that Ashley here may not be of this world. We just confirmed it."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, I'm not of this world?"

"Ooh, ooh, is he really a space alien? Did he really come from a different planet?"

This time Luna stepped in: "Nay, he is may as well be from a different Universe."

"Different universe?" Twilight was confused. "I don't follow."

"Are you saying I'm in a different universe?" Ash asked suddenly. "Are you suggesting inter-Universe travel?"

"It appears so, yes."

"But such feats are only theoretical. To move an object permanently from one world to another requires endless energy."

"You seem quite versed in this subject," Celestia said with a smile. "And you've been here far too long to be brought here by something less powerful than true inter-Universe travel. Perhaps you should try to explain how you got here."

Ash hesitated. Any explanation he could provide would only make sense if he explained his mission. He'd have to reveal his nation's secrets, his own secrets. And he'd have to relive that final failure, the ending confrontation with the man he thought to be his best friend. But if he was truly in another Universe, he was going to need a lot of help to get back home.

"It's a long story..." Ash began the same way one would to avoid explaining how they were stuck in an embarrassing situation. Several ponies made their frustrations known through a large and hefty groan.

"...so you might want to make yourself comfortable and grab a snack. I don't plan to break after I begin."

Royal Exposition

Everypony had gotten a blanket to lay on, save Rainbow Dash, who grabbed a cloud and perched herself on top of it, and Rarity, who brought a couch. Pinkie Pie had a giant pile of snacks next to her. In her hooves was an open box of popcorn.

Ash cleared his throat and begun his tale:

"I'll be honest: I have no idea how I got here but maybe if I can explain what I was doing, one of you could figure out something I couldn't. But you need to know some background first..."

A groan come from the low cloud. "Can't you just skip all that boring stuff?"

Ash ignored the comment as he continued:

"The world I'm from was relatively peaceful. My country was on decent terms with its neighbors and as long as we didn't intrude on the affairs of the other races, there was little trouble. But it wasn't always that way...

"A thousand years before the founding of my nation, the world was ruled by a single entity, a great and powerful Demon. We called the Demon Cerfuli, or the Dark One in the Ancient tongue. Equal to his strength was his evil and hatred to living things. His vision of the world was a giant wasteland and his ambition left quite a large mark on our map."

"Why didn't anypo-, anyhuman stand up?" Twilight interjected. "There must have been some sort of revolution."

"According to legends, Cerfuli was insanely powerful in both physical strength and in magic. With a single thought, he could turn a man inside out. Though I'm willing to say he could do that without magic. And even if someone was powerful enough to fight him, they'd have to get through his armies. Cerfuli had legions upon legions of lesser Demons and other creatures of darkness. Perhaps the greatest reason why no one stood up was because of the Dark One's sword..."

"What's special about a sword?" Rainbow Dash called from above. "I've seen those things used by fencers and they're nothing great. Just a sharp metal stick, really."

"Cerfuli's blade is more than just a sharp metal stick. It's nothing like a rapier. It's larger than you and nearly as thick."

"Hey, I'm not thick!"

"Hold on, even if it's as big as a pony, Ah still don' understand why this sword thing is so scary."

"It's more than just a simple blade," Ash said patiently. "The sword isn't made out of any known metal and it has its own sickly aura. It's magic."

At the word magic, Twilight sat straighter. "How was it magic? Do you mean enchanted?" she asked, eager to learn more about Human magic.

"I don't know. It's like, the aura I mentioned. Even if you can't feel the magic of others, you can still feel the sword's. And that sickly, disgusting energy it spews out, it saps away your courage, your will to fight. It's as if the aura the sword releases is every negative emotion. Some even say the very blade is fear manifest in physical form. Even if you managed to defeat the Dark One's armies and could stand a chance against him head to head, that blade would take away your very reason to live. It kills hope and without hope, what's the point of a resistance?"

"Well, that's an awful story."

"I'm not done, Pinkie Pie."

"Oh, then what are you waiting for? Finish it!"

"Fine. Cerfuli's reign ended. The end."

"...That's it?" Twilight asked, confused by the sudden finish.

"Yes, at least to that chapter."

"But how? There are still so many questions that need answering!"

The Human shrugged. "No one knows exactly how Cerfuli was defeated. All we know was that he was somehow sealed away a thousand years ago deep in a volcano in the wastelands. The only clues we have are two poems.

"The first is known as the Essences of Concord:

All will rise or all will fall

Six will arise to heed the call

Together they stand, divided they die

Six will come to answer the cry

One as six and six as One

Unlimited power, bound by none

"The second has no name but is referred to as The Agreement or The Treaty and also where we got the name of the first one:

One from the mountains with a fiery heart

Two from the woods, nature their art

Three of the plains, valleys, and seas

first of the last, strongest of the weak

Six in Concord, the Essences they seek

These are the only records we have dating to the estimated era of the Dark One's loss of power. Anything before that are lamentations and songs of death and despair. Anything after are joyfully carols and hymns celebrating freedom from oppression."

"Hold on, Ah ain't versed in poetry at all. Ah can't make heads o tails out of this."

"I can't say I can make any sense of these words either," Rarity said in agreement.

"It's fine. It took our scholars a thousand years to interpret and even now we're not exactly certain if we understand these clues. From what you can get out of it is--"

"There are six elements that when brought together, unlimited power is brought forth. Obviously, this Demon was sealed by six who discovered the elements."

Everyone stared at Princess Luna, who sat on a maroon rug littered with candy wrappers. She simply shrugged.

"It was not so difficult. Personally, I find the riddle dealing with a road-crossing chicken far more perplexing."

"Er, well yes. Essentially, that's the gist of it. Most people believe Cerfuli was defeated by these elements which are now referred to as the Essences of Concord."

"Essences of Concord," Celestia quietly repeated to herself. "I wonder..."

"Well, what's the point of all that?" Rainbow Dash demanded. She jumped off her cloud and landed in front of Ash. "That doesn't explain anything. Just some history junk."

"I don't know," Twilight said. "I find it all very interesting."

"Yeah, I'm sure you would but--"

Ash raised his hand. "Yes, you're right. That was a thousand years ago and doesn't seem like anything but an old wives' tale. But the rest of my tale won't make any sense if don't have some background information."

Rainbow grumbled a bit but complained no further.

"Now, where was I. Oh right. Anyway, a thousand years or so--"

"Ooh, ooh, I know! I know! The Cefufu guy woke up after a thousand years, right?"

"Uh, right," Ash responded, more than a bit startled by Pinkie Pie's outburst.

"And then you and a bunch of your friends got chosen to find those Essenceses!"

"Well, yeah, I guess..."

"And then you beat the evil meanie with your friends and had the greatest party ever! The end!"

"...Not exactly."

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing. "What do you mean? Are you saying you--"

"We're getting ahead of ourselves. Yes, signs of Cefuli's awakening were seen throughout the world. Acidic rain. Hostile and grotesque creatures. The walking dead."

"Wait, you mean," Spike gulped, "zombies?"

"Yes, zombies." Ash shuddered. "No matter how many times you experience it, there's nothing scarier than a rotting corpse stumbling toward you. No, wait, I take it back. It's a lot scarier when they're running toward you. And when their skeleton sticks out of the flesh. Oh, and then there are their feeding habits..."

"Um, I don't suppose you could keep your descriptions less graphic?" Twilight could tell she was going to have difficulty getting Spike to sleep tonight. Fluttershy looked no better.

"Sorry. Anyways, the three major races of my world got together to come up with some sort of solution. The legend of the Dark One was actually well spread and the other races had actually solved the riddle much faster than the Humans."

"Forgive me for interrupting" Rarity quickly put in, "but why didn't the others' share their discovery."

"We haven't always had the best relationships. The Elves normally keep to themselves and the Dwarves guard their secrets jealously. But the current disasters help form the recent alliance.

"Now, according to the second poem, six were to be sent to collect the Essences. Each verse refers to a different race. For example:

One from the mountains with a fiery heart

refers to the Dwarves..."

"Dwarves? What's a Dwarv?"

"Dwarf, singular," Ash corrected Rainbow. "The best way to describe a Dwarf is to think of a shorter, stouter Human with a big temper, though calling a Dwarf a short Human is the easiest way to make him your enemy for life. Anyway, Dwarves tend to live in mountains where they can mine in peace and are known for being very passionate to, well, just about anything.

"The next verse,

Two from the woods, nature their art

is a reference to the Elves, which are like taller Humans with pointier ears, though again, they'd find such a description insulting. Elves are known to dwell in the forests."

"What does that mean, 'nature their art'?" Applejack questioned.

"Elves are very magical creatures. They live long lives and have a very close connection with the natural world. Elves can practically control nature to their will. Animals follow their command and plants grow by their songs. There's an old saying: give a Human a fish, he'll eat for a day; give an Elf an apple seed, he'll feed a nation for years.

"The third and fourth lines refer to Humanity, which basic spread everywhere else that wasn't already taken by the other races."

"Wait, whoa, what does the fourth line mean?" asked Rainbow Dash. "All that first and last and strongest stuff doesn't make any sense."

"It's a total contradiction," Twilight commented. "'First of the last, strongest of the weak', it doesn't make any sense."

"Humanity is rather complex. As a whole, Humans are weak. In physical battle, a Human will almost always fall before a Dwarf. And while only a few Humans can use magic, every Elf can manipulate the natural world to do their bidding, though at varying degrees. Even in the regards of art and literature, Humans fall short."

"Then why are they called 'strongest'?" Rainbow Dash looked as confused as ever.

"Because of the exceptions. The Archmage is the most powerful Human who can use magic but even among the Elves he is well respected. The few champions we have were the ones that led Humanity to victory in skirmishes against the Dwarves. Basically, Humanity is weak as a whole but those who stand out really stand out. Hence:

first of the last, strongest of the weak

"And so one Dwarf, two Elves, and three Humans would be chosen to find and recover the Essences of Concord."

Ash paused for a moment. "Does anyone have anything to drink? I'm parched."

Pinkie Pie tossed over a bottle of apple juice, which Ash gratefully took.

"Thanks. Anyways, there was some difficult choosing the ones to recover the Essences. In order to keep the trust of the other races, who ever they sent must be of some significance. Unfortunately, all the leaders were needed in the alliance to lead against the rising number of hostiles as the result of the Dark One's stirrings. So who ever was to be sent had to be important and yet somewhat expendable."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted, "you said you were the apprentice of the Archmage, one of the greatest magic user in your world, and you were considered expendable?"

"I was just one of three students and compared to the Archmage himself, I am expendable.

"Anyways, the Dwarves choose to send Dorian Steelare, son of the Dwarven-Human ambassador and an experienced and well respected weapons technician and strategist.

"The Elves sent High Priestess Darlene, daughter of an Elvish queen and a master druid with magical powers exceeding thos of most other Elves. With her was her bodyguard and maid, Huntress Arlrand, an expert ranger, tracker, and part of a very important noble family.

"Besides me, the Humans sent Sister Matilda Gainsbora, one of the youngest senior nuns in history and an expert cleric specializing in healing and defensive magic."

Ash became silent, finding interest in his feet.

Applejack quietly counted to herself. "Uh, Ah think that's only five. Yah must o' missed one."

With a sigh, Ash continued: "The final one sent was Prince Ramth Sethiop, son of the king of my country and quite possibly a descendant of those who had sealed Cefuli to begin with. Ramth was a great swordsman and was to become one of the countries leading generals."

Ash became quiet once more before adding: "He was also my best friend."

"Well?" Pinkie Pie was at the edge of her blanket, quivering in anticipation. "What happened? Did you get all the thingies that sound a lot like the Elements of Harmony?"

Once again, the story was stopped so that everyone could stare at the pony who had spoken.

"What? They do!"

"Er, well yes. We found Essences of Concord. Took us a couple of years and the actually discovery of each Essence is a tale on its own. We even managed to recover Cefuli's blade."

"Recover his blade?" It was Princess Celestia who had spoken this time. "I thought your mission was to find and collect the Essences of Concord."

"It was. We discovered the sword by accident, really."

"Well, why didn' yah just leave it where it was?" Applejack asked, puzzled. "If it's so darn dangerous, why'd yah take it with you?"

"The weapon's evil, yes, but we believed it could be an asset. Very little is known about Cefuli and even less on the weapon so rumors, myths, and legends are bound to sprout up. One legend was that the Dark One's power was actually because of the blade, that he drew his power from the sword. Our thinking was that we could use that power against him."

"Well, that's just flawed thinking," criticized Twilight. "I mean, you're going off a rumor that might not be true and if it isn't then you'd practically be giving the sword back."

"Hindsight never helped anyone," Ash respond a bit defensively. "At the time, it sounded like a great idea but when you have less than a few days before an invincible evil Demon awakens and threatens to destroy everything you know and love everything sounds good at the time. Hell, our entire quest revolved around two little nursery rhymes. The only thing we had to go off on in the first place /were/ legends."

"So what happened after you found the, what were they called? Elements?" Despite her obvious attempt, Rainbow Dash could not hide her excitement as the climax drew closer. /This is just like the ending of Daring Do and the One Ring!/ the Pegasus thought with a mental squeal. She had abandoned her cloud and stood right in front of Ash.

"Essences. Well, after we collected them all, we just headed to the wasteland where the Dark One was sealed."

"That's it?" Rainbow's ears flattened in disappointment.

"None of us wanted to actually fight Cefuli. We had hoped to catch him napping and simply fix the seal."

"But is that it? No exciting one-on-one duels? No giant battles? No deadly traps?"

"I already told you, no one wanted to take on the Dark One. I already mentioned how powerful he was. He could probably tear us apart in seconds. And who puts traps on a mountain anyways?"

"But you had the Essences of Concord," Rarity said. "Surely with those you could Defeat the Demon."

"We had no clues on how to actually use the Essences. Again, we were relying on guesswork. At best, we had hoped to fix the seal and leave it at that."

"And then you beat the evil meanie with your friends and had the greatest party ever! The end!"

Ash sat down, his hands folded, his eyes avert. He seemed to age before his audience.

"A happy ending...I wish this story had one."

"What happened?"

Rainbow Dash's excitement visibly irritated the Human. All he did was give her a sad look but it was enough to kill off much of Rainbow's enthusiasm.

The atmosphere grew dark as Ash tore pieces of grass. At last, he spoke:

"We were betrayed."

Ash continued to stare at the grass. Though he could not see their faces, couldn't find the will to look up, their silence said everything: confusion, distress, surprise.

With a heavy sigh, the story went on, though the storyteller's voice became low, almost to a whisper:

"I don't know why he did it. Maybe the stress of the journey got to him. Maybe he was corrupted by the sword of the Demon. He was the one holding it after all. Said something about becoming kind, about wanting power. Maybe what he said made sense but I just could understand." Ash paused and took a giant swig from the little bottle. He needed something stronger than juice. "Whatever the reason, Ramth betrayed us. He betrayed us all."

Ash didn't want to continue. He was reliving the memory now. Every cut, every drop of blood, every death he saw again and again.

Ash didn't want to continue but as he did, he watched his friends go, watched them disappear before his eyes. And he was powerless to stop it.

A bitter, mirthless laugh escaped the mage. His audience watched in horror. Pinkie Pie, for the first time in a long time, did not join the laughter.

"It's nothing funny, really. Just, just...I wouldn't call it ironic but I've got no other word . It's just, we spent almost two entire years searching for those things. Two years. Two years of searching, of fighting for survival, of watching each other's back, of fighting for one another. Two hellish year and what does he do? He throws it all away at the very end!"

Ash had gotten to his feet and was pacing angrily.

"Two years spent saving each other's asses! Over ten years of knowing each other! We've known each other ever since we were children and what does he do? He tries to fucking kill me!"

Ash struck a nearby tree with a fist. The tree trembled, its leaves shaking and falling. There was a sizable hole in the trunk. His knuckles bled but Ash didn't care. Anger threatened to consume him, to unhinge him once more. And an unstable Mage is a dangerous thing.

Ash turned around and saw all the ponies huddled together around the Princesses, who stared at him the way one stares at a feral and dangerous animal. His audience watched in horror and guilt struck the Human harder than he had hit the tree. The horror filled faces of the little ponies melted his anger. Fluttershy was nearly in tears. He didn't mean to make her cry.

He sat back down, leaning against the tree. With a hand, he covered his face. "I'm sorry about the outburst. There was no reason for me to act so raged toward you all, especially after all you've done. It's just..."

Ash leaned forward, covering his face with both hands. He was so tired.

He felt something against his arm. Something soft.

Ash looked to his side. Fluttershy leaned on his arm, gently rubbing her face against him. The yellow little Pegasus looked up with wide bright blue-green eyes. The Human began to relax, began to be comforted.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright," she comforted. "We all make mistakes. It's alright if you don't want to continue. We understand."

"I- no, might else well finish this and get over it."

Ash took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Ramth, he killed us. He killed us and stole the Essences."

"Killed? You mean..." Rainbow Dash made a slicing motion across her neck while her friends listened in horror.

"Yeah, killed. Murdered, ended, pick your euphemism."

"H-how?"

"He had a sword. Use your imagination. It probably can't be much worse than what he actually did."

Ash closed his eyes. The corpses of his comrades refused to leave his mind.

"He told me he wanted to use the Essences to defeat Cefuli and take control of his legions of Demons. He killed them, everyone, just to make sure we couldn't stop him."

"Did you? Did you?" Pinkie Pie asked, desperately wishing for a happy ending.

"I'm not sure. I think so. Maybe."

With a thumb and his index finger, the Human rubbed his eyes.

"You don't know?" Twilight questioned.

"The details are a bit blurry. I remember Ramth stabbing me through with Cerfuli's blade--"

A communal and collective gasp from his audience interrupted the story.

"Yes, he stabbed me--hey, what you trying to do?"

Fluttershy was tugging at the Human's robes. "You were injured and I didn't even know about it! I need to make sure you're alright. Where were you stabbed?"

"Sugar-cube? Ah think yer embarrassing him," Applejack said as she dragged the overbearing Pegasus off of the blushing Human. A small laugh resounded throughout the ponies, temporarily dispelling the solemn atmosphere, though the dark mood quickly returned as Ash continued:

"All I remember after that was being very angry and grabbing one of the Essences as Ramth took it from me. I remember a light, the glow of the Essences, a language I wasn't familiar with. Next thing I know, I'm stuck to a tree by a giant piece of Cefuli's sword and Essences and Ramth nowhere in sight. That's it."

"That's it?" Rainbow Dash repeated. "You somehow magically find yourself attached to a tree in Equestria?"

"I told you, I'm just as confused as to why I'm here. I just hope I can get back before it's too late."

"But that doesn't explain anything!" Twilight protested. "How can we make any conclusions on how you got here with only that much information?"

"Actually, I have a theory."

Everyone stared at Princess Celestia with a mixture of surprise and expectations.

"I have one question: these Essences, they had a physical form, yes?"

"Of course, I mean...well yes."

"Don't worry. I know you meant no disrespect. Was the physical form of the Essences of Concord six crystals?"

A small gasp escaped Princess Luna as she grasped and understood her sister's thoughts.

"Ye-yes, how did you--"

"And was each crystal a separate color?" Luna had joined the questioning.

"Ye-yeah. Red, magenta, yellow--"

"--blue, green, and purple," Celestia finished.

Ash simply stared at the sun princess in amazement. "How did you..."

"My sister and I discovered six crystals of these colors," Princess Luna answered."They came as mysteriously and as sudden as a wild wind."

"And with a mysterious power we did not fully comprehend," the Sun Princess added.

"It can't be, can it? The Essences..."

"Yes, we must have found your Essences, though they go by a different name now."

"The Essences must of teleported you to our world," added Luna.

"That, that." Ash got up and began pacing. "Yes, that's possible. The Essences of Concord have been said to provide limitless power. Inter-Universe travel could have been achieved...Wait..."

The Human turned to face the Princesses. His face was lit with excitement. "Does that mean you know where the Essences are?"

"Well, yes, but--"

"Then I can get back home!" Ash was almost jumping in his excitement and joy. "I can still get home! I can still stop Cerfuli! I can still fix everything! I can, I can, I can..."

Celestia glanced over to her sister and back to the celebrating Human, who had grabbed Fluttershy and squeezed her tightly, laughing. In her long and eventful life, the Princess had seen few expressions of joy that could match Ash's. Few things deserved Celestia hatred but bad news was one and being the bearer of such news was ranked even lower.

"That was over two thousand years ago."

The laughter died.

A New Day

"What do you mean, two thousand years?"

Ash spun around to face Princess Celestia. Traces of his previous jubilee were quickly being replaced with looks of confusion.

Celestia sighed deeply. "It has been over two thousand years since your Essences, which we now call the Elements of Harmony--"

"I knew it! I knew it!" shouted a certain pink pony receiving several dark looks for interrupting the Princess.

"--first appeared before my sister and I," continued Celestia as if there hadn't been an interruption.

"Give or take a few years," Princess Luna added. An awkward, tiny smile crawled across the Princess' face in a attempt to lighten the situation. She was failing.

"Two thousand years," Ash mutter to himself. "Two thousand..."

"Amazing. Humans live for a long time, don't they?" Twilight said as she search for some room on her parchment to take a note.

"No, they don't." Ash folded his hands over his head. "This is impossible. I can't be over a thousand! I, I, this is insane!"

Ash ran a hand through his hair, pulling off a loose strand. The white piece hung between his fingers.

Wait, white hair...the beard!

His hand touched his shaven chin almost subconsciously. Can it be?

"Oh no, Ash, are you alright?"

Fluttershy's voice seemed so distant. The Human barely noticed her. The ponies before him seemed to disappear. The lush green park they sat in became a desert, a wasteland.

This wasteland had once been the home to many and Ash knew it had also once been his...

"It's too late. I-it's too late."

Ash fell to his knees, shaking. "I failed. I failed," he repeated to himself, gradually increasing in volume.

The skeletal heads seemed to chant, “Your fault, your fault."

"It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault!"

"What's not your fault, dear?"

"Whoa, hold yourself together!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Ash pushed Rarity and Rainbow Dash away and leap to his feet. With a final agonized cry, the Human ran into the darkness.

"Hold it right there buster!"

With a mighty leap Rainbow Dash took flight to chase after the distressed Human only to be pulled back by her tail, golden light covering the multicolored hair.

"Let him go. He needs to be left alone for a while."

"But--"

"No Twilight," the Princess of the Sun said firmly. "I know you're worried but it's already dark."

The ponies had finally noticed the shift in day. Celestia had already brought the sun down and the only light was provided by Luna's moon and the lesser stars.

"But what about Ash?" Twilight rarely spoke up against the Princess' wishes but now had been one such occasion. "He doesn't know Equestria's layout at all!"

"Oh no! What if he ends up in the Everfree Forest?" Fluttershy hovered nervously behind the purple Unicorn and looked as if she was about to take off just as Rainbow did after Ash.

"I can understand that you're all worried but you can't do anything in this light. Luna?" Princess Celestia turned around but her sister had already disappeared.

*****

Ash ran. He ran and he ran. He ran into bushes, into branches. Cuts marked his face and all other exposed skin. Ash didn't notice. He ran.

Eyes in the darkness followed him but he didn't care. Nothing stopped him. No matter how fast Ash ran, no matter how far he went, the voices followed.

You killed us. You killed us all.

"It's not my fault! Leave me alone!"

What have done? You've doomed us all.

"I didn't do anything! Stop it! Stop it!"

Ash fell to the mossy forest floor, covering his ears.

"I'm innocent! Go away!"

Are you really? Are you really innocent?

Were the voices in his head? They seemed to real, so close...

Maybe that's your guilt speaking...

"Go away!"

"We are your guilt. We are your conscious. We will not leave..."

As Ash tried to hide himself, specters from his past surrounded him, shouting accusations and insults. As they closed in the voices became clearer, louder, stronger.

"We are your guilt. We are your conscious. We will not leave."

"You have killed us all..."

*****

"What in tarnation was that all about?" Applejack wondered out loud as she and the rest of the group followed Princess Celestia to the library.

"Yeah, what the hay was his problem?" Rainbow flapped her feathery wings in annoyance.

"Both of you are so insensitive," Rarity scolded. "Couldn't you tell Ash was in pain."

"Pain? Why would he be in pain? Do you think a party would help him get better?"

"I don't think a party would be much help." Twilight shook her head. "Rarity's right, though. Ash did seemed to be hurt in someway. I wish I could understand why."

"I don't think anypony can understand Ash's pain."

"Huh?"

Princess Celestia shook her regal head sadly. "I can't even imagine how much Ash is suffering right now."

"Suffering?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why would he be suffering?"

"Think of it this way: how would you feel if you were asleep for a couple thousand years and all your friends were gone."

Rainbow Dash couldn't speak. She couldn't answer. To never see Pinkie Pie or Applejack or even Rarity ever again, the thought itself was painful, unbearable.

Celestia nodded; the Pegasus' silence said everything. "Luna suffered similarly after being gone for so long but at least she had me; Ash has no one and the one he trusted tried to kill him. Now imagine this: two thousand years pass and your entire world is gone."

"Gone?" Applejack scratched her head. "What do yah mean, gone?"

"Gone, conquered, destroyed. Imagine if you woke up and Discord had taken over Equestria. Ash is dealing with the same feelings."

The Princess sighed. "I'm afraid I must have given him false hope. When he figured out that the Elements of Harmony brought him here and we told him that we knew the location of the Elements, I believe Ash came to the conclusion that the Elements could bring him back home, just in time to save the day. But two thousand years have past..."Celestia closed her eyes in thought. "From what Ash said about Cefuli..."

"It's already too late for his world," finished her student.

"But that's horrible!" cried Fluttershy. "There must be something we can do to help."

"Like I said, Luna has some experience in dealing with this loss. She'll be able to find him with ease as well. I trust her."

Rarity tapped her chin. "There is something still bothering me. What did he mean, 'it's not my fault'?"

"Sure sounds like he was blamin' himself," Applejack noted. "Wonder why, though."

"I'm not sure," Princess Celestia said, "but I'm hoping Luna finds out soon, for his sake."

*****

Faces of friends of old. People Ash knew for years and people he had just met on his journey. Humans, Dwarves, Elves, young and aged.

There was King Sethiop and his elder sons, Nilroy and Arthur. The young princeling, Jorge, only five years old. The royal twins, still being nursed. Queen Athena. The entire royal family except one...

There was the head cook, Sead, and his wife and assistant, Mari. Their daughter, Alice, stood between them, her face frozen in a pure hatred not fit for the cheerful nine year old.

There was the nice old guard, Yeaser, who miraculously became blind when Ramth escaped his studies to visit Ash or to admire a certain nun from afar. There was the mean old tutor who had eyes of a hawk and watched furiously over Ramth when he was younger,

There was Sister Madilene, his old guardian. There were the rest of the children left in the care of the Church. Reuben, Franklyn, Lynah...

There was Drew and Sader from the academy. His old rival Ronil was there too. So were his old teachers, scholars and experts in their own fields. History, chemistry, mathematics, literature. Magic.

There was the Archmage, his master. The stony old man glared down in disappointment. Beside him stood Ash's fellow apprentices, Sid and Geo.

There was the entire village, full of faces he only recognized by sight. There was Tiny Tim, who wished good luck for Ash, Ramth, and Matilda right before they left on their adventure.

There was the Dwarven ambassador, Dorian's father. There was the Elvish general wearing a silver crown. All the commanders who had bid the group a safe and successful journey.

There was the little girl they saved from the corrupted dragon. There was the woman who lost her husband to the undead. There was the youth who tried to prove his own strength only to be rescued by the group.

Every man, every woman, every child Ash had met stood over him, cursing him, accusing him.

"I didn't kill you! I didn't! I-I didn't!"

"You took away the Essences!"

"You stopped my son from sealing Cerfuli!"

"H-he would have used that power to conquer the land for himself!!"

"Would that be so terrible? We would at least live."

"I will never experience my life!"

"I shall never marry!"

"You killed us! You killed me! You killed my daughter!"

"N-no, I-I didn't!"

"Why did you even bother to save our village? You have doomed our entire world!"

"The forests burn because of your foolishness. The souls of a thousand elders demand justice!"

"We are disappointed."

"Stop, p-please stop."

"We should have left you to die!"

"Prince Ramth was thrice the man you could ever be!"

"You have robbed all these children of their futures!"

"STOP IT!"

Ash collapsed on the forest floor sobbing, his head covered by his arms. The spirits of his past moved in, arms extended as if to choke the life out of the Mage.

"it's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault..."

"What's not your fault?"

Ash looked up. The hallucinations had vanished. In their place stood a dark blue Alicorn shining in the light of the moon.

"What's not your fault?" Luna repeated.

"I-it's nothing." Ash quickly wiped his face and tried to regain composure. "Nothing I can't handle on my own."

Luna was not convinced but she chose not to press. /At least, not yet./

"I need time alone."

The Human got up and turned away. Luna followed.

"Leave me alone."

"It is not safe to be so deep in the Everfree Forest so late."

"I want to be left alone."

"We should return to Ponyville."

"No, I can't. I need to be with myself."

"Nonsense. No good will come from isolation. Only those of the present can help one control the ghosts of the past..."

Ash ran past the lunar princess, ignoring her cries. She can't understand. I need to be alone. I...am alone

You are alone.

"BE STILL!"

The force of Luna's voice sent the Human flying into a tree. Ash groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. Another bump began to grow.

"Oh no, not again."

Ash slowly opened his eyes. Luna stood over him with a look of concern. A sizable dent was left in the tree's thick trunk. The Human's skull was apparently thicker.

"Are you alright? I'm so sorry. I sometimes forget to control the Royal Canterlot Voice, especially when I'm excited."

"Urgh, at least you dropped the royal 'we'."

"I have? I have! Oh, what joyful progress!"

Princess Luna's celebration was cut short by Ash's annoyed look.

"Ur, We, that is I, believe we, that is us, should return. These parts are not as friendly as the rest of Equestria normally is."

Ash shook his head and started to walk in the opposite direction, only to find himself lifted high above the ground by a dark blue aura. With his arms flailing, Ash was dragged toward the Princess.

"Perhaps I should stop speaking in the form of a request and more as a command. What do you think, young Human?"

"Meep."

*****

For about a half hour Ash dangled in front of Princess Luna by her magic like a naughty Unicorn colt. Silence stood like a wall between the two, punctured only by the sounds of nocturnal creatures.

Luna found the silence mind-numbingly frustrating. At last, she choose to break it:

"Do you have a place to stay?"

Nothing in response.

"How are you enjoying our country?"

Nothing.

"Want to hear a joke?"

Silence.

Luna sighed. Let's try this differently.

"What's not you fault?"

"None of your concern."

At last, a response! "As princess of this land, everything that goes around here technically is my concern. Obviously there is something bothering you and it is my royal duty to help my subjects."

"I'm not your subject," Ash argued sullenly.

"As long as you remain within Equestria's borders, you are a subject of I and my sister." Luna returned almost cheerfully.

A small groan escaped the floating Human followed by a short sigh.

"What's not your fault?" the Princess of the Moon asked again. "You cannot keep this locked down inside; it will destroy you from within."

With difficulty, Ash twisted himself to face the Princess. Her concern and sympathy was evident.

"Past experience?"

"Perhaps." Princess Luna sighed. "Perhaps if I had spoken with my sister about how I felt I would not have been consumed by my jealousy and would not have tried to bring an eternal night. Please, let me try to help. Tell me what is bothering you."

Ash looked away.

"Guilt."

"Pardon?"

"I said guilt. Guilt is what's killing me right now." Ash's voice dripped with pure bitterness. "I can deny it all I want but I can't escape the truth. I'm the one who destroyed my world, I let my world die. I let everyone die."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"The Essences." Ash was becoming impatient. "I brought the Essences here with me. I took away my home's only hope, the only thing that could have stopped the Dark One. Without the Essences, nothing will keep Cefuli from destroying everything. Nothing."

"That was an accident. Unintentional, was it not?"

"Maybe. I might not have been trying to get to a different world but I did try to take them away from Ramth."

"So? From what you have told us, it sounded like this Human had plan to use the Essences for his own ill purposes."

Ash sighed and twisted over again to face the Princess. "I don't know. I feel as if I made the wrong decision."

"What?" Luna exclaimed in disbelief. "You regret trying to stop this Human from using the sacred power to take control of your world? Why?"

"Ramth might have become a tyrant and ruled with cruelty but at least he's Human, with Human desires. He might even have been a good king. Cefuli, on the other hand, is a Demon who would have stopped at nothing to wipe the world clean of life. Maybe, maybe I should have let Ramth win. At least the Dark One would be resealed. At least everyone would have lived."

The Princess of the Moon appeared lost in thought. The blue aura surrounding Ash vanished and the Human fell unceremoniously on his rear.

"You are a fool."

"Excuse me?" Ash dusted himself off and glared at the Princess with a mixture of annoyance, anger, and defensiveness.

"You are a fool. This Human was willing to sacrifice his own friends, friends he has known for ages, who fought beside him, who would have place their lives on the line for him, just to gain power. No one, pony or Human or any other race mortal or otherwise, is fit to rule with that attitude, with those kinds of actions."

The Princess looked up to the moon, which seemed to dim as Luna fought with her own emotions. A dark shadow seemed to cover her face but it faded before Ash could make note of it.

"Death would be preferred over being ruled by such a personality. I know that I would rather die fighting for my freedom than to be under the control of one who misuses the trust of his friends and takes the magic of friendship for granted. And I am sure I speak for all of Equestria. What about you, Ash the Human? Which do you prefer?

"You are the voice of your world; how you answer shall be a reflection of your world."

"I...I..."

Ash the Human hesitated yet he knew his own answer. But could he speak for the rest of his world, of every one of the Humans, the Dwarves, the Elves?

Ash thought of Dorian, his brother by oath, though they were not of the same race. He thought of the Dwarf's stubbornness, his unrelenting drive for justice, for what was right.

Ash thought of Arlrand, the distant huntress who eventually opened up to the other races. He thought of the Elf's defensive nature, her willingness to protect what was hers, from her warrior pride to her home to her friends.

Ash thought of Darlene, the wise priestess and the first princess he met that wasn't a total snob. He thought of the Elf's love for her people, for the forests and the animals, for the land. For life in general and its freedom.

Ash thought of Matilda, dear sweet Matilda. He thought of her kindness, her willingness to compromise and to analyze all sides. What he loved most was however her hatred toward evil and her love for friendship and how no one could touch those subjects without being subject to white flames.

Ash thought of Ramth, before his betrayal. He thought of his friend's apparent loyalty, how everything came second to his friends. How he made his own decisions and stuck to them no matter what happened...

Freedom to choose, to make decisions. To fight. To live. To have friends...

"We would rather die than to be ruled by a tyrant."

Luna smiled. The moon was most definitely shining brighter.

Ash felt a small smile crawl over his face. The guilt was still there but much quieter.

"I believe you've done more than you could possibly imagine."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Luna helped Ash up. "You took a part of the Demon's blade with you, correct?"

"Y-yeah. Um, is that going to be a problem?"

Princess Luna chuckled. "No. If there was a problem my sister and I would have already dealt with it. My point is that without his blade, the Dark One can no longer defeat your allies with sheer hopelessness. Ash, you have given your people hope."

Ash simply stared at the dark blue Alicorn princess, his mouth agape. I...did I... The dark conscious screamed against the Princess's words in vain; Ash's guilt began to shrink.

"There is more: your Essences have become our Elements. They have saved our world multiple times. You have given Equestria hope as well.

"Ash, none of this was your fault. Do not blame yourself for the prince's betrayal and do not hate yourself for your defiance. Both worlds owe you a great deal. It's time to release your unnecessary guilt."

At the Princess's words, Ash felt a large weight fall from him and experienced a lightness, a freedom he had not felt in a long time.

Ash glanced up. The sky could be so beautiful at night. This world could be so beautiful.

"This world is now your world, Ash. You do not need to be alone anymore."

"I think I'd make a pretty funny looking Equestrian," Ash said with a laugh that was shared by Princess Luna.

"Perhaps. But remember: you are welcomed here, no matter your past, no matter whether you are a pony or not."

"Ponies." Ash continued to stare at the moon, deep in thought. "Can I...be one of them? Can I be...part of this world?" he said softly.

"If you are worried about appearances I am sure Twilight Sparkle can help you with that. Regardless of how you look, however, Equestria can be your home if you allow it."

Princess Luna took a step forward, toward the exit of the forest. She turned around and stuck out a hoof.

Ash stepped forward and took it.

*****

"But I'm not tired," Spike tried to say through his yawn. "I want to stay up with you guys."

"Sorry Spike," Twilight said as she tucked the baby dragon in. "You need your sleep."

Spike opened his mouth to protest but all that came out was a giant yawn.

"See? Time for bed." Twilight closed the door softly behind her. With a sigh, the Unicorn turned to her friends sitting in a circle in the library center.

"Poor Spikey-Wikey. It's been a long day for him."

"It's been a long day for all of us." Twilight covered her mouth as she yawned. "Shouldn't you be at home, Rarity? Don't you have work in the morning?"

"Well yes, but I'm more than just a little bit worried for our new guest."

"Oh, I hope Princess Luna finds Ash soon." Fluttershy looked out the library window. "I'm so so worried."

"I know what you mean. I'm so worried I can't even sleep."

Rainbow Dash opened an eye. "Uh, Pinkie Pie, are you sure it's not because of all the cupcakes you ate?"

"Nuh uh. I only had six. I sure hope Ash is okay. Its been forever since we had a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and I never held one for a Human."

Twilight turned to Applejack. The orange farm pony had been reading a book on agriculture. "What about you, Applejack? Don't you normally get up around sun rise to do chores?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Applejack rubbed the back of her head, shifting her hat to a side. "After hearin' Ash's tale Ah can't help but feel awful for treatin' him like Ah did. The poor fella lost so much. Ah think Ah need tah apologize." Applejack flipped a few pages without even looking at them.

"Do you think we can help?"

"My my, Rainbow Dash, you sound worried too."

"Yeah, yeah. Surprise surprise. I guess I'm a little worried." Rainbow crossed her front legs in annoyance. "It's just...that story...I hated that ending. How could anypony do that to a friend? I really wish we could do something for him."

"That..." Rarity paused for a moment. "...was actually quite sensitive. I'm genuinely impressed."

"Heh, just don't spread that around. I've got an image to maintain."

"Rainbow Dash is right though," Twilight said. "For once," she quickly added with a smile. "There must be something we can--"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Princess Celestria stood at the doorway with a tired smile. "Good news: Luna found the Human and they're both headed back here."

"Are they alright? Oh, I hope they're alright."

Celestria chuckled softly. "No reason to fret, Fluttershy. They're fine."

The Princess of the Sun yawned. "Excuse me. It's been a long day, for all of us. I believe we should all go to bed. Don't worry; Luna has it taken care of."

"Didja figure out what Ash was talking about. You know, what did he mean about it not being his fault?"

"So much for sensitivity. I don't think we should pry."

"Hey, don't say you guys aren't curious."

"Twilight is right." Princess Celestria stared out the window into the night. "It's none of our business, really. But I think you might be able to help."

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"You see, Ash has already suffered quite a bit. You all heard his story and the aftermath. In addition to all that, Ash felt responsible for what happened to his world. He came here with a heart filled with betrayal, guilt, and loneliness. I'm sure his ability to trust others has also been hurt. But I am positive you six can change that.

"With all due respect, Princess, I am not sure how we can help."

"Rarity, all of you are perhaps the best ponies to help Ash."

"What do you mean? I thought we all agreed a party probably wouldn't help."

"Pinkie Pie, you hold the Element of Laughter. If there is anypony that can cheer Ash up, it's you.

"Rarity, as welder of the Element of Generosity, you are the best pony to teach him how to give, how to open up to others.

"Fluttershy, Element of Kindness, your nature will heal the wounds he was suffered, especially the damage done by his emotions. Kindness is the greatest healer, not time.

"Applejack, Element of Honest, I believe you can help Ash learn to trust again. Your honesty will prevail over Ramth's betrayal.

"Rainbow Dash, as the holder of the Element of Loyalty, I believe you have the toughest job. I can tell that the story's ending shook you the most but the loyalty you show to your friends is what will help Ash leave that memory behind. His story will not end with the betrayal.

"Lastly, Twilight Spark, my pupil. You have been studying the subject of friendship for some time and have experienced its magic. Magic is what makes it all complete and to complete Ash's revival, you must teach him the magic of friendship.

"The Elements of Harmony gave Equestria hope and now they will give Ash hope. Fix his broken heart."

*****

"We are here."

Ash looked in the direction Princess Luna pointed. He could finally see the exit of the forest.

Night was almost over. Ash could see the sun peaking from behind the horizon. The sky was turning faintly orange and pink.

"We've been out all night, it appears." Luna stretched her wings and yawned. "Excuse me but We have had a long day. And a long night. We trust you can find your way into town on your own?"

"Yeah," Ash responded absentminded. The sunrise was going to be beautiful.

Slowly Ash walked. Equestria is a beautiful place he thought. He took a deep breath. It felt good, relaxing.

Ash sat down in the grass and watched the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise. It was a new day.

My world's gone. I'm not sure I should be here but I am. This is my new home. A new home...

It was a new day.

Transformations Part 1

Transformation Part 1

Spike awoke to the rumbling of his own belly. The young dragon tried to fall back asleep but his hunger proved stronger than his desire for sleep. With a groan, he threw off his blankets and stepped out of his basket with some difficulty. While not at the same rate as during his greed-growth rampage, Spike was still a growing dragon; he would need a new bed soon.

Spike hurried down the stairs, hoping to find Twilight making breakfast, pancakes perhaps. What he did find disappointingly was the library in a total mess. Books were thrown open all over the ground, papers scattered across the floor, empty inkwells and well use quills littered the room. In the center slept Twilight, propped against a large chalk board that displayed a mess of complicated formulas and algorithms, some of which was written in a confusing and alien tongue, some ancient magical and lost language Spike guessed.

The sight itself wasn't all unusual; Twilight Sparkle was almost famous for her notorious nightly studying indulgences. No, what truly set this morning aside was the large ape-like creature that laid asleep on top of a pile of books, one which covered his snoring face like a small tent. A broken quill stood propped between the creature's fingers, one end still covered in dry ink.

Spike carefully removed Advanced Alterations as Applied by Aims Blurry from the Human's face. Ash responded by increasing in volume. Spike was tempted to place the book back to muffle the Human's snoring. The dragon shook his spiky head. How he ever got to sleep was an amazement.

Spike tossed the book aside, causing Ash to stir slightly. The quill fell out of his hand. The dragon picked it up, examining the feathery writing utensil. It was one of Owlicious'.

Spike walked to the wastebasket to dispose of the useless thing only to find it already filled to the brim with inkwells.

The dragon examined the empty inkwells and then the broken quill in his claws. With a smirk, Spike quickly found a new quill and a full inkwell...

*****

With a groan, Twilight opened her eyes. Sleep would not return, no matter how hard she tried. With another groan, the Unicorn forced herself up and stretched. The slumbering position she had chosen left her shoulders sore and her back aching.

The smell of pancakes filled the room. The fragrance caused Twilight's stomach to roar furiously. With a blush, the hungry Unicorn glanced over to her guest. Ash continued to sleep soundly, something Twilight was becoming a bit envious of. She considered waking the Human up for breakfast but decided against it. The past two other mornings Twilight had awoken to find Ash awake but tired, staring out of the window with bloodshot eyes, like an animal on watch for danger. Despite his snoring, Twilight preferred this sleeping Ash to the tired and awake one; it meant that he was getting more comfortable about living here in Equestria.

Careful not to disturb the Human, the books, and the notes, Twilight headed to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a small affair and a bit out of place considering Twilight's home was a tree converted into a library. The kitchen had its own bookshelves which were filled with cookbooks.

Despite being considered a child, Spike was a very experienced chef, a talent that filled him with pride and was a reason for his Number One Assistant status. The dragon in question was however currently flipping pancakes with some difficulty. Twilight was normally the one to flip the cakes with her magic and the Unicorn watched Spike struggle with the heavy skillet with amusement for a few minutes before taking over. She wouldn't want her breakfast burnt after all.

"Had a nice sleep?"

"Yeah, surprisingly. That Human thing snores so loud."

"Spike," Twilight scolded as she turned to face the baby dragon. "That's not very nice. True, I've slept better in a thunder storm but he's our guest. And besides, your snoring isn't much better and-- what are laughing at?"

"Pfft, nothing." Spike covered his mouth but couldn't completely muffle his laughter.

His guardian gave him a suspicious look but before she could say another word, Ash crawled into the kitchen.

"Mornin'," he said as he tried to stretch. His hands brushed the ceiling.

"Good morning Ash. I hope you slept well. Here let me get you a plate and-- Spike, what in all of Equestria is so funny?"

The dragon was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Tears fell from his eyes as he vainly struggled to form a cohesive sentence. With a claw, Spike pointed at both Twilight and Ash's faces.

Twilight looked up at the Human's visage and almost cried out in horror. Scribbled all across his face were large black squiggly lines and big black dots and spots. On his right cheek was an unfinished tic-tac-toe game and on the other was a sketch of a little stick pony. Curved lines extended from the corner of the Human's mouth, giving him a crude permanent smile.

"Are you feeling alright?" Twilight asked with growing panic. "You're not ill, are you?" A foreign disease could devastate the entire nation and the Unicorn began to wonder where she had last left her Ponyville-issued biohazard suit.

"I feel fine but I think you should see yourself."

"W-what?"

Twilight quickly ran the sink and looked into the water. The sight of her own reflection caused her to recoil.

She had apparently grown a large curly mustache overnight that came with its own monocle which was placed over her eye. Whiskers grew from the side of her face, giving the Unicorn the appearance of a demented feline.

"Wh-what's going on here? Is it some type of sickness? Quick, Spike-- Spike stop laughing! This is serious! I need you to send a letter to the Princess and grab Supernaturals. What is wrong with you? Can't you tell we have a crisis on our hands?" The poor Unicorn began to hyperventilate, breathing quicker and quicker. "We can't let this spread! It could be dangerous! It could be, it could be--"

"Ink."

"Huh?"

The stick pony had been removed from Ash's cheek, leaving only a black smear. The Human examined two blackened fingers as he rubbed them together.

"It's ink."

"Ink? But how did..."

Twilight was interrupted by another burst of laughter from Spike, this time producing a small flame. It didn't take the purple Unicorn much longer to realize just what had happened. She was Princess Celestria's star pupil after all.

"SPIKE!"

*****

"Of course I don't mind, Rarity."

"Are you sure? I really hate to be delaying our spa treatment like this."

"Of course. I was planning to go to the library later today anyways."

Rarity sighed in relief. When Spike "accidentally" told her about Twilight's new book on Equestrian fashion written by Hoity Toity himself, the seamstress couldn't wait to check the book out. Unfortunately, the Unicorn's busy schedule meant that the first free day she had on which the library was opened was the same she and Fluttershy were scheduled for the spa.

The Pegasus, as she said, had planned to visit Twilight after the spa treatment. "Curious" was not the first word most ponies would use to describe Fluttershy; many saw her as too timid and lacking the assertiveness necessary for an investigation. Of course, most ponies hadn't seen her when the meek little Pegasus first met Spike the baby dragon.

Fluttershy had seen their Human guest disappear into the library two days ago and hadn't seen him since. Curiosity finally got the best of her and now Fluttershy was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. That is, if nopony really minded.

Fluttershy wasn't the only pony to see Ash bunker down in Twilight's library. The few ponies that dared come close to the tree were journalists smelling a story or photographers hoping to capture a glimpse of the "Furless Ape Monster", as the local gossip magazine was beginning to call him. Several had tents pitched at a respectable distance away from the library but none had dared to enter. The news ponies watched in amazement and envy as a certain white Unicorn and her Pegasus friend simply walked up to the door.

"Um, don't you think we should knock?"

"Darling, it's a public library."

From inside the library came a thundering crash, causing Rarity, Fluttershy, and many of the news ponies outside to flinch.

"Ow! Argh, God dam--"

"Ash! Watch the language while Spike here. Spike, stop writing those words down!"

"Aww."

"And go get him some ice!"

Rarity nearly swung the door open and gasped at the giant mess that stood before her. Books in all sorts of piles, some left open. Quills and inkwells and parchments covered any part of the floor unoccupied by the books. In the center was chalkboard. Leaning against it was Ash, who clutched his forehead and groaned in pain. With a cry, Fluttershy raced over to the Human with concern filled eyes. As he saw the Pegasus fly toward him, Ash's eyes also filled with concern. And panic. The Human braced himself for the impact.

"Uh, hey Rarity."

Spike stood nervously before the regal Unicorn, absently melting the ice pack in his hands.

"Good morning Spike," Rarity responded sweetly with a smile. "I've missed your company at the boutique."

"Yeah, sorry. Twilight's been having me help her and this guy with some sort of project."

"I can see you've been busy." The purple-maned Unicorn gestured to the pile of notes. "Speaking of which, where is Twilight, dear?"

"Right here," Twilight answered from her desk which was in no better state the library itself. The wall of books and papers surrounding the desk gave it the appearance of a mighty fort. "Try not to move the books too much. We don't want to lose our pages."

With a grunt, the librarian made her way through the sea papers and texts. "Sorry about the mess. Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh yes. Spike told me that you had...ha..h..."

Rarity grew faint as Twilight stepped into view and as she took in her appearance. Uncombed mane. Messy tail. Dark circles around her eyes. Were her eyes playing tricks on her or did Rarity really see new creases line the bookish Unicorn's face. Rarity knew that not every pony could pay as much attention to their appearance as she did but this, this lack of care was a crime.

"Darling, what has happened to you?"

"Huh?"

"Your mane, your tail, your skin. My goodness, dear, you really need to take care of yourself."

"I'm fine, really," Twilight struggled to say as she fought back a yawn. Rarity remained unconvinced.

"I assure you, you are not fine. Look, your skin is getting wrinkles and lines. Why, you look several years older. And even at our age, that is no complement."

"Are you sure it isn't ink?" Twilight gave her draconic assistant a glare. Spike look the other direction and began whistling.

"That settles it." Rarity turned to Fluttershy, who had conjured a roll of bandages seemingly out of nowhere and was covering Ash's new bruises, some of which were caused by the apologizing Pegasus herself. "Fluttershy, I know our spa days are a special thing between the two of us but I hope you wouldn't mind if we made an exception today. Our dear friend Twilight here is in dire need of a healthy massage and a mud bath."

"Oh, no. Of course I wouldn't mind, especially if it's to help a friend."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Twilight grumbled. A dip in the hot tub was tempting but there was so much work to be done.

"I think you should go."

Everypony turned toward the Human in surprise. It was first thing he had said since they entered. Ash simply shrugged. "We've been at this for two full days and nights and we're no closer to the end than before. A break just might be the thing we need."

Twilight thought for a moment. "Maybe you're right. That massage does sound great right now. Are you two sure I can tag along?"

"Of course, darling."

"I don't mind, really."

"Then it's settled," Spike said, jumping to his feet. "Let's go."

"Hold it right there, young dragon." Twilight grabbed Spike by the tail with her magic. "I haven't forgotten about this morning. You're going to stay here and clean up the library."

"What? But Twilight..." Spike looked up to the Unicorn with pleading eyes, tilting his head every so often in the direction of the other Unicorn.

"No." Twilight turned to Ash. "What about you Ash? Don't you think you could use a bath?"

"If that's your subtle way of telling me I smell, then it's not very subtle," Ash answered with a small chuckle. "But I think I'll pass. Maybe when I can actually fit through the door with ease. Besides, I doubt the spa was made to accommodate Humans."

"I guess not..."

"Maybe next time. You three go on ahead. I'll help Spike clean up and make sure he doesn't throw away anything useful."

"Very well. I hate to be leaving you out dear but I'll take up your offer. Next time, my treat. Come on girls. Ta ta!"

"Um, oh, bye, and please try to take of yourself, Ash."

"See you two in an hour or so. And Spike? Keep out of the basement!"

As Ash and Spike waved in response, the three mares left the library only to be bombarded by questions from the many representatives of Equestria's press.

"Miss Sparkle, is it true that the creature is the result of an inter-dimensional spell? Are we being invaded?"

"Written Word here from the Equestrian Daily. Why haven't the Princesses given any statement on this thing. Do they know about it?"

"Is Equestria in danger? We're in danger aren't we? Oh Celestria, we're all going to die!"

"I'll give you two hundred bits if you can get it to pose for me."

"I'll give you five hundred!"

"Man, that's something isn't it?" Spike said from behind the window. "I don't think we've ever had this much publicity near the library."

"Did, did she just faint?"

"Huh, oh yeah. Fluttershy doesn't like cameras very much."

Spike jumped down from the window sill.

"Wanna see the basement? Its got some cool stuff down there."

*****

Aloe kept watch on the door. Lotus kept watch on the clock. While it was common and very forgivable for their venerable patrons Rarity and Fluttershy to be late for a spa appointment, with Rarity's work and all, their scheduled time had passed an hour ago and the spa attendants were getting antsy.

The baby-blue Earth Pony sighed as the seconds ticked by. "Zay are not coming, I'm afraid."

Aloe sighed as well and turned away from the door. It had been a very slow day today. It normally was.

Just as Lotus was about to cross off the names of Rarity and Fluttershy from the spa schedule, the door swung open and immediately slammed shut. Rarity and Twilight brace themselves against the door as the giant mob of journalists pounded away at the door with questions and hooves. Fluttershy laid in a small, shivering heap on the reception room floor.

A few moments passed in silence save for the relentless pounding. Luckily for Twilight, Rarity, and the spa door, the mass media thrives on entertainment and nothing is very exciting about knocking away excessively. The reporters and photographers picked up their cameras and notepads and head back to the library, their attention captured by a large explosion and resulting smoke released from the library's many windows.

The constant beating of hooves against wood had drowned out the sound of the explosion from indoors, allow the owner of the now-smoking establishment to remain blissfully ignorant. Twilight peeked out of a window and let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Looks like they're gone. Finally. I can't believe they followed us so far. I thought we lost them when we circled back through the prank store."

Fluttershy groaned softly. "You can get up now," Twilight said, her voice straining with weariness. "They're gone."

Rarity walked over to the shivering Pegasus and collapse right next to her. Loose strains stuck out of her normally perfectly arranged coiffure.

The exhausted Unicorn looked up to the receptionist desk. Aloe stared back.

"I don't suppose we made our appointment, did we?"

Aloe looked back at the clock; it was now half past twelve. Aloe gave Lotus a quick nod, sending her off to prepare the sauna, and quickly rewrote Rarity and Fluttershy's names on the schedule in the empty position of 12:30. A grin mixed with professionalism and genuine cheer spread over the blue pony's face.

"No, Miz Rarity. We are right un time."

*****

Gasping for air, Ash stumbled out of the fuming tree, leaving a sizable depression in the door frame. Spike followed closely behind, wearing a funny yellow mask with what appeared to be a shower head at the end. In his claws was a glass flask of bubbling purple goo, the result of all their troubles. The flask miraculously survived the initial explosion.

"Did you have to bring it out with us?" Ash gaged at the smell of the concoction. "It's like rotten goose eggs mixed with rancid milk mixed inside a decaying corpse."

"Mmmphh-mphhhh-mmphh."

"What was that?"

Spike removed the hazmat mask before immediately turning sickly greener. "I said it's not that bad but--urkk!" The dragon covered his mouth and his cheeks bulged.

"Wait! Don't drop it!"

Ash's cry came too late. The combustion resistant glass shattered against the ground, just as the crowds began to close in. If the odor hadn't been enough to check the curiosity of the ponies for both the strange new creature and a potential fire, the rapidly growing green slime should have.

And if that didn't, the nightmarish scream that came from the giant slime definitely did.

As ponies began to scream and run in every which direction, Ash turned to Spike, who hid behind the Human's long legs.

"What did you do?"

"What did I do? What did you do?"

"I just did what you told me!"

"Why didn't you just read the directions yourself? I'm just a baby!"

"I can't read Equestrian!"

"Wait, what? Really?"

The monstrous purple slime interrupted the quarreling with a another bloodcurdling roar. Already it was about the size of a large cart and still growing.

"Twilight's gonna kill us, isn't she?" Spike asked weakly.

"This never happened. You hurry inside and try to clean up."

The baby dragon picked up his mask and ran to the library. "Wait," Spike turned around and called out to the Human: "what about you?"

Ash turned to the monster before him. It was already towering over him. With a flick of his hands, balls of hot flames flared in front of him like miniature suns. the flames brought shadows over his features.

"I'll clean up here." The Mage's eyes seemed to shine. The adrenaline, the excitement, the intoxication of magic flowing freely through him, Ash was in his element.

"I've heard fire is a great cleanser. Care to put that to the test?"

A/N

Aims Blurry = Amesbury --> Bill/Barbara Amesbury was a transsexual Canadian song writer, get it?

A lot of the names are like that, derived from more meaningful names. Try figuring them out!

Transformations 2

Transformation Part 2

A streak of blue zipped through the sky leaving behind a rainbow trail. It wasn't unusual for Rainbow Dash to fly at this speed. Racing was her life after all. What was unusual was that the Pegasus actually had a reason for such haste beyond the nonchalant "I felt like it".

At such speed, none could see the book tucked tightly in her jaws. Rainbow Dash had gotten up late in the morning to reread the current Daring Do book she was on. It wasn't until she finished the novel that she released the book was overdue. Though the proud cyan Pegasus would never admit it, she still had nightmares of the last time she was tardy with a library book. How Twilight got into her house without wings was beyond her.

Rainbow began to slow down as she approached Ponyville's library. Something didn't smell right. Was that...smoke?
Rainbow Dash looked down. Right below her and next the the library was a giant raging fire. If the fire got any closer, the entire tree with all of its paper contents would be lost. Poor Twilight would be devastated, not to mention the unforgivable destruction of the entire Daring Do series that the Pegasus could read for free.

Rainbow Dash scanned the skies. She could clear them in ten seconds flat but could she find what she needed in time?

*****

Ash peeled off a layer of purple goo from his sleeve and flicked it into the bonfire in front of him. From within the flames came a weak croak. That Human watched in grimly as the purple slime darkened and brunt to ashes. There was something immensely satisfying about setting something on fire and watching it burn away. Something immensely satisfying...

Ash's musings were interrupted by a sudden shadow overhead. He tilted his head upward and to his surprise, a giant gray cloud hung above him. He thought he saw a blue head with rainbow colored hair peek out.

"Never fear! Your friendly neighborhood Rainbow Dash is here!"

"Eh?"

A roll of thunder was quickly followed by a sudden downpour. Rain fell hard and fast. Ash was soaking wet within seconds. The bonfire died straight away.

The gray cloud eventually ran out of rain, draining away its color to white. Rainbow Dash opened the cloud, revealing herself and the sun. Ash felt his robes dry stiffly against his skin.

The Pegasus jumped down next to the Human. "No need to thank me, it's what I do?" Rainbow struck a quick pose, flexing one of her leg-arms. "Okay, no, really. How amazing was I?"

Ash shook his head, his hairs sweeping back and forth releasing droplets. "Alright, I guess."

"You guess?" Rainbow gave the Human a hard glare. "I just saved the libr-- hey, I thought I got rid of the cloud."

The shadow cast over Rainbow Dash caused her to turn around and look at what Ash had been watching.

The giant slime monster had been restored and towered way over the Pegasus and the Human. It released a mighty roar. Rainbow felt faint; its stench was so horrid.

"Tch, it regenerated already." Ash flicked his wrists. Small sparks and embers flared before dying out completely. Under his breath, the Human swore.

"Bad news: there's too much moisture in the air to form a decent fireball."

"Any good news?" Rainbow Dash asked weakly as she tried to cover her nose.

"Yep." A small manic grin spread across the Mage's features. Ash clenched a fist and reopened it. Hundreds of tiny watery spheres began to form in the air. Rainbow shivered; was it just her or did the temperature just drop.

"There's too much moisture in the air." The spheres began to crystallize. Ash turned to the purple abomination.

"Today's forecast: a freeze."

*****

"Oh, that was refreshing."

Twilight stepped out of day spa and stretched. She seemed more energetic yet more relaxed at the same time. On her face was a very cheery smile.

"See, darling? A trip to the spa now and again can be good for one's health." Rarity gave her friend a quick examination before nodding in approval. "You look so much better now than you did an hour ago. Doesn't she, Fluttershy?"

"Oh yes, much better..." The shy little Pegasus quickly glanced down. "That is, it's not like you looked too bad before...I mean, I don't want to offend but..."

Twilight chuckled. "It's alright, Fluttershy. I know I probably looked like a mess this morning. I've been so busy these days. I've been barely getting enough sleep."

"I suppose that explains why you kept falling asleep during the massage. And in the sauna. And in the tub."

"Heh heh..."

"Twilight, you shouldn't work yourself so hard. You need to sleep."

"Thanks for the concern, Fluttershy, but this is really important."

"What have you've been working on then, dear?" Rarity inquired.

"I've been working with Ash on a transformation spell, one that will turn him into a pony."

"You mean like the spell you used the day of the Gala?" Rarity shuddered at the memory. Her stomach turned at the mental image of the mice-stallions with their whiskers and their twisted bodies.

"Yeah," the purple Unicorn said in reply, oblivious of Rarity and Fluttershy's discomfort. "Only permanent."

"Why would he do that? I like how he looks now." Fluttershy blushed as her friends stared. "I think he looks cute, like a monkey. A big monkey. With no fur. And no tail."

Twilight shook her head. Only Fluttershy would consider a Human "cute". Then again, the Pegasus found skunks and bats endearing as well.

"I guess Ash wants to try and fit in better. I just guessing though. It didn't seem polite to ask then but maybe we can ask later."

"Are you sure such a spell is what Ash needs?"

"What do mean, Rarity?"

What I mean is that I don't want to see another animal be turned into a pony. I don't need to see a Human-pony. "What I mean is that a spell is just a shortcut. Wouldn't it be more rewarding if Ash managed to integrate himself into Equestrian society. I believe Ponyville could also learn something of acceptance as well. Just like with Zecora."

Twilight thought for a moment. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Better than that spell. "Of course, darling. I'm sure once all Ponyville sees--oof!"

The Unicorn was knocked flat as a brown stallion ran into her, his hat flying, his camera swinging.

"Be more careful," Fluttershy said as she help Rarity up. "You could hurt somepony."

The stallion briefly turned around. "No time!" he cried. "Some weird purple goo monster just got out of the library! I knew libraries were dangerous!" He began running again. "Head for the hills!"

"The library? Twilight, do you think--" Rarity stopped at the sight of Twilight's twitching eye and grinding jaw. All traces of serenity and peace as a result of the spa treatment disappeared.

"SPIKE!"

*****

Ash took a step back to admire his handiwork. The purple slime stood before him encased in a massive glacier. The Human nodded, impressed by how quickly he was able to cast such a spell. And after being out of practice for nearly two thousand years. The cyan Pegasus, however, was not.

"Not bad, not bad. But definitely could use some work."

"What do you mean?"

"Well for starters, your pre-fight line. I mean, come on. Couldn't you think of something less lame and more original?"

"Original?"

"And all you did was wave your hands a bit and just stood there. Where were the dodges, the cartwheels, the exciting close calls? Seriously, you made some potential awesomeness real lame."

"Lame?"

"And another thing: you needed some creative line to say after you win. Like, you're on the ice or chill out."

"I'm guessing you've had experience in this area," Ash said, shaking his head. He leaned against the the frozen foe.

"Hay yeah, don't you know it. You should have left some of that thing for me. I'd show you how a real hero handles things."

"Did somepony mention a 'real hero'?"

Ash and Rainbow Dash turned the direction in which the new voice came. On the roof of a nearby building stood a masked mare in dark blue and purple. Her cape waved behind her despite the lack of breeze.

"Mare-Do-Well!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "Wait, Twilight? Applejack? Nah, she probably couldn't get up on the roof in the first place. Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie?"

"I am not the one who is known as Pinkie Pie is because I am the mysterious Mare-Do-Well but if I was somepony else I would totally be Pinkie Pie because she's the friendliest pony ever and throws the best parties ever. Oh, hi Ash. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about your party. I mean, Pinkie Pie hasn't forgotten about your party because Pinkie Pie never forgets. Or was it elephants that never forget?"

Ash glanced down at Rainbow Dash who smacked her face with her own hoof. "Pinkie Pie?"

"...Pinkie Pie."

"Geronimo!"

"Wait! If you hit--" Once more, Ash's warning came too late.

The mysterious Mare-Do-Well dived off the roof, bounced off the frozen slime monster, and landed right on top of Ash with as much grace as Twilight dancing freestyle. The Human groaned into the ground. He muttered a stream of profanity into the dirt.

"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?"

"There is no Pinkie! There is only--"

Rainbow yanked the mask off, revealing the pink party pony. Pinkie Pie grinned cheerfully. "Hi!"

The annoyed Pegasus opened her mouth to say something. A loud crack interrupted her.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie turned around. Small fractures spread throughout the ice statue. The cracks grew wider and began to branch out. The monster inside twitched.

Rainbow Dash groaned. "Horse--"

*****

"Apples! Git yer fresh apples! You sir! You look like you could use sum apples!"

"Not again..."

Applejack sighed and quickly pulled her younger sister away from the brown, hourglass marked stallion she had been harassing. Or, as Applebloom called it, marketing.

The farm pony turned to stallion to apologize but he had already left, leaving behind a trail of dust and mud.

"Aw, why'd yah go and mess things up fer me, sis?" Applebloom began to pout. "Ah almost broke him."

"Why don't yah go have the rest of the day off? Ah'll finish up here. It's a pretty slow day anyhow." Applejack scratched her head. "Lotsa folks runnin' 'round crazy all day though. Wonder if Twilight knows anything."

*****

"All I know is that when I get back, I'll, I'll..." Twilight quickly searched for the worst punishment she could prepare. "I'll take away all of Spike's books for a week. No, two weeks! Then he'll be sorry!"

Rarity and Fluttershy struggled to keep up with the purple Unicorn's pace. Twilight ran at full gallop, fueled by rage and worry. Like a mother or elder sister, Twilight feared for her little assistance's safety despite her anger. Ignoring the pains and signals from her body, the Unicorn ran even faster, leaving her friends in the dust.

Twilight braced herself as library entered her view. The horrid sight of her home burning would have been too much and so she shut her eyes, fearing for what laid ahead.

In retrospect, running blindly was not a good idea.

"Oof!"

The Unicorn opened her eyes and to her relief, the library stood intact and undamaged, besides the new giant hole in the library's sign as the result of Twilight's mad and uncontrolled sprint.

With a groan, Twilight picked herself up. Her attention was drawn by a sudden laugh from above.

"You should of seen yourself!" shouted Rainbow Dash from above. "That hilarious!"

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Spike swung open the door. "You've seen Twilight yet? Oh hey Twil, li, li, li..." The little dragon gulped.

"Spike," Twilight said slowly, almost menacingly. Seeing Spike safe relieved her much of her worry, leaving plenty of room for anger. "What have you been up to?"

"Me?" Spike began to sweat. "Oh, nothing. You know, this and that and um, stuff and..."

"Spike..."

"I mean, it was all Ash's fault! Yeah, he wanted to--"

"What's my fault?"

Ash and Pinkie Pie stepped out of the library. Ash held a large broom while Pinkie Pie held a dust bin full of ashes. "Hey Twilight!" Pinkie greeted cheerfully before gasping and showering everyone with dust.

"Spike! Spike! Twilight's here! We have to hide the evidence! Everypony run!"

The pink pony zoomed off, leaving everyone else to suffer Twilight's great displeasure. The library just came into Fluttershy and Rarity's view before both were sent into the air like bowling pins. Both would later only recall a pink blur and a quick cheerful salutation.

For a few moments, everypony and Ash stood just stood there and watched as Pinkie Pie ran into the horizon. At last, Twilight spoke:

"Would somepony please explain what's going on?"

"Um, well..." Spike began to wring the own tail. He refused to look into the purple Unicorn's eyes. "You see, funny thing..." The baby dragon quickly dove onto his knees and looked up the white puffy cloud that hung overhead. "Rainbow Dash, you've got to help me!" he begged.

"Heh, heh, sorry dude but you're on your own." The Pegasus flew down and handed her late book over to the librarian. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. Gotta dash!" and with that, Rainbow flew off, leaving Ash and Spike to their fate.

Spike gulped, sweat falling like a heavy rainstorm.

"Spike, just tell me what happened. I'm disappointed that you'd try to get out of responsibility like this."

Twilight's tone was to much for the baby dragon, who threw himself at the Unicorn's feet, begging for forgiveness.
"Spike," Twilight repeated, "just tell me what happened."

"Me and Ash found a recipe for a potion that could change appearances and we thought it couldn't hurt so we went down to the basement and accidentally made a giant slimy ooze monster that Ash fought off and man I wish I was there because it sounded awesome even though Rainbow Dash thought Ash was kinda lame and I'm so sorry I'll never disobey you again!"

Spike began to bawl, reminding Twilight that her ward was still very, very young in draconic terms.

"Spike..."

The dragon began to cry louder.

"Spike!"

"Wahh!"

Twilight, a bit red in embarrassment, turned to Ash. "So...giant slimy ooze monster?"

"Giant slimy ooze monster," the Human said in reply, pointing at the ashes and dust that had once been in Pinkie Pie's dust bin. The Unicorn grimaced at the fact that the remains of another creature now laid within her mane. After all that time at the spa resort, Twilight would need another bath.

She sighed. "Well, at least the library's still standing this time. I've got to start locking up the basement." Twilight went inside.

"What about Spike?"

"Don't worry. After a few hours, he'll have tired himself out. I'll take to him then. As for you..."

"Crap."

*****

The cries of the little dragon drowned out the clicks of a camera equipped with lenses specific for long-ranges. The hidden Pegasus fired away, capturing every moment. He grinned; old Mr J.J.J. was going to pay big for this. Carefully tucking the camera away, the Pegasus fly off.

Transformations 3

The Daily Kazoo: All the Subjective News Fit to Print

Hairless Ape Monster Confirmed, Robs Local Library With Smooze

Photographic evidence of the rumored "Hairless Ape Monster" has been captured as of yesterday by our own camera teams and it appears that all our fears have been confirmed as well.

The monster was seen taking part in a high-scale robbery with a slimy ooze (Smooze). Like attracts like, it appears.
After completing the dastardly deal, the Hairless Ape Monster proceeded to turn on its accomplice, vaporizing the Smooze with savage brutality unknown to ponykind (see P5 for images).

"It's horrible, absolutely horrible," said an interviewed pony who we wish to keep anonymous for professional reasons.

Daily Kazoo owner J. Jog Jockeyson Jr. pledges to keep Ponyville posted on the strange creature's activities and calls for vigilance.

"Petition your princess, your representatives. Hide your fillies and colts, your wives, you'd better be hiding your husbands. This monster is a danger to the very existence of our way of life. It's more of a menace than the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well--

The remainder of the article was covered up by some more substantial texts, including Spike's old comic book. Next to the article was a blurry image of the Human in front of the library. It was focused on Ash's face which, unfortunately, was contorted in battle lust and excitement.

If the tabloid bothered Ash, he didn't show it, though he did complain about the lack of quality in the picture. Whatever photography was, Ash was not largely impressed.

The Human in question sat in front of the door, writing notes down as Spike read the book to him. Every now and then, Spike would peak over and steal a look at Ash's notes, which were in some strange and foreign language and filled with complicated formulas and diagrams and circles. Every so often, the dragon's attention would be stolen away by the voice of a certain Unicorn who had brought the tabloid to the library. Rarity was currently in the kitchen with Twilight and although they spoke in low voices, Spike was sure they were discussing the article.

"Is this really a problem?" Twilight wondered out loud. "No one reads the Daily Kazoo after everything it published about Mare-Do-Well."

"Twilight, you need to get out more." Rarity let out a sigh. "It became popular again a few months later, though they never did publish an apology. All it had to do was print a few rumors on some celebrities that ended up as true and it regained credibility."

Twilight tapped her chin in thought. "Still, I'm sure Ponyville will make the right decision and disregard the article as nothing more than lies and rumors."

"Don't be too sure," Rarity responded doubtfully. "Most of Ponyville hasn't even seen Ash and now this tabloid is the first one to provide an actual image of him. Because they've never met him, most ponies don't have a real opinion about Ash and are more likely to listen the the press. It's how the media works, darling." Rarity quickly glanced out of the kitchen. "Are you sure there haven't been any other problems? No protests or angry mobs?"

Twilight shook her head. "Just some over zealous reporters that almost broke open the door. That's why Ash is sitting there, in case the lock breaks. For once, I'm grateful for his size."

"Doesn't your door open outwards?"

"You know, I can't remember."

The kettle began to whistle. Twilight levitated it from the stove and poured the hot water into a teapot. She placed the teapot on the table, letting the leaves soak.

"If what you're saying is true, and I'm not saying I don't believe you, then things are going to get a lot more complicated."

Twilight took a quick glance at the Human. "After what Jockeyson published, I doubt Ponyville would accept Ash as a Human real easily."

"Did he say anything about the article?"

"Nothing about the article. Though he did say that the transformation spell was now urgent."

"At least he understands the gravity of the situation. I honestly believed he was a carefree kind of, well, of Human when we first met but he seems to have much more depth." Rarity shook her head. "I cannot believe I'm saying this but maybe the two of you are right. Maybe a spell is what he needs."

"It's a lot harder than I thought it would be, really." The purple Unicorn pulled out a few cups and began pouring tea. "I've even requested a few books and scrolls from the Canterlot archives. But in all honest, I'm not sure how far I'd get without Ash's help."

"Oh?"

"Human magic seems really advanced and complicated. Did you see that gigantic equation on the chalk board when you walked in? That was all Ash's work." Twilight took a sip of her tea. "It's so complicated. I can't even make heads or tails out of it."

"You don't understand it?" The notion that any spell was too difficult for the purple Unicorn was a shock.

"Not a bit. Humans are much more advanced than I thought."

Meanwhile in the living room/main library wing, Ash was making his own discoveries.

"Repeat that last part again."

Spike repeated.

"Again, more slowly."

With a huff, the dragon repeated again, this time much more slowly.

Ash quickly jolted a few notes down. When he had finished, the Human looked bewildered. "That can't be right." he muttered to himself. "Bring the chalkboard over here," he told Spike.

Ash quickly erased the formula that was currently on the board. He began to tap his chin in thought, leaving chalk marks.

The Human got up and began to pace. This time, Spike made sure his tail got out of his path. He may have hard scales but nothing hurt more than somepony stepping on his tail.

"Got it." Ash began to write on the board in a miniature font. Numbers filled the board accompanied by mystical symbols as well as some recognizable mathematical devices. Next to the equation Ash drew diagrams of triangles, circles, circles in triangles, triangles in circles. Every so often, the Mage would pause, stare at his work, only to shake his head and erase portions, mumbling to himself.

"Finished," he said at last. The piece of chalk in his hand was wore to a snub and white powder covered his hands. Ash opened his writing hand and closed it, gently rubbing it with the other. Spike knew the feeling; he always got claw cramps after helping Twilight with her checklists.

The baby dragon stood before the chalkboard. There was not a single space not filled or marked in white. While Spike had no idea what Ash had written, it impressed him that the Human could fill the board up so quickly while writing so small.

"Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess..."

"You have no idea what I just wrote, do you?"

"...No?"

Ash picked up the textbook Spike had been reading him and pointed at the section he had the dragon repeat. Spike gave him a confused look.

"I don't get it."

"I wrote that..." Ash pointed once more at the particular part. "...right here." The Human pointed at the giant formula.

Spike stared at the book then at the chalkboard then back down. "Are you sure, they look nothing alike."

"I transposed it into something I could understand better."

"Understand better?"

"This is what the spell would look like in my world, by Human standards."

Spike was speechless. He quickly looked back at the spell in Twilight's book. "You mean you'd have to do all that in your world to make a mustache magically grow?"

"Is that what it does?" Ash crossed his arms and sat back down. "Theoretically, yes. But much of this is impossible, only speculated." Ash sighed. "If the scholars could see this..." he said absentmindedly. The Human quickly shook his head, ridding away the distracting sentiments. "To be able to condense all this into something so practical and ready for everyday use is, well, astounding. I sincerely doubt even the Elves could make magic seem so...natural. Equestrians are amazing." Ash picked up this book. "This man- ur, pony, that wrote this is amazing. Twilight's amazing for being able to perform such a spell."

"I know," Spike proudly said. "She's the most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria and I helped!"

Ash leaned back against the door.

"If I work with Twilight--"

"If Ash and I work together--" the purple Unicorn told her friend. In her excitement, she neglected to attend to her tea. It had gone cold.

"--we just might be able to pull this off."

*****

It had been two days since Rarity's visit and neither she nor any other pony had seen hide or hair of Twilight since

The closed sign did nothing to deter the press from going to the library. Day in and out ponies camped outside, waiting for sightings of the Hairless Ape Monster. Journalists from all over Equestria, reaching as far as Manehattan and even from the fledgling papers of Appleloosa, made their way to Ponyville. Fluttershy was committed to a hospital ward after her sudden panic attack until the cameras left.

Spike stole a peek from behind the curtains. A low whistle escaped from his lips.

"Whoa, I think every newspaper in Equestria is out there."

"Spike, pay attention."

The little dragon closed the curtains and sat back down in front of the chalkboard. Twilight and Ash wrote feverishly, their notes and equations coming together in fluid synchronization. It had taken most of their time trying to create a compromise between the complexity of Human spell-casting and the practicality and simplicity of magic of Equestria. After finding a balance between the two, working together was easy and while the process was difficult and long, the Unicorn and the Human were closing in on the solution they sought.

Spike helped. Someone needed to prepare meals and sleep for the two, after all.

The baby dragon read the book out loud as Twilight and Ash transferred the text to the board. "Hold it," Ash interrupted.

He took a step back and tripped over another book. After he had gotten back up, he took a long examination of their handiwork. The Unicorn did the same, only with much more grace.

Spike quietly groaned as he got up to erase the board. The empty boxes that had been previously filled with sticks of chalks stood as a testimony to the number of rejected spells.

"Wait." Ash lifted a hand.

"Did we..." Twilight began to shake in excitement. Her face began to split into a giant, near-goofy grin. "We did it. We did it!"

The Human nodded, keeping his composure even as his equine collaborator began to skip around him, shouting "Yes!" after every hop.

"You don't seem too excited," noted Spike.

"We found the spell but now we have to use it. That's the difficult part." Ash rubbed the top of his lip, making a mental note to shave more often. "I'm not exactly sure how to perform the spell. It's insanely difficult and most of what I've contributed aren't concrete, only possibilities and theories. What we are about to do has never been done before, in this world and mine. We need--"

"Learned it! Ready?"

"What?"

The Human felt himself consumed by a warm aura. Purple lights blinded him as Twilight's magic covered him in a cocoon. Before Ash could protest there was a flash that filled the library. Though the binds hid away most of the light, they did nothing to hide the noise. Like thunder following lightning, a great clashing sound came with the flash, scattering the ponies outside in fear.

Ash expected pain, the twisted, unnatural feeling of his fingers and toes melting together, the collapse of his spine, the rearrangement of organs, the reconstruction of his skeleton. The discomfort of growing hair all over his body.

Ash expected pain. He did not expect the lack of it.

"Is it working?" asked Spike, trying to see through the chrysalis.

Before Twilight could answer, the cocoon burst open, forcing Twilight and Spike to shield their eyes from the blinding lights.

A quiet groan floated through the room. Twilight opened one eye cautiously and then another.

"It worked."

The Face of Remembrance

You will not forget....

*****

The sound of splintering wood followed by a loud thud and a pained grunt woke Twilight who had fallen asleep at her desk. Her penned letter sat in front of her, already sealed. All she needed to do was wait for Spike to get up and send it.

The purple Unicorn rubbed herself sleepily, smearing ink across her face. The recent nights of studying had taken their toll. Even Twilight needed sleep and she barely had any ever since Ash arrived.

With a yawn and a stretch, Twilight slowly went upstairs to discover what had happened. Burglary was unlikely and Heaven help any criminal foolish enough to threaten the books of the most powerful Unicorn of Equestria. Perhaps Rainbow Dash had snuck in to read again. Or Pinkie Pie doing whatever Pinkie Pie did at these hours. Certainly not sleep.

The little clock that ticked quietly on her nightstand struck five thirty. It was still dark outside, Twilight noted. The window was unopened and intact, ruling out Rainbow Dash. Now Pinkie, she had other ways of getting inside...

A quiet groan that floated through the room interrupted Twilight's thoughts. It was too masculine to be Pinkie. Could it be Spike?

The Unicorn lit her horn with a simple illumination spell. No, Spike was still in his basket, clutching his blanket and sucking his claw. Twilight had no time to enjoy the adorable scene as she grew more alarmed. Was there really an intruder in her home?

Another groan came from behind her. Twilight swung her head around, her horn revealing a scene she did not anticipate.

Her spare bed had been crushed. Splinters of the wooden frame surrounded the mattress. On the remains laid a furless ape-like creature, save for a mess of black hair. The creature's nakedness was covered by a stitched robe bearing the work of a certain seamstress. With a hand, he covered his face to protect his eyes from Twilight's blinding beam.

"A-Ash?"

"Yeah, you mind pointing that somewhere else? God, it's bright."

"Sorry." The piercing beam dimmed down. "That better?"

"Yeah." Ash let his arm fall to his side. Slowly, he removed his other arm from the debris and got off the squished mattress.

Ash stood to examine the destruction only to once again underestimate his own height and the overestimate the distance between his head and the roof. Ash drew in a sharp breath in pain and opened his mouth.

"Shh." Twilight lifted a hoof to her lips the. pointed at the basket next to her own personal bed. "You'll wake Spike."

The baby dragon turned in his sleep but made no indication that his slumber had been disturbed.

Clutching his head, the Human got to his knees. "Um, sorry about the bed."

"It's alright, it's just a spare and it won't take long to fix. What's more pressing is why..." The Unicorn pointed a hoof at the Human. "...you're a Human again. What's going on?"

Ash shook his head and shrugged. So much easier with actual arms and shoulders. "The spell was something unprecedented. I doubt we could have predicted the actual results."

"But I've never failed a spell. Not since I got my cutie mark." Twilight began to sound discouraged. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't fail, the spell did," Ash assured her. He sighed deeply. "That's the problem with experiment spells. If we had the original design we could figure out what went wrong but..."

"...But Spike erased it. It'll take forever to rebuild it from scratch." With a groan frustration, the purple Unicorn head down the stairs to the main library area. Ash followed.

"If only we knew where to start." Twilight began pulling books off the shelves at random. "Any clue would be helpful."

Ash yawned. "What was the spell we used as a base?"

"It was a temporary transformation spell. The effects only last till midnight."

"What time is it now?" Ash asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know, something around six maybe." Twilight lifted her head from her book. "Why?"

The Human stroked his chin in thought. "Even with all the modifications and ideas we've added, it would still have been very difficult to alter the base spell so that the effects are different. If it's temporary, it will probably remain temporary. We may have simply prolonged the effects by a few hours."

"Huh, I guess that makes sense." Twilight levitated another large textbook from the shelves. "At least now we know where to start."

"Hold on." Ash intercepted the book and placed it back in its place. "I don't think we should work on this right now."

"But--"

"You're tired. I'm tired. We've already spent nearly a week without decent sleep working on this project." Ash crossed his arms across his chest. "As much as I'd like to get this thing done and over, there comes a time for a break." He turned to the stairs. "Let's work in the morning, after the both of us get some adequate sleep."

"I guess you're right," Twilight said with a yawn. She began to shelf books until she came across one already opened.

Maybe just an hour. An hour of studying never hurt anyone.

Ash slowly ascended the stair, quietly so not to awaken Spike. Let sleeping dragons lie went the old saying.

He considered trying to sleep on the mattress but decided against it. He already owed Twilight a new bed frame, the least he could do was keep the actual bed intact and usable. At least most of it was still salvageable.

Before curling on the rug to sleep, Ash saw himself in Twilight's mirror. The white-haired pale youth stared back at him with just as much intensity. As if to touch the Human in the glass, Ash reached out. Their fingers touched but all he felt was the cold mirror.

"Not gonna let me forget, are ya?"

The reflection did not respond.

*****

Celestia's Sun arose as did Spike, despite his best efforts. As exciting as his life was in Ponyville, it wasn't anything impressive compared to what awaited him in the realm of dreams. After all, what could top a date with Rarity while they took a stroll through an candy garden?

Speaking of candy... Spike's little belly roared like a lion. Wonder if Twilight's made any breakfast yet.

Spike got his feet and, in his hurry, almost tripped over Ash. The dragon scratched his head, wondering why anypony would choose to sleep in such a position on the cold hard floor. Spike struggled and ran down the stairs, where hopefully a giant plate of breakfast would meet him. He had considered waking Ash for breakfast but decided instead to let him sleep. The early pony gets to the party first, or at least that's how the old saying went according to the sagacious Pinkie Pie.

His hopes fell like a rock at the sight of how messy the library was downstairs. The stacks of books meant there would not be any stacks of waffles to greet him in the kitchen. "And I just cleaned this place up," the baby dragon muttered to himself. Spike shook his head as he picked a book up that had been left on the floor, open. As big a bibliophile as she was, Twilight Sparkle didn't seem to treat her books very well after they failed to answer her questions.

Said Unicorn sat at her desk where she scribbled furiously.

"Twilight?"

"Huh?" Twilight lifted her head and turned to the little dragon that had spoken. "Oh, good morning."

"What are you still working on?" Spike picked up one of the fallen parchments that littered the floor. They'd have to order more soon. "I thought the transformation spell worked."

"I thought so too. I can't figure out what exactly went wrong." Twilight let out a frustrated sigh. "I have no idea how to fix this."

"Fix what?" Spike gave the Unicorn a puzzled look. "Why was Ash sleeping on the ground anyways? I thought he accepted the spare bed."

"He did but the bed's broken."

"How? Why?"

Twilight shook her head in annoyance. Normally, the 'why' game would provide both the purple Unicorn and the green dragon amusement for hours but right now she simply was not in the mood.

"Because it was made for ponies, not Humans."

"So?"

"Because--wait." Spike's response surprised her. How was easy to answer and why wasn't too difficult but so, Twilight didn't have much experience with this one. "So that means Ash can't sleep in the bed."

"Why?"

"Because," Twilight answered with slight irritation, "Ash is too big. Because he's a Human." she added quickly as Spike opened his mouth. Despite her fatigue, Twilight grinned triumphantly. She had won this round.

Spike scratched his head, thinking. "I dunno, he sure looks like a pony to me."

"You mean looked. Past tense. 'Looks' means he looked like a pony recently."

"Yeah I know." Spike crossed his short arms in impatience. "And I meant 'looks'."

Before Twilight could investigate further, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump from upstairs.

Sometime after Spike went downstairs, Ash had awoken. With a yawn and a stretch, he had gotten to his feet. It didn't take long before Ash had lost his balance. As a Human, standing on two feet was almost as natural as talking. As a pony, however...

And now before Twilight's astonished and Spike's amused eyes, as a grey white-maned Unicorn, Ash laid on his back with his legs sticking in the air. He waved them uselessly. Spike struggled to hid his smirk.

"Help!" he cried to them. "I've fallen and can't get up!"

*****

Ash was sulking. Red with embarrassment, he sat in the corner and tried to repress this incident to the deepest parts of his subconscious. No such luck. Twilight's assistant's attempts to cover his laughing face served as a constant reminder.

The purple Unicorn meanwhile dove into a study frenzy.

"I don't understand. First the spell didn't work then it did. What's going on?"

Ash ducked as the book flew past his head. "I'm just as clueless as you right now. But you know, there's a saying among Mages from my world."

"What's that?"

"It's magic. Some stuff just can't be explained." Twilight gave him a dubious look to which Ash responded with a quick shrug. He was getting better at those.

"If that's the mentality you Humans have on magic I'm surprised you're so advanced in the subject."

"I told you, what I've given you are mostly theoretical. In theory they should work but in practice they don't. Why?" Another shrug. "Magic."

"That doesn't make sense. All the theories in my books seem to work fine when applied. Why won't they work now?"

"Who knows? We're adding a bunch of unprecedented factors to the equation, me being a Human and all."

"Argh, you know what?" Twilight groaned and placed her hooves on her head. "Whatever. At least you're a pony now, right?"

Ash gave himself a quick look over before answering. "Right."

"So we got what we wanted in the end," Spike piped in. "Case closed, let's get breakfast."

"Whoa, hold it." Twilight grabbed Spike back from the door. "Just because we've got the end result we hoped for doesn't mean I'm satisfied. I don't think we're done yet."

"Agreed," Ash said. "We don't know what exactly went wrong with the spell and if it could be a big problem or not."

"But I'm hunger! Come on, I know the perfect place."

"Spike, you can wait a little longer. You don't hear me complaining." Twilight's argument was undermined by her stomach's untimely growl.

"Oh, I hear you complaining alright," Spike said with a smug little grin.

Twilight laughed nervously as she felt her cheeks glow red. "Eh, heh heh, maybe we should go out to eat, right Ash?"

"You two go ahead," Ash responded, though his decline sounded rather reluctant.

"Are you sure?" Spike teased. "Hay fries, sandwiches, pancakes with lots and lots of syrup, yum yum yum." The baby dragon rubbed his belly in emphasis. Ash was not amused.

"I told Twilight we couldn't predict every single detail of the spell's final results but that doesn't mean we can't study them now. This lack of information could prove dangerous. What would happen if I became a Human again in public in broad daylight?"

"That could be a problem," Twilight admitted. "Ponyville doesn't need another riot of panicked ponies."

"Ponyville goes through one every week," Spike argued.

"Well I'm not going to be the cause of one," Ash said defiantly. "Let's wait a week to figure out the kinks to this enchantment then I think I'll be able go out in public."

"An entire week in the library? Even Twilight would go nutty if she stayed inside here for that long."

"Hey, I don't go nutty!"

"It'll be worth the information." Ash flicked his mane out of his eyes. "You two go on ahead. I'll--"

The door swung open and in stepped Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The white Unicorn wore a frilly saddle bag that fit her perfectly.

"Hey guys!"

"Good morning Twilight dear. And to you too, Spike of course. Oh, and hello to you too Ash."

"Oh, hi girls," Twilight greeted in response. Ash nodded to each of the entering mares in silent salutation. "What's up?"

"We were gonna get something to eat," Rainbow replied. "You guys wanna come?"

"Sure, I'm famished. Actually, Spike and I were just about to decided where to go."

"Oh, before I forget..." Rarity pulled out a piece of folded garments from her bag. "I had another reason to visit. Here, this is for you." She handed the present to Ash who took it awkwardly in his mouth.

Sweating in concentration, Ash slowly and carefully unfolded the fabrics. It was a blue cloak, similar to his own Mage uniform. Adorning the beautiful robes were arcane symbols stitched in a darken shade of blue.

"I was quite intrigued by the design of your clothes and just had to try and replicate it," the seamstress explained. "The patterns were worn and faded on the original but I think I've managed to do a pretty good job, if I say so myself."

Ash stood there, speechless.

"They look beautiful Rarity," Twilight complimented for the surprised stallion.

"Of course they do, everything Rarity does is beautiful."

"Oh, Spike, you're really too much."

"I, I can't accept this." Ash had found his voice. "I have nothing to pay you back."

"Darling, it's a gift. There is no cost, no cost at all."

"That real generous of you but I don't deserve a gift."

"Since when do you need to deserve a gift to get one?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Isn't that the point of a gift? Just something you get for free? When was the last time you got a present?"

"Or is it that you don't like?" Rarity's lower lip began to quiver slightly. "Oh, you don't like it, do you?"

"No, no." Ash shook his head frantically. "It's just, well." The stallion rubbed the back of his head in discomfort. "How do I put it on?"

"I thought you said Humans wore clothes." Rainbow Dash sounded confused. "Plus you were wearing stuff before."
"Before I was a Human. Now I'm a pony and I haven't got a clue as to how to get dressed."

"First, let's get something to eat, then we need to get you cleaned up." Rarity gave Ash a hard and thorough scrutinization. The examination made him rather self conscious of his lack of clothes, despite his deep grey and natural fur coat. He silently prayed that no pony would notice how red his face was. "One should always be properly cleansed before trying on new garments and please take no offense when I say that you look like you've been sleeping on the floor."

"I have."

"Pardon?"

"I have."

The white Unicorn turned to Twilight. "Twilight, how could you treat your guest like this? What happened to your spare bed?"

"It broke," And with that, the purple Unicorn launched a summary of the early morning's events and a brief explanation of Ash's predicament.

"Wait, so you're gonna stay in the library for an entire week?" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Geez, you're a bigger bookworm than Twilight."

"It just until we've got a full analysis on the spell's results."

"But a whole week?" inquired Rarity. "What about bathing?"

"Hey! I do own a bathtub!" Twilight protested.

"Then why do you always borrow Pinkie Pie's tub?" Rainbow asked.

"...Spike uses all the hot water."

"I do not!" Spike placed his claws on his hips. "Well, except for bubble baths."

"I've haven't bathed since I've got here. Another week won't hurt."

Rarity grew faint. "Are you meaning to say, you haven't bathed during your entire stay in Ponyville? But it's already been a week at least!"

Ash thought for a minute. "Technically, I haven't washed since I've arrived in Equestria so I haven't bathed for a couple of millennia, give or take a few years. Kinda hard when you're stuck in a tree."

"Haven't bathed...millennia..." Rarity's eye was twitching.

"Uh Rarity, are you--"

Twilight was cut off as the white Unicorn leaped over her and began to drag Ash toward the door.

"Hey, where are you taking me?"

"The spa."

"What, you mean in public. Are you crazy?" Ash began to panic and clawed at the floor, an act difficult to do with hooves.

His struggles had no effect. "What if I end up transforming back into a Human out there? There'd be mass panic, chaos!"

"It'll be worth the risk."

"I can use Twilight's bath! I don't mind cold water."

"That's not enough. You sir are in need of a proper spa treatment and cleansing."

"Think of what could happen! I'm a danger to society!" Ash held onto the door frame. Even as he spoke, his grip weakened. What I would give for hands right now. "A danger to the peace!"

"And I will not have you destroy the tranquility of Ponyville dirty. It will be worth the risks, I assure you."

"HELP!" and with that, the grey Unicorn was pulled out into the streets and toward the spa.

It took a few moments before Twilight managed to take in the entire event. "He's going to cause a scene just by yelling."

"I'll say. Poor guy, sent to the spa, the place where grit and toughness go to die." Rainbow Dash shivered in terror. "I was lucky; Rarity just threw me into the reservoir after a week."

"Maybe I should stop taking baths..." Spike wondered out loud. "What?" he said as the two remaining mares stared at him. "Didn't you see how Rarity kept dragging and pulling him? What a lucky guy."

Beautification Through Pain

The Ponyville local spa was sometimes referred to as an oasis in a desert of insanity. Here, exhausted ponies could sit back and relax from a hard day of working and avoiding party related disasters or lightning bolts from a careless grey Pegasus. Yes, as peaceful it usually seemed, life in Ponyville was far from a bed of roses and the spa provided many stressed mares and an occasional donkey with a relaxing distraction.

That's not to say the spa was protected from the chaotic consequences of the outside world. No, this little establishment had its own set of adventures. Who could forget the complete devouring of the facility by a swarm of adorable yet destructive sprites? And then was there was the day after Spike's birthday, where the baby dragon swept half of the entire block away with his tail. And then there were Pinkie Pie's occasional sessions. And when Rarity ran into the spa weeping with green hair. And Hairity. Mustn't forget the Cutie Mark Crusaders Hairdressers either. Or when Lotus and Aloe barely avoided going out of business after the introduction of a fully-automatic magic-powered massager by two very smooth talking, both whom were currently undergoing physical therapy after their product's demonstration neatly snapped their spines in two.

So as surprised as Aloe and Lotus were when their highly esteemed patron dragged a dusty grey stallion by the tail into the spa, both remained professional and rather unfazed. Personally, Lotus found "Hairity" and the rest her friends after a dose of Poison Joke far more disconcerting.

"I could have walked," the grey Unicorn grumbled.

"Darling, I've seen you trot and I'm just going to say that you need practice. Much practice. Besides, this was faster."

Rarity turned to Aloe at the receptionist post. "I know this isn't my usual time but I hope you can squeeze my friend in soon. We have a dire situation on our hooves and I trust only the two of you to remedy it."

Without even glancing at the schedule, Aloe began to nod. Even if the day was fully pack, which it wasn't (no giant disasters to recover from), the pink pony would have done everything possible to accommodate for Rarity; the fashionista's visits made up a great portion of the spa's business after all.

"Ze regular for ze zir?" Aloe asked, waving to her blue coworker to begin preparations.

Rarity thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, this is bigger problem than you can imagine. Give him the deluxe."

"...Your regular iz ze dulexe."

"Then give him the next level. No wait!" Rarity looked back to the stallion who had finally gotten back onto his feet. "Give him the highest, most potent treatment you have."

Aloe gasped and almost fell back. "You don't mean, ze über-urlaub? Can he handle it?"

Rarity bit her bottom lip. "If that's what he needs, then yes, he will handle it."

Aloe called Lotus over and whispered frantically. Occasionally, they'd look over their shoulders toward Ash who had been flipping through some of the magazines in the waiting area. With a final nod, Lotus went out to prepare for Ash's spa session while Aloe prepared the release forms. It was a good thing Ash couldn't read Equestrian.

*****

The spa door swung open and in stepped Twilight, Spike, and a reluctant Rainbow Dash. Rarity looked up from her tabloid.

"Where's Ash?" Twilight asked.

Rarity tilted her head to the door leading to the main spa facilities. "I think they've just begun the massage."

"Massage?" inquired Rainbow Dash. "I thought he just needed a bath."

Rarity chuckled. "Oh dear Rainbow Dash, one does not simply take a bath at the spa. Ash was in need for far more than a simple soak in the tub."

The cyan-coated Pegasus shook her head. "You're nutty."

"I'm nutty? Tell me, what wild stunts have you pulled off this week."

"I kind of have to agree with Rainbow Dash this time," Twilight quickly interjected. Rarity gave her an astonished look. "I mean, don't you think your overreacting a bit."

"Not at all!" Twilight blinked. "Okay, maybe a little..." the white Unicorn admitted. "But you saw how dirty he was. Didn't you see all the dust he kicked up."

"We saw you drag him through Ponyville on the dusty road," Twilight responded flatly. "Look, I understand you're concerned for Ash's, uh, well-being but think of how he feels right now. This was his first time going through Ponyville as a pony and ponies were still staring at him. You heard him last night: he's afraid of being completely isolated and if his Human identity gets out..."

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem." Spike tossed the latest issue of the Daily Kazoo over to the purple Unicorn. On the front page was the image of the library with purple lights streaming through the curtained windows. At the top was the title: ET Gone Home?.

"Rumors of Hairless Ape an extra-terrestrial confirmed? Sent back to home planet via spell. Princess Celestia unavailable for comment..." Twilight read aloud. "More on Equestrian-Alien relations with Gaitgio Trotkalo on page twelve?" The purple Unicorn shook her head. "I can't tell what I'm more amazed at: the speed at which the media comes to it's conclusions or how inane and silly their conclusions tend to be. Who believes this stuff anyway?"

"I dunno," Spike said. "Ash kinda is an alien. He's from other world and everything."

"Besides," Rainbow Dash added as she peered over Twilight's shoulder to read the magazine, "now that everypony thinks Ash went home, he'll have nothing to worry about. Nopony's gonna even consider he's a Human if they all think he flew off to some distant planet."

"Sure, nopony's going to have suspicions now but remember this morning?" Twilight argued. "If Ash ends up transforming back into a Human while there are plenty of ponies watching, it won't matter what they thought before." Twilight.turned to the entrance leading to the jacuzzi and massage stations. "I hope this little trip doesn't end in a disaster. We don't need a headline around the lines of 'Hairless Ape Begins Invasion at Spa, Ponies Evacuate Screaming, Mass Panic Ensues'."

"That's one giant headline."

"I'm an intellect, Spike, not a gossip writer."

A sudden scream echoed throughout the building.

*****

"Hold still."

Lotus twisted Ash's head the other direction. This time only a small whimper escaped, barely audible over the resounding crack. Everything all of a sudden went numb.

"There." Lotus dropped Ash's heavy head back onto the bench. Even if there hadn't been a pillow, he doubt he would have felt the impact.

The blue spa pony clicked her tongue as she repositioned Ash's limp limbs. "Ou, zer iz so much tension an stress. Miz Rarity was right; you vere in need of ze über-urlaub an quite badly." The grey stallion lamely attempted to respond with a groan muffled by his pillow. Lotus apparently heard "continue please" as she proceeded to pound away at her client with lightning speed. Her hooves were wrapped in bandages so to protect them from the blows they were giving. It was a wonder why Lotus didn't have a boxing cutie mark on her flank. Barrage after barrage of blows showered Ash's limp body.

Amazingly, Ash did not complain; one could argue that with a twisted neck and disfigured nervous system he couldn't. However, even if he had the ability, Ash would not have stopped the masseuse. To the observer, it appeared that Ash was being given the biggest beat-down of the century. To Ash, he was being given the greatest massage in all of history. Lotus' blows felt like gently fingers, rubbing against his hard aching back, his stiff neck and shoulders. Ash felt himself loosening, feeling more and more relaxed. Sores and aches he hadn't known he had were being healed.

The grey stallion's face lit up with a silly smile. The perfumes in the air combine with Lotus' "relaxing" massage were beginning to make him fell drowsy, despite his best efforts to remain otherwise.

"Vat have you been doing to have so much tension?" Lotus asked as she rested her hooves for a minute.

Stuck on a tree for two thousand years with a sword in my gut. You try it and see how much stress you get. "Mmm, mmm."

Lotus expected as much of an answer and continued.

Ash groaned but in ecstasy instead of pain or frustration. Heaven...Don't stop, don't ever stop...

Aloe entered the room with a cart of salts and a huge variety of soaps and shampoos as well as a number of large scrubs and sponges. Lotus gave her a nod.

"Bath time."

"Mmph?"

Ash opened his eyes just in time to be treated to a low flying bird's eye view of a large steaming hot tub before gravity kicked in and kicked him into the water. The minerals burned his eyes and the water burned his lungs. Feeling suddenly returned as did pain and Ash struggled to the surface.

Gasping and choking, Ash splashed through the surface and hung to the pool's edge. It never occurred to him to try to stand up.

Ash looked up. Aloe stood over him with a giant scrub in her mouth. Lotus stood to the side pouring an entire bottle of gel into the pool. A large scrub laid next to her. Both wore looks that could have either been of pity or of sadism. Both were directed at the sorry soggy Unicorn.

"What, what's goin--"

Aloe pushed Ash back under and held him there for a few moments. When she allowed him back up for air, both she and Lotus attacked him furiously with the brushes, scrubbing him everywhere much to chagrin and embarrassment.

"I can do that myself! Hey, not there! What are--" Aloe shoved him back under. Bubbles broke the surface as she shook her head.

You'd think he would have gotten use to the process after the third repetition through.

*****

"What's going on in there?" At first, Twilight was concerned but after the third round of screaming, the purple pony was getting annoyed. Her hunger may have contributed to her current state.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Rarity reassured and after repeating herself for a third time, the seamstress was beginning to believe herself.

Rainbow Dash meanwhile paced nervously, torn between her aggressive and head nature and her extreme discomfort with the resort's interior. A soak in the hot tub was tolerable, enjoyable even, but the sight of those massage beds, even the notion of receiving such a treatment made the normally unshakeable pony shudder.

Spike had fainted a while ago from hunger. Although Twilight had given him permission to leave the stubborn dragon refused to leave Rarity's side. Such a demonstration of loyalty was impressive even by Rainbow Dash's standards, though everypony saw it as a bit silly. Nopony bothered noting that they were essentially doing the same thing for Ash.

That is, until Twilight's stomach began to roar. Rainbow Dash interrupted her pacing to laugh only for her mirth to be interrupted by the rumble of her own empty belly.

Twilight sighed as she took a look at the clock. "It's already noon. Lunchtime."

Spike leaped up. "Lunch?"

Rarity put her magazine done. "They must be done soon. Let's wait a little long."

Try as he might, poor Spike could not hide the sad and sorry look on his face as he fell back. "No lunch..."

"No." Rainbow Dash faced the door leading to the main resort. "No more waiting. I'm bustin' him outa there!"

"Wait, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight prepared to pull her reckless friend back but the rainbow-maned Pegasus was already heading the other direction, away from the door. In mid-flight, it appeared she had lost her nerve.

"I can't be seen in there," bemoaned Rainbow Dash. "Not in there. What would ponies say? No." The Pegasus quickly steeled herself. "I can do this. I can do this. In and out, ten easy seconds, nopony'll see or know." She took a few reassuring deep breaths. "I can do this."

"Do what?"

Rainbow Dash look up from her personal pep talk. Ash stood in front of her, already out.

The grey stallion seemed to shine. His grey coat was now well groomed, now a more silver color. His mane no longer fell over his eyes and was styled much like that of a royal guard.

Rarity nodded her head in approval. "See darling? Look what wonders a simple spa treatment can have."

"Simple?" Ash snorted, shaking his head, disrupting the mane's organiztion.

"Y, y, you're," Rainbow Dash managed to say through an irregular stutter. "They ruined you!"

"Huh?"

"Look at you! You're freaking sparkling! That silly mane styling! What happened to the guy that helped me fight off that giant smooze?" The Pegasus fell to her hind legs and screamed to the celling. "What have they done?"

Twilight shook her head as the spa Aloe and Lotus clicked their tongues in annoyance. If Rainbow Dash was trying to get herself banned from the spa resort, she was doing a fabulous job. Both turned their attentions to Rarity who had offered to pay for Ash's treatment, though after seeing the price, Aloe and Lotus doubted even the Element of Generosity would be willing to take the bill. As much a valued customer Rarity was, the spa couldn't afford to give her a giant discount. The über-urlaub was expensive; volcanic ash from live, active volcanos sure isn't cheap.

"How do you feel?" the purple Unicorn asked.

"I feel..." Ash hesitated glanced quickly over to the two attendants. Both were busy being paid handsomely for their services. He was going to have to pay the white mare back eventually, one way or another. "I feel violated." He shook violently. "I have been scrubbed in places you wouldn't want to imagine, gotten more familiar with mud than I've ever thought possible. And then the live eels for seaweed wrap--"

"Okay, okay, I think I've got the idea. Wish I hadn't." Twilight shook her head in an attempt to rid her mind of images. "Eels huh? I think I've read enough to know where that's going."

"Enough what?"

"...Just enough." Twilight turned to her friends. "Ready to go?"

"Thought you'd never ask," and with that, Rainbow Dash zoomed out of the building, leaving a trail of rainbows.

Rarity nodded. "Though I'm going to have to stop by the shop to pick up more money for lunch."

Spike jumped up. Drool dripped from his mouth unaware.

"Lunch?"

A Simple Luncheon

"Why, hello girls," Mrs. Cake greeted good-naturedly from the counter. Behind her was her husband who was busy stacking and stashing cakes and other sweets on display. "If you're looking for Pinkie Pie, I'm afraid I haven't seen her all day." Cup Cake shook her head. "Oh, she's such a dear but sometimes she can be a little, well, unreliable at times." The baker smiled apologetically. "Or are you here for lunch?"

"Lunch please," Twilight answered as she tried to hold a drooling Spike back from the displays. "Let's see, we'll have...hmm, what should we have?" Behind her, the line groaned.

Rainbow Dash ruffled her feathers impatiently. "Eh, let's just go with the cupcakes."

"Oh, but the low-sugar ones this time," Rarity quickly added.

"Got any gems?"

"Sorry, Spike dear." Mrs. Cake smiled sadly at the little dragon. "Still trying to fix that emerald recipe. Maybe next time. Oh, well hello there." She had just noticed the grey stallion who stood awkwardly to the side. "I haven't seen you before."

"Oh, I'm, I uh..."

"He's new," Twilight quickly interjected as Ash struggled to speak. "Just got into town and we're helping him get settled."

"Really? Well, that explains where Pinkie Pie is. Probably preparing you an official welcome. Somehow that pony knows whenever a new pony arrives in Ponyville."

"A new pony, eh?" Carrot Cake took a break from his work. "Want some advice son?"

Ash nodded. Any help or information could be useful, he decided.

"If Pinkie Pie offers you her friendship, then by Celestia feathers accept it. Just ask Cranky Donkey if you see him around. What was your name again?"

"Uh..."

"What's the hold up?" a brown stallion called from the line. The other customers were getting antsy.

"Oh, I'm sorry for our rambling. Pinkie Pie must be rubbing on me. Either that or we're getting old." Mrs. Cake sighed as she handed Twilight a bag full of pastries in return for a few small gold coins.

"Next!" the motherly baker called as the group left the counter. Mr. Cake continued setting up the displays and went back into the kitchen to check on the twins and his batch of cookies. While the twins remained safe and sound in their restrictive highchairs, the cookies had mysteriously vanished. The only clues were the crumbs on Pumpkin Cake's face and the chocolate smears covering Pound Cake's hooves.

As the father began to the scold his naughty foals, Ash, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Spike, and Twilight sat at the nearest table.

"Let's see...the low-sugar for Rarity, coffee flavor for me, seven-spectrum frosting with sparkles for Rainbow, two grab-bag cupcakes for Spike, and this one's for you, Ash."

Twilight handed to him large cake with pink frosting on the top. The bottom was covered by a paper wrap. A cake in a cup: cupcake. Clever.

As everypony else dug into the delicacies, some with more manners than other, Ash simply stared at the "Pinkie Pie Welcoming Delight".

"What's wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked with a mouth filled with cake. She swallowed hard under Rarity's disapproving eye before continuing: "Don't tell me you don't know how to eat. Seriously, you just stick it in your mouth and chew."

"I figured as much." The stallion looked back at his meal. "So, we're having cakes for lunch?"

"Why, is there some sort of problem?" inquired Twilight.

"No, no. Is this common?"

Spike managed to hold back a snort. "I wish. Cupcakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mmm..."

"We can always try a different place," Rarity offered.

"No, no. This is fine." Ash took a cautious bite from the cupcake. The sweetness almost burned. He took another bite and this time got more than just frosting. It was a nice change from apples and celery stalks, Ash had to admit.

The stallion placed the cupcake back down. "I need a name."

"Huh?" Everypony looked up from their meal in confusion.

"I need a name," Ash repeated. "Something to go by."

"We know what a name is," Rainbow Dash said in irritation. "Why though?"

"In case someone asks me for it, like the yellow baker did. So I was thinking along the lines of something like 'Sunshine
Meadows'..."

"Pffffft!"

"No good?" Ash wiped bits of rainbow-colored frosting off as best as he could with his hooves. "I thought it fit."

"Oh yeah, it fits your sunny personality perfectly," Rainbow Dash responded, her voice dripping with pure sarcasm.

"Alright then, how about Shadowfax?"

"Now that's just silly."

"Why are you looking for a new name when you already have a perfectly good one already?" asked Rarity.

"Trying to fit in here. Somehow, I'm doubting that 'Ashley' would be a popular name around here." Ash's features seemed to darken. "It's also not exactly the kind of name I'd like to keep."

"Is this part of your little guilt-trip baggage sort of thing?" Rainbow Dash scoffed, winning glares from the other two mares.

Twilight considered transforming the brash Pegasus' mouth into a zipper. It wasn't the first time.

"I think 'Ash' is a fine name," Rarity declared.

Twilight thought for a few moments. "Well, it definitely matches your coat. I think it'd work fine. In all honest, I think we're making too big of a deal. It's just a name."

"Just out of curiosity, Spike, who named you?" Ash inquired.

"Uh, I think Twilight did."

"Thought so." Ash sighed. Sighing was quickly becoming a habit of his, he realized. "Names have deeper meanings. Each has a tale behind it."

"A name doesn't define a pony though," Twilight argued. "A pony defines his or her own name."

"Besides," added Rarity, "your name has its own story, one that you created yourself. Do you really want to give that up?"

Ash was tempted to say yes, that he was more than willing to throw away his name and the life connected to it but in his heart, he knew otherwise.

Another sigh. Rainbow Dash quickly jumped in: "Or do you really want to be called 'Sunshine Meadows'?"

A grin slowly spread across his face. "Eh, better than Rainb--"

*Splat*

"Gah! It burns! The frosting burns!"

"Oops, sorry."

"You got cupcake in my eye!"

"Hey, I apologized, didn't I? 'Sides, you started it."

"You. Got. Cupcake. In. My. Eye!"

"Geez, you're acting like a filly. Just go wash it out."

"You. Got--"

"Forever!"

Ash slipped and fell straight onto the table into his partially eaten cake as Pinkie Pie poked her head out of the empty pastry bag.

"Gah! My other eye!"

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity struggled to keep her voice at a tolerable indoor level. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I thought somepony was making a Pinkie promise but looks like Ash really did stick a cupcake in his eye. That's silly, cupcakes are for eating, you silly."

Ash vainly rubbed his eyes with his hooves. What he wouldn't do for fingers right now. Twilight produced a handkerchief which Ash gratefully accepted.

"Welp, gotta go! Still've got plenty to do," Pinkie said cheerfully as she ducked back into the bag. "Still've gotta make and send invitations."

Ash have the little bag a strange look. He picked it, shook it, peeked inside, stuck a hoof in. He looked back to his luncheon group with confusion painted on his face. "How did she..."

"Don't worry about it," Twilight said with a shrug. "It's Pinkie Pie. The less you try to understand, the easier life gets."

"If you say so..."

A small bell rung, indicating that the door had been opened and somepony was entering the bakery's premises.

Pinkie Pie jumped in wearing the strangest hat that was spewing out confetti from the top. Streamers hung from the sides.

The pink Earth pony began handing out colorful letters.

"Surprise welcome party today! B.Y.O.B! Bring your own buddy! In fact, bring all your buddies and friends! Here you guys!"

She gave invitations to Spike, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.

"What about me?" Ash asked.

Pinkie Pie giggled. "Oh Ash, if I gave an invitation to your own surprise welcome-to-Ponyville party, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"...Guess not."

"You're so silly sometimes," Pinkie said with a snort. "Well, gotta run. Got some last minute touches to touch." And with that, the pink party pony bounced off.

"...That was also Pinkie Pie, right? I should just ignore it, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say ignore," Twilight said as she unfolded the invitation which ejected a cloud of confetti into her face. "Last time we chose to ignore Pinkie Pies's antics the entire town was almost completely devoured."

".. What?"

"Hmm, at two huh?" Rainbow Dash gave the clock on wall a quick glance. "Wow, that's only a few minutes from now."

"Guess you could say it's a bit last minute."

"...."

"Not funny," said Spike.

"Don't lie," Ash responded. "That was hilarious."

"Where is the location?" Rarity asked, unwilling to open her own invitation and subject herself to the torrent of streamers and confetti hidden away behind its folds.

"Hmm, says here it's at the library."

"Wait, what?" Twilight grabbed the paper from Spike and gave it a hard scrutinizing stare. After she determined that no mistake had been made on the baby dragon's part, the purple Unicorn groaned. /Why at the library?/ she wondered. /Last time we hosted a party there I spent the rest of the week cleaning frosting from all the cookbooks./

"Alright! I love it when Pinkie Pie has her parties at our place." Spike grinned wildly. "We get to keep all the leftovers, right Twilight?"

"Just don't try to ration everypony's portions like before. I saw you give Scootaloo and dirty look after she got seconds."

"Didn't you see how big that piece of pie was though? I was just looking out for her."

"...Right."

"Not to interrupt," Ash jumped in, "but is it just me or is this place really empty all of a sudden?"

Everypony else looked around. Sure enough, the entire bakery was seemingly deserted. Half-eaten desserts were abandoned on the tables. Not even the Cakes could be seen.

"Huh, wonder where they all went." Twilight looked back to the clock. "We should probably get going too. It's almost two. Maybe I can convince Pinkie Pie to have the surprise party somewhere else."

The five left the bakery and headed back to the library. Ash threw the rest of his cupcake away. It was a regretful waste but he wasn't sure he wanted to eat something after it had been in his eye.

The entire town seemed eerily empty as well. Ash couldn't help but feel as if someone or something was following them, watching closely. Whether it was a case of clairvoyance or simply paranoia, the Unicorn could not tell. Regardless, Ash missed the solid presence of a wooden staff clutched in his fist.

Old memories surfaced, of abandoned villages, ghost towns, ambush points. Ash tried to push such thoughts out but as they got closer to the library, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was walking into a trap. It was a silly notion, he told himself but past experience argued otherwise.

The grey stallion flinched as Twilight slowly opened the library door, half-expecting something grotesque or sharp to pop out. When nothing happened, Ash released his breath. Rainbow Dash gave him a look of disapproval but bit back a comment on Ash's sissy behavior.

"Huh, that's strange." Twilight also expected something to jump out but instead of reanimated corpses or poisoned barbed spears, she thought of a certain pink pony yelling "Surprise!" followed by a wave of colored shrapnel from Pinkie's trademark confetti cannons. Instead, the library was completely empty; no ponies, no decorations, not even a simple "Welcome-to-Ponyville" sign. "Maybe Pinkie Pie wrote the wrong location."

"That doesn't explain where everyone else is," Ash said. "The locations on the invitation are all the same. You'd think we'd find a bunch of confused ponies around here at least."

"Pinkie Pie's always so thorough and careful with her invitations," Rarity noted. "It doesn't seem like her to mislabel the library."

"And look, there's even a hoofnote." Rainbow Dash lifted her invitation up. "'Note: not a mislabel, definitely at the library.'"

"Well, where do you think she is?" Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It's already two and when it comes to parties, Pinkie's always punctual."

"That's 'cause the party doesn't start till Pinkie gets there," said Spike.

"Do you think she's still handing out invites?" Ash asked.

"Doubt it," answered Rainbow Dash. "She must've finished by now. Maybe she's just finishing up decorations."

"But the library doesn't look the least bit different," Rarity protested. "Perhaps she's working on the desserts."

"Maybe..."

"Or maybe she's right behind you."

Ash froze as the familiar cheerful voice interrupted him. Slowly, he turned around.

"SURPRISE!"

*WHAM*

"Pinkie!" Twilight gasped. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Pinkie Pie replied while laughing. "I'm surprising of course. See, I knew you guys were going to go the library cuz that's where the party was but because Ash was with you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise. So I told everypony to hide outside and wait for you to go into the library and then yell 'Surprise' and surprise Ash and boy does he look surprised. Come on, everypony, lets get all the food and streamers and balloons inside."

"Pinkie, please leave your party cannon outside."

"Ooh, good thinking Twilight. If I fired it at close range, somepony might get hurt. I'll just fired it out here."

"Wait--"

With a loud bang, the entire library was covered in party decorations. A large sign that read "Welcome to Ponyville Ash the Hu--Unicorn that most certainly is a pony and not a hairless ape monster in disguise" hung itself on the wall.

"Whoa."

"Don't get to excited, Spike. You're cleaning up afterwards."

Pinkie Pie pulled out a large turntable out of her far-too-small saddlebag and placed it on a table as ponies began piling in.

"Come on Ash, I've gotta introduce you to everypony. There's Cheerilee and Twist and Pipsqueak and Ace and Berry Bunch right there at the punch table and Bon Bon and--Ash?"

"Up here."

Ash hung from the ceiling, his horn stabbed into the tree's trunk. Pinkie Pie's sudden surprise caused the tense Unicorn to jump a ridiculous height.

Speaking of ridiculous... Ash waved his legs uselessly as a slow and steady blush of embarrassment reached his face only to retreat back to his hind legs as they began to lose blood. The grey Unicorn was beginning to feel a little light-headed.

"Oh, no. Pinkie, I think we startled him."

"Hmm, I think you're right Fluttershy. I don't think I've ever seen anypony jump so high. Welp, I guess I won't need to hang the pinata up now. Who wants to go first?"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS PINATA MONSTER SLAYERS!!! YAY!!"

"Applebloom, you drop that stick. Don't you go--ow! Hey, Ah'm gonna tell Big Mac! Gimme that stick!"

"Sweetie Belle! Stop climbing the bookshelves!"

"But sis, I can't reach the pinata."

*Whack*

"Ow!"

"Rainbow Dash, why are you hitting him?"

"I have no idea."

A/N: Cutie Mark Crusaders Pinata Monster Slayers are owned by Pen Stroke, author of Past Sins. If you got the reference yeah for you!

über-urlaub --> uber means super or hyper; urlaub means relaxation or vacation, go figure.

An entire chapter without a page break? Madness!

Three Days Grace

Ash was a child again. He was wearing a new tunic, pressed and made of real wool. It wasn't too expensive but the nation was going through a long and hard depression that affected even the Church. No one realized how much Sethiop's economy relied on the trade with the outer islands until their governments began their embargoes.

But Sister Madilene paid for the new clothes without hesitation. When Mother Grena refused to let her borrow funds from the Church's treasury, Madilene began to sell crafts and produce from her private garden. She even risked accusations of favoritism. But it wasn't everyday one of your ward was accepted into the Academy; had it been Reuben, Lynah, or anyone else, Madilene would have done the same thing.

The kind sister tried to hold back tears as she gave some heartfelt advice integrated in religious teachings. Ash nodded his head obediently, his youthful impatience blocking much of Madilene's words.

Lynah was sobbing. The little girl didn't want to see him go, though he promised to visit often. She didn't understand why Ash had to leave.

Reuben and Franklyn did however. The need to leave the Church and live as their own person burned like fiery torches. To become a merchant's assistant or a blacksmith's apprentice, anyway to leave behind the title of orphan.

The clock tower rung. It was time to leave. Ash headed down the hill, almost running. Soon he would be known as Ash the Student. Thoughts of the future gave him an extra spring in his step.

He turned back to wave goodbye.

The hill was in flames. The building, his old home, burned before his eyes. And all he could was wave, wave as his first true family burned. Their flesh waxed away, leaving skeletal figures that waved back, saying goodbye. The tallest figure, Madilene reached out with a bony hand; was she calling to him, beckoning him back?

He wanted to turn away, to run. He took a step toward the inferno. Another step. Another.

The flames died away, leaving the boy nothing but ashes.

Ash opened his eyes. His hand wiped away the sweat from his brow.

Hand? Ash made a fist and opened it, stretching out the fingers. Yes, it was most definitely a hand.

"Yep, and exactly at five-twenty five in the morning." Ash heard the sound of a quill pen scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. "Subject became Human at five-twenty five after awaking from a cold sweat."

The Human rubbed his eyes. "Twilight, what are you doing?"

"Monitoring of course." Twilight took out an unfinished graph and plotted a point. "See, the last two days when you transformed, I didn't get the exact time so I had to estimate. So last night I decided, well..."

"You didn't. You did." Ash shook his head. "You mean you stayed up all night just so you could get the exact time?"

"Uh huh. And to see what patterns occur before the actual transformation. And what the actual transformation looked like."

"You mean you've been sitting there all night watching me sleep?" Ash sat up as the purple Unicorn began to blush. "I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"It's not like that! It was for science!" asserted a flustered Twilight. "I watched Spike for weeks while he was sleeping so I could document the growth of a baby dragon." She failed to mention how most of her notes were amateur sketches in an attempt to replicate Spike's adorable sleeping face on paper but Ash didn't need to know that.

The Human leaned against a bookshelf. The guest bed had been repaired but it hadn't come cheap and nopony or Human wanted to risk another incident like the first morning. Instead, he slept on the cold floor of the library, where he had plenty of room and an abundance in discomfort.

"What have we discovered?" he asked.

Twilight went over her notes. "During the past three days, including this one, I've observed that you've become a Human sometime between five and five-thirty in the morning. Today, we've established that the exact time is five-twenty five. At eight in the morning you become a pony again. Transformations are quick and simple, with a quick flash. Yesterday I blinked and missed it so the process must be really fast. This morning, I discovered that before becoming a Human, you begin to toss and turn in you sleep as well as mumble to yourself. On an unrelated note, you've stopped snoring after becoming a pony but you begin to snore again after becoming Human. Might be another aftereffect."

Ash blinked as he tried to gather and piece together all the information the bookish Unicorn threw at him. He considered waking Spike for a more comprehensible explanation. "So basically, when I wake up, I'm a Human and after a few hours I'm a pony?"

"That's really simplified but yes, that pretty much sums it up." Twilight stack her notes into a neat pile. "Want to go out later? I don't think you've left the library since the day of Pinkie's party."

Ash shook his head. "We need to make sure we've got all the information we need on the spell. Until then, it's not safe for me to be out in the open."

"This is coming from the guy that managed to reduce my detailed discovers into a single sentence."

"Hey, you like to deal with the details, I prefer the gist of things." Despite his exhaustion, Ash managed a grin. "We make a great team."

"The gist doesn't provide much info." Twilight argued.

"But it provides the necessary info."

Twilight sighed. "If you're just looking for the gist of things, then I think you have enough information. Even if you wanted more details, I think after we've gotten enough after three days."

"Twilight, are you feeling aright?"

"What do you mean?"

Ash shrugged. "I dunno. It just doesn't seem right for you to be telling someone else to take a break from studying."

The purple Unicorn groaned. "Spike's rubbing off on you. Look, I just think you shouldn't just spend all day in the library. Don't give me that look!"

Ash lowered his eyebrow and apologized. "Can't blame me though," he added quietly. In a louder voice, he said, "Three days isn't enough. Without an understanding of the spell's effects, we end up facing risks--"

"Look, I know there are risks but I think after three days we can safely say you probably won't transform back into a Human in public."

"Probably?"

"Will you at least think about it? Just an hour?"

"Well..."

Twilight leaped into Ash's lap. Brown eyes met pleading purple ones.

"Please?"

The Human sighed. "I'll sleep on it, alright?"

"Good enough, I guess." The little Unicorn jumped off Ash as he turned over on the floor. He closed his eyes and tried to relax and find sleep's embrace.

Twenty minutes passed and Ash was no closer to sleeping. He had slept on more uncomfortable surfaces so the hard library floor wasn't the issue. Was it the dream? It was so vivid, much more that the last ones.

Or was it that nagging, unshakable feeling that someone or something was spying on him?

"Twilight, are you still watching me?"

"Shh, it's research."

*****

After two days, Spike had already gotten used to finding a Human lounging around the library or attempting to help Twilight with breakfast. The dragon was also accustomed to seeing Ash transform into a grey Unicorn and drop whatever he had been carrying. Twilight made sure to document the exact time of Human-to-Pony transfiguration after Ash nearly set the kitchen on fire on the first day after losing control of the stove. Spike questioned the rationality of having such a hazard in a wooden tree filled with flammable items. One could argue that having a stove in the library was like, well, like having a ...dragon...in a library. Spike decided to stop questioning the library's design.

Ash the Human sat cross-legged while going over a picture book. Occasionally, he would rub his eyes groggily. It was evident that the Mage had gotten little sleep, just like the other mornings before. He had a severe case of bed-mane despite not having slept in a bed and his eyes were red. Slowly, Ash would flip a page, glancing over the images with a tired look.

"Good morning," Spike greeted. Ash answered with a nod and a grunt.

The baby dragon checked the time. Nearly eight. Normally, Spike preferred to sleep in but this morning, Rarity need some extra emeralds for her newest project and Spike was the dragon she could count on. An hour less of slumber was definitely worth an entire day with the regal and beautiful Unicorn and a few promised gems for himself.

A sudden flash of light was followed by thump and a yell of surprise. Most ponies didn't exactly sit the way the Human had been sitting and the certain mint-green Unicorn who did certainly did not sit with her legs crossed. The result was a grey stallion who lost balance and fell right onto his back. His horn buried itself into the wooden floor.

Spike bit back a giggle. He may have gotten use to the sudden flashes and seeing a Unicorn where a Human had been but the positions and problems Ash ended up in or causing after the transformation never went old, at least in the dragon's eyes.

The former Human glared at Twilight's scaly assistant as he tried in vain to contain his amusement. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Just help me up after you've got it out of your system."

"Heh, sorry pal, but I've gotta get going. Me and Rarity've got something planned and I'd hate to keep her waiting."

"Come on, at least get Twilight."

"Sorry, you're on your own."

Ash tried to get up but only managed to drive his horn deeper. "Whatever. Have fun on your date."

"A date? Who say it's a date? It's not a date!" Nervousness struck Spike like an arrow thrown from an Elvish bow. "Is it?"

"Sounds like one to me. Good luck."

"Oh no, I can't go on a date looking like this! But I can't keep Rarity waiting! What am I going to do?"

"Spike," Twilight called. "I thought you were going to go gem-hunting with Rarity? You'd better hurry."

With a scream, the little dragon ran through the door, knocking it off its frame. Pedestrians and neighbors would attest to seeing a bright purple and green screaming blur zoom toward Carousel Boutique.

Twilight stuck her head out of the kitchen to discover the cause of the ruckus (a muffled noise came from within the chimney) and found the entrance of her library missing and her guest upside down with his horn drilled into the floor. After mentally adding "get a new door" and "free Ash from another humiliating situation" to her list of things to do, Twilight freed Ash from the hole in the floor and helped him back up.

"Thanks."

"No problem," responded the purple Unicorn. "Have you seen Spike?"

The grey stallion jerked his head toward the broken door frame. "No idea why he was like that," he added innocently.

"Darn, I was going to ask Spike if he could pick up a few items at the market. We need some more groceries."

"Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" Twilight asked, puzzled.

"Having a guest means having one extra mouth to feed." Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that."

"There's no reason to apologize," assured Twilight. "Spike eats more than you. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go out later today..."

An idea began to form in the purple pony's head. Now for some ponies and even for Humans and Dwarves, ideas just pop suddenly into their heads as if someone switched on a lightbulb within their brains and illuminated the solution. Twilight, however, discovered her ideas through a slower and more gradual process of analyzing the situation, similar to a waterfall passing through a water mill to grind grains into flower. The occasions in which the normally well-planned Unicorn found ideas through a burst of inspiration tended to end disastrously.

"Hey, Ash."

"Mm?"

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

A favor... During his quest, Ash had developed a distrust and fear of favors. But, he ultimately owed Twilight for boarding and food, as well as for the transformation spell plus all the damages he had done to the library.

"What kind of favor?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh nothing much..."

Oh nothing much, just dealing with a small army of man-eating goblins that have kidnapped all the village's women and refuse to negotiate...oh nothing much, just fight off an undead dragon brought back from a necromancer that worships the Dark One...oh nothing much, just collect six mythological items that are said to hold unlimited power and defeat a powerful Demon that could probably level an entire city by sneezing.

"...just need you to pick up a few things in the market."

"You want me to go grocery shopping?" Despite how weary he seemed to feel about side-quests and the large number of mental complaints, Ash couldn't help but feel just a little disappointed by the simplicity of Twilight's request. Ashley, mighty apprentice of the Archmage reduced to a grocer of a magical miniature horse.

"I don't know. Going out has its risks..."

"I thought we already discussed this." Twilight began to pout, a technique Rarity had taught her. "You said you'd go out later today."

"I said I'd sleep on the idea." Ash tried to avoid those purple eyes but it was much harder to do when he was now only a head taller. "Ugh, fine."

"Yay!" Twilight threw a saddlebag over Ash's back, loosening the straps so that the grey stallion could breath. Ash tried to ignore the bright purple color and attempted to convince himself that it matched perfectly with his coat. While this was true, it did nothing to cheer him up.

"Here's a list of things we need." Twilight placed the roll of parchment into the bag. "And here's money." A sack of chinking gold coins went in on the other side. "The market is near the center of town. You can't miss it."

Ash exited the the library. "Do you want me to find a door too?"

"It's already on the list. Now hurry, before all the mahogany ones are taken!"

The purple Unicorn waved as Ash head to the marketplace.

Pinkie Pie popped out of the chimney. "Is he gone?"

"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?"

"Hide n' seek! Duh. It's still Ash's turn. He may have found everypony else but not me." Pinkie shook some soot out of her mane. "Next to pin the tail on the pony, I think hide and seek is the best party game."

"The party ended three days ago. Have you been up there all this time?"

"Yup. Don't worry, I keep a stash of snacks in here just in case."

"You keep a stash of snacks in everypony's chimney just in case you end up one playing hide and seek?"

Pinkie laughed. "No, silly. Just yours."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak before remembering who she was dealing with. With a sigh that could have possibly been a cry of pain from the Unicorn's logical side of her brain, Twilight pulled out a set of binoculars and a tacky green-brown hat.

"Come on Pinkie, we've got a report to prepare for."

This Little Pony Went to the Market

Ash examined the collection of colorful stands run by colorful merchants. Ponies ran to and fro, bargaining and haggling and advertising. As voices began to rise over the price of tomatoes, Ash felt strangely nostalgic.

"Ah, the market. My old enemy."

*****

"You there! Yes, the Mage in blue robes. I have what you want for low, low price. Potions, staffs, robes, you name it, I've got it!"

Ash reached into his pocket for his wallet. All he found was a hole.

"Damn it."

"What's up?"

Sethiop and Dorian stood behind him, both holding large pieces of candy thanks to the Dwarf's natural bargaining abilities. A new hunting cap adorned Sethiop's head as well. Being prince had many benefits that being the Archmage's student did not, one of which included a near limitless allowance.

"Lost my wallet. Must've been that girl I bumped into earlier."

"Again?" Dorian shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Boy, must we go through this every time we visit the market? Ach, you attract thieves like flies to honey."

Sethiop chuckled as he pulled out a few coins for his friend to borrow. "You need deeper pockets for that dress of yours."

"It's not a dress!"

*****

"Here Spike. I think there are a few more here."

Spike ran to the location Rarity was indicating and began to dig. Unlike other times, however, the young dragon chose to dig with a small spade rather than his normal choice of claws and his tail.

The shovel was made for ponies and was held awkwardly in Spike's claws. The retrieval of the gemstones took much longer and Rarity could help but feel slightly disappointed by the stack of jewels in the wagon. Normally they would have found almost double their current amount.

Always a lady, Rarity refused to whine. Complaining she could have done but didn't. The Unicorn had seen how hard Spike had been working and it didn't seem fair to belittle him for his lack of speed. Perhaps he was simply tired. Rarity resolved to have a little chat with Twilight later about how hard she had been pushing her number one assistant.

Spike carefully picked up the gems that had been uncovered. "Sorry Rarity, no emeralds this time."

The seamstress sighed. "It's fine. Just put them with the rest."

As the dragon waddled over to the wagon, Rarity began to notice how much Spike's scales seemed to gleam in the sun, like jewels. Why hadn't she noticed it before? Did those scales always shine like that before?

Spike meanwhile pulled out a handkerchief and wiped a bit of dust off him. As careful as he tried to be, the baby dragon just couldn't protect every part of him from dirt. He only hoped that Rarity wouldn't be too disgusted by how dirty he'd end up.

Sweat dripped from Spike's brow as he fought with the shovel. If he had known that the sweat was washing away much of the dust and polished his scales so that they appeared like gems in the sun, Spike would not have accused his body of trying to ruin his date by secreting the disgusting fluid.

If only I had time to ask Twilight for a full beard before I left. Even just a mustache would've been nice Spike thought as he heaved the spade over his shoulder.

*****

"Let's see..." Ash levitated the bag of gold coins and sighed in relief. "Good, an entire ten minutes without encountering a single pickpocket. Now, what's first?"

As the grey Unicorn put the bag back into the saddlebag and took out the rolled up parchment, he was struck by a sudden feeling of dread. He still couldn't read Equestrian. Twilight didn't know that and if she made the list...

Ash released his breath as he saw that each item was expressed through a little image. While that solved the issue of being illiterate, Ash wasn't sure if the first things Twilight wanted were tomatoes or apples.

"You there! Yeah you! You look like you could use sum apples!"

Guess that settles it, apples it is. Ash turned to the direction of the salespony and found himself face to face with a small cream-coated pony with a red bow in her red mane. Have I seen her before?

"Well, howdy Ash."

The stallion looked up. Applejack stood at the stand, surrounded by bushels of apples. "Hi. So this is your stand eh?"

"Yes siree!" the younger pony piped in. "Finest apples you'll evar find in all of Equestria, grown right at Sweet Apple Acres. Best apples you'll evar eat, play with, or make fine art with!"

"Play with? Fine art?"

Applejack chuckled nervously. "Yah'll have tah pardon mah sister. She so creative."

"'Sall right." Ash picked up a granny smith, admiring how perfectly shaped it was. No lumps and a perfect shade of green. "How much--"

"YOU TOUCH IT, YOU BUY IT! We no longer accept credit."

Ash cautiously placed the apple back. "Is that really store policy?"

Applejack shook her head and gave her little sister a glare. "Sorry bout that. Thought Ah'd give her another chance at apple-selling. Don't know what Ah was thinkin'."

"That's fine, really. In all honesty, this has been probably the best market experience I've ever had."

"No kidding'?" The orange farmpony chuckled. "What are yah doin' out here anyways? Thought yah'd been doin' research wit Twi or at least recoverin' from the beatin' yah got from RD durin' tha party. Yah'd make a great piñata if yah were actually filled wit candy."

"Hah hah. Actually I'm just getting some groceries for Twilight." Ash pulled out the checklist. "First thing's apples."

"Those look more like tomahtoes. That stand's way yonder. But feel free tah buy some apples."

"For a merchant you're awfully honest." The grey Unicorn levitated a few coins out of his bag. "This enough?"

"Sure is. Here yah go. Be sure tah come again soon!" Applejack waved goodbye and mentally patted herself on the back for serving and winning another customer.

"Yah see, Applebloom? That's how yah sell apples. Yah've gotta have tha right attitude and strike--Applebloom?"

The filly had become strangely and uncharacteristically quiet. "That stallion, he didn't have a Cutie Mark."

"Tat so? Huh, didn't notice. Hey, where do yah think yer goin'?"

"Sorry sis, I've gotta get the rest of the Crusaders together."

"Ah thought yah were goin' tah help me tahday!" Applejack called over to the quickly shrinking Applebloom as she ran toward the horizon.

"No time! We've gotta find our special talents 'fore we're as old as that guy!"

*****

"Stop moving around," hissed Twilight.

"You'll blow our cover."

"But Twilight," Pinkie Pie protested. "Three bits for tomatoes is outrageous!"

As Ash pulled out the coins he thought he saw the nearby bushes move.

"Ya gonna pay or what?" the salesmare said impatiently. "I haven't all day ya know."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Ash quickly handed over the money and received a few tomatoes in exchange. Carefully, he slipped them into the saddlebag and left the tomato booth. The stallion glanced over at the bush again. No movement. No reason to investigate. Maybe I should set it on fire just in case...

"Hey, buddy." The pony behind him tapped his shoulder. "Quit holdin' up the line."

"Sorry." Stop acting so paranoid Ash told himself. This place is peaceful, nothing to worry about.

Twilight jotted down a few notes as she held back her friend.

"Unhand me, Twilight. I gonna give that mare a piece of my mind. Three bits for tomatoes? Bah!"

Twilight released a frustrated sigh. "We don't have time for that now. I've got to report to Princess Celestia on how Ash is integrating into Equestrian society." The Unicorn returned to her notes. "'Subject is extremely gullible and easily persuaded by marketers. Acts otherwise suspicious of his surroundings and checks his money and behind him frequently'."

"But Twilight--"

"No buts Pinkie. If we interfere, we won't know how Ash is currently adapting."

"But--"

"I know it's painful to watch but this is a learning experience for him as much as it is for us."

"You do realize he's using your money, right?"

"...Let's go talk to that mare."

As the duo stepped out of their hiding place to confront the stand owner, Ash took out the grocery list to check the next item. "Asparagus, huh."

Ash scanned the marketplace for the asparagus stand. What luck, there isn't even a line.

The stallion galloped awkwardly toward the stall selling the unusual shaped vegetable. Running on four legs would take some time getting used to, Ash concluded as he tripped and rolled the last few feet, stopping with a soft thud as he crashed into the asparagus stall. Ponies screamed as they ducked and dodged flying stalks of asparagus.

Dazed, he looked up to find the owner giving him a funny look from between his back legs which were propped up by the stand's remains.

Slowly, Ash removed his legs from the support of the stand, picked himself up, and took the pack of asparagus out of his mouth. "How much?" Ash asked, holding up the bundle, hoping to save a little face.

"Um, excuse me but..."

"That'll be two bits," the store owner said with a cold stare. A stalk of her own product laid on top of her hat.

"...um, see, I was..."

Ash fished out a couple of gold coins, relieved that the incident was coming to a close without high consequence.

"And seventy bits for the store damages." As if in emphasis, the stall's final foundations collapsed. "And another fifty for all the damages to the merchandise." The stalk of celery fell off the mare's head.

Ash emptied the entire bag of money in front of the stall keeper. "That enough?" Oh God, she actually counting.

"...actually, I don't really mind but you could have asked..."

"You're two bits short."

The grey Unicorn bit back a curse. With an aggravated sigh, Ash returned the stalks of asparagus he had consider of buying and left, filled with embarrassment and, for some reason, an unshakable sense of guilt. What was he feeling guilty about? Probably for wasting Twilight's money like that, yes, that was it.

Fluttershy sighed as Ash left the stall. As much as she hated when ponies ignored her and simply cut in front of her, the kind Pegasus had to feel sorry for the grey stallion after seeing him in such a humiliating position. The least she could do was forgive him, right?

"One stalk of asparagus please."

"Sorry, we're closed."

Forgiveness just became a little harder.

*****

"Well, that could have gone better." Twilight's ear flattened against her head in shame.

"Twilight, you're scary when you get angry." Despite her words, Pinkie Pie didn't seem the least bit frightened. Her grin was wide as ever and her voice was as bubbly and bouncy as she was. "Were you actually going to turn her into a tomato?"

"Of course not. There are laws against that. I shouldn't have threatened her either. How would Princess Celestia look if her student was turning ponies into vegetables?"

"I thought tomatoes were fruits."

"In terms of botany, they are. But after the court case Nyx v. Herdden, tomatoes are classified as vegetables for culinary purposes and when dealing with import taxes. But that's besides the point. I can't go around casting spells on ponies I don't like." Twilight glanced around to make sure there weren't any guards patrolling (seeing that they were in Ponyville, there weren't) before adding under her breathe, "At least, not in public."

"Would you like to be cheered up? I know the perfect song!"

"No thanks. Hey, what's going on over there?"

A crowd had formed around the asparagus stand, or at least, what was left of it.

"Listen lady, does it look like I can do business? Go bother some pony else."

Twilight and Pinkie managed to wiggle through the crowd. In the center stood Fluttershy and the store owner.

"...No."

"Excuse me?"

"No. This is the only asparagus stand opened today and I refuse to leave until I have been served." Fluttershy gestured with a wing behind her. "Look at all the ponies who are still waiting for their asparagus. You've still got plenty of produce to sell and I'm not leaving till I have bought my share."

"Yeah Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie whistled loudly. "You show her who's the assertive one! Yeah!"

At the sound of Pinkie Pie's voice, Fluttershy began to blush and shrink. "I, I mean, if that's okay. I can always come back tomorrow..." Fighting for herself was hard enough; having an audience doubled the difficulty.

"Ugh." Pinkie smacked herself in the forehead and fell backwards. "So close."

The salesmare humphed. "Does it look like I'll be back in business anytime soon?"

"The day after then?"

"..."

"Next week?"

"Well, this all very interesting," Twilight jumped in, hoping to diffuse the current tension. "But I'm sure we've all got plenty to do today so..." The Unicorn prodded her shy friend away from the fuming salespony. "...let's all go back to our own businesses shall we?" Twilight added a little nervous laugh as she and Fluttershy left the vicinity of the former asparagus stand.

When they were safely away, Fluttershy let out a breathe of relief. "Oh thank you Twilight. I'm not sure what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

"I thought you had it under control," the Unicorn said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie agreed. "You were like grr! and everypony was like ahh! You sure showed 'em who's boss." Pinkie Pie took a swing at the empty air causing Fluttershy to squeak and duck down. "Oops, sorry."

"Oh, I hope I wasn't too harsh." The Pegasus turned to the stall. "Maybe I should apologize...I'd better apologize..."

Twilight fought to urge to bury in head in the dirt in frustration. Luckily, she kept herself busy by keeping Pinkie Pie from doing exactly that. One step forward, two steps back the Unicorn thought as she lifted the pink Earth pony a few inches off the ground.

"Say, Fluttershy, what happened there?"

"Oh, you didn't see?"

Twilight shook her head. "It looks like a stampede went through. Or was it Rainbow Dash again?"

"No, it was--"

"No, it wasn't Rainbow Dash," Pinkie answered, suspended in the air. "If it was Rainbow Dash, my knee would be all pinchy. Or my tail would be twitching, usually both."

"Did Applejack try to corral bunnies again?"

"No, it was--"

"If it were bunnies, my dear Twilight, all the asparagus would have been eaten."

"Um--"

"Besides," Pinkie Pie added, "Applejack's busy with her own stand today."

"Why do you even have that pipe with you?"

"Oh, Twilight, I have--"

"It was Ash!"

Twilight and Pinkie turned to the meek yellow Pegasus, both wearing faces painted surprised by the sudden interruption. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Twilight asked.

"It was Ash," Fluttershy repeated with much less force. "He was trying to run and tripped and crashed into the stand. Oh, I was so worried and even a little scared. A lot of ponies were hit by stalks of asparagus. I hope no pony lost an eye. Oh, and Ash looked a little shook up too. I hope he's alright."

"Ash did all that...by tripping?"

"Wow, those stalls aren't as sturdy as they look. Hey Twilight, are you gonna write an angry letter to town hall like you did when Spike--"

"Please don't remind me right now," Twilight interrupted. To Fluttershy she asked, "Did you see where Ash went afterwards?"

"I'm sorry but he left in such a hurry and looked like he wanted to be alone so I didn't follow." Fluttershy shook her head sadly. Part of her mane fell over an eye. "I should have said something to him. Poor Ash, he looked so embarrassed after he gave all his money to pay for the damages. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Twilight reassured her friend. "You don't need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing." The Unicorn turned to Pinkie Pie. "You were right; we should have been there helping Ash instead of throwing him out there and and just watching. Sorry."

"Well, don't be apologizing to me cuz I don't remember saying any of that." Pinkie wrapped a leg over Twilight's shoulders. "But thanks anyway," she added.

Twilight sighed. "Alright, right now our first priority is to find Ash and start comforting him. If this is anything like the incident with Spike, he'll be sulking on the park benches. Hopefully, we'll find him before he gets too depressed. Pinkie Pie..."

"On it! I need streamers, balloons, and some sheet music. Oh, and can somepony give me a tuning note? I think I'm a bit flat."

"Actually, Pinkie, I was thinking of doing this in a more intimate, quiet manner." The pink party pony gave Twilight a blank look. "Without streamers or songs," the Unicorn added.

"But...aww. Can I at least hum? Maybe bring one tiny, teeny balloon?"

"As long as you do it quietly and the balloon doesn't explode into streamers," Twilight consented.

"What should I do?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I'd hate to take time out of your schedule. I know you still have plenty to do today," Twilight began. "But if it's alright with you, could you look around and see if Ash is still in the market."

Fluttershy nodded her head and took to the sky. Pinkie Pie and Twilight watched her fly off for a few moments. Final, the Unicorn torn her eyes from the sky and turned them toward the matter at hand.

*****

Spike pulled the heavy cart of gemstones behind him. In addition to the desired emeralds, they had also found a collection of others. Tons of tantalizing topazes, dozens of dazzling diamonds, sparkling scores of sapphires, glorious garnets galore. Spike struggled to keep his sweat from mixing with his salvia as the jewels seemed to call to him.

"Come on, Spike! It's getting late," called the real jewel of his day.

Spike hurried over to Rarity's side, trying to make up for lost time. It was getting late. The two had spent much more time looking for gems today only to find the same amount they would have on a shorter day.

Spike blamed himself for taking so much time. A hole that normally took seconds to dig took minutes as he struggled to keep the dirt of his scales. Not that it really matter, the baby dragon thought. After today, Rarity'll think I'm too slow or this job's too big for me he told himself sadly. She'll never ask for my help again.

Spike tried to catch a quick glance at the white Unicorn, only to duck down in embarrassment as Rarity turned to face him. Besides a few polite inquiries of the other's lives and homes and the dull topic of the weather, very little conversation had been made.

The boutique was coming into view. Spike pushed himself to say something, anything. To apologize for his sluggishness, to assure her that next time would be better, to beg for another chance. Funny thing about dragon tongues, you can twisted them in so many positions but they only get tied when you try to talk about something serious.

Spike tried to undo the knot in his tongue, both literally and metaphorically. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Well, here we are," Rarity said in front of her business and home.

"Huh?" Spike looked up, and sure enough, Carousel Boutique stood before him. "Oh, right." Rarity opened the door before he had finished considering doing that himself and holding it for her.

"Goodness, it's getting dark." Rarity looked out into the sunset. Spike followed her glance. It was beautiful and a little saddening.

"Yeah, well, I hope you finish your project soon. Sorry we, I took so long. Maybe next time, huh."

"Spike..."

"Um, well, see you around, I guess," Spike finished lamely. He rubbed the back of his neck. If this was a date like Ash had said, it had been a disaster. Maybe he really didn't have a chance. Spike turned to leave.

"I don't mind how long we took. In fact, I'm quite proud."

"Huh?" The dragon stopped and spun around. "You're proud?"

Rarity nodded. "I noticed how much care you took in keeping your appearance up, even if you spent a little long with the digging. But that just meant we got to spend a little more time together."

At the elegant Unicorn's kind words, Spike's spirits were elevated. They rose even higher at the sight of Rarity's magnificent smile.

"Would you like some snacks before you go?" The door to the boutique were held wide open. "I'm sure I can spare a few gems for my favorite little dragon."

"Would I?" Spike had to fight back the urge to dash into the building to prove himself more than just a kid. Spike opted to skip instead, dragging the wagon closely behind him.

Perhaps today wasn't a complete failure.

*****

Whelp, today was a complete failure.

Ash leaned against the hard wooden bench, facing the sunset. What should have been a natural position felt so awkward as a pony. One wondered why these seats even bothered having backrests.

The borrowed saddlebag laid next to him, soggy with tomato juice mixed with homemade apple sauce and water. Ash had spent hours running from animals before he realized the attracting aroma coming from the bag. At least the flies went away after he fell in the river.

Pride was all that kept Ash from returning to the library with the empty saddlebag and wallet. Pride was an unfortunately high hurdle however and was why the grey stallion sat on the hard bench. The sun was orange in the horizon and it's warmth was fading. He shivered, scattering water droplets from his coat and mane.

Hey, cheer up he told himself. You've had worse.This isn't the worst time you've had in a market...

He was lying and he knew it. Sure he hadn't set the entire place aflame and spent a night in jail but somehow, today felt lousier. He hadn't just embarrassed himself in front of the whole town, he let Twilight down. He had been eating her food, taking up space, taking up her time. Now he had lost all her money while trying to a simple favor, a favor he owed. And her bag was soggy and stained.

Ash sighed and closed his eyes. It was hard trying to fit in, to live as a happy little pony. Maybe he couldn't do it. Maybe he couldn't live here.

The stallion shook his head furiously, trying to rid his mind of such thoughts just as he would have to rid himself of flies. No point in self-pity. I'm here now and all I can do is continue onward.

"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere."

Ash opened his eyes. Twilight stood next to him. "Apparently, not here."

"I actually looked here first. Where were you after what happened at the asparagus stand?"

"Oh, you know." Ash waved his hoof in the air. "Wandering around. Getting chased by wild animals. Falling into rivers. You know, the sort of thing you do after completely destroying someone's business."

Underneath the stallion's light-hearted manner, Twilight could detect traces of bitterness.

Ash stared into the sunset. "I, uh, lost all your money. Sorry, but I'll earn it back, I promise."

"It's fine," Twilight tried to reassure.

"No, no it's not." Ash released a frustrated sigh. "Every since I got here, I've been living off your hospitality. You leave me with one simple task and I couldn't even do that right. I can't just be a burden to everyone else."

"You're not a burden. I--look, I shouldn't have sent you out there without helping you prepare. Friends are suppose to help each other and I should have been with you out there isn't of just watching you struggle." Twilight took a step closer. "I haven't been a very good friend at all."

Ash moved the saddlebags to make room for the purple Unicorn on the bench. In silence, they watched as the sky grew orange as the sun sunk into into the horizon, setting it ablaze.

"I'm sorry. I knew you were still having trouble adjusting but I just threw you out there."

"No, you were right." Ash stretched his forelegs into the sky. "I can't just cooped up a library all my life. If I'm ever going to get use to Equestria, I need to live it." He turned and faced Twilight.

Brown eyes met purple ones. "I'll help."

"Wouldn't expect anything less from a friend."

Ash turned back to the sunset with a genuine grin.

"Aren't you uncomfortable in that position?" Twilight asked.

"Nah, after awhile you get used to it."

"You're stuck, aren't you?"

"For hours. Help me up please."

*****

Dear Princess Celestia,

Getting use to a new life is never easy. Settling down, making new friends, adjusting takes time and effort. But adapting to a new place can be made easier with the help of a friend.

A friend can help a pony settle down in any situation. Whether it's through giving them a tour of the town, offering a quick meal, or even having an entire welcoming party in their honor, the simplest act can help a pony feel welcomed.

Today I learned that no matter how a pony appearances, no matter how tough or experienced they seem, if they're new they will struggle with the changes. The least we can do is offer our friendship and help them adjust. And sometimes, that's all they need.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

P.S. I've also have discovered that laws demanding restraint in magic use, while well-purposed in the intent of protecting other ponies, should be amended in the regard of rude, obnoxious salesponies. Please do consider.

P.P.S. Out of funds. Send some soon.

Post-mediated Trauma

Ash jolted awake with a hand clutching his chest. His breathing was labored and sweat dampened his brow. With the back of his other hand, Ash wiped his forehead.

The Human closed his eyes and counted slowly, one, two, three...

By the time he had reached one hundred fifty three, Ash's breathing had calmed and was no longer coming through pained gasps of airs. Still holding to his chest, he leaned himself on a bookshelf. The shelves were to the wall so Ash had no fear of knocking them over and creating a giant mess that would no doubt have taken hours to clean.

Ash's body was calmed down but not his mind. It's just a dream, nothing to worry about. The thought wasn't reassuring in enough so the Human had to whisper it out loud. "Just a dream, all just a dream," he muttered. He hated how shaken he sounded.

Was it a dream, though? It felt so real, like it actually happened. Like a memory. Or at least, similar to a memory.

Cautiously, Ash removed his hand from his chest, fearful of what he would find. He sighed in relief when all he saw were nail markings. No gaping hole. No bloody stab wound.

Ash shook his head. Why had he expected any different? Was it all because of a nightmare, a simple vision that was already fading away? He couldn't even recall any of the details anymore. Just some yelling and then a sharp object slicing through his chest and ripping out his heart.

Were the nightmares just another side-effect of the transformation spell? Ash made a mental note to inform Twilight later. Right now, he could hear the little Unicorn and her draconic assistant snore away. No reason to interrupt their slumber over a silly dream.

Another possibility floated into his mind, like a flatulence from the deepest parts of his conscious: guilt. Guilt was what caused the dreams, the dark visions.

Ash shoved the thoughts out of his head with the help of the memory of Princess Luna's wise words. He had no reason to be guilty. He went over this before. I saved my world from a fate worse than death. Many may have died but if I hadn't taken the Essences with me...I shouldn't need a reminder. Why do I need a reminder?

Because you're guilty said the little dark part of his brain. Ash considered bashing his head open with the bookshelf but decided he didn't want to cause another big mess for his host to clean. Something told him Twilight wouldn't be to happy to find her books covered in brain and blood.

Ash closed his eyes and opened them. It was no use; sleep wouldn't return. With a yawn and a stretch, he got up carefully to avoid the low ceiling. He found the hole his horn had gorged in during his short career as a party decoration and game. Painful as it was, Ash couldn't help but smile at the memory.

Memories are like visions; we only see what we wish to see and filter out the rest.

His master's words reminded him of a technique he had been taught as a calming exercise. Ash looked around and concluded that the library was not an ideal location. He'd have to find somewhere else.

He looked to the door. No, going outside as a Human was too dangerous, far too risky. However...

Ash opened his mind, letting his invisible conscious search the town. Nothing, he couldn't feel anyponies out and about. Ash's brow furrowed as he doubled his concentration. Still nothing. Everypony was still in there beds, sleeping. No one in town was awake at this hour, save for himself. It would safe, no one would see him. Probably.

Ash quickly found some paper and scribbled down a note for Twilight. After making sure it would be easily found, Ash slowly opened the door. He was beginning to wish he had studied up on some stealth spells.

Peeking outside, Ash saw with his physical eyes what he had seen with his mind eye: nothing. Satisfied that he was truly the only being awake in town, the Human began to sneak through town in a manner that would have driven any rouge to suicide. Arlrand would have shot him herself for such an insult to stealth.

As the Human made his way through Ponyville, he was completely unaware of the pair of light blue eyes that followed him.

*****

Perfect. Ash looked around the quiet little meadow. He had deviated from the main path of the forest but was positive he could find his way back.

Pleased with the setting, Ash sat down with his legs crossed. He folded his hands and placed them over his knees. Closing his eyes, Ash opened his mind, freely exposing himself to the lives and essences around him, just as he had been taught so long ago.

*****

"Remember this technique and remember it well."

Ash fought off a groan. The Archmage said that about everything he taught, from pyrotechnic mastery to the art of pruning. He still had much respect for his master and listened intently but secretly wished that the old man would start every lesson that way.

"This technique was developed by the Elves in order to control their abilities to connect to nature. Humans have adopted it." The Archmage sat down, crossing his legs. Ash imitated him.

"Do many mages use it?" asked the young Ash.

The Archmage scowled and shook his head. Ash squinted as the shine of the old sorcerer's balding head threatened to blind him. "Not as many as there should be. Most of the Human who do mediate are monks."

He cleared his throat. "Now, mediation is the art of separating yourself from yourself and becoming one with the world."

If Ash hadn't been told that, he probably could have guess this was an Elvish technique based off that description.

"To do that," the Archmage continued, "you must first open your mind. Empty your thoughts, everything. Let it go."

Ash shut his eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened.

"This isn't something to think about," his master said, shaking his head. "If you are concentrating, which I know you are, you're thinking. Stop thinking. Empty everything and let it all go."

As vague as the Archmage's advice was, Ash tried his best to follow it. Slowly, he began to relax, to feel almost sleepy. His muscles went loose as did his mind.

"Good. Now let it go."

Slowly, Ash felt himself being pulled. It wasn't astral projection. No, he was still in his body. At least, he could still feel it.

His head drooped heavily. That's when it hit him like a fist to the face.

Lights everywhere, bright and blinding. He wasn't seeing them; his eyes were still closed after all. It was more of a feeling, yes a feel.

They were coming from everything, from everywhere. Tiny little candles beneath him. Giant burning torches in what he suppose was the direction of the forest. Small mobile lanterns, some bigger and brighter than other, hung in the gigantic torches and yet he could distinguish them from the other. There was a particular flame next to him, which burned with such intensity Ash was frightened of being burnt.

Ash opened his eyes and fell over, his breath labored. He looked up to his master.

"What was that?"

"Not bad, not bad." The Archmage stroked his beard in approval. "You've managed to last a full six seconds and without pissing your pants. Don't tell Hari I mention the second part, I don't think he'd like to be reminded."

"What was that?" Ash repeat.

"That was life. Every light you saw there was a life, the essence that separated us from a clump of stones." The Archmage stood up, pushing Ash back down as the student tried to follow. "This technique, while extremely intense and relatively uncontrollable in this form, can be extremely useful when refined. Eventually, you'll be able to find and detect only certain essences you wish to find rather than every living thing in proximity. Damn useful when you're trying to track someone or a certain type of living beings or determining the numbers of your enemies. From there, you will also learn how to differentiate between magic and life."

The Archmage brushed the dirt off of his robes. "But for now you will practice mediation until you are no longer completely overwhelmed. For the next week, you will rise before sunrise and mediate in this clearing for three hours. Then you will join Hari and Rez in their mediation sessions. Understand?"

"Yes, master."

*****

Ash opened his eyes to the sound of an angry growl. The sun had risen, filling the clearing with light. A large winged lion stood in the center, snarling at the Human. The lion's barbed tail sliced arcs in the air menacingly, reminding him of the desert scorpions, some which were just as large as the creature before him.

Ash slowly got to his feet, careful not to trip over the trails of his robe. The beast roared again, brandishing a set of bone-crush teeth. The Human looked around him, searching for an exit. He found one. Problem was, the lion-thing was what stood between him and the exit.

Another snarl. The beast had been testing him, both curious and fearfully of what the strange thing before it would do. Now it had grown impatient and decided to satisfy its curiosity by finding out how Humans tasted.

Ash had no choice to stand and fight. He spread his legs apart and clutched his fists. Silently, he prayed that the creature was not fireproof.

"Alright, kitty. Hope ya like dark meat."

Ash swung his hoof in the direction of the wing lion-scorpion (Manticore Ash remembered. That was it.), expecting a mighty fireball to engulf the beast.

Wait, hoof?

"Aw, sh--"

Ash's curse was cut short as he lost balance and fell over on his belly. He rolled to the side to avoid the jaws of the manticore. They never came.

The beast had fallen over, onto it's back. A guttural growl came from the manticore, different from the sounds it had made before. Not of anger, more of amusement. It almost sounded as if...

It was laughing at him. If he hadn't been so busy sneaking around the beast, Ash would have been offended. Right now, however, as the grey-coated Unicorn found the main road and tore out of the forest, was not the best time to deal with insults or nurse his hurt ego.

*****

Big Macintosh, proud member of the Apple family, set his baskets beneath the apple tree, giving the tree a quick inspection. Applejack was doing the same in a different section. Applebloom had left for school. Big Macintosh could hear the school bells from here and glanced over in the direction of the school with a wistful look on his face that disappeared as soon as it appeared. The red stallion went back to his tree.

It was a good tree with plenty of ripe juicy apples. Yes, these apples were ready to be harvest.

Running a few calculations in his head, Big Mac readjusted his baskets so that they would catch a greater portion of the falling apples. Taking a few light knocks on the truck, he found the optimal location to buck, where he could buck down a majority of the fruit without taking the tree down as well. The farmpony lifted a leg to kick.

A blur of grey was his only warning before Big Macintosh had discovered that his job had been stolen by a dazed Unicorn, who crashed into the hard tree and created a shower of grey and red fruits and laid before him, clutching his head. At least Big Mac's calculations were correct as each apple fell directly into each of the large baskets.

Big Mac's straw stalk fell from his mouth. Ash's groan brought the Earth pony back down to earth and the red stallion turned his attention to the grey Unicorn.

The red stallion considered contacting the hospital. The new pony had hit the tree hard and with his head too. Big Macintosh had heard rumors that Unicorns were extremely sensitive at their heads and were more susceptible to concussions.

The Unicorn was breathing for the time being but he couldn't stay here. Big Macintosh picked him up, ignoring the fur that was getting into his mouth, and tried to throw him over onto his back. It was harder than he thought and the other stallion was heavier than he looked.

"Watcha got there?"

Big Mac turned his head, swinging the Unicorn into the tree. More apples fell. Applejack got closer.

"Is that a pony you've got 'tween yer teeth?"

"Mmph."

"What? Can't hear yah."

"Eeyup." The grey stallion fell to the ground with a thud. Another groan escaped the Unicorn, indicating that he was at least still living.

Applejack got a closer look. "Why, that's Ash, tha new guy. What's he doin' out here? What happened to him? Big Mac, you didn't buck him, did you?"

"Nnope."

The two siblings got Ash onto Big Macintosh's broad back. "Let's get him inside n' see if Granny's got anythin' for him."

A Working Title

A divine aroma fill Ash's nostrils, teasing his tongue. The waft reminded him of the castle kitchens he and a young prince had snuck in, hiding from both their teachers and the cooks. It all just a game, really; Sead, the head cook, was always willing to share a few delectable morsels, even if they threatened to kill the two boy's appetites.

Ash opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar yet warm room, very welcoming. Antique furniture decorated the space. Framed pictures covered the desk next to the chair he laid in. The sight of a young cream colored filly wearing a diaper as a hat brought a smile to Ash's lips.

A hearty chuckle drew his attention to an old green mare with a grey white mane nearly as white as his own sitting in a rocking chair. Next to her was a pie, the source of the angelic fragrance.

"See, don't need no smellin' salts when yah've got a fresh baked pie." The old pony laughed again.

"Argh, what happened?" Ash sat up and rubbed his head carefully.

"Eh?" The elderly mare leaned forward. "Speak up sonny. Mah ears arn't what they use tah."

"I said...no, forget it."

"What happened? Shoot, Ah wasn't thar tah see it. Bettah ask mah grandson and daughter, they found yah. Hay, here they are now."

Ash turned. Thought the accent sounded familiar he said to himself as Applejack walked in with an unfamiliar stallion, probably her brother despite their different colorings. Then again, their grandmother was green so God knew how or if these were inheritable traits or not.

"Yah feelin' alright there, Ash?" Applejack asked.

"Been better, I'll admit. Not exactly sure I want to know what happened but go ahead. What happened?"

"You ran intah a tree."

Ash waited for more information. When none came, he asked, "That's it?"

"Yep, short n' sweet. Ran right intah a tree. Bit surprised yah didn't leave ana marks."

"Oh, heaven forbid. Good thing the tree's fine." Ash shook his head, wincing slightly. "Sorry. Just a little sour from the...incident."

"Hoo, what's wrong wit this generation?" Applejack's grandmother scoffed. "Why, a stallion yer figure shoulda plowed thru tha tree. Ah'm tellin' yah, back in tha day we had tougha bones, thicker skulls."

"Ah dunno, Granny. Big Mac said he was runnin' awfully fast n' hit tha tree real hard. Why were yah runnin' in tha first place."

Ash shrugged. "Oh you know, running. From stuff. How long have I been out anyways?"

Just as his mouth finished talking, Ash's stomach began to speak.

"Jus' long enough fer lunch," Applejack said with a chuckle as Ash blushed, his grey cheeks glowing. "Here, tastes as good as it smells."

The farmpony took him to a dining table and slid a slice of pie over to him before cutting a piece for her grandmother, her brother, and herself.

The mere sight of the pie caused Ash to salivate and yet that's all he did. He just looked at it.

"Is something wrong?"

Ash looked up. None of the Apples had touched their food, waiting for their guest to start first, an example of country hospitality. Contrary to what the city perceived, country ponies had their manners and watched them carefully. These manners just didn't include the correct usage of specific silverware or the right bite size to take.

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong."

"Then go ahead. Take a bite. It won't bite back." Applejack was slowly growing impatient however as her own slice was getting cold.

Ash did. And it was delicious. Sweet apples mixed with tangy cinnamon wrapped in a flaky crust. The stream of flavor was followed by a flood of memories. Memories in front of a stove as snow raged outside the castle walls. Sharing pies with a friend, of all sorts of recipes. Every type of berry. Apples, grown from the royal orchards. A plump man wearing a stained apron nodded to himself as the Prince and the Mage shared his latest creation...

Sead, if only you were here now. When was the last time I tasted your cooking? A year? Two? Two thousand?

"Are yah shore yer alright?"

"Yeah." Ash wiped the tears away. "Everything's fine. Pie's great. Just trying to remember the last time I had a pie this great." He tried to force a smile.

He was lying, she knew, but Applejack did not pry. Instead she said, "Flattery won't get yah another slice, if that's what yah thinkin'."

"What if I ask nicely?" Ash joked. "And offered to do your chores."

"Shoot, that'll get yah an entire pie. Whada say, Big Mac? We could always use a little help, right?"

"Eeyup."

"Granny, you don' have any objections, do yah?"

Granny Smith snored in response.

"Guess not." Ash pushed his plate forward. "So, about that extra slice..."

"Ah thought you were gonna ask nicely."

"Pie please?"

*****

"That's it?"

"Yup. Jus' git all tha bruised ones in here bucket. All thar is to it." Applejack tossed a few rotten apples into the bucket. They hit the bottom with a sickening squish. "Normally, Applebloom does this wit me but she's got school tahday n' spends more time with those friends of hers nowadays."

Ash picked up an apple with his mouth and immediately spat it into the bin after confirming that it was indeed bad. " Applebloom?"

"Mah sister. Yah saw in the market the other day."

"Ah, the aspiring salesman, er, pony. Wait, you're having me do the work of a child?" Another messy squish.

"Well, Ah guess yah could feed tha pigs after if yer up for it."

Ash frowned. "Come on, I know I'm not a farmer but I think I'm a little stronger than a child. I can handle more than this."

Applejack thought for a moment. "Well, Big Macintosh could use some help plowin' the field but we've only got one plow right now."

"Then what do you do?"

"Pardon?"

"What do you do?" Ash repeated, pointing a hoof in the orange mare's direction.

"Ah run tha farm. Ah make shore we've got enough apples tah last us, watch the apple stand on market days, buck apples."

"What was the last one?"

"Ah said, apple buckin'." Applejack trotted over to a nearby tree, turned around, and kicked it with both legs. Before the tree even stopped ringing, apples rained down like a fruity hail storm. "Ah, shoot. Shoulda had some baskets beneath tah catch 'em. Ah well, jus' be shore yah don't mix tha goods ones with the bads."

"Hold on." Ash walked under a different apple tree. "So you just kick the tree and apples fall?"

"Buck, not kick. An' it's harder than it looks."

"Whatever. I'm harder than I look too."

"Never thought you'd admit yer thick. Ah really don't think yah can handle this sort of work. Ah mean, Ah've seen Twi out run me n' Rainbow Dash but there's a reason why she n' most Unicorns rely on magic."

Ash ignored her as he focused on the tree behind him. The stereotype that Mages were all eggheads that spent their entire lives without being able to do a single pushup was, like most stereotypes, a gross exaggeration. On many occasions, when magic failed him, Ash would have to rely on his fists. Oh, and on his friends too; his lovely little meat shields he would call Sethiop and Dorian and Arlrand. The nickname had lost what little charm it had.

Ash took a deep breath and with all his might, struck the tree with both hind legs. He felt the tree shake and the leaves fall on his face. Leaves, but no apples. No, wait. A loose one seemed to take pity and fell directly on his head

With his legs still propped on the tree's trunk, the grey Unicorn turned to Applejack, who hid her face behind her hat as she shrugged not to laugh.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked.

"Jus' a, heh, sec. Heh." A snort escaped the farmpony as she tried to control herself. "Ehem. Well, yah kicked. Yah've gotta buck."

"What's the difference?" was Ash's irritated response.

"If you would kindly step away from tha tree, Ah might show yah."

"Actually, the tree's the only thing keeping me up. I'm, well, I'm stuck. Hey, don't you turn around. I can see you laughing. You're laughing, aren't you?"

"Ah won't deny it."

*****

With the back of his hoof Ash wiped the sweat from his brow and proudly examined the baskets filled with apples before him. He tried not to look over to Applejack's side, who no doubt had more full baskets in front of her.

"Not bad, not bad at all." The veteran apple-bucker grinned. "Tho' Ah think yer better off usin' yer head. Yah got more apples down when you ran tha tree tha first time."

Ash smiled back. "Argh, I don't think I could handle the following headaches."

"Well, are yah ready for the backaches?" Applejack threw a basket onto her back. "Now we've gotta git these apples inta tha barn."

The Unicorn lost his grin. "What, all of them?"

"Yeah. Whada think we were goin' tah do after?"

"I dunno," he answered as he lifted one of the heavy containers. "Eat 'em?" As he spoke, Ash lost holding of the basket, dropping it and spilling red and green fruit everywhere.

Applejack put her own apples down and helped the grey Unicorn recollect the fallen fruit. "Use yah hooves, not yer mouth. How can Ah sell these if they all've got teeth marks on 'em?"

"You could always give them to me."

"Yeah, then me n' mah family can go live on the streets. Might sell tha farm tah make it thro' tha winter."

"...I was kidding."

"So was Ah. Yah seen how dirty Ponyville's streets are?" Applejack shook her head, her hat shifting side to side. "'Sides, Ah know mah friends wouldn't leave us starved n' homeless."

"That's nice to know." Carefully, Ash lifted an apple, his hooves shaking. "God, how do you do this?"

"Do what?"

Ash turned to Applejack and marveled at how she managed to hold an apple in each hoof. "That. How are you so dexterous?"

"Dexter-what now?"

"Dexterous. You know, skilled at using your hands, I mean hooves."

The orange mare examined her forelimbs carefully, then shrugged. "Yah might as well ask a centipede how it knows which legs goes after tha other or a Unicorn how she can use magic. Come to think of it, why arn't you? That horn ain't jus' for decoration is it?"

"Oh right." Why hadn't he tried using magic. In hindsight, he really would have been better off using his head to collect apples. Magic would have spared him much time and many embarrassing moments.

Then Unicorn remembered what had happened the last time he tested his horn. Spike would later describe his experience as a potted plant quite enlightening and tried to swear off vegetables, which was later discovered to simply be an excuse to go on an all-gem and ice cream diet. Twilight was not amused.

Still, Ash had suffered similar situations when he had just begun developing his abilities, albeit with less plant people and more violent barbecues and medical bills. Practice leads to perfection he reminded himself as he closed his eyes and began concentrate.

It was only a simple levitation and should have been just that: simple. His problem was finding the right amount of energy to use to lift the basket. Any lack of self-control and these apples would have been thrown straight to the moon.
"Heh, careful there. Yer face might stay like that."

"Is my thinking face that silly?"

"Eeyup. You should try thinkin' less. Or 'least not as hard."

The Unicorn sighed and focused on the basket. Grey aura flowed from his horn and covered the basket. The thing moved slightly. Another chuckle escaped Applejack as Ash doubled his concentration. He cried in triumph as the basket soared onto his back. His victory was short-lived as the grey stallion collapsed beneath the weight of the apples.

With a grunt, Ash got to his feet, miraculously balancing the basket of fruit on his back. "Not a word." Applejack merely shrugged in response and began to walk in the direction of the red barn. Ash followed closely behind.

"So, these lands have been your family's for a while I take."

"You can bet yer tail on that. Sweet Apple Acres' been in tha Apple's hooves for four long generations. Mah great-grammy and great-grand pappy settled here before Ponyville was even founded. Heck, Granny Smith is tha only reason Ponyville's on a map." Applejack stopped in front of a tree. "This was one of tha first apple trees they planted. An' tha last of tha first remainin'."

"Doesn't look very old. But I'm not the tree expert around here." That was Darlene's title, not his.

The farm mare shook her head sadly and let out a sigh. "It'll break 'er heart when this one's gotta come down. Always told us she met Granddad under this tree. C'mon, we've got apples to harvest."

*****

With a final grunt, Ash carefully put the last basket down. His pile was embarrassingly small compared to Big Macintosh's and Applejack's and so resigned himself to at least beating the absent Applebloom. The thought didn't exactly
help his self-esteem.

Still, today had been a good day and he was proud of the hard labor he did. Ash took a step back to admire his handiwork.

"You did good, man. You did good."

"Talkin' tah yahself?" Applejack walked over and stood next to him. "But Ah have tah admit, yah did good,"

"Thank you."

"Fer a city slicker."

"Ouch. Regardless, I'll take the complement."

"Hope that'll substitute as a payment then. Ah feel horrible not bein' able tah pay you fer yer services but money's kind of tight this season."

"No problem. Besides, I did this for pie, remember?"

"That's true, partner."

"Besides," Ash said as he leaned against a tree, "it feels good to do some actually work and not just freeload. Man, what I wouldn't do for a job."

"Shoot, yer always welcomed around here. We could always use a set of hooves an' a strong back."

"Thanks." Ash grinned before he continued, "But I've got to pay Twilight back for her hospitality and I'd rather not burden you with demands of wages. Oh, and I should do something for Fluttershy. And Rarity."

"Geez, quite the debt yah've got thar." Applejack tapped her chin in thought. "Hmm, Ah'm shore you could find work in town. Plenty of work n' not enough helpers."

"Thanks for the info." Ash craned his neck to the sunny. "It's getting pretty late though. I might just have a look around."

"No problem. 'Bout time fer Applebloom tah be home anyway. Guess we'll see yah 'round."

Ash waved as he left the farm and headed into town.

*****

"Sorry pal, but we're not hiring."

"But your sign says you are!"

"...It says we're opened."

"Oh. Well. I'll just show myself out then."

Ash stepped out of the couch and quill store and glared venomously at the laughing Pegasus, her cyan body barely visible above the clouds.

"Bahahaha, heh." Rainbow Dash gasped for breath. "Heh, sorry pal but when you said you couldn't read I had to take the opportunity."

"And I am beginning to doubt my decision of telling you in the first place. Did you at least fill out my application for the restaurant position?"

The Pegasus tossed a piece of paper down, which floated for several seconds in the breeze until Ash lost patience and snatched it with his magic.

He looked over the application and tried to decipher what Rainbow Dash had written. For being only able to use her mouth, she had been pretty neat. Now if only Ash could understand what the prankster had written.

The rainbow-maned Pegasus snickered. Ash looked up. "I probably don't want to use this, do I?" he asked.

"Heh, probably not."

"Do I even want to know what you wrote as my 'special talent'?"

"Maybe, but I bet the look on the manager's face would have been priceless." Rainbow Dash jumped down from her cloud and hovered just above the sour Unicorn. "Still, an egghead that can't read. That's hilarious!"

"What makes you think I'm an egghead?" Ash asked defensively. "If anything, my head's shaped like a large apple."

"I've already got an apple-head to deal with and she more than enough. Seriously though." Rainbow Dash was now at eye level, though still in the air. "You were in a library for an entire week and you couldn't read? That's like, I dunno, stuck in a bakery and couldn't eat."

"I had picture books."

Rainbow gave him a look that was a mix between pity and disbelief. One of the Pegasus' eyebrows lifted to the heavens.

"But yeah, it was kind of painful," Ash admitted. "Wasn't exactly all too fun having a baby dragon read aloud to me. Oh, and I can read, just not in Equestrian."

"Does Twilight know about this."

"Sure. Maybe. Possibly. No."

"You didn't tell her?"

"I thought she would have figured it out. Guess not."

"Why didn't you? I'm sure she would have taught you."

Ash sighed. "Twilight's already spent enough time on me. I really don't want to burden her with another thing."

"Hey." Rainbow Dash landed and wrapped a leg over the stallion's shoulders. "Take it from a pony who knows loyalty. Twilight is one of the best friends a pony can have 'cuz she'll do anything for a friend. I'm sure that Unicorn would be more than happy to help you."

"If you're so loyal, why don't you teach me how to read?"

"Hey, have you given me a good look over?"

"Excuse me? We barely know each other."

The Pegasus scowled. "Not like that. Is that all guys think about? I meant I'm an athlete. Sure, I can dig a good book but I'm no teach. I'd might be able to teach you a thing or two on flying and proper cheering but on reading, 'riting, and 'rithemtic, not my job." Rainbow Dash removed herself from Ash's shoulders. "Whelp, gotta dash. See ya around."

Ash waved as Rainbow became a streak in the sky. It was getting late. The grey Unicorn began to walk to the library.

Perhaps it was time to swallow his pride.

*****

"There you are. Twilight's gone ballistic."

"What are those?" Ash asked, pointing to the posters Spike had been working on.

"Lost pony flyers." The baby dragon put his quill down and jumped off his stool. "Where have you been?"

"Eh, here and there." Ash ruffled Spike's spikes. The dragon huffed in annoyance. It was bad enough when the girls treated him like a child. "Where is Twilight anyway?"

The door exploded open. Spike ducked behind the grey Unicorn, allow him to catch the majority of the debris. At the library's doorway stood a very angry purple Unicorn. Her mane seemed to flow like flames. Ash saw his entire life pass by before him as Twilight took a step closer.

Ash gulped. "H-hi Twil--"

"DON'T YOU 'HI' ME!" The grey Unicorn flinched and looked behind him for help. Spike had already fled.

"I CHASED PINKIE PIE ALL AFTERNOON JUST SO SHE COULD TELL ME SHE SAW YOU WALK INTO THE EVERFREE FOREST! THE EVER-BUCKING-FREE FOREST! WERE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?"

They should have given it a better name. Like Death Forest or something. The grey Unicorn kept his thoughts to himself as he subjected himself to Twilight's rage.

"I ALMOST SET UP A SEARCH PARTY BEFORE APPLEJACK TOLD ME YOU WERE ON HER FARM AND THAT YOU WERE IN TOWN! I ENDED UP SEARCHING ALL OF PONYVILLE FOR YOU ONLY FOR RAINBOW DASH TO TELL ME YOU CAME BACK HERE! WHAT WERE YOU DOING?"

"I'm sorry?"

"YOU'RE SORRY? YOU'RE SORRY?"

Twilight was getting closer. Ash could feel her anger radiated from her body. Ash shut his eyes, waiting for the worst.

Twilight's expression softened. She sighed. "I'm sorry for raising my voice but you really worried me. I can't believe you just left like that."

"I left a note."

Twilight's features hardened once more. "You left me a piece of paper with a bunch of chicken scratch."

"Hey, my handwriting isn't that awful."

"I can't read Human."

"Oh, right."

The purple Unicorn groaned in frustration and sat next to Ash. "I'm sorry," Ash repeated. "It's just, well I had a pretty bad nightmare. And, well, I wanted to be alone for a little while. To relax."

"Well, I guess if you wanted to be alone, the Everfree Forest is probably perfect. Relaxing though..." Twilight looked up. The stallion looked away. "If you're having nightmares, you should have just come to me."

"I didn't want to bother you. Not after all you've done already."

Twilight shook her head. "You're not a bother. I'm here for you, as a friend. You don't need to keep you troubles bottled down like that."

The purple Unicorn gave the grey one a hug. A few seconds passed before Ash awkwardly returned it. "Thanks," he muttered before releasing the embrace.

"No problem."

"Um, actually." Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "You brought up a good point. The note. Yeah, you can't read Human and, well..." He took a quick breath to strengthen himself. "I can't read or write in Equestrian."

"What?" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief. "But how did you get through all those books and scrolls when we were working on a transformation spell?"

"I had Spike read out loud and I transposed what he read into a language I understand," Ash explained.

"Oh." Twilight seemed a bit disappointed. "I thought you were writing in some ancient magical language I was hoping that you could've taught me."

"Nope, just regular old Human." Now comes the hard part. "I was kind of hoping, that is, if you didn't mind..." Another deep breath. "If you could teach me how to read and write in Equestrian. That way, you know, we could avoid this kind of situation."

"I'd be more than happy to..."

Well, that was painless.

"...but..."

Huh?

"...I don't think I can."

"What do you mean? I mean, not to sound rude or demanding or anything."

Twilight got up. "I'm not exactly a teacher. I don't think I'd be the right pony to be teaching you something this important."

"Didn't you teach Spike?"

"Princess Celestia did that actually. Spike was just as much a student as I was." Twilight began to scour the shelves. "I might be able to find a few easy readers and help you get started but it would be best if you had a proper instructor. Wait a sec." Twilight turned back to the white-maned stallion and grinned.

"I think I know a pony that can help."

A/N No Rainbow Dash, some guys just think about ponies...

Four is More

Twilight Sparkle looked up from her book. The scene at the table was a rapidly recurring one. Her scaly little assistant on her right delightfully devouring a dish filled with danishes and pancakes dashed with sticky syrup, the tall grey stallion with a dire need of a mane cut soon with a bowl of simple oatmeal sprinkled with brown sugar. Like Twilight, Ash had an open book with his breakfast, though while she had chosen The Art of Invisibility Spell and Theories by Reinchard Peak Paddock, the white-maned Unicorn settled for See Puff Fly.

Twilight's plate carried a bran muffin and an apple. Neither had been touched and most of the morning had used in an attempt to satisfy the Unicorn's hunger for knowledge.

The process of becoming truly invisible is, as mentioned in detail in chapters 1-3, difficult, though not entirely impossible. Most Unicorns will settle on a simpler blending (or camouflage) spell, in which the user becomes the color of his or her surroundings. While having a similar effect, the blending spell is not the same as the invisibility spell. This chapter will deal with how the two are structural different. *For more information, see Appendix 2_a3...

The clock in the corner began to chime. Twilight looked up from her reading. She turned to Ash who was busy searching for the spoon he had lost control of and was now somewhere deep in his oatmeal. Spike was busy trying not to choke.

"You need to get going, school'll start soon."

Ash gave up his search and wiped his nose. "I don't think I need to go anymore," he said. "I think I've got the basics down."

"Oh?" Ash could tell she wasn't convinced. If her tone was a dead giveaway, her stare definitely was. "Well then, why don't you read a bit for us?"

"Oh, this'll be good," Spike said gleefully.

"Alright then." He flipped the book to the first page. "See...P...uff..."

He looked up. Twilight nodded, encouraging him to continue. She knew the book by heart; it was one of Spike's most favored bedtime stories after all, one of the few actually featuring dragons.

"...Puff...um, fly," Ash looked back look with a triumphant grin that quickly fell as Twilight shook her head.

"Run. See Puff run," she corrected.

"What?" The stallion lifted the book over and presented the page to the purple mare. "Look, the dragon's clearly flying." He jabbed a hoof at the cartoonishly drawn purple dragon gliding in the air.

"You were look at the pictures weren't you? You weren't actually reading."

"Shoot."

"Go pack your bags. You did your homework, right."

"Hmm, oh, yeah." Ash tilted his head to the bright purple saddlebag dangling from a chair. "Already packed."

Twilight levitated it over Ash's back and began to tighten the straps despite the stallion's protests. At least this time it was in the privacy of their home. Her home.

"You can find your way there, right?"

Ash rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure you don't need me to walk you there?"

"...get lost one time and..." he said under his breath. "No, I think can find my way this time. And you don't need to be there after school to pick me up. I can get back to the library easily."

Twilight shook her head as she followed him to the door. "Sorry to nag you like this. I probably sound like your mother or something, huh?"

The grey Unicorn stiffened. Before Twilight could make note of it however, he relaxed and smiled. "Don't worry so much, you'll end up with wrinkles."

"Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yep."

"Paper?"

"Yes."

"Pencils?"

"Yes...mother."

"Homework?"

"Of course I..."

*****

"...forgot my homework."

Cheerilee shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry Ash but you'll have to stay in during recess to complete it then." She took out a copy of the worksheet which the stallion took awkwardly between his teeth.

"Thankth," he managed to say. Cheerilee struggled not to grimace as the corners of the worksheet became damp with saliva.

Ash ignored the smirks and snickers as he walk back to his seat. He knew he looked like a fool. At least there were a few ponies who were a little more mature and only gave him sympathetic looks.

At least this time his seat was in the back row. Ash could easily see the board without acting as an impediment to anypony else.

Carefully, Ash used magic to pull out a pencil and a piece of paper out of his borrowed saddlebag. Levitation was becoming more and more natural but for the time being Ash would learn to write with his mouth.

Taking the pencil in his mouth and after savoring the wooden taste, he looked up to the board and copied down the white symbols at the top. From what he gathered, the Equestrian language had a series of runes, an alphabet, similar to what Ash was used to. While many, though not all, of symbols were completely different, the process was the same: use letters to make words.

Slowly and with as much grace as an airborne tortoise, the Unicorn managed to transfer the Equestrian alphabet to paper. He grinned. He wouldn't need Cheerilee's help at all.

Something pegged him in the head and fell onto his desk. It was a sheet of paper crumbled into a ball. Ash looked up and saw Sweetie Belle wave at him. He gave a small wave in return and after making sure Cheerilee's attention was elsewhere, straightened the paper out.

It was a note, written in a flowery pencraft that put his chicken scratch to shame.

Taking a deep breath, Ash placed the note next to his own notes. All he had to was translate the note with the alphabet he had made. Simple enough.

It took the grey Unicorn ten long minutes before he realized that while he may have managed to write the alphabet down, he had no idea what the symbols represented, what each letter translated into.

Ash sighed. It was time to start paying attention in class.

*****

"You sure he got the note?"

"Of course."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood in front of the schoolhouse as the other children scrambled out and ran home. Applebloom would meet them later at the clubhouse after she quickly finished her chores. After that, the farm filly would have the rest of the afternoon for herself and her friends.

Tomorrow was a Saturday which meant an entire day free for crusading. That meant plans had to be made today.

"He's not showing up." Scootaloo leaped up and tried to see over the sea of heads.

"Wait, there he is!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

Sure enough, a grey head with a messy white mane peaked out of the doorway, towering above the others. With a tired sigh (he sighed a lot, Sweetie Belle noted, almost as much and as gusty as Rarity), a grey neck followed the head and a body came right behind. The purple saddlebag was bulging with borrowed readers and a large dictionary.

"Hey! Hey!"

Ash turned and turned to the two fillies who fought through the crowd of stragglers and landed in front of him.

"Didn't you get the note?" Scootaloo asked.

"I told you, I saw him read it." The Unicorn filly turned back to the stallion. "What took you? We've got a lot of work to do?"

"We? Work? I thought we weren't assigned any homework?"

"Not homework," Scootaloo groaned. "Crusading."

"Yeah," added Sweetie Belle. "We've got a lot of planning to do before tomorrow."

"I still think we should just wing it."

"How? You're the only one with wings."

"What? No, never mind. Hey, where are you going?"

"Home," Ash answered. He only took a few steps before he almost tripped over the two filly beneath him.

"You can't go home now," Sweetie Belle protested. "You've gotta help us earn our Cutie Marks."

"Yeah, you promised."

Ash brought his hoof to his forehead. "Look, I'd love to play around but...eerrg."

He tried to look away, anywhere but those pleading, quivering eyes. Ash knew the minute he stared into those eyes, what will he had would have been lost. He had to put his foot down; he was much too old to be playing games with little children. But those eyes, those begging eyes. And was Sweetie Belle beginning to sniffle?

With a groan, he surrendered. "I guess I can spare a few hours. I'll have to make sure Twilight's okay with it though...it's not like that!" Ash quickly protested as Scootaloo waved her leg around and imitated a whip crack.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle giggled as Ash grew red. "Whatever," the young Pegasus said and soon began to run. "Last one to the library is a pile of rotten horse apples!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Sweetie Belle screamed as she tore right behind her friend.

For a second time, Ash wondered what he had gotten himself into. As he ran to catch up with the younger ponies, he silent prayed that Twilight would not give her permission for some reason.

*****

"Whoa, careful there," Applejack exclaimed as she ducked and dodged an incoming apple.

"Sorry, sis," Applebloom replied before sending another fruity missile at the older mare. This time, Applejack managed to catch the apple before it became apple sauce on the ground.

"In a hurry, aren't 'cha?"

"Yeah, me n' the other crusaders gotta plan out the weekend." The little filly paused for a second to examine the next apple. She threw it into the rejection bucket before continuing. "We got a new crusader so we're gonna get 'lot more crusadin' done than usual."

"'Tat so? Funny, Ah don't recall meetin' any new young fillies lately. New student huh?"

"Yup, new student," Applebloom cheerfully answered. "An' it's not a gal."

"A colt, eh?" Applejack pushed her hat back as she chuckled. "Little Applebloom, growin' up so fast. Already takin' a fancy tah boys now. Just wait 'til Big Macintosh n' Granny hear 'bout this."

Her younger sister made a face and stuck out her tongue in response to her teasing. "Yah better not."

Applejack grinned. "Why don't yah tell me 'bout this new guy then?"

"Well..."

"Applebloom!"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle dashed between the trees, laughing as they raced and called out to their third. Both stopped in front of the two Apple sisters and fought to regain their breath.

"Hi Applejack!" they managed to gasp out. "Hey Applebloom!"

"Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!" Applebloom called back as her elder sister shook off the aftershocks of the Crusaders' greeting.

"I totally won that one."

"No way," argued Sweetie Belle. "Applebloom, who won?"

"Who cares? We've got better things to get done. Cutie Mark Crusaders Weekend Planning Session is a go!"

"Yeah!" The trio leaped into the air and slapped each other's hooves.

"Wait a sec." Applejack did some quick calculations in her head. "Ah thought yah said there were four of yah now. Ah only count three."

"Huh, that's strange." Sweetie Belle looked behind her. "I though Ash was right behind us."

"Ash?"

As if in answer, the grey Unicorn with a white mane appeared on the dirt road, casually striding along. If he had been aware of the race, it was apparent that winning was not a necessity or even a desire.

"Geez, your so slow," Scootaloo complained. "You'd better not slow us down tomorrow. We've got lots to do."

"Be nice. It's not Mr. Ash's fault he's got art-eye-tus."

"I do not have arthritis. I'm not that old."

"Naw, not that old," Applejack said quietly. "But still...too old."

"Huh, whada mean, sis?"

"Nothing, Applebloom, nothing at all." Applejack attempted to hide behind her smile, an act that the honest farmer was doomed to fail. "Why don' yah three go on ahead. Ah've got a few words tah say tah...Mr. Ash."

"If you say so, sis." Confused, Applebloom turned to the most recent addition to the Crusaders. "Meet ya at the clubhouse."

Applejack and Ash watched as the three filly ran off.

"So what's tha big idea?"

Taken back by the hostile in Applejack's voice that she no longer attempted to cove, the grey stallion hesitated a few moments before deciding that the most appropriate response was: "Eh?"

"Ah hate to jump tah conclusions but Ah don' exactly find a full grown stallion hanging 'round three young fillies half his age all that natural."

"I don't...wait, you think...I'm--"

Applejack threw her hooves into the air. "Ah'm not sayin' anythin'. Jus' this..." The orange farm mare grabbed Ash by the neck. If he hadn't been so surprised, Ash would have marveled at how she managed to get such a grip without fingers. "Don' yah bucking dare touch mah sister," she hissed into his face. "Else Ah'll show yah what happens tah those who buck with tha Apples."

With that final warning, Applejack removed herself from the mentally-shaken Unicorn. "Have a nice day an' give mah regards tah Twilight," she said before shifting her hat and lifting the basket of apples onto her back and left Ash alone on the road.

"Wait, there's been a misunderstanding," he shouted to the rapidly disappearing figure of Applejack. Too late, she was already far out of range. With a sigh and a shrug, Ash began to walk in the direction he saw the Crusaders go.

He could see how one could interpret this situation in such a scandalous manner but the understanding did little to comfort him. Applejack was just one pony but others may also see this in a similar light.

Great. Just great Ash thought as he ran a hoof through his mane. First week here and I'm labeled as a pedophile. I think I preferred being a 'Hairless Ape Monster'.

What disturbed him more, however, was Applejack's sudden change in personality. Just the other day she had been so friendly, so welcoming. She had even trusted him with farm work. What had happened? Why was she so suspicious now?

Also, why hadn't he asked for directions to the clubhouse? Was he going the right way? All these apple trees made it difficult to tell one location from another.

*****

"What's taking him so long," asked Scootaloo to nopony in particular. She leaned on the windowsill and kept lookout.

Her two companions shrugged. Sweetie Belle was busy making a crude map of Ponyville while Applebloom listed off potential talents and where in Ponyville one could practice them.

"Ah wonder what Applejack wanted with Mr. Ash."

Sweetie Belle chewed her pencil thoughtfully, "Hmm, you don't think...nah."

"Huh? Whada thinkin'?" Applebloom asked, her curiosity engaged.

Scootaloo slid down from the window, also interested in the Unicorn filly's theory. "Yeah, what is it? What do you think is going on?"

"Well..."

*****

"Ah've got something tah say."

Applejack was wearing a beautiful red dress that moved gracefully in the breeze. Her blond mane flew back in the wind as well.

The cooling breeze had also brushed Ash's white mane out of his eyes. He was wearing a white suit, similar to his hair. A single red rose adorned his chest.

"Yes?" he asked in a soothing voice. Soothing but strong. It made Applejack feel safe.

The orange mare blushed and tried to hide it beneath her hat. "Consarn it, yah've got me all flustered up."

Ash merely smiled. Applejack's face grew hotter. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"Ah, well, Ah, ah dagnabbit!" Applejack kicked at the dirt. "Why can't Ah get tha words out? Why can't Ah tell yah how Ah feel?" Once more, her orange face became as red as Big Macintosh's.

She turned away, ashamed at her own cowardice. "Ah'm, Ah'm sorry..."

"Don't be."

Ash leaned his head on her shoulder. Applejack looked deeply into those dark, dreamy eyes.

"Why don't you show me how you feel then?"

*****

"No, just no." Scootaloo made a disgusted face, almost as bad as ones she had made during that one disastrous Hearts and Hooves Day. She was however taking it a lot better that Applebloom, who had to go outside to vomit. Retching noises could still be heard. "That's just horrible."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

"The worst." Applebloom had rejoined the group, still looking a bit queasy. "Where in tarnation did yah get that idea? The pits of Tahtarus?"

"No, just a few books I found in Rarity's room. I got some of the details from her diary too."

"What are you, a romance novel?"

A Day of Rest

A bitter, burnt smell lingered in the air over the Everfree. Had anypony been up and about they might have seen bursts of flames fly out from the forest. But today was a Saturday and most ponies were still in their beds, sleeping. Besides, the dragons of the forests kept to themselves and always dwelled in the deepest parts of the forest.

The curious thing was that there had been no smoke following the flames. Even if the dragon's fire failed to set any trees or bushes aflame, smoke would still have been released from the beast's nose.

The explanation was simple: Ash wasn't a dragon. He was a Human, a very very unhappy Human.

Ash bent his knees and leaned forward, panting. Wit the back of his hand he wiped away the sweat on his brow.

He fell back a groaned. What a waste of energy. Meditation would have been a better exercise but this morning, Ash didn't want to be calm, at least not that way.

Ash closed his eyes. The vision was still fresh. Sethiop's smirking face was still fresh. Matilda in the prince's arms...

A giant fireball filled the air followed a dragon-like roar. Ash was a bit too close to the inferno but he didn't care. He didn't care that his skin on his hand was beginning to blister and crack as he held the flaming ball up. He didn't care that his knuckles were bleeding again, didn't care that he wasted Twilight's efforts in patching them up after he punched a hole the floor in his sleep.

The rage burned out with the fireball and Ash collapsed, exhausted. It had been a total waste of energy and time, he knew. And though his anger was spent, he felt no better, no more content. Just tired. Tired enough to sleep right here, with his face in the dirt.

He groaned as he struggled against his exhaustion and shifted himself onto his back. Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath out of the charred air. He sighed.

Coming here alone was not the wisest thing to do but Ash managed to convince himself and Twilight otherwise. He promised not to go to deep in the forest but that meant there would be a greater chance of being discovered. But, as he told Twilight, he had to release some steam. And the best way to release some steam, Ash knew, was to throw fireballs haphazardly in the air with complete disregard.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't the smartest way but it was what Ash felt like doing. And as they say, you reap what you sow and now the Mage was at his most vulnerable. He was an easy prey if he had been discovered by a wolf or a manticore.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FLAMING PHENOMENON FINDERS ARE GO!"

Or by a trio vicarious young fillies. Of the three, Ash couldn't decide which he'd rather be found by.

With a loud grunt, Ash sat up. Only after he had gotten to his feet did he recognize the problem and began to panic. He was still, most definitely, a Human. If those three found him like this...who knows what would happen next. Another unflattering article of him trying to eat three little ponies at the very least.

Ash tried to run deeper into the forest, hoping to hide behind a tree. His legs, however, refused to cooperate. His body was still tired from his magical outbursts. The Human grit his teeth as he willed himself to move. He could hear hooves pound against the earth, like war drums.

Come on Ash urged his body. His legs turned to jelly in response and Ash folded over, his face kissing dirt.

Ash began to crawl to the trees. The hoof-steps were getting closer; he could hear them getting louder. So was his heart as it beat violently against his chest in fear.

The cheers and laughter were coming closer as well, driving him to crawl faster. It was in vain. The cover of the trees was much too far and he'd never make it before the Crusaders got here.

So Ash did the most sensible thing anyone in his position would have done; he shut his eyes and hid his head underneath his arms and played dead. Hopefully, the three fillies would find no interest in the dead shell of a strange creature. He struggled not to shake nervously. Corpses do not shake nervously, after all.

"Hiya Ash! Whatcha doin'?"

Ash opened an eye. Applebloom stood in front, looking down and tilting her head in confusion. "Are yah lookin' fer bugs?"

"Isn't obvious?" Scootaloo scoffed. "He's pretending to be a rock."

"He's really good too," Sweetie Belle added. "For a second I thought he really was a rock. Must easy since you're so grey."

Grey? Ash glanced at his hands. Not hands, hooves. Ash sighed in relief. He was a pony again.

"Hey, maybe that's yer special talent! Bein' a rock!" Applebloom jumped behind him. "Can yah stand fer a sec? Nope, still a blank-flank."

Ash expected to have been wobbling as he stood so that the cream-colored filly could examine his rump. Surprisingly, he stood straight and strong. He felt strong too, as if he hadn't been spending his energy on wasteful fireballs for the past hour or so. Any sign of his previous exhaustion had disappeared with his Human form. Ash made a mental note for Twilight.

"Geez, what's that smell?" Scootaloo asked, holding her nose. "Smells like a Sweetie Belle breakfast special. Hey, what are you doing here anyways?"

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle piped in. "When we got to the library Twilight told us you already left."

"Did yah forget about our plans?" Applebloom said, frowning.

"Who cares why I'm here. Why are you three here? I thought the Everfree Forest was dangerous."

"We saw a giant fire ball in the sky," Scootaloo explained calmly.

"Yup," Applebloom added, nodding her head. "So we decided tah check it out."

"Yeah!"

"Please get off my head."

The Unicorn filly crawled off the Unicorn stallion. As soon as Sweetie Belle was safely off his head, Ash began to shake it.

"That's dangerous. You three could have gotten hurt. Who knows what you might have found."

"Then why are you here?" Scootaloo shot back.

"Did yah see tha fire too?" asked Applebloom.

"I...you know...practicing...magic. Yeah. I was so busy I didn't see anything like that."

"Oooh, can you show us some?"

"Huh?" Ash turned to the filly who had spoken. "What, magic? But you're a Unicorn. Why would you want to see my magic when you could make your own?"

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Rarity says I'm too young to be practicing magic so she won't teach me. 'Sides, everypony's magic is a little different."

"Ah wanna see a trick too."

"Me too."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. We might attract unwanted attention. We're still in the Everfree after all. Who knows what might see us..." The remainder of Ash's argument died away as his eyes met the quivering eyes of the Crusaders.

"...Sure, why not."

"YAY!"

With a sigh, Ash began to prepare a spell. His audience looked on him with expecting eyes and he knew he had had to meet those expectations else be treated to sad sad looks of disappointment. On the other hand, anything too exciting could be dangerous, especially since, at least magically, he was still adjusting into his Unicorn body.

He settled on a simple lantern spell. Just a small orb of light but if he changed the colors a bit, the Mage could easily amuse the three. Ash had done it before and even when a rowdier child recklessly touched the magical ball, the child remained unharmed, though a little shaken when the little sphere bursts with a sharp pop.

Ash closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He had never done this sort of spell as a Unicorn. He hadn't done any of his spells as a Unicorn, really. But, he said to himself as he felt the magic seeping from his horn, creating a lantern was a simple feat, the spell itself harmless. What could go wrong?

The first thing he noticed was a sudden resistance, as if something was fighting against his spell. Clenching his jaw, Ash pushed against the wall by adding more magic into the spell. The wall collapsed and Ash began to relax. He could feel the lantern take form. Soon it would be a small ball of light. Ash released more energy to expand the orb and add some color. The Mage grinned triumphantly as he heard gasps of amazement from his little audience. Spell-casting was becoming more easier. After this, he thought, perhaps he could try something harder.

"Um, Ash?" Sweetie Belle's words interrupted his thoughts but not his control over the spell. "Don't you think that's big enough?"

"Hm?" Ash opened his eyes. A shadow was cast over his face. Strange, the sky was cloudless only a few minutes ago. He looked up and dropped his jaw with a hard thud.

There, in the sky, was his lantern. He could tell something went wrong with the spell. First, it was suppose to be pink, not the greenish-blue color it was now. Second, the lantern was far too bright, almost enough to hurt his eyes. Third, the lantern was only to be a few feet in the air, not high over the treetops. Any attempts in preventing the reveal of their location would prove futile thanks to this beacon.

Oh, and the orb was suppose to have a diameter of at most half a foot, not one at least twenty five feet across. From Ash and the Cutie Mark Crusaders' vantage point, the giant blue bulb appeared to have swallowed the sun, replacing it as the main source of light in this world.

And yet all Ash could think of was how a ball of light that size could cast a shadow. A hard tug at his tail brought him back and the stallion quickly picked his jaw back up.

"Er, right. Yeah, it's not suppose to be that big."

"What went wrong?" asked Applebloom.

"I...have no idea--Wait, don't start panicking!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had just sucked in breath to scream. At Ash's request, they released the collect air without a sound.

"I'm going to try to contain this thing," the grey Unicorn explained. "I need to concentrate though so I need you three to keep quiet. And don't move."

The trio nodded obediently. Satisfied with their response, Ash turned back to the issue at hand.

At least he had been sensible enough to choose a spell like lantern. The orb thankfully produced very little heat despite its brightness. Had he decided on practicing something more exciting he and his audience would have been charred ashes.

Closing his eyes, Ash began to draw magic out of the ball and back into himself. Just as when he had attempted the spell in the first place, there seemed to be a resistance, something in the way, acting as an obstacle. Ash could feel sweat drip down as he doubled his mental strength and charged at the barrier.

He could feel the orb begin to shrink. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo noticed nothing but Ash could sense the magic returning, slowly leaving the magical lantern, little by little.

A few minutes passed in frustrating silence and soon even the three fillies could see a difference being made. Celestia's could be seen again, peaking from behind Ash's unintentional imitation. Already the ball had been reduced to three-quarters of its original size.

Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle watched in agonizing stillness. For a while, watching the giant ball of magical light shrink provides some amusement but after a few moments it lost its novelty. There was a reason why the three lost at 'Shh' so quickly and soon all three were fidgeting.

A small breeze blew through the forest, brushing Ash's white mane to a side. If the Unicorn noticed the wind, he didn't show it. The trees watching over the ponies were more expressive than he, releasing loose leaves into the air. Gently, the leaves floated to the ground, like large pieces of confetti. One particular leaf had the notion that it was destined for greater things and found itself on the tip of Scootaloo's nose instead of on the forest floor with its siblings.

The Pegasus filly wrinkled her nose in annoyance. Stubbornly, the leaf hung on. With a huff of frustration, Scootaloo ejected the offending plant part into the air, where it was caught by another breeze blowing in the other direction. The wind took the leaf onward and upward before letting it fall back to the earth once again. Slowly the leaf fell, down toward the bright bowling ball sized sphere Ash had managed to bring closer to the ground.

The leaf met the magical lantern and for Ash, the entire world went white.

My Little Hide-Out 1

A light pound echoed through Fluttershy's cottage as Applejack knocked at the door. When there was no response, the orange farmpony sighed and knocked again, this time with much less force. "Fluttershy, it's me, Applejack," she called as she peeked through the window for hints of the owner, a tuff of pink hair beneath a quaking bed perhaps.

"Oh, hello Applejack," came a sweet little voice from behind. "I didn't know you'd be visiting."

"S'all right," Applejack said as she turned around. Fluttershy hovered to the ground, the small cart attached landing with a small thud. A small group of bunnies hopped out and went inside. "Jus' want'd tah know if yah've seen Applebloom."

"No, I haven't. I've been at the lake all morning. Angel and his friends wanted to have a lakeside picnic today." The Pegasus' expression grew worried. "Is she alright? Do you need me to help you look for her?"

"Nah, she's probably fine. She left with her friends so early Ah didn' get tah tell her that their clubhouse needs some maintenance work done. Some of tha floorboards are gettin' loose and one of tha windows is havin' problems." Applejack shook her head and shrugged. "Nutin' too big but Ah was hopin' tah warn them before anypony got hurt."

"I heard Ash joined the Crusaders recently. I'm sure they'll be fine with him."

"They'd better be..."

"I'm sorry?"

"Nuthin', nuthin'," Applejack quickly said, waving her hoof. "Is Ash still at Twi's?"

"I don't know," the yellow Pegasus admitted. "Maybe you should try there first--"

Poor Fluttershy was interrupted by a sudden boom, like thunder or the crash of a giant cymbal. As the timid Pegasus ducked behind her, Applejack clutched onto her hat as the accompanying force threatened to send it into the air. When she looked up, she nearly gasped at what she saw. A burst of orange light shot out from the Everfree Forest and cleaved the sky open, like an insanely powerful volcanic eruption. The skies were red, the same color as during a sunset or a sunrise.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.

Applejack blinked in disbelief. "D-did yah see that?"

Fluttershy shook behind her. "No," she squeaked. "And please don't say we have to investigate."

"Why would Ah say that?"

The Pegasus released a breath of relief. "Oh good. I was afraid you'd want to investigate since the Everfree isn't too far away from your farm and you'd be worried. But I'm glad that's not the case."

"...Yer right, we should check it out."

*****

"There, good as new."

Twilight took a step back to admire her handiwork. Nopony would have realized that a big furless ape monster had recently punched a hole into the floor of the library. With some quick spell-casting, the purple Unicorn fixed the floor boards nearly as fast as a properly motivated Rainbow Dash at clearing the skies.

Cleaning the blood had been a harder task, made tricker by Twilight's sudden squeamishness. Seeing Ash's life juices leak from his knuckles, dripping onto the floor like rain falling from a roof's shingles or tears reluctantly released from a determined child's eye was enough for Twilight to feel faint. Strangely, she had no problems when she had cleaned the wound out and bandaged Ash's raw knuckles.

The blood left a dark smear on the wooden floor that required a wet towel to be removed. Even after the bloodstains were no longer visible, Twilight remained dissatisfied. The blood was still there, she knew, even if she couldn't see it. And if the blood was still there, somepony could possibly, somehow, discover it. And while Human's were still fundamentally mammals, Twilight wasn't sure pony blood was the same as Human. It wouldn't be long before Ash's secret was revealed.

And so for hours, Twilight sat on the floor, scrubbing furiously at where the bloodstain had been with an enchanted chemical-soaked sponge.

With a tired smile, Twilight tossed the worn sponge into a bucket and brought it down into the basement where she could safely dispose it. She glanced over at the clock. It was already eight. Ash should be returning soon.

Twilight stopped in front of the bookshelves on the way to the kitchen. She quickly pulled out a few books on the subject of dreams and the subconscious. Hopefully after releasing some stress, Ash would be willing to share his vision and the two could figure out what they meant, why he kept having them, and how to stop them.

"Morning Twilight," Spike mumbled as he crawled down the steps, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Geez, what's that smell?"

"Diethanolamine and triethanolamine mixed with butyl cellosolve ethanol. Try not to inhale the fumes or else you'll end up with hallucinations."

"...What?"

Before Twilight could clarify she was cut off by a thunderous roar, similar to that of a firecracker. The explosive noise seemed to shake the very foundations of the library. Or maybe it only seemed that way because of Twilight's ringing eardrums and canals.

"W-what was that?" asked Spike fearfully as he held his quaking head.

"A Sonic Rainboom?" Twilight speculated. She stuck her head out the window. "No rainbows though. Hmm."

"You don't think the Cutie Mark Crusaders got their Cutie Marks in something explosive?"

"I hope not. I'm still not sure how those three got those lemons to become combustible. While they were making lemonade."

"Hey, wait a sec." Spike did a quick scan of the library. "Where's Ash? Do you think he had anything to do with it?"

"Of course not. Ash is one of the most intelligent ponies I've ever met. He said he was going to let out some steam but he wouldn't do something this risky and dangerous."

"Where is he again?"

"The Everfree Forest."

The dragon crossed his arms and gave Twilight a skeptical look. "And you don't think he'll do anything risky or dangerous?"

"Well..."

The purple Unicorn was cut off by the library door as it was thrown open. Rainbow Dash stood on the other side, feathers ruffled in excitement and wings sticking out to each side.

"Hey Twilight! Didja hear the explosion? The entire sky over the Everfree is orange right now! All the clouds got blown over here too."

"Did you say...Everfree?"

"Yeah. Anyways, since all the clouds are over Ponyville the weatherponies are suppose to be pulling double duty so I was wondering if I could hide here for a bit and...Twilight, you okay? You're looking kinda pale."

*****

Slowly, very slowly, Ash's sight return. Faint outlines were appearing among the white background. As he blinked his blindness away, Ash endured the sharp piercing buzz in his ears.

The first thing he noticed were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom were running in circles, screaming in panic. At least, it looked like they were screaming; Ash heard no actual sound, save for the ringing in his ears.

Ash opened his mouth but nothing audible came out. He tried again, louder. All he heard was faint buzz. The fillies heard just as much and continued their panicking.

A sigh nopony heard was released. As much as he wanted to join the Crusaders, somepony had to keep calm and find some sense of order if they wanted to survive this.

"Hey." The word was barely audible.

The Crusaders continue to run. The buzzing in his ears continued as well. Both were getting annoying fast.

"Oi!"

Ash went unheeded by the three fillies. The buzz was getting louder, less bearable. He shook his head to clear it. The buzz droned on, becoming exponentially more intense. Ash sucked in a frustrated gust of air through a set of clenched teeth.

"QUIET! Gah!" The Unicorn ducked down, clutching his head between his hooves. "Ow!" It appeared that his hearing had finally returned.

And by how the three fillies skid to a stop, so did their hearing.

"Ow, hey. Wait." Scootaloo blinked in surprise. "I can hear again."

Applebloom opened her eyes. "Ah can see!"

"I can...whoa." Sweetie Belle's eyes widened as she quickly examined the area. "Geez, what happened here?"

Ash followed the younger Unicorn's glance and sighed. "Yeah, no way we can clean this up. At least no one, er pony got hurt."

"Looks like a hurricane went through here," noted Scootaloo. And it did: trees had been torn out of the ground from the roots. Debris in the form of discarded branches, bark, and leaves littered the ground. Chunks of earth had been ripped out and scattered on the surface.

But in the center was a monument demonstrating that what caused all this was no natural force. The grassy surface had been replaced by a hard, blue-tinted material. Cautiously, the Crusaders approached the area. A resonating ring filled the air as they tapped the strange surface.

"It feels like, like..."

"Like glass," Sweetie Belle finished for her Earth Pony friend. "How did this..."

The trio slowly turn to face the grey Unicorn. Ash, noting their rather apprehensive stares, struck an awkward pose, with one forefoot pointed in the air and the other across his head in a salute of sorts.

"Ta-da?" he said with little confidence. His back legs began to wobble.

Silence filled the air, intensifying the situation's discomfort. Then slowly, very slowly, the young fillies began to applaud in pony fashion. The stomping grew faster and louder and soon even cheering could be heard. Ash made a goofy attempt at a bow, leading to the addition of laughter to the hurrahs. Even Ash couldn't help but grin. Really, he was just relieved everypony was alive and well. The magic ball had been hot enough to turn earth to crystal; he did not want to even imagine what would have had happened if it had touch him or one of the fillies.

Eventually, cheering died down and Ash became somber and businesslike.

"Okay, now we need to get out of here before any, anypony arrives."

"Huh? Why?" Sweetie Belle had spoken but she spoke for all three fillies. Applebloom and Scootaloo before wore the same face of confusion.

"Take a good look around you." Ash gestured around him. "Place is a mess and they'll be looking for somepony to clean it up. And I don't wanna so let's get out of here."

"Hold it! It's yer mess though," Applebloom protested. "Applejack says it's important tah take responsibility for yer actions."

"And she's right. We should take responsibility for our actions. But technically, it's not my mess: it's yours. Hey, you three were the ones who wanted to see some magic," Ash argued with a shrug.

Sweetie Belle looked behind her on both sides nervously before saying, "Um, maybe we should leave before anypony does get here."

Scootaloo and, with evident reluctance, Applebloom silently agreed.

There was no pride in manipulating children like this and there was a bad taste in Ash's mouth but he was convinced that it wouldn't take long before somepony discovered that what ever caused all this damage may not have been a regular old Unicorn. This argument wasn't enough to justify such deceit but Ash quickly cleared his conscience by resolving to buy the three candy or something later on.

"So, any secret hidey holes?"

*****

"Wait, so Ash been having bad dreams."

"Yeah," Twilight replied as she and Rainbow Dash sped off. "And by how he looks every morning, they're really, really bad."

"So he asked if he could 'blow off some steam'?"

"Yes."

"And you said he could?"

"Uh huh."

"Alone. In the Everfree?"

"Well..."

"And you thought this was a good idea?"

"It did at the moment," the purple Unicorn nearly snapped. She sighed. "I-I really didn't know how to help him. It's been awhile since either Spike or I had a nightmare and I honestly don't think reading Puff the Magic Dragon or a glass of milk is going to help."

"What about--" Rainbow Dash managed to say before crashing through a window of Fluttershy's cottage.

"What in tarnation-- Rainbow Dash? What are yah doin' here?"

"Applejack?" Twilight stuck her head through the cottage's recently opened window. Sure enough, the farmpony, wearing her trademark hat, stood in Fluttershy's living room. The owner was nowhere to be seen, though tuffs of pink hair stuck out from beneath the couch. "What are you doing here? And where's Fluttershy?"

"Ah was lookin' fer mah sister when we saw this giant explosion. Kinda like the ones RD pulls off, only bigger an' much less colorful. We're goin' tah go check it out an' make sure it's nuthin' dangerous but Fluttershy here needs some convincing." As if one cue, the couch began to shake. "Speaking of which, have yah seen Applebloom and her friends?"

"Yeah, they came over looking for Ash," Twilight answered as she entered through the door. "But he wasn't home so they ran off."

"Do yah think they found 'im?"

"You'd better hope not," said Rainbow Dash as she stumbles into the room, a hoof clutching her head.

"Yah think so too, huh? Ah'm not too worried, gave 'im a clear warning tha other day."

The cerulean Pegasus stared blankly at her friend. "Uh, what are you talking about? Hey, how do you know Ash's in the Everfree Forest?"

"...'scuse me?"

"Yeah, Twilight said Ash went into the forest to unwind. Oh and that he probably caused that little explosion earlier. What did you think I was talking about?" Rainbow shook her head and sighed, taking no notice of Twilight's frantic waving and visual warnings. "Geez, it would suck if those three fillies were with Ash during whatever that spell was. Hey Applejack, you okay? Lookin' kinda pale."

*****

"So this is where it was."

Ash looked up into the tree and at the wooden house sitting snuggly in it.

"Yep," Sweetie Belle said proudly. "Our clubhouse."

"Hey, you never came over during our planning session." Scootaloo frowned at the older pony. "We had to do all the hard stuff without you."

"In my defense all these trees look the same. It's hard to determine one location from another." The grey Unicorn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Though that means the clubhouse makes a great hideout. If I had trouble finding it..." Ash looked back at the Crusader's headquarters. "Did you really build this?" he asked, genuinely impressed.

"Aw shucks, well, Ah had some help," said Applebloom. A slight blush of embarrassment lit her face. "Applejack said this was 'ers when she was a filly an' we fixed it up."

"Still, neither you or Applejack look like the handym, err, pony. I've seen professional work that's not as well designed or constructed. Hold on." Ash turned to the little farm filly. "Did you say this used to belong to Applejack?"

"Eeyup! At firs' Ah was a little upset 'bout getting mah sister's hoof-me-downs but--"

"But that means Applejack knows where the clubhouse is," Ash interrupted. He sighed before muttering, "Guess it's not as secretive as I thought."

"But it's only Applejack!" the young cream-colored pony protested. "We can trust her. Oh, an' Big Mac. He knows 'bout tha clubhouse too."

Great. If there's anyone I really need to hide from it's Applejack, especially after that stunt. The farmpony's warning rung clearly in his memory. Ash rubbed his neck nervously. "Any--"

" Oh, an' Granny Smith, probably. She knows everything 'bout tha land."

"...Is there any other pony that knows about this place."

"I told Rarity about it," confessed Sweetie Belle.

"The Rainbow Dash fan club used to have meetings here. That's like, um, fifty-ish other ponies." Scootaloo paused for a moment, clearly in thought. "Oh and the Mare-Do-Well fan club too, so another fifty-ish."

"Ah found Pinkie Pie sleeping here one night. Said somethin' 'bout being first fer cider season." Applebloom scratched the back of her head. "Ah think it was the day after cider season ended."

"Wasn't Twilight here last Zap Apple harvest?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Oh yeah, Ah remember. She wanted tah study 'em up close an' ended up with a rainbow mane fer a week."

"Boxxy Brown's crew was here delivering our piano." Scootaloo shuddered slightly at the memory of having to dodge the cascade of keyboards and the occasional anvil.

"I think the mayor had a meeting here when town hall was being repaired."

"Is there anyone in town that /doesn't/ know about this place?" Ash asked, growing more and more exasperated.

"Well, you know now," Sweetie Belle answered. "So, nope."

"So much for a hide-out," Ash mumbled with a sigh.

"It makes a great hide-out!" Applebloom protested.

"If every...pony knows about it, how is it a great hide-out?" the white-maned Unicorn questioned. "Besides, wouldn't this be the first place somepony would search if they were looking for you three?"

"Exactly! It'd be tha first place somepony would search tah look for us so..."

"...So it be the last place they'd search," finished Scootaloo.

"How does that even make sense?"

"Since it such an obvious hiding place, nopony would bother to look here," explained Sweetie Belle. "It's called reverse psychology. Rarity uses it all the time."

"...That still doesn't make any sense," Ash asserted as he grappled with the Crusaders' reasoning. "If it's such an obvious hiding spot, why wouldn't anypony search it?"

"Would you hide in an obvious hiding place?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"No, of course not. That's why I'm against hiding here."

"Then you wouldn't hide here," the Unicorn filly continued.

"Yes, that's what I said." Ash struggled to remain patient.

"So if you wouldn't hide here because it's such an obvious hiding place, why would you search it if you were looking for yourself?"

"...Oh my God,"

The Crusaders grinned triumphantly. "C'mon, last one in is a baked bad!" Scootaloo challenged before the three ran wildly to the clubhouse.

*****

For several moments, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight stood in silence, awestruck by the chaotic scene before them. Individually they attempted to piece together an imagined symphony of violence and devastation based on the aftermath in front of them. At last, the silence was broken by a fallen branch followed by a comment from Rainbow Dash:

"Geez, it looks like a tornado tore through here."

Twilight had to agree with her friend. She had seen first-hand the power of a cyclone during tornado day and the damages were similar. The difference however, was the extent of the destruction. While the water-gathering tornado was contained and controlled to a degree, whatever went through this part of the Everfree was not. It was as if the Pegasi simply gave control of the winds to the wild forces of nature.

"Oh, look at all these poor trees." Tears brimmed in Fluttershy's eyes. "So many homeless animals. I hope none of the birds or squirrels got hurt."

"Hurt..." Applejack gulped and took a long and deep breath. "Applebloom!" she bellowed. "Applebloom! Are yah here?"

"Doesn't look like the Crusaders or Ash are here," Rainbow Dash noted.

"But they were." Twilight pointed to the ground. Everypony gathered around and followed her hoof to the hoof-steps implanted in the mud. Three sets of smaller ones and one set that was much. Three fillies, one stallion.

"And there's definitely been some magic done here."

"Why? Are yer Unicorn-senses tingling?"

"No." The purple Unicorn pointed to the patch of ground some distance from the hoof-prints. "That's a complete giveaway."

"What the hay?" Rainbow hovered over the mentioned area and almost fell out of the air at the sight of her own reflection. She struck at the ground and was rewarded with a clear ringing sound, like that of a bell, and a sore hoof. "It's hard."

"Wh-what is it?" Fluttershy slowly approached the place of interest, shrinking back when she saw herself in the ground.

"It feels like a gem," said Applejack, giving the material a good rap. "Ah didn't know there were any mines in tha Everfree."

"There aren't, at least, not in this section." Twilight tapped the ground with her horn. Both the crystal and the horn lit up like candles, the horn brilliantly violet and the ground a dirty dark grey lighting. "Whatever happened here, it was because of magic. And I doubt Sweetie Belle has this type of ability. I don't think even I could transform rock into crystal. Or even Rarity and she specializes in gems and crystals." The Unicorn closed her eyes as she tried to visualize the sort of spell could have done all this. "How did Ash manage this?"

"Does that matter now?" Applejack pawed at the ground, a habit more prone to the nervous Fluttershy. "If Applebloom an' her friends were here before, where are they now?"

"Hm, it looks like the hoof-prints lead out of the forest," Twilight observed. "So at least we know they're no longer in the Everfree."

A sigh of relief was released by the orange Earth pony. "Good."

"Plus the prints seem to stay together so all four of them must be with each other."

"Oh, that's good," Fluttershy said with a smile. "If those fillies have somepony older with them I'm sure they'll be taken care of."

"That's right. If Ash is with Applebloom, I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Twilight shared Fluttershy's grin. Neither noticed that Applejack did not.

"Ah...Ah better not have anythin' tah worry 'bout."

"Hey, AJ, you alright?"

"It's nothin' RD," Applejack replied to the cyan Pegasus as she turned to leave. "Least, it better be nothin'. C'mon, we've gotta hurry."

My Little Hide-Out 2

Sweetie Belle stuck out of a window and called out, "Hey Ash! Hurry up."

Another window was opened and an orange head with a wild fuchsia mane peaked out. "Geez, you're so slow," Scootaloo said, clearly disappointed. She stuck her tongue out at the older pony, an action that was returned.

Ash shook his head as he struggled to climb the stairs to the Crusaders' clubhouse. He tried not to be bothered by how three fillies half his age and nearly half his size had outraced him. Granted, those three had been moving on four legs since their births but the excuse did nothing to heal his pride.

I was transformed into a pony, I'm currently living in a world filled with colorful miniature horses, I hanging out with small children during my weekend, I'm in a class that's still learning addition. Do I have any pride left to hurt?

At last, he had made it to the top. His head tilted to a side as he examined the doorway.

"Whatcha waitin' fer?" Applebloom stood in the center of the house's threshold. She tapped at the floorboards impatiently.

"Give me a minute." The Unicorn closed his eyes as he completed his calculations. "I won't fit."

"Huh? Whadaya mean, yah won' fit?"

"The doorway," he explained. "It's too narrow."

"No it's not. We can fit just fine." To demonstrate, Scootaloo jumped out of clubhouse and back inside.

"Then I'm too big."

"Applejack can fit," Applebloom argued.

"I'm bigger than Applejack. A mare could probably squeeze in but a stallion my size?"

"Sure, Big Mac does it all tha time tah play with his Smarty Pants doll."

"Well--"

"Hey look! It's Applejack!"

At Sweetie Belle's words, Ash leapt into the doorway. A groan escapes as he scraped his shoulders against the wooden doorframes.

"Move it," he managed out through gritted teeth as he fought to pull the rest of his body into the hideout. With a deep breath, Ash sucked his gut in and pushed himself through.

The door frame burned his sides as he forced himself in but through all the pain, Ash managed to grin victoriously. A grin that soon cut short as he felt himself stop moving. With another deep breath, the grey Unicorn pushed himself. He was rewarded with large bruises on his thighs.

"Cupcakes for breakfasts," he muttered. "The hell was I thinking?"

"You okay?" Sweetie Belle looked out of the window for a better look at the parts of Ash that remained out of the shelter of the clubhouse. His tail swished in annoyance.

"..."

"What was that?" Scootaloo leaned forward, a hoof cupping her ear.

"..."

"Can't hear yah. Speak up!"

"I said I'm stuck." Ash's face grew bright red as he spoke. "Now unstuck me before I'm seen."

"There's nopony out there to see." Sweetie Belle stuck her head out again and scanned the area. "Nopony around."

"What? You said Applejack was here."

"Did I say Applejack? I meant apple tree." Sweetie Belle met Ash's glare with closed eyes and an inappropriately angelic smile. Innocence that seemed to flow from the Unicorn filly rendered Ash's anger powerless and pointless.

"Tch." Ash sighed and place a hoof flat across his face. "Alright. Fine. Whatever. I still need to get unstuck so you three need to--"

The floorboards splintered as he placed his hoof from his face back onto floor. With a yelp, the Unicorn pitched forward, driving his horn right into the wooden floor of the clubhouse like a nail or a dart in a dartboard.

Grunts intermingled with suppressed giggles as Ash tried to remove himself from the floorboards.

What do you know? I did have some pride left over.

*****

"No, I'm afraid I haven't your sister today." Mrs. Cakes shook her head. "Its been strangely quiet, now that you've mentioned it." A crash came from the kitchen followed by loud bellowing that could have only been made by babies. "Well, strangely quieter at least."

Applejack sighed. "Thanks anyway," she mumbled half-heartedly. "If yah get any news, Ah sure would 'preciate it if yah told me."

"Of course dearie."

With another disgruntled sigh, Applejack left the bakery. Her friends stood outside, waiting.

"They haven't been here," she said.

"They weren't at Rarity's," Rainbow Dash reported.

"Or Cheerilee's," added Fluttershy.

"What in world were they doing in the Everfree Forest?" the dressmaker asked. Cracks in her normally solid composure began to show as news of Sweetie Belle being in potential danger was revealed. "Did Zecora see any of them?"

"No, she hasn't," answered Twilight. "But she promised to keep an eye out for those three."

Rainbow turned to the purple Unicorn. "Did Zecora say anything about that spell?"

"She mention a giant ball of light in the sky and a loud explosion. We already knew about the explosion but a giant ball of light? I wonder what Ash was up to..."

"Yah can ask 'im after we find 'im. That is, if he can still speak after I'm through with 'im. What was he thinking? What was he doing? Doesn't matter if mah sister's hurt."

"Applejack?" Fluttershy began hesitantly.

"Ah'm fine. Ah'll be fine, so long as Ash keeps his hooves tah 'imself." The Earth pony shifted her head so that her face was hidden from the rest of the group. "Let's get movin'."

Without waiting for a reply, Applejack ran off, kicking up a cloud of dust as she went.

Rainbow shook the dirt out of her feathers and mane. "Shesh, what's her problem?"

*****

"On three. One. Two. Three!"

"Oops, sorry. Though you were gonna say push."

Sweetie Belle sighed as Scootaloo shrugged. "Okay, let's try this again. On three. Not on push. Not on go. Not on one--"

"Ah said it was an accident!"

"On three. One. Two. Three!"

With all their might, the Crusaders pushed and shoved at Ash's shoulders and head. Their combined strength was however not enough to dislodge the grey Unicorn from the clubhouse floor. They were however quite successful at nearly dislocating his neck.

"Ow, ouch! Okay, okay, enough. Stop, before you separate my head from the rest of my body."

The fillies stopped their pushing and sat back to rest. Their breaths came in labored pants and sweat seeped into their hides.

"We've been at this for an hour," Scootaloo complained. "We've gotta try something else. Do we have a hacksaw?"

"Don't even think about cutting off my horn. I have grown quite attached to it."

"I was thinking about you head, not your horn."

"I'm quite attached to that as well and I'd like to stay attached to it."

"Well, what else can we do?" Sweetie Belle asked. "We've tried pushing, shoving, poking, prodding, nudging, pressing, head-butting, tickling, and forcing. We even tried begging and pleading and beseeching and asking politely..."

"Yeah, I'm still not entirely sure why you three tried asking the /floor/ to let me go."

"It works when Fluttershy does it," Scootaloo explained.

"Maybe we should have added a few more pleases," considered Sweetie Belle.

"Ooh, ooh, Ah know what we haven't tried yet."

The white Unicorn filly and the orange Pegasus filly turned to Applebloom. "What is it?" they asked in unison.

"Feh, it's a family trade secret an' it never fails. Passed down from generation tah generation. From Apple tah Apple. Did Ah mention it never fails? Cause it--"

"Quit stalling," Scootaloo interrupted. "What's your plan."

Applebloom looked to both sides before grinning at her friends.

"Buckin'."

"Wait, what was that?" Ash tried shifting his head to see what the young Earth pony had planned. "Wait, hold on. What are yo--"

*****

"Nope, can't say I have?"

"Yah sure?"

"Yeah. I'd recognize those three anywhere."

Applejack sighed for what was perhaps the fiftieth time this day. "Thanks anyway, Bon Bon."

"I'll keep an eye out. I'll make sure Lyra does too," The pink and blue maned pony reassured.

Applejack grunted her appreciation and turned to her partner. The group had split into pairs to cover more ground, except for Twilight, who had returned to the library to find.

Rarity shook her head. "It does seem like they've been here. Nopony's seen them."

From the skies soar the two Pegasi.

"Didjah see any of 'em?" Applejack yelled into the clouds.

"..."

"What was that?"

"She said no!" Rainbow yelled back. "At, least, I think she said no. But Fluttershy's right. I don't think they're in town."

"Then where are they?" Applejack nearly screamed. She tossed her hat on the ground and ran a hoof through her blond mane. "Where are they."

"Dear, I know you're worried." Rarity levitated the farmpony's trademark headgear and shook it to relieve it of dust. "But we need to stay calm."

"Calm? Calm? How can Ah stay calm?" Applejack grabbed her hat out of the air. "How can you stay calm? Yer sister's out there missin' an' in danger and, and..."

"Applejack, I hope you're not implying that I do not care for Sweetie Belle. I do. I'm as distraught as you are but panicking won't do us any good. And we don't know if they are in any danger. If Ash is with them, i believe the chances of those three in danger is quite slim."

"Are yah kiddin'? Firs' they almost get caught in an explosion an' now they're with tha stallion that caused all that damage. All alone, with nopony around. Nothin' tah stop him from doin' anythin'. Ah think they're in plenty danger." Applejack turned away. "Where Twilight an' that trackin' spell? Ah'm goin' tah go check on her."

"Okay, I know I've said this before, but what's wrong with Applejack?"

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed. She's been acting real nervous and high-strung and jumpy. She keeps running and stuff. Hey Rarity, you've noticed, right?"

"Yes, I have. I've also noticed she seems to act more, well, disturbed when one mentions Ash."

"Ash? I thought those two were friends," Rainbow said. "Applejack doesn't just let anypony work on her farm."

"Yes, I know." Rarity pursed her lips in thought. "I wonder..."

*****

Like a morbid waterfall cascading from cave leading to the edge of a cliff, blood fell from the grey Unicorn's nostrils, leaving dark puddles on the wooden floor. Ash tried to stop the flow by snorting the blood leaking in his nose down his throat but his pony body reacted violently, causing him to spray the Crusaders in a warm crimson mist, hitting Applebloom square in the jaw with a tooth loosen by the young Earth pony herself.

"Any other bright ideas?" Scootaloo asked bitingly, wiping specks of gore from her face.

"Rarity's going to kill me," whined Sweetie Belle. "She says blood's one of the worst stains possible."

"Ib thith keeth ub, oou hee ah gonna keel meb firsst."

"What was that?"

Applebloom received a snort and a spat in response. She grimaced as the bloody spit glob landed inches from her hoof.

"I said, if this keeps up, you three are going to kill me first." Ash rubbed his nose. "God, you pack a punch, er kick, I mean buck."

"Aw, it was prob'ly jus' a kick. If it were a real buck yah'd be free." Applebloom crouched low. "Ah'ma tryin' again."

"Wai--"

A sickening crunch filled the house, causing everypony to flinch.

"Oops."

"Hey Applebloom," Sweetie Belle said slowly, "I think you overdid it."

"Sounds like you broke something. Hmm..." Scootaloo turned her friends and grinned.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS NURSES! YAY!"

A dejected sob forced itself into the Crusaders' cheer, effectively undermining the mood the three had tried to establish.

The fillies turned away shamefully as Ash struggled to contain his tears and managed to reduce his brawling to a piercing whimper.

"Um, maybe next time we can try to earn our nursing Cutie Marks."

Scootaloo and Applebloom nodded their agreement. "It sure sounded like it hurt though."

"Didn' think Ah'd act'ly break his nose." Applebloom looked around the clubhouse. "What do we do now? We don' have a firs' kit."

"I know, we can go help."

"How?" Scootaloo asked. She pointed to the large pony in the doorway. "Ash is blocking the only exit."

"It's not the only exit." The white Unicorn pointed to one of the windows. "One of us should go out through there and go get somepony to help."

"Gotcha. I'll do it." Scootaloo opened the window. "Hey Applebloom, give me a boost."

As the she crawled through the substitute exit, the window's latch broke, closing it on the poor Pegasus's back."

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie screamed. She and Applebloom ran to the window. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she called back. Thankfully, there was not enough force behind the moving framework of the window to cause any real damage. Scootaloo wiggled her wings and her hooves. "But I think I'm stuck. Get me out of here!"

Her friends struggled against the window and had as much luck as they did freeing Ash.

"It's no use," Applebloom groaned. "Window's broken. It's stuck."

"Wait. Are you saying I'm stuck here," Scootaloo gulped, "forever?"

"Least 'til somepony finds us."

"But that could take...forever!"

"Don't worry," Sweetie Belle tried to console. "I'm sure everypony's looking for us as we speak. We've just got to be..." The little Unicorn sighed. "...patient."

"But I'm too uncomfortable to be patient!"

"Aw, pony up. Yah don' hear Ash complaining."

The stallion sniffed deeply and his mouth was immediately filled with blood and snot. As he spat out the offending flavor, the three looked away out of pity. He sighed as he wiped away the tears and the blood with the back of his hoof.

Could this day get any worse? he wondered.

*****

The entire library shook as Applejack kicked the door open. Books fell from their shelves and notes were flung into the air.

"Twilight! Where's Twilight?"

"I'm right here." The Unicorn stuck her head out of the pile of fallen texts.

"Have yah found a tracking spell yet?"

"I did," Twilight said, her voice filled with irritation.

"Well? What are yah waitin' fer? Where is it?"

"Somewhere in this mound of books." Twilight began to shift through the mess. "Now I have to find the spell all over again and clean this up. That is, if I ever get out of here. Spike, get over here and help!"

Applejack waited a minute, watching Twilight slowly make her escape, before she dove into the mess, freeing the purple Unicorn while scattering books to the four figurative corners of the room.

"There. Yer free an' yer books are cleaned. Now where's the spell?"

Spike could actually hear something in his guardian's mind snap, taking it as a cue to flee the scene and send a quick S.O.S. to Princess Celestia before things got too ugly.

Twilight's eye twitched violently as she examined the room. The flying books had knocked more of their brethren off their shelves."S-somewhere in one of those new piles," she managed to say. The piles grew larger and the desired spell was buried deeper as the door was once again swung open, this time revealing Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy on the other end.

"URGH! That's it! Do you know how much trouble I went through to find that spell?" Twilight had miraculously changed her color to a purple at least twice as dark. "It wasn't even under 't'! Why wouldn't the tracking spell be labeled under t? Why? I went through ten entire sections, not books, sections, before finding the spell in a book dealing with pet care! And it was under 'z' for zoology! Why would a tracking spell be in a book about zoology?"

"Um, that sounds..." Fluttershy struggled for the appropriate word. "...reasonable?"

"Hey, it kinda does."

"Pinkie Pie! What did I tell you about my chimneys? There are no snacks!"

"Zoology has something to do with zoos, right? And zoos have to do with animals. So if you were looking for an animal you'd need a tracking spell--"

Pinkie's observation was cut short by Twilight's anguished scream followed shortly by a surge of magic that sent everypony else along with Spike flying, leaving her friends in a nice neat pony-mound outside.

"Maybe we should leave Twilight alone for now."

"We don' have time fer that, Fluttershy!" Applejack yelled. "We need that spell!"

"Applejack!" admonished Rarity. "I understand that you're worried but that gives you no right to take your frustration out at your friends. Look, you've made Fluttershy cry."

"A-Ah...Ah'm sorry, sugarcube, Ah really am. But mah sister's in danger. Ah can't jus' calm down. We've...Ah've...before it's too late."

"What makes you think Applebloom's in danger?" Rainbow asked. "After all, if Ash is with them--"

"It's 'cos Ash is with her that Ah'm so worried!" Applejack snapped.

The cyan Pegasus recoiled at her friend's sudden hostility "Huh? What do you mean?" she inquired.

"Yeah. What's wrong with Ash. I think he's pretty cool."

"Spike, Ah'm not gonna explain mahself tah yah 'cos yer still young but tha rest of yah girl's should understand when Ah say wouldn' trust him 'round any child."

Rainbow's rainbow mane swished around as she shook her head. "I still don't get it."

"Wait, are you..you are!" Rarity gasped. "Applejack! How can you accuse a pony of pedophilia like that?"

"Wait, what? You think Ash is a...a...I don't know whether I should laugh or--"

"Don't you dare, Rainbow." Rarity supplemented her command with a glare. "This is a serious accusation. Such a thing could easily destroy a pony's entire reputation."

"He's a full grown stallion," Applejack argued, "that hangs 'round little fillies. How can yah say that ain't the least bit suspicious?"

"I play with Crusaders too," Pinkie piped in. "And with the Cake twins. I love playing with little kids. Does that make me a pedophile too?"

"What? No, 'course not. That's a different sort of playing."

"And what makes you think Ash is in to the other sort of playing?" Rarity inquired.

"Well, uh...He hangs 'round the school."

"Ash goes to the school," Spike informed. "Only place where he can learn to read."

"Read?"

"Yeah. I overhead Twilight and Ash talking about jobs and getting proper education. Something about debts and payments."

"See? Ash feels indebted to us. He feels the need to get a job and pay what he believes he owes."

"But he doesn't owe us anythin'."

"But he still feels obligated. He's willing to risk his image and face humiliation by going to a school for young fillies and colts just so he can learn to read and write only for you to falsely accuse him of trying to get close to your sister just to satisfy some disgusting fantasy."

"A-Ah...well..."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but Rarity's right." Rainbow turn away from the sputtering Earth pony. "That's just unfair for Ash."

"But--"

"That's enough."

Everypony turned in surprise. Fluttershy, with tears still streaked across her face, walked up in front of Applejack. A glint of determination in the normally timid Pegasus's eye commanded the farmpony's complete attention.

"You have no right to treat anypony that way. A pony you've just met and now you've gone and made horrible assumptions. How would you feel if one of us did that? How would you feel if one us called you...stupid just because you live on a farm?"

Everypony gasped, alarmed once more by Fluttershy's sudden assertiveness.

"Now wait jus' a min--"

"No, you wait and let me finish. We didn't. None of us made any assumptions like that. We got to know you. We became friends. We saw you as the most trustworthy pony there is." Fluttershy took a deep breath and sighed. "And you are. You are trustworthy. But you need to learn to share that trust, to learn to trust others. We were all wrong about Zecora but what about now? What did you learn, Applejack? What did you learn?"

"But mah sister..."

"I know you're just trying to protect your sister but is that any excuse as to how you're treating Ash? He's already had a hard life and now you're making it even more difficult. All he wants is a place where he belongs. That's why he became a pony. That's why he's trying to learn to read and write.

"What type of example are you trying to set for Applebloom? How is she going to trust anypony when she sees her sister like this?"

"A-A-Ah..."

"I think you owe somepony an apology."

And with that, Fluttershy began to sway.

"Whoa." Rainbow Dash caught her friend before she could completely collapse. A lock of pink mane fell over her shut eyes.

Spike approached hesitantly. "Is she..." he began.

"She fine," Rainbow assured. "Just out cold."

Applejack blinked and opened her mouth. Silence was all she could muster.

"Applejack, dear, are you alright?" Rarity asked, clearly worried.

The orange pony nodded curtly.

The Unicorn sighed as she looked over to the fainted Pegasus. "She means well, you know. A bit harsh perhaps..."

Once again the library door widely swung open, this time by a purplish aura. Twilight stood at the entrance, looking quite disheveled while at the same time victorious. Floating before her was a book.

"I found it," she said triumphantly. "Now we can find Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle."

"Oh, are you looking for those three? They're hiding in their clubhouse," Pinkie Pie announced with a lack of care.

Twilight's eye began to twitch.

*****

Scootaloo yawned. "How much longer are we gonna have to wait?"

"It can't be much longer." Sweetie Belle climbed to the windowsill. "The sun's beginning to set."

"Maybe we shouldn' have hidden ourselves so well," Applebloom considered out loud. She picked up her crayon and continued her drawing. "Hey Ash?" she said nervously.

"Hm?"

"Yer not mad at me anymore, are yah?"

"...No. What is it?"

"Can't yah use magic tah free yerself?"

He had presented the same suggestion to himself several times earlier but the morning's incident was still fresh in his mind. Odds were, he'd end up setting the entire clubhouse on fire. Dying in a raging inferno was however arguably less painful than the humiliation and suffering he had faced today.

Ash had taken a deep breath. No, he couldn't choose the easy way out, not with the Crusaders with him. Still, while he was just as anxious to be rescued, the thought of being discovered in such a vulnerable position with such an injury inflicted by a filly only half his size was, to say the least, horrifying and he had spent the last few hours creating stories, each less believable than the one before it.

"That's not a good idea. I'm too tired and right now I can't even concentrate." That excuse was at least believable; with the position his head was in plus all the blood he had lost, it was little wonder the Unicorn was more than a little light headed.

"Aw, phooey." Applebloom went back to her drawing.

Suddenly, Scootaloo began to squirm excitedly. "Hey! Hey! Somepony's coming, Over here!" she yelled.

"It's Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle informed. "And Rarity and Applejack."

"Where?" The youngest Apple sibling jumped onto the window's edge, nearly knocking Sweetie off. "Applejack! Over here!"

Great, Rainbow Dash. Ash sighed. I'm never going to hear the end of this now.

"They're over here!" the multi-chromed Pegasus called overhead. She landed in front of the window. "Hey squirt, how's it hanging? Geez, what happened here?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo grinned wildly. "Boy are we glad to see you."

"Tha window broke," Applebloom explained.

"Ah know, Ah was tryin' tah tell yah that before yah ran off. Applebloom, we were so worried. Don' you run off like that again, yah hear?"

"Yes Applejack."

The elder of the Apple sisters took in a shaky breath. "Ah'm jus' glad yer okay."

"Is everypony alright?" Rarity asked.

"We're fine," Sweetie Belle answered. "Well, most of us..."

"Hey, where's Ash?" Rainbow Dash looked around. "I thought he'd be with you three."

"Oh, he's stuck in the doorway." Scootaloo gestured toward the clubhouse's main entrance, where a large grey mass decorated with a white tail stuck out.

"Is that...he's..." the Pegasus turned to Rarity. "Can I laugh now?"

Rarity ignored her. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he just has his horn stuck in the floorboards," Sweetie Belle said. "Oh, and Applebloom broke his nose."

"It was an accident!" the young Earth pony protested. "Ah was tryin' tah unstuck him, that's all."

"Can I laugh now?"

"Here, Rarity, give me a hoof." Applejack began to push at the window. With the help of Rarity's magic, the two managed to reopen the window, giving Scootaloo the opportunity to escape.

"Come on, yah two," Applejack called to the other fillies. When Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were safely outside, she and
Rarity let the window fall back with a forceful slam.

"I'll take these three home. Rainbow Dash, you head to the hospital and get Ash some medical treatment." The Unicorn turned to the orange farm mare. "You stay here and keep a look out."

Applejack opened her mouth to protest but Rarity was faster. "No argument. We need to hurry, while there's still daylight.
Besides..."Rarity leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I think you have something you need to say."

She turned back to the fillies before her. "Come on girls, it's time to go home."

"Aw..."

"No complaining. Your families must be worried. I know I was, Sweetie Belle. Now let's go home."

Applebloom looked behind her. "Bye Ash," she called over her shoulder. "Let's do this tahmorrow!"

Was just her imagination or did Applejack really see the grey mass shudder?

"I'll be back in no time. Try not getting your leg broken by Scoots or something before I get back." With a snicker, Rainbow took to the skies.

Silence rolled in like a fog. Applejack sat awkwardly, facing away from Ash's rear.

I think you owe somepony an apology.

Applejack knew the truth when she saw it and the truth was evident in Fluttershy's rebuke. Now there was the matter of swallowing her pride.

"So...nice weather we're havin'."

"...I guess."

"There was that weird explosion this mornin'. Didjah see it?"

"I, uh, kind of caused it."

"Yeah, Twi said that. That, um, must of been some spell."

"...um, it was...yeah, an acci--"

"Look, what Ah'm trying tah say is...well..." Applejack breathed deeply for support. "Well...what Ah'm tryin' tah say...is...is...look, Ah'm sorry."

Silence had once again covered the area like a thick blanket. This time, it was Ash's turn to end it.

"You're...sorry?"

"Ah made some hasty judgments 'bout you. Guess Ah was bein' a little overprotective toward mah sister. Ah thought, well..."

"You though I was some sort of pervert."

"...Yeah. Listen, Ah shouldn' have but when it comes tah mag sister, well Ah get a little...crazy. It's just, well..." Applejack sighed. "Ah've never told anypony 'bout mah parents. It's always been me, Mac, an' Granny Smith. Ah left home a long time ago, before Applebloom was born, when Ah was jus' a filly. Ah didn' really understand family 'til after Ah left Ponyville and mah family. It wasn' 'til Ah begun tah miss 'em that Ah knew how important they were tah me."

Applejack looked up to the shady trees overhead. "Ah love this land. Ah love Sweet Apple Acres. But Ah love it because of mah family. They're what makes this patch of dirt much more than any other piece of land. Big Mac, Granny, Applebloom, they're everything tah me. If anything happened tah any of 'em, tah Applebloom, Ah...Ah don't know what Ah'd do.

"It's no excuse fer mah actions, but please try tah understand."

Applejack fidgeted as she waited for Ash's reply.

"You were just trying to protect your sister. I guess I can understand that."

"...Yah sound unsure. Is something wrong?"

"Family. I can't really call that a familiar concept."

"What do yah mean?"

Ash sighed. "It's just...well, the closest I've ever felt to how you feel to your sister and your family was to my party...and you already know how that ended."

"Didn't yah have parents? Or any siblings?"

"I don't know. My mother showed up on night in front of a sanctuary and died shortly after giving her name and me birth."

"Weren't there any other relatives?"

"None showed up. I was raised in the sanctuary with a bunch of other orphans until I was admitted and enrolled in school."

"Did...did yah ever find out who...well..."

"My father?"

Applejack nodded.

"No. Hell, my mother's identity was a mystery. No one knew who she was or where she came from. All I have of her was a name. Her name...was Ashley."

The stallion became silent, giving the statement a chance to sink in.

"My master was the closest I had to a father. Ramth Sethiop and Dorian Steelare were the closest I ever had to brothers. My party was the closest I ever had to a family. And then...my brother tried to kill me."

"...Ash, Ah..."

"I try not to let it get to me. I try to tell myself that it's in the past...but still..." From beyond Applejack's view he shook his head. "I don't even know why I'm saying all this, why I'm whining like this. It's never bothered me before, not having a family..."

He wanted to blame the dizziness, the lack of oxygen and blood in his head. He wanted an excuse. He wanted to lie, to Applejack, to himself. But he knew better.

"Seeing you act toward your sister like that, the way you describe your feelings, it reminds me of what I never had and yet I still lost. Heh," he laughed without feeling. "Maybe I really am getting old. Look at me, rambling on.

"Anyways, I'm sorry for going on like that."

Applejack was quiet. Even if Ash had been outside, he still would not have been able to read her features.

"If yah want, yah can be part of mah family."

"Huh?"

"Tha ponies Ah trust tha most are in mah family. If yah like, you can be an Apple, if not in blood or name, least in spirit."

"Do I get free apples?"

"No."

"Darn. Worth a shot." A genuine chuckle escaped him.

"Thanks...sis."

*****

Dear Princess Celestia,

Sometimes, a lot of times really, my friends call me dependable and even trustworthy. I think Twi's even referred to me as the most dependable pony in Ponyville. But being so dependable had made it hard for me to accept help and rely on my friends.

Today, I learned that trust works similarly. There is more to trust than just honesty; it's also being able to trust others.

Trust may not be the easiest thing to give. Sometimes I feel like my trust needs to be earned. But while it shouldn't just be given out willy-nilly, trust shouldn't be hoarded away greedily either.

-Applejack

What Dreams May Come

"Do you really think Ash will be able to crusade today?" Sweetie Belle asked over the screeching of the scooter she, Applebloom, and Scootaloo rode on. The sicken crunch that shortly followed Applebloom's kick still echoed in her head.

"Of course he will," said Scootaloo, her wings flaring behind her. "You saw how much fun he had yesterday. He's not gonna let something as small as a busted nose stop him."

"'Sides," Applebloom added, "we still need tah try fer our nursin' Cutie Marks."

The scooter slowed to a halt in front of Ponyville's general hospital. Applebloom took off her helmet and looked up at the building in marvel.

"What's the matter?" Scootaloo asked, tossing her own helmet down.

"Ah've nevah been tah a hospital before. Granny Smith says she doesn' trust 'em doctors. She always said 'an apple each day keeps tha doctor 'way'."

"What did she do when you got sick?" Sweetie Belle questioned this time.

"Feed us apples. Um, are yah sure it's open tahday? Isn't it a weekend?"

"Of course it's open," the Unicorn filly answered. "Doctors never take days off."

"Not even durin' Hearth's Warmin' Eve?"

"Especially not during Hearth's Warming Eve."

The Crusaders turned around. Behind them stood a bespectacled Unicorn with a warm, carmel coat and a neatly combed brown mane. He shook his head and sighed. "You have no idea how many Hearth's Warming Eve related accidents we have each year in Ponyville alone." With another shake of his head, the Unicorn turned to the fillies. "Well hello there. Can I help you with anything?"

"Do you work here?" Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Yep. Dr. Goodall at your service."

"That's great," Scootaloo exclaimed. "A friend of ours got hurt last night and we were wondering if we could see him."

"It's a bit early. Visiting hours aren't for another hour or so." The doctor nodded to the scowling receptionist as he held the door open for the Crusaders. "I have to get going. Ask the nice mare at the desk for help." And with that, he hurried away.

The three slowly approached the receptionist desk. The mare before them wore a nurse's cap that barely contained a mess of read hair and bloodshot eyes. With them, she glared down at the Crusaders.

"Um--"

"Wait a minute."

The three exchanged looks but before any of them could say anything, a loud screech filled the room.

The receptionist left her position and walked over to a contraption holding a pot of blackish substance. With a flick of a switch, the shrill stopped. The receptionist poured the steam liquid into a mug and lifted it to her lips. A satisfied sigh left her as she finished her first cup and refilled for another. And another.

At last, she returned to her post behind the desk, now lacking those red eyes and instead sporting a lovely smile if one were to ignore the stained teeth.

"What can I help you with?" she asked cheerfully.

Sweetie Belle was the first to tear her eyes from the mare's cup. "Our friend was hurt yesterday and we wanted to visit him."

"Can you describe the pony and the injure?"

"Let's see...old, grey with white mane...a stallion, Unicorn...am I missing anything?" Scootaloo asked her friends.

"His nose was broken," explained Applebloom.

"Oh yeah, and he has a lopsided nose."

"Hm..." The receptionist ran through a folder of papers. "Oh yeah. Name's Ash, right?" The Crusaders nodded. "Yeah, my sis was the one who patched him up. Or at least tried. She told me it was one of the worst cases of nose fractures she had ever seen. Plus they had to get him out of the clubhouse first..."

"Is the clubhouse alright?" Scootaloo asked, worried. A lot of hard work and time went into renovating that place.

"We had to remove the door-frame and some floorboards but it should be fine. Now as for the stallion, he was a strange fellow." The receptionist shifted through the files. "Didn't want to have any X-rays or anything. Wouldn't even come to the hospital for proper treatment." She shrugged. "Stallions. Too stubborn for their own good. Ten bits he'll crawl over here by afternoon, begging for painkillers."

"Yah mean Ash isn' here?" Applebloom asked with a frown.

"Pretty much. Have you tried his home?"

*****

"Sorry girls, but Ash isn't feeling well."

"Aww..."

Twilight shook her head sadly. She hated to disappoint the three fillies, especially when they were showing such devotion to a friend.

"Can't we at least say hi?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah. Applejack even baked a pie fer him." Applebloom curled her lip and sniffed as she presented the pastry.

"Please?"

Twilight made a mental note to thank Ash for proposing to wear sunglasses before opening the door. "Sorry girls. Why don't you three come over after breakfast?" she quickly suggested as the Crusaders lowered their heads sadly. "I'm sure he'll be fine after he eats."

At this Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle brightened and left the library doorstep cheerfully. Twilight lifted the pie and returned to the darken interior of her home. "You can come out now. They're gone."

Ash stepped out of the shadows. He ran his fingers through his messy white hair. "Did you really have to invite them over for later?"

"How could I do otherwise? Didn't you see how crestfallen they looked? Even with these glasses...I need to develop a spell that provides temporary blindness. Besides, by breakfast, you'll be a pony again."

"Yeah, well, how are we going to explain why my nose isn't still broken?"

"How are you sure it won't be?" the purple Unicorn asked. "I really think you should have went to the hospital. You were a total mess when you arrived here last night."

"They would have made me stay the night. And what would they say when they find a hairless ape monster in one of the hospital wards in the morning?"

"I know, I know. That's why I didn't force you. But what about later today? We need to fix that nose and I don't know any way I can help."

"Look, I told you. Yesterday I overexerted myself as a Human but after transforming into a pony I felt fine. Now, as a Human, my nose is fine. So I think it's a safe bet that healing takes place between transformations."

"What if it isn't healing but actually just switching bodies around? What if the form you had damaged keeps the damage and doesn't just apply it to the other form when you change?"

Ash looked to the clock. "Looks like we're about to find out."

Twilight shielded her eyes as a bright glow consumed the Human's body. When the light died away, a grey Unicorn with a white mane stood in front of her.

Ash sniffed. "All clear," he said with a grin. He wiggled his nose. "Not broken anymore."

"Hm..." Twilight leaned forward.

Ash gulped and tried to lean back. His nose was only a few inches from hers. He felt his temperature rise uncontrollably and a blush spread across his face.

The purple Unicorn nudged Ash's nose with her hoof. At last, she backed away. "Huh, guess your right."

Ash sighed in relief, more of the sudden distance between the two than the actual news.

"But you're a bit red. You're not sick, are you?"

"No, just, uh, flustered."

"Flustered?" Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

"D-doesn't matter." Ash quickly turned his attention to his borrowed saddlebag, laying on the table next to the
figurehead. "Anyways, I should probably do some studying. The sooner I figure out how to read the better."

"Oh, speaking of studying," Twilight said as she opened the curtains to let in some light, "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Eh?"

"It's your dreams."

The dictionary fell to the floor with a thump.

"I know I have some great books on dream interpretation and the subconscious. Maybe we can figure out what's causing your dreams and we can stop them."

"No need," he replied bluntly. "I'll be fine."

"Fine?" Twilight was surprised. She hadn't expected such a response. "You've been having having these nightmares every night. Every morning you look horrible. You toss and turn and mumble in your sleep."

"You've been watching me sleep again?"

"That's not the point." Twilight placed a hoof on the grey stallion's shoulder. "This can't be healthy. If you just share them with me, I'm sure we can find a solution."

Ash brushed the purple hoof off. "They're not something I want to share."

"But--"

"I appreciate the gesture but this isn't something you can help with. Let it go." He turned back to the fallen book.

Twilight opened her mouth to argue but knocking interrupted her. Ash walked over to the door. "I'm sorry," he quickly added before opening the door. Immediately, the grey Unicorn paled.

"Hey Ash!" Scootaloo greeted happily. "Hey, you don't look hurt at all."

"That's great! Now yah can't sue us."

"What? I thought you three were going to eat breakfast first."

"Well, we were," Sweetie Belle explained, "but that pie looked so good so we were going to see if we could have a slice."

"Hey, since you're all fine and everything, you ready for some crusading?"

Ash cringed at Scootaloo's suggestion. "Well, I was going to...Twilight! Give me the glasses!"

"Please?" the three fillies asked, their eyes big and shining.

"...Twilight? I'll see you at dinner. Maybe."

"YAY!"

"Have fun," she said as she waved. As soon as the door closed behind the grey Unicorn, Twilight began pulling books from their shelves. If Ash wasn't going to share his visions, well, she was going to see them herself.

*****

Twilight read to keep herself occupied as she waited for Ash to fall into deep sleep. Spike could already be heard snoring away. The rest of Ponyville was quietly asleep as well and only she and the nocturnal animals remained awake.
The purple Unicorn rubbed her eyes and recited the spell in her head. It wasn't the most conventional of magic but Twilight still managed to figure it out within the day. Now all she had to do was test it.

She slowly approached the sleeping stallion. Softly she jabbed him in the side. There was no reaction. Satisfied that he was truly in slumber, Twilight got closer.

As she stood over him, his body heaving as he breathed deeply, doubts filled her mind. What did Ash see that was so troubling that he was unwilling to share with his friend? Was it really so horrifying?

Or perhaps it was of something private, something that belonged in the deepest, darkest parts of his soul. Was Twilight betraying his trust by doing this? Should she really be divulging his subconscious secrets? Was it any of her business of what Ash dreamt?

Then the memory of the pained look on Ash's face surfaced. His features twisted in agony, the tossing and turning, the bleeding knuckles of last night. No, Twilight could not allow him to suffer like this, even if it meant losing Ash's friendship.

She took a deep breath and her horn lit up.

She shut her eyes and felt the room spin around her.

*****

Blackness, pure blackness. It was so dark, Twilight was convinced that she was blind. She knew where her hoof was but even as she waved it furiously in front of her nose, she could not see it.

Twilight's breathing began to hasten as panic threatened to seize her. Did she blotch the spell? Had something gone wrong?

Suddenly, a burst of light revealed itself on the other side. The Unicorn nearly cried out in joy at the sight of anything besides the darkness. Throwing caution into the wind, she ran straight toward the light.

The light never seemed to get closer. Though Twilight ran at a constant speed for several minutes at the least, the distance between her and her goal seemed to stay the same. She tried doubling her speed but all that appeared to reduce was her limited stamina. Twilight hadn't noticed the stabbing pains in her sides before.

At last Twilight stopped. The distance between her and the light didn't seem to change and she was getting tired. Panting, she dropped to her knees and waited for her energy to return. She felt as though she had been through the Running of the Leaves twice.

The Unicorn lifted her head, expecting to see the light in the far distance. To her utter surprise, the light appeared to be only a few hoof-steps away. The light seemed closer and brighter, renewing Twilight's hope. Ignoring the protests of her body, she got to her hooves.

As she walked, the light was getting brighter and brighter, until she had to squint and shield her eyes occasionally. The bright it got, the closer she was getting Twilight hoped. Breathing got harder and her steps became heavier, however, as the light grew more intense. At last, it was so strong that Twilight had to squeeze her eyes shut.

The intensity died down, Twilight could tell, even with her eyes closed. Slowly and tentatively, she opened her eyes and gasped.

Source of light was right in front of her. A burning monument of corpses. Humans of all sizes slowly writhing away like bit of fire wood. Their skin peeled away, revealing the frying flesh and the charred bones beneath. Each face still had their shrieks and wails melted on, the mouths forced forever open as their jaws burned and fused together.

Twilight tried to turn away but she could not drown out the agonized screams of torment. The dead, they were still wailing even after life had abandoned them long away.

She began to run. Anywhere but the mountain of bodies. But the screams followed her. In despair, Twilight shut her eyes and yelled as loud as she could, mixing her cry with those of the damned.

As she ran reckless, something caught the Unicorn's leg, causing her to trip and fall. Groaning, Twilight looked behind her to see what had caused her to trip. At first glance it appeared to be a thick branch. On closer examination, Twilight discovered it was a discarded Human arm. Bone stuck out of one end and the other had a hand still attached. The thumb and middle finger were missing.

In horror, she kicked the limb away. Red now streaked across her purple legs. At the sight of the gore Twilight leaned forward and threw up. Taking deep breaths to steady herself, Twilight wiped her mouth and stood back up. She turned away from the arm and looked instead at the sight before her.

Building burned in a hellish glow with screaming silhouettes at the windows. Bodies of countless Humans laid on the ground. Some had been burnt while others had been sliced into ribbons, their faces still displaying panic and fear. The corpses that still had readable features Twilight could differentiate between women and men, young and elderly. Arrows stuck out of some and others had their limbs hacked away. Worst of all was perhaps a tiny little corpse that laid eagle-spread. A barbed spear stuck through it and pointed into the air as if to challenge some higher being to stop this madness. The head was nowhere to be seen.

And the screaming, the screaming. Twilight grabbed at her ears but they echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes and began to cry.

No, you can't cry came a voice filled with total apathy. Least, not yet...

Twilight opened her eyes and collapsed. The building that burned before her had been replaced. Now it was a tree that was aflame. A tree that looked vaguely familiar...

"No...it can't be..."

The library, her library, was slowly consumed by the flames. Twilight watched in helpless horror as her home burned away like a torch. The other building became other familiar places; Sugar Cube Corner, town hall, the joke shop, the schoolhouse, the Apple family barn...

The bodies on the ground became corpses of ponies. Those that were not scorched beyond recognition had their colored hides matted with dark crimson. The lifeless eyes of ponies she knew and loved stared back at the Unicorn. Tiny headless body became the small corpse of a foal. The spear became a dismembered Unicorn's horn.

Twilight leaned forward and threw up. Tears fell as she attempted to control her stomach.

The voice chuckled and everything faded away.

*****

Somepony had been sobbing. Twilight opened her eyes and wiped her own tears away. "H-hello?" she called. "Is anypony there?"

The sobbing grew louder as if in response.

Slowly, the Unicorn began to walk in the direction of the noise. The crying grew louder as she grew closer.

The source of the crying was a small Human, perhaps a child. Black hair hid the child's face.

Twilight tried to approach but something pushed back, like an invisible protection shield. She tapped at the shield, hoping to win the child's attention. Something drew her to the child, that told her the Human was important to her. That only she could comfort him.

A shadow stirred behind the child, revealing the abomination behind it.

Twilight gasped. "Discord!" she yelled. "Wh-what are you doing?"

The Draconequus merely winked in the Unicorn's direction before he turned his attention to the young Human. He stroked the child's hair slowly. The cries grew.

"Leave him alone!" Twilight stuck the invisible barrier with all her strength. Ignoring the pain in her hoof, she struck again. And again. This time, the shield struck back and Twilight screamed as a shock ran through her entire body.

The darkness grew thicker and Twilight found it harder to breath. Her head became heavy and she struggled to keep it up. Discord grinned and leaned forward and whispered into the child's ear. The child cries became screams and he covered his ears. At this the Draconequus began to laugh.

Twilight shook with rage. Her breaths came out in short bursts as she forced herself up. Once more, she attacked the barrier, this time with her entire body. Another jolt ran through her, causing Twilight to writhe in pain. Again, she force herself to her hooves.

Discord shook his head and laughed. As he laughed, anger filled the Unicorn. With a mighty roar she charged at the barrier. At the last moment, she turned and pivoted onto her forelegs. Imitating one of her good friends, Twilight extended her hind-legs and struck the shield with all the force she could possible muster.

Visible cracks spread across the barrier. Light bursted forth, flooding the entire area and blinding Twilight. The last thing she saw was Discord's panicked face as a white-haired Human stood in front of him, welding a lightning blue blade.

*****

Ash opened his eyes and groaned. Slowly, he stretched upward and the side. With his fingers he clenched into fists and played an invisible keyboard. Content that he still had control over his limbs, the Human sat up.

Today, something felt off, however. Rather than wanting to get up like most mornings, Ash actually wanted to try and sleep more. He laid back down and wrapped the blanket tighter.

The Human closed his eyes. Before he could fall back asleep, however, a sniff resonated throughout the library.
With a sigh, Ash threw the blanket off and got up. "Twilight? You okay?"

Huddled to a side was a mess of bed sheets and covers. The sniffing grew louder.

"Twilight? It's me, Ash." He slowly approached the pile of cloths. "Are you alright?"

The mess shifted. Ash gently lifted a blanket from the pile and gasped.

Before him sat a young woman with purple hair, with a streak of light red running down. She rubbed her eyes as tears fell. At the sight of Ash, she latched herself on him in an embrace and began to cry. The two fell backwards.

"Who--Wait, that hair...Twilight? Is that you?"

The girl looked up and nodded.

"How--" he began before she buried her face into his chest again and resumed crying. Ash sighed and wrapped an arm around her bare shoulders awkwardly. Questions could wait; right now Twilight needed to be comforted.

Twilight leaned closer, causing Ash to blush. As her chest nestled next to his, he became aware of her nakedness. He quickly covered his nose with the pit of his elbow.

"I-I'm sorry about that, Ash," Twilight finally managed to say. "It was...horrible. I was...it was...Ash?" She looked up.

The Mage had fainted away. Blood trickled from his nose. His sleeve had been dyed dark red.

Oh, the Humanity 1

"I-it's not going to fit. It's too large."

"It'll be fine." Ash took his robe off and tossed it over the now humanized Twilight. "Just try and ignore the sleeve."

He turned away to give Twilight the privacy to dress. Ash had reawaken a couple of hours later and nearly ruptured another nasal blood vessel. With tissues stuffed in his nostrils and his head a little more clear, he now considered the situation.

Something had happened, he knew that much. He began to turn his head over his shoulder before he caught himself. Twilight had done something last night, something magical, but whatever it was that she did, until she had some clothes on there would be no way for Ash to concentrate. And so for the time being, he kept his questions to himself.

Twilight meanwhile had been having troubles of her own. She fumbled with the Mage's robes and with her own fingers. "Um, does it open in the back or..."

"The buttons go in the front," Ash explained. "They go through the holes on the other side of the cloth."

Slowly, she slipped her arms through the sleeves. That much was very little trouble. Carefully, Twilight curled her fingers into a fist around the edges of the robes and pulled them over her front. The material was quite silky and soft, feelings she appreciated against her unfamiliarly sensitive skin.

Now came the buttons. Twilight pulled the sleeves back to provide space for her fingers to work. With the dexterity of a crippled horse, she pinched at the dark circles as struggled to force then through the tiny slits that were on the opposite side.

She grit her teeth in frustration. This would have been so much simpler with magic. Unconsciously, her hand went to her forehead and felt nothing but smooth skin. The lack of a horn wasn't completely horrifying but the lack of being able to use magic was, Twilight had to admit, more than a little frightening.

"Ash?"

"Hm?"

"Can you help me with the buttons?"

"Guh?"

"I can't get these stupid things to work." Twilight struggled with the buttons before throwing her hands in air in resignation. "I thought hands would be easier to use."

"It, uh, takes practice." Reluctantly, Ash turned around. His face turned as red as a beet as he extended his hands and tried to finish dressing Twilight with his eyes closed.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Ash had been fumbling with the buttons almost as badly as she had.

"Y-yeah." Releasing a breath in relief, he leaned back. "There, finished."

Twilight had been right; the robes were too big. Even with the top button done, the entire thing threatened to slip off.

"It'll have to for now," Ash said. "We'll get some help from Rarity later."

"You're still red. Are you sure you're not sick."

"No, I'm not sick. You know how, well, you're not suppose to change in front of a stallion?"

"...Yeah?"

"It's similar. When you're...naked and...well...that's why..." Ash grew more and more flushed. He took in a deep breath. "Never mind."

"If you say so." Twilight Sparkle crawled to her feet. Ash quickly jumped to her rescue and helped her wobble to the mirror.

"This feels so strange. How do I look?"

"Eh?"

"I'm curious." Twilight tilted her head as she examined the Human with purple hair. "How would I look by Human standards?"

"Er...I think you look, um...nice?"

"Nice...hm..."

"I mean, well, pretty...and stuff." Ash mentally kicked himself. He had never been very good when it came to women, be it comforting or complimenting. "I really like your...hair."

"So this is what a pretty Human looks like?" With a finger she stroked her cheek, then stuck her tongue at her reflection. With her purplish eyes still trained on the mirror Twilight shrugged and immediately began to shiver. "Ooh, that feels weird."

"Yeah..."

"This body is so weird."

"That's understandable. It's a new body. Now we need to figure out how you ended up wi--"

"Geez, it really is cold without fur. How you stand it?"

"Uh..."

"Ooh, wait." Twilight lifted a hand and as she examined her new fingers while she wiggled them, an alarmingly manic smile spread across her face. "I want to try writing like Spike."

"I guess we can do that but--"

"Omigosh, omigosh! You know what this is?" Her smile grew wider and more alarming. "A learning opportunity! Oh, there's so much I want to figure out."

"Um..."

"I wonder what's it like to use the bathroom."

"Twilight..."

"And what are these things here? I wonder what purpose they serve..."

"TWILIGHT!"

"What's going on?"

The two Humans turned to the stairs. Spike stood at the top, wearing a night cap. He blinked twice before yawning and returning upstairs. "Gotta stop having sapphires for midnight snacks. Messing with my dreams..." he mumbled.

A blush brushed across Twilight's face. "Oops, I guess I got a little carried away. Sorry."

"And I'm sorry for yelling like that. But right now we have more pressing manners. Like..." Ash stroked his chin with one hand and with the other he held Twilight at an arm's distance. "...how this happen?"

Twilight tapped her chin slowly with her index finger. "Hm, I'm sure I didn't perform any transformation spells last night."

"Well, what about before last night?" Ash asked. "Did you do any transformation spells this past week? No, wait...what spells--"

A sudden flash filled the library. Thankfully, Twilight retained the instinctive reaction to close her eyes at the blinding light as a Human.

"--did you perform yesterday or last night. Any spells, even the most mundane or...Twilight, are you paying attention?"

Ash stared up at the Human face before him. Twilight's mouth laid open as she looked back down, a staring contest interrupted only by the blinking of purple eyes. For several minutes, they sat there, staring, until slowly, very slowly, a silly grin spread across her face and Ash suddenly found himself crushed in her arms.

"Omigosh, you're so small!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "You're like really big doll, like they have at carnivals."

"Tch." Ash struggled against his restraints. Even though he was larger than the average pony, the grey stallion proved no match for Human Twilight's grip. She was nearly twice his size now. "Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"I can feel my spine breaking."

"Oh, oops." She loosened her hold on the grey pony. "Sorry, I guess I don't know my strength now," she said with an embarrassed smile.

"I'll be fine," Ash assured as he leaped out of Twilight's embrace. "I'm still more concerned about, well..." He gestured. "Well, you. Did you do anything magically last night?"

"Well, I sort of, kind of did an oneirological monitorization and astro-self interjection spell," Twilight said to the floor. She kicked at the floor softly with the front of her foot, wincing as her toes protested against such an action.

"On...er...ical monitoring and astro...wait." Ash's eyes narrowed. "Astro...what did you do ex--"

"I'm so so sorry," Twilight cried. "I know you told me not to worry about it but I couldn't not worry about. Every morning you wake up from some ordeal and I just wanted to help. I had to help. It looked like you were suffering so much but would share your dreams so I performed a spell that would let me see them myself and I...please don't be made at me."

"You...saw..." Ash drew a deep breath and sighed tiredly. "I told you not to worry. I didn't want to involve you in my visions for a reason. Not only was that a huge invasion of privacy but what you did was extremely dangerous. If that spell had anything to do with astro-projection you might not have had a body this a morning. And then you saw...gah!" Ash fought the urge to bury his head beneath the library floorboards in frustration. "I know you just wanted to help but still...I'm not just angry; I'm furious, I'm relieved, I'm nervous, disappointed, frustrated, worried...can you at least look like you're taking me seriously now?"

"Sorry." Twilight tried her best to erase her grin but it was like watching Applebloom go off on one of her Cutie Mark related protests. Yes, Twilight felt guilty about invading Ash's mind and spying into his dreams (not to mention a little sick at the memory) but it was becoming difficult to remain guilty as the little Unicorn standing before her screwed and twisted his face as he struggled with his conflicting emotions.

With a groan, Ash folded his legs and collapsed. Tilting his head, he faced Twilight. He seemed to age a decade before her eyes.

"Great," he muttered, "now we've got to change you back."

"Aww, already?"

"You know the...risks?" Ash tapped the floor thoughtfully. "Actually...hmm..."

"Everypony in Ponyville already knows who I am and we can just say the transformation resulted from a spell."

"Somepony could still make a connection," Ash argued. "I mean, it couldn't have been a coincidence that a few weeks after the introduction of a new boarder at the library shortly following the first appearance of a Human in Equestria the librarian becomes one."

Even as the words left his mouth, Ash knew he was grasping at straws. "But," he continued, "I suppose we could risk a few days."

"Wait, you mean..." Twilight gasped. "I can...really?"

"It'll take sometime to reverse this anyways--"

A sudden squeak left the grey Unicorn's mouth as he found himself in an even more bone-breaking embrace, a sound that harmonized with Twilight's happy cheers.

"Oh, I can't wait! There are so many tests I want to try out."

Ash tried to protest but all he could muster were unintelligible squeaks and squawks. Helplessly, he began to frail and kick, accidentally knocking the pony bust to the ground.

"Geez, what's going on?" Spike groaned as he crawled down the stairs, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I was such a weird dream too and--"

The grey stallion picked himself from the floor and shook his head sadly.

"You're sooo ADORABLE!"

Spike never stood a chance.

*****

Ash fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat as he counted the seconds. Against his every instinct, he let Twilight convince him to attend class. Twilight was quite adamant against the very notion of missing a school day.

And as upset as he was with the young dragon, Ash had to admit Spike's cleverness in freeing himself from his guardian's affectionate display:

"Hey...Twilight? Doesn't Ash have, like, five minutes before he's tardy?"

He actually had a good ten but the moment Spike finished his statement, Twilight had dropped him like a sack of potatoes on fire and nearly threw the grey stallion out of the library herself. When Ash had suggested taking a day off, steam spewed from Twilight's ears and before he knew it, Ash found himself in the dirt and dust several feet from the library's doorstep with a heavy saddlebag wrapped around his head.

In hindsight, the phrase 'leave of absence' would have been wiser than the term 'hooky'.

Ash glanced over to the clock. Recess would be here soon, giving him the opportunity to speak with Ms. Cheerilee privately. A simple explanation with few details should be enough, Ash decided, and he would be excused for the rest of the day, perhaps the rest of the day.

The Unicorn made himself a mental checklist. First, he had to make sure Twilight wouldn't attempt any insane experiments in the name of science; Applejack's rope would be useful and perhaps a little muscle from Rainbow Dash. Twilight was also in desperate need for appropriate clothing so a visit from Rarity would also be necessary.

Reluctantly, Ash added Pinkie Pie his list as well. He was going to need both Twilight and Spike's help with researching and figuring out a counter-spell, just like before, which meant the scaly assistant would have to be pulled from kitchen duty. And unless he wanted to starve, Ash would just have to ignore or adapt to Pinkie's random antics.

And for good measure, Ash made sure that Fluttershy would know of the situation. It was only fair that the Pegasus would also be informed of her friend's predicament. The problem was that Fluttershy could easily become a greater distraction than even Pinkie Pie. If Twilight caught sight of her, it would be impossible to get any help with the research. On the other hand, Fluttershy could keep Twilight preoccupied and away from the large pile of investigative equipment locked away in the lab beneath the library...

"Ash? We're waiting."

The grey Unicorn jerked his head up and lost control of his pencil, which found itself buried into the ceiling.

"Sorry," he said as giggles arose. "What was the question?"

Cheerilee frowned but before she could repeat herself a great thunderous roar echoed through the classroom.

A muffled groan could be heard as Ash bashed his long grey face into his desk.

*****

Mayor Mare listened patiently as the strange furless creature claiming to be Twilight apologized earnestly and promised to repair town hall's windows.

The stallion who stood fearlessly next to the purple-headed biped (Ash, the Mayor remembered with slight bitterness; she never got her turn with the piñata.) explained why Twilight was no longer a pony carefully.

"Magic," he had said. It was also his explanation for the sudden sonic blast that originated from the library and spread throughout Ponyville.

"Well, Ms. Sparkle," the Mayor said, "I don't doubt that you will take responsibility for this. But I hope, for the town's sake, that until this transformation is reversed, you will avoid practicing magic."

Twilight nodded with some difficulty. "Sorry," she said again as a blush creeped across her face. "I just don't know what went wrong. Um, Applejack?"

"Ya?"

"Could you loosen these ropes? Their really tight, especially around the upper torso area. This is the upper torso, right?"

"Hold up," Rainbow interjected. "Do you promise no more nutty science projects with your own body?"

"I haven't even done anything yet," Twilight protested.

The door swung open and in came Spike, his arms filled with rolls and rolls of colorful fabrics and measuring tape.

"At last, thank you Spike." Rarity motioned to Applejack. "Applejack, please untie Twilight. I need her measurements."

"Not 'til she promises she won't do something crazy, like hack off a limb to see if it grows back. Wait, Ash?" The colorful Pegasus turned to the less colored Unicorn. "Can Humans do that?"

"No."

"I would never do something like that," Twilight defended angrily. "Spike still has his arms and legs, right?"

As voiced grew louder and tempers flared, Ash guided Mayor Mare out.

"Is there...I can see why Twilight's tied up," Mayor Mare said slowly. "But why were Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy tied up with her?"

With a shrug, Ash answered nonchalantly:

"Friendship."

Oh, the Humanity 2

Twilight's eyes flew open as she sprung to a sitting position. She clutched her blanket tightly as her breaths came out in a harsh, forceful manner in an alarmingly rapid rate. She shuddered and wrapped her blanket closer. With the back of her hand, she wiped her brow.

"You alright?"

Twilight almost jumped at the sound of Ash's voice. He laid some distance away and while the library was still dark, it was apparent the Ash was a Human once more.

"Y-yeah, I'm...fine," Twilight said shakily. "Did I wake you?"

"No. Funny thing, really: first thing I saw was you jolting awake." Ash was silent for a moment before adding, "It's like we woke up at the same time. Curious..."

"Do you think it has to do with my transformation?"

"Probably." Ash slowly got his feet and made his way to Twilight's side, taking great care not to upset the stacks of notes laying about. Despite not being able to read and having to deal with both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie around, the Mage had gotten a significant amount of research done in a single evening. "At any rate, it's a clue."

He sat down and draped his blanket over Twilight's shoulders. "Breath in for four seconds, then out for another four," he instructed. "Yes, like that. Now repeat..."

Slowly, Twilight gained control over herself and her breathing slowed to a normal pace. Color returned to her face and the library didn't seem so cold.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

In silence, the two Humans sat, listening to the rhythmic snoring of a baby dragon.

"It was a dream, wasn't it?" Ash finally asked.

"Yeah," said Twilight quietly. She turned to face him. Even in the darkness Twilight could make out Ash's features. "How do you deal with them?"

"Well, normally I try to ignore them and avoid discussing them and we can see that was not the best idea I've had." He chuckled humorlessly. "But, of course, I didn't want to scare you with my nightmares. If it makes you feel better you're welcomed to tell me what you saw."

And so Twilight did. It was the same vision she saw in Ash's mind that night, only this time, the corpses were far more recognizable. The Human arm had become a Pegasus wing, a blue one.

Her voice broke at certain points. When she had finished, Twilight began to shiver. She missed her purple hide; Human skin was poor protection against the cold.

"What's wrong with me?" Twilight cried. "Why do I see these things? How are we going to fix this?"

"I...I've got theories. Nothing concrete," Ash admitted. "But don't worry. You've got some of the greatest friends I've ever seen. Resourceful, determined, loyal. We'll find a way. We'll figure this out." Taking her hands, Ash looked straight into Twilight's eyes. "I promise."

A smile lit across her face. "Thank," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm normally more composed."

"I think you're taking this pretty well."

"Please."

"No, really. Remember, I've seen those visions too. I know what it's like. Feels so vivid, so real, so..." Ash trailed off into silence.

"Like a dream or a memory?"

"Yes, like a bad memory." Ash turned away and slipped his hands out of Twilight's. "A memory..."

*****

"Hurry up!" Sethiop bellowed over the sound of crackling wood and agonized screaming. He and Dorian stood at the burning doorway, waiting for an opportunity. "While there still survivors to save!"

"It's not working!" Ash roared back, his arm stretched toward the burning house. What moisture he could magically muster into a missile evaporated before even touching the flames.

His eyes blurred in the arid air. With the back of his hand, Ash wiped soot from his face and fought for concentration in the midst of the dry, burning wind, the blistering heat, and the surrounding symphony of chaos. Gritting his teeth, the Mage raised his arm...

*****

"Ash?"

"It's nothing, nothing," the Mage quickly assured. "I'm going to, uh, clean up around here before Rarity arrives with your clothes."

"It's not even seven yet," Twilight pointed out.

"Well, I'd better clean while I still have these." Ash wiggled his fingers. "Easier for me anyways."

Before Twilight could object, Ash got to his feet and made his way to the clutter of parchments and books. As he gathered the papers and organized them into piles, Ash was thinking. He looked back over the notes before remembering that Spike had written them in Equestrian. The Mage fought the urge to sigh; with patience, he told himself, he would learn to read the language of the equines and be no longer dependent on Twilight or at the mercy of Spike, at least in this regard.

Instead, he quickly jotted down a few notes of his own and stuck the paper in the middle of a spell book, the same, in which Twilight had discovered the oneirological monitorization and astro-self interjection spell. Ash placed the book on top of the stack of parchments and mentally prepared himself for another day of rigorous studying.

*****

Rarity left her store, tired but triumphant. Normally, the Unicorn avoided all possible contact with the outside world if she missed enough beauty sleep. And it was apparent by the bags beneath her eyes, despite her attempts to hide them, that last night had been a restless one for this Unicorn. Of course, there were special exceptions and the prospect of seeing Twilight's face light up at the sight of her new clothes was enough that she ventured out, making sure that at least her mane was somewhat presentable.

A large bundle sat on the Unicorn's back. In it sat the fruits of the seamstress's laboring. The minute Rarity had gathered the necessary measurements, she promised Twilight that by tomorrow morning, she would have the greatest piece of clothing ever seen by ponykind, or rather more appropriately, Humankind. And over Twilight's protests, that's what she planned and what she did.

It wasn't until Rarity returned to her private workspace when she realized just how difficult her job was. Her first clue should have been how much trouble she had while finding Twilight's measurements. Even with Ash's somewhat reluctant help, it took Rarity a large chunk of the afternoon to determine the Unicorn-now-Human's sizes. It didn't help that the strange shape of Twilight's chest added another factoring size to the equation.

A promise was a promise, however, no matter how ill-conceived, and so Rarity spent the rest of that day and all that night working (her neighbors did their best to sleep and ignore the musical number next door). When she finally took a step back, blinked the tiredness from her blurry eyes, and examined her work, the Unicorn found herself surprisingly satisfied with the final product. More than satisfied, really; one could argue that this project rivaled her Gala project, in both beauty and difficulty.

Still, Rarity couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Twilight's tastes in dress were, well, for a lack of a better word, simple, which probably did not change after her transformation. For her birthday, the purple Unicorn was ecstatic over a little dress that Rarity made with minimal effort, praising it for it's simplicity and practicality. Rarity, on the other hand, had a much larger vision that went beyond the realm of practicality and into the world of fashion. Finding a balance between the two had not been easy but Rarity thought she had been successful. Hopefully, Twilight would too. As she trotted toward the library, the seamstress tried not to visualize Twilight's unhappy and disappointed face.

*****

Twilight Sparkle's disappointed face looked up toward Rarity, along with Twilight's happy face, Twilight's bewildered face, and many others. The ground was littered with photos of a purple-haired Human making different facial expressions with a simple description scribbled at the edge. In the center was a tripod. The camera sat on the table, opened up. A familiar grey Unicorn sat in front of it, lifting a piece every now and then for a better look.

"Sorry 'bout the mess," Spike said as he guided Rarity through the library. "Want some tea while we wait for Twilight?"

"Spike, have I every told you what a gentlecolt you are?" Under the Unicorn's beaming grin, Spike grew hotter and blushed beneath his scales. "And where is Twilight?" Rarity asked, levitating her bundle off her back and into Spike's arms.

"Out," Ash responded, his eyes still trained on the camera. "Something about needing more film."

"Twilight used up the entire stock we got for Hearts Warming Eve." The dragon rolled his eyes. "And you'd better fix that camera before Twilight gets back," he directed at Ash. "It was a gift from her BBBFF. Big brother best friend forever," Spike added quickly, noticing the stallion's blank look.

Rarity stared at the sea of photographs on the ground. Carefully, she lifted one to eye level. Twilight was crossed eyed and had her tongue sticking out in this one. Raising an eyebrow, she set it down and asked, "And why is Twilight taking so many pictures of herself?"

"Research," Spike and Ash answered in unison.

"Research?"

"Yup," Spike said. "Twilight's been recording all her facial expressions as a Human and comparing them to her facial expressions as a pony." The dragon picked up one of the pictures. "See? This is a happy Human Twilight."

Rarity stared at the photo. The Human in the picture had her mouth curled into a grin with her eyes wide open. "I don't understand. What's so fascinating about that?"

"She's grinning, like a pony," Ash said. "Or from my point of view, you grin like Humans. There." The grey Unicorn placed the last screw into place and cautiously hit the camera's trigger. Nothing happened.

"Strange...what did I do wrong?"

"Our camera doesn't flash unless there's film inside," Spike explained.

"Ah." He turned his attention to the alabaster Unicorn. "Anyways, what's fascinating is that Humans and ponies, and dragons I suppose, share facial expressions, meaning we may have similar muscular and skeletal structures. Which reminds me, Spike?" Ash turned to Twilight's scaly assistant. "Call Rainbow Dash and Applejack over if they're not busy. I might need some help convincing Twilight not to extract her own skeleton for, what's the word, science."

A large shadow filled the library, much too large for a pony. Slowly, everypony turned to the doorway.

"Ooh, what a great idea!"

*****

"No, listen, what if I--"

"No," Ash said with every air particle of finality. He let a stack of large books and papers fall with a thud. "No clones, no time traveling into the future, no teleporting out of your skin, no. You are not allowed to extract your own skeleton using any methods."

Twilight pursed her lips, wrapped her fingers around the sides of her hips, and began to explain the concept of a x-ray. Meanwhile, Rarity untied her bundle.

As Rarity unraveled her work, a wave of exhaustion rolled over her, as if to remind the Unicorn how much effort she had put in. Try as she might, Rarity could not contain her yawn. Her attempts to hide it behind her hoof failed as well.

"Oh my goodness," Twilight exclaimed, interrupting her little lesson. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I almost forgot about you, Rarity. Spike, please prepare some tea."

"Oh, please don't trouble yourself," said Rarity, stifling another yawn. "I'm just here to give you this..."

"Whoa..." Spike jumped back in awe, using his tail as a coiled spring to prop himself up. "It looks...amazing."

Like a typical Mage robe, the outfit was essentially a large coat, with a long trail from the back much like a cape. Unlike Ash's robe, which was plainly colored blue, however, Rarity's project was a beautiful shade of lavender. The hole where the neck presumably went through opened up at the front into a V, which extended down to the length of a Human's upper torso. At the bottom point of the V was a big, golden star. The star was cut in half as at that point, the robe split open. Aligning one of the edges (the wrong side, Ash later noticed), were bright red buttons. On the other side were more golden stars, each smaller than the one above it and alternating between the button holes.

Around the V and the neck hole was a collar, made of a lighter colored fabric. Around the neck it stood up while at the V, the collar was folded back. Sewn into and along the entire edge of the collar were tiny, silver stars. On the sides of the collar nearest to the neck, somewhat perpendicular to the shoulders, additional heavenly bodies formed constellations, the Big Dipper on her right, Orion on the left.

A silky red ribbon encircled the edge of each of the sleeve's cuffs. On one sleeve, the ribbon was shaped into the form of the sun, with additional strands acting as rays. The other sleeve held a crescent moon. Additional silver stars were sown beside the sister celestial beings.

With quivering hands, Twilight accepted the gift with uncertainty. It was soft as silk. "I...I..."

"Wow," Ash breathed. "That's...just wow."

"Do you, like it?" Rarity asked hesitantly. The Unicorn screamed as she was suddenly lifted into the air and and embraced.

"Like it? I love it! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Twilight cried as she spun with robe in one arm and Rarity in the other. "You even got all the details on Orion's belt right. This is amazing!"

"I'm glad you're so appreciative," Rarity struggled to say, "but could you set me down."

"Sorry." Carefully, Twilight set her friend back on the floor and helped her regain her balance. "I still can't believe you managed to do this in such short notice," Twilight continued, holding the robe out in front of her. "You must have spent all night work." She set the clothes down and turned to Rarity, who sat watching and wore a giant smile. Twilight's own face was more serious, almost solemn.

"You didn't have to do all this," Twilight said. "I never wanted to cause you so much trouble."

Rarity's smile grew larger as she waved away Twilight's concerns. "Don't tell me what I don't have to do. I know I didn't have to but I wanted to and I did." The Unicorn placed a hoof on her friend's knee. "You're my friend, Twilight, and I want the best for my friends. Even if you only get to wear this for a few days, if you like it, I'm happy."

Twilight crouched down and gave Rarity a gentle hug, which the Unicorn gladly returned. "Thanks, Rarity," she said, emotions leaking from her voice and her eyes. "You're a great friend."

Spike nudged Ash's side and rolled his eyes. The stallion suddenly felt intrusive. He quickly averted his gaze and set his attentions to the ground. One of the books he dropped had opened and caught his eye. It was Twilight's spell book, the one that had caused so much trouble as well as this emotional scene. Ash's note stuck out, beckoning him to investigate and find the connection between it and the diagram on the adjust page.

The grey Unicorn looked back to Rarity and Twilight and shook his head. There would be time later, he decided. Tomorrow, or maybe another day...

Ash tried to shut the book as quietly as he could but it still closed with a loud, wince-worthy thump. At this, the purple haired Human and the alabaster Unicorn broke their touching embrace.

"Now," Rarity said, dabbing her eyes. "let's see how this looks on you, shall we?"

Oh, the Humanity 3

When Princess Celestia first engineered the method of using dragon fire as a form of correspondence, it was to develop a faster, more direct way of delivering mail. The possible downsides of this method were never fully discussed or investigated and it was only after Twilight's report summarizing all her other report was lost to the soapy waters of Celestia's bath did the Princess discover that in her search for speed she had sacrificed much on the recipient's part.

Because of its instability and tendency to create inconveniences, dragon flame was used exclusively between Celestia and her student, Twilight. The lack of draconic resources may have also stemmed the method's popularity.

And it was because of these flaws that the Princess of the Sun now returned to the castle from a morning flying session with her normally ethereal mane dripping wet and a soggy scroll between her teeth.

The scroll was written in what was one of the worst hoofwritings Celestia had ever seen, though this may have been caused by water damage. With the scroll was photograph, which had survived. The picture was of a Human, not Ash. This Human had long purple hair, with streaks of light red and eyes of a similar pigment. A beautiful purple dress was worn, giving the Human both a mystic vibe and a sensual air. She, for this Human certainly felt more feminine than Ash, seemed familiar to Celestia, somehow.

As the Princess tried to figure out why the photographed Human had such an air of familiarity, another burst of green flame ignited. The fire died away, leaving behind another letter.

Der Pines Seltia,/ it read. /Ef yer reedin tis, thn u mistav got Twlite's...

At this point, Celestia gave up trying to interpret the letter. The hoofwriting was barely more legible than in the letter before it and the spelling was horrid. Had Celestia made an effort to continue, she would have notice a lack in periods and any grammatical consistence.

Princess Celestia set the parchment down and got up to prepare a bath, only to be stopped by another flare of greenish fire that dropped yet another roll of paper. Fighting the urge to sigh, she opened the letter and began reading.

Dear Princess Celestia,

If you are reading this then you probably already got Twilight and Ash's letters, which means I've got some explaining to do. Ash's already done all the explaining in his letter but I don't think it's very readable.

The second letter was Ash's attempt to explain the situation but he's still learning how to read and write. I don't think I was suppose to send that one cuz he threw it in the waste basket after writing it.

The first letter was written by Twilight. She insisted on telling you herself but she's still getting used to her hands and her handwriting kinda sucks.

Twilight wants to tell you that everything is fine and that there is no need for you to inter--interv--for you to jump in and to help. Personally I think she's just excited about all this and just wants more time to study herself. Anyways, I'll be sure to tell you if Twilight goes crazy and if you do need to jump in and help.

Ash says he thinks he know what went wrong and how to fix it. He told me that if it's not permanent, he'll take his time cuz he'd hate to disappoint Twilight and fix everything before she got anything done. He also told me, and he said to keep this a secret, that he'd hate to see those robes go to waste. He's been blushing a lot these days. Don't know what that's about.

Anyways, I'll be sure to let you know if this gets out of hands but honestly, what could go wrong?

Sincerely, Spike

P.S.

Oh, and Twilight turned herself into a Human after she did some spell that lets her see dreams or something. Not to sure about the details but Ash is pretty sure he can fix it. The picture is of Twilight, by the way.

*****

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HUE-MAN RESEARCHERS YAY!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike asked, wringing his tail nervously. The young phoenix chick Peewee stood perched on the dragon's shoulder, tilting his head curiously.

"Well, no," Ash admitted. He reached out and stroked the magical bird as gently as he could. The phoenix had hidden himself until very recently, giving the Human some distrustful glances from his makeshift nest. "But it'll keep her from doing anything too extreme. I doubt Twilight would do anything that would endanger those kids, especially since two of them are related to her friends." He took a sip of tea and grimaced.

"Something wrong?"

The stallion shook his head. "Too much sugar, that's all."

"Too much sugar?" Pinkie gasped. She snatched the cup out of Ash's hooves and downed it in a second. "Never!"

The only sign Ash gave that the pink Earth pony had surprised him were two short blinks. "Hello Pinkie," he managed to say with a straight face. "If you're looking for a book, the librarian's out. Guess that means the library's closed too."

"Hey, I can run this place myself!" Spike said, stomping his foot indignantly.

"So you don't want a day off?"

"Oh, uh..."

Pinkie Pie giggled. "Silly billy, if I wanted a book, I'd go to a library. Oh wait, this /is/ a library!" She giggled again. "Anyway, I don't want a book, at least not right now but if I did want a book I'd definitely come here because, well, it /is/ a library and since I know the librarian, I get all my books for free, just like at Sugar Cube Corner until the Cakes said all those samples were for customers only but I could still have just one but I could have just one, because-"

"The point, Pinkie," Ash jumped in, his irritation barely kept in check. "What's your point?"

"Point? I don't have a point. I'm not a Unicorn like you, silly. You guys are the ones with the pointy horns on your heads, not me."

This time Ash couldn't hold back his groan.

"But enough about points. I've still got a purpose to fulfill." Pinkie picked up one of the discarded books on the ground and pulled out two pink envelops. She took a deep breath...

"I'm excited, you're invited!

Yes you are! Yes you are!

Twilight's now a Human!

Got find some balloons then!

Party time! Party time!

What's the time? Twelve thirty-five!"

And with that, Pinkie Pie leaped into the air and bounced off into town.

"Okay, didn't expect that," Ash finally said after getting over his shock.

"Somehow, I did," stated Spike, examining his invitation. "Huh, no confetti today. That's odd."

With the tip of his claw, Spike began to open his envelop. "Anyways, you hang around Pinkie Pie long enough, you get real used to her. Nothing fazes me anymore."

The envelop exploded, covering the dragon in a sticky, melty batter from head to toe.

"How about that?" Ash challenged as Peewee took off, squawking in annoyance and begrudged amusement, dripping sticky batter on the floor and shelves. "That faze you?"

"Maybe a little." Spike licked some batter off with his tongue. "Mmm, strawberry. I hope she bakes one of these at the party."

As the young dragon began to clean himself, much like a cat, Ash cautiously opened his own invitation, using magic and standing as far as his range would permit.

The envelop exploded and showered the library with bits of colored paper. Pieces of confetti landed on his nose.

"Why aren't I surprise?"

*****

"A 'Twilight's a Human' party?" Rainbow Dash reread the invitation. "Are we being serious here?"

"Well, I don't know about you," Pinkie Pie said, "But I'm dead serious. Partying is very serious business after all. Can't you see how serious I am.

The light blue Pegasus stared at the whirling helmet on Pinkie's head. It was similar to the contraption her tortoise, Tank, used to hover around. Several balloons were also tied to the pink Earth pony's waist and tail. "Oh yeah, I can totally see how serious you are," Rainbow said dryly.

As usual, Rainbow Dash's sarcasm flew over Pinkie's head. "I'm glad you understand," she said, oblivious to the rolling of the Pegasus' eyes. "You have no idea how much time I wasted explaining to Rarity why this party is so necessary."

"Uh, why is this necessary again."

Pinkie groaned. "Quota."

*****

"Is this really a good idea?"

"What? The party or this experiment?"

"Both," answered Rarity. "But let's begin with this...experiment, you called it?"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HUE-MAN RESEARCHERS SLASH CLIFF DIVERS YAY!"

"Oh my, that sounds so dangerous." Fluttershy looked up and gulped. "That cliff is so...high."

"Really, I'm surprise you're letting Sweetie Belle take part in this," Ash said.

"As long as she isn't actually doing any of the diving." The two Unicorns looked up. "What does Twilight hope to accomplish?" the white one asked.

"Ever since she made that connection between Human facial expressions and pony facial expressions, she's been a bit obsessed with the similarities between the two species and been trying to find more." Ash pointed up toward the edge of the hill above them. "This is the adrenaline test."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh........!"

"As fascinating as the similarities are, I'm not sure why she's making such a big fuss, really."

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh........!"

"I mean, yeah, it's interesting and all but there's a lot more she could be researching..."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHhhhhhhhhh..........!"

"...hands, fingers, bipedal locomotion. I mean, if I had never been a Human and had the chance to become one, that's what I'd do..."

"OHSWEETCELESTIASTOPTHISCRAZYTHINGIWANNAGETOFFNOWNOMORENOMORE.........!"

"I guess she's had enough," Ash observed wisely. "I have to say, I never thought silk could be so durable."

"Just because it is beautiful does not mean it is weak," Rarity said with a sniff. "I like to think I know Twilight pretty well. I even took the liberty of fireproofing the silk."

"WHYWON'TITSTOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPpppppppp........?"

"Um, Ash?" Scootaloo called from the edge of the cliff.

"Yeah?" the grey Unicorn called back from the base.

"We forgot how to stop this."

"Oh, I know! I know! We should cut the cord like last time!" Sweetie Belle suggested excitedly.

"Ah'll go get the tramboline," Apple Bloom said, rolling her eyes.

"And about the party?" Rarity asked, tearing her attention from Twilight's fluctuating screams.

"Huh, oh right, Pinkie's party." Ash took a minute to think before answering. "Well, there's the risk of exposing my own identity but it's a pretty small one. And it'd be a good distraction for Twilight. It'd be a nice distraction for all of us, really."

"You don't sound convinced yourself, however," Rarity noted.

"It's still a distraction," Ash answered after a moment of reflection. "In that time I could be preparing."

"I thought you knew how to reverse the spell. Not to imply that you were lying or wrong or anything," Fluttershy quickly added.

"I do. At least, I think I do." The grey stallion shook his head. "And it's a painfully difficult solution. In all honest, I'd like to simply get this over with. I'm trying my patience just by letting Twilight do her research." He sighed and lowered his head onto the ground.

Besides the screams of Twilight and the Crusaders, Ash, Fluttershy, and Rarity sat in silence.

"Also, I'm not looking forward to being a piñata again."

*****

"Please?"

"No,"

"Pleease?"

"No,"

"Pleeease?"

"Y-no! Don't look at me like that!"

Pinkie Pie's ears drooped. She let the blindfold and the stick fall from her hooves. The sight almost crushed Ash's heart and he struggled against the urge to pick up the stick and beat himself until candy magically fell out of his wounds. Rainbow Dash had the same idea apparently, as she smacked the grey Unicorn in the head from behind, her face betraying her fear. Her anxiety grew as Pinkie Pie's hair slowly straightened out.

Almost immediately, however, Pinkie jumped right back up, grinning. "I know, we can play pin the tail on the pony!"

"I don't like the look your giving me."

"Oh, play along would you?" Rarity picked up the purple cloth imitation of a horse's tail. "White is such a dull color when it comes to tails and manes. Why not a lovely shade of violet."

"Or pink!"

"Eep!"

"What are you all doing!"

Everypony turned around. Twilight stood at the entrance of the library, with bits of grass and dirt in her hair.

The scene before her left Twilight speechless and her eyes all twitchy. Her library was a chaotic storm of party decorations thrown around haphazardly. The "Twilight's a Human" sign was hung crookedly upside down. Pinkie Pie held Fluttershy's tail between her teeth. Cake batter was splattered over all the walls and shelves. In a corner was a smoking pile of ash and twisted debris.

"What. Happened. Here?"

How unfortunate that Spike chose this moment to walk into the room, holding a cup while wearing a lampshade on his head. "Hey Pinkie, we're outta punch again."

"THRPRIZ!" Pinkie screamed, her mouth still full of tail. She gestured to the rest, who half-heartedly said "surprise" with little synchronization or organization.

Silence rolled through like tumble weed through the desert. Like a convict waiting for his punishment, Ash felt his mouth go dry, his mind go blank.

"Here they are!" Applejack made her way into the library, pulling a cart of treats. "Best bite-sized apple fritters yah've evar tasted here," the farmpony announced, grabbing Twilight by the neck..

Ash watched in horror as the blonde pony pulled Twilight down to her height and stuff one of the treats into her mouth.

Slowly, she began to chew. And chew. And chew. With her tongue, Twilight shifted the food from one cheek to the other.

An metaphorical eternity later, Twilight swallowed. Everypony watched anxiously as the treat traveled down her throat.

Twilight grinned. The library exploded with cheering.

*****

Laughter filled the library as the party began in full swing after some cleaning and reorganizing.

While most of Ponyville was still a little uneasy with their local librarian's new form, the Golden Oak library was packed. It was a Pinkie Pie party, after all, and Pinkie had made no effort to keep it private. Even the mayor of Ponyville and Mrs. Cheerilee found time in their busy schedule to visit.

These two had been chatting with Ash at the punch table, both curious as to when Twilight would be restored. The stallion simply assured them that he was doing his best but he wasn't sure when he'd be able to reverse the spell.

Twilight, meanwhile, sat with her friends and talked about her discoveries on Humans. At first, everypony had been listening intently but after a few minutes, only Fluttershy was truly paying attention.

"...and so then I thought, well, I'd might as well take an urine sample while I'm at it but..."

"I'm so sorry about your party cannon, Pinkie," Rarity said quickly, hoping the change the subject. The Unicorn gestured to the waste basket that held the heap of ash and pieces of debris.

"Don't worry your head 'bout it," Pinkie said, waving away Rarity's concern. "I've been meaning to get another one anyway. Still..." The pink party pony, leaned her chin on her hoof. "Who woulda thought stuffing cake mix in there would have cause it to explode?"

"Ah told yah that was a bad idea when Ah left," Applejack complained. "But yah just had tah listen tah Rainbow Dash."

"Hey, it was a great idea on paper," Rainbow argued. "Make the cake and decorate at the same time. We could have saved so much time if it worked."

Rarity shook her head. "If it worked."

Twilight laughed. Then she took out a notepad and with a slow and unsteady hand, began to write.

"Whatcha got there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, just some notes."

"Lemme see."

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Wow, Twilight, your grip is weak." The Pegasus squinted at the notepad. "Hue-man...reactions...to a...party? Really, Twilight? It's a party, not some research trip. Have some fun."

"This is fun."

The rainbow maned Pegasus simply rolled her eyes and tossed the notes back. "Whatever."

"Now, now, Rainbow does have a point."

"Huh? I do?"

It was Rarity's turn now to roll her eyes. "Yes, you do. There is a time for work and a time for play. This is a time for play. You need to relax, Twilight. It'll do wonders to your complexion."

"But-"

"No buts." Gentle, but firmly, Rarity took Twilight's notepad away. "You've done enough research for one day. It's a wonder why you haven't lost your voice yet."

Twilight sighed but gave in. "Alright, no more studying for today," she said.

"Uh uh, that's not enough." Pinkie presented a wooden stick and a cloth blindfold seemingly out of nowhere. "You've got to have some f-u-n!"

The line that had been Twilight's mouth curved into a smile. "Alright, I'll have some fun."

Twilight got to her feet and took the stick. At first she considered holding it in her jaws, like she normally did, but holding the stick in her hands felt, well, natural, innate.

A crowd soon gathered around the purple headed Human as she took her place. The grey, pony-shaped piñata was repositioned to account for Twilight's height.

"Come on, Twilight!" Pinkie cheered along with the rest of her friends. "You can do it."

"Yeah! Show that piñata what an egghead can do!"

"Yah can do it, sugarcube."

"Yay."

"Do your best, dear."

"Yeah Twilight! You can-"

The rest of Spike's cheer had been cut off as a burst of green fire flew out of his mouth.

"Be careful," Ash hissed. "We're still in a library."

"Sorry." The scaly assistant picked up the scroll that had fallen on the floor. "Hey, Twilight? It's from the princess. Twilight?"

Spike turned and faced his friend and sister-figure. "T-Twilight?"

The importance of Twilight's research on Human-pony similarities suddenly became clear. Everypony could see how her very Human face reflected familiar, pony-like feelings.

Fear. Pain. Horror. Regret.

Twilight watched in fear, in pain, in horror, in regret, as the piñata above burned, the flames licking away its paper skin. Then, everything went dark.

*****

"Look out!" the short, stout earth stallion with a thick beard yelled in a thick accent. He grabbed the taller, clean-shaved stallion out of the way. Out of the burning house stumbled out a figure. It screamed as it the flames licked away its skin and flesh so that it was unclear whether it was a mare or a stallion, colt or filly.

A white Unicorn mare with blonde mane approached the burning figure, her horn lit and glowing silver.

"Do not touch him!" Another mare, a dark green Pegasus with a mane as black as the night and a quiver between her wings, grabbed the other, pulling her away.

"What are you doing?" the white one protested. "I can still save him!"

"No, you can't."

Twilight turned. Behind her was a yellow Unicorn, with a mane and tail as white as snow, with streaks of pink that blended in perfectly. For a split second, she had mistaken this new mare as Fluttershy but one glance at those hard, unrelenting eyes quickly convinced Twilight otherwise.

"Can't? Are you heartless?" The white Unicorn seemed to be at the verge of tears. "This is what I was trained for, what I was called for!"

"This is no ordinary fire. Those are no ordinary burns," the newcomer said coldly. "Infrit burns constantly, until either the one who summoned the flames is dead or else there is no fuel left to be consumed."

"Then all we've got to do is take out the caster," the taller stallion said. "Easy enough,"

"Ack, boy." The shorter pony made a sign in the air. "You'll be jinxin' us wit that kinda attitude."

"Hold on," Twilight heard herself say. Was it really her speaking? Was that really her voice? "Infrit...infrit..." She felt the color drain from her face. "You mean...Hellfire?"

The yellow Unicorn nodded. "And the only possible casters of Hellfire are-"

A sudden roar filled the air. No, not a roar. It was a mixture of agonized screaming and lamenting of a thousand tortured damned and the chill laughter of a child having discovered the delicate balance between life and death by shredding the wings off a butterfly.

Fear could be seen in the Unicorn mare's dark eyes as she continued.

"-the lesser Demons, servants and slaves of the Dark One, Cerfuli."

Un-Conscious Motion

Warm, so warm...

Where am I?

Why...?

What's going on?

Everything...

What? Why is everything so...dark?

...turns..ash...ash...to ash...turns to...

Twil...sh...time to wake up...

*****

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. A pair of vermillion eyes stared back. She jerked up, hitting Rainbow accidently.

"Ow!" Rainbow Dash clutched her forehead. "Hey Ash, she awake."

...turns...to...

Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. She groaned as she removed the blanket draped over her and sat up. A wave a nausea rolled over her, forcing her back down.

"Don't move. Try to relax."

Twilight looked up. A young man stood over her. Despite his age, messy white hair stuck out at odd areas. His brown eyes were filled with both concern and fear.

Why did he look so similar?

The man knelt next to her. "Do you know who you are?"

"Uh, Ash?"

The youth silenced the cerulean Pegasus with a shush. Ignoring her glares, he repeated the question: "Do you know who you are?"

"Ye-wait." Twilight grit her teeth and clutched her head. "Nnh, I...I..."

"Take your time," the white-haired man said patiently.

"Twilight...Twilight Sparkle!" She leapt to her feet. "That's my name, right?"

The man nodded-wait, wasn't that...

"What's going on?" Twilight sat back down. "What's wrong with me? How did I forget my own name?"

"Wait, you forgot your name?" Rainbow grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. Panic filled her voice. "What about me? Please tell me you remember me at least!"

"S-stop shaking me, R-Rainbow Dash."

The Pegasus let out a breath of relief. "Okay, it's all good, it's all good."

Ash grabbed Rainbow by the tall and pulled her off of Twilight. "Wonderful," he said. "Now go get the others. I'm sure they're just as worried as you were."

"Aw, c'mon," Rainbow Dash whined. "I'm tired. Can't it wait 'til morning?"

"Wait, what time is it?" Twilight glanced over to the clock in the corner. "Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here so early?"

"Ah, you know...just looking out for-" The rest of Rainbow's sentence was swallowed up by a yawn.

"Bed's upstairs." Ash pointed to the flight of stairs behind him with a thumb. "Twilight'll be fine. Go take a nap, then gather everyone else in the morning."

The Pegasus was in no mood to argue. "Kay...see ya in the morning," she mumbled as she dragged herself up.

"You've got a real loyal friend right there. Stayed up all night getting in my way," Ash exclaimed. The Pegasus had gotten up half of the stairs before collapsing and began to snore away. "Of course, it's a little easier when you don't have work the next day. All your other friends wanted to stay with you but, well..."

"Yeah, I understand. No really, I do," Twilight added quickly. "Applejack's got the farm, Rarity's got her shop, Fluttershy has her animals to take care of, and Pinkie Pie works at Sugar Cube Corner. I couldn't ask them to just drop everything because...what exactly happened to me anyways?"

"You blacked out at the party," Ash answered. He crossed his arms and leaned against the book shelf. He raised a hand to stop the stream of questions that stood at the tip of Twilight's tongue.

"Don't worry," he told her, closing his eyes. "I've got an explanation but I'd rather wait for everyone to be here so I can explain it to everyone once. It's complicated so I don't want to go through it anymore than I need to."

Twilight frowned. "It can't be that complicated. You could just explain it to me and I could just explain it to everypony else." Her mood brightened at the opportunity of sharing a lecture with her friends.

Without opening his eyes, Ash pointed at the chalkboard that had been pushed to the side. "If you can interpret it, be my guest. Me, I've been up all night." He covered his yawn with a hand. "Sorry but I need to get some sleep too."

Twilight got to her feet and made her way to the other side of the library. Once again the floor was a jungle to navigate through, with books and loose papers everywhere. Silently she wondered if her library would ever be restored to its former, organized state.

Spike laid beneath the blackboard, his claws white with chalk. Carefully, Twilight removed the book he used to prop his head up and replaced it with the pillow she had been using. The dragon mumbled something in his sleep. Twilight resisted the urge to cradle him; her Human size made Spike seem so much smaller and adorable.

Instead she turned to the board before her. Twilight wondered if Cheerilee would begin charging for the use of school equipment. She certainly hoped not, noticing the dozens of empty chalk boxes that littered the floor.

There was more white than black on the blackboard. A lengthy equation had covered the entire right side. Twilight recognized some of it as the oneirological monitorization/astro-self interjection, though she couldn't understand why it had the constant cubed and divided by the subject variable when the entire thing should have been squared. There were other minor differences as well but the greatest change was an additional variable with its own function at the end.

Twilight turned to the left side, hoping to discover a clue for figuring what the variation of the oneirological monitorization and astro-self interjection equation was to mean.

It was chaotic collage of unfamiliar symbols mashed together. It wasn't written in any readable fashion, with lines of code seemingly twisting from a linear format into a spiral and split off, like the rays of the sun or the petals of a flower. Those extensions would then create more petals. To make matters worse, the bottom left corner had been erased and replaced with a crude drawing of a cat and the phrase "RD = Awesum."

Twilight picked up a chalky snub and with shaky hands, corrected the error. While the quality was not ideal (heck, Rainbow's original message was better written and the Pegasus had the disadvantage of having to hold the chalk between her teeth) at least awesome was now spelled correctly. The small correction brought a small smile to Twilight's face but what comfort and satisfaction her correction brought was like a cup of water compared to the sea of frustration within her.

"What does-"

She was interrupted by a loud snore. Surprised, Twilight turned and searched for the source.

She chuckled when she found it. She had forgotten how loud Ash as a human was when he slept. He was much quieter as a pony. Perhaps it had to do with the change in anatomy.

The Mage let out another nasally roar. He had propped himself up against a bookshelf so that he stood with his head down and arms folded under it.

Twilight considered waking Ash up so that he could position himself more comfortably but choose not to. If he was this tired, it would be better if she left him alone. Strange, she had only been out for some hours, at the most ten. Twilight had seen Ash up much longer with little sign of fatigue.

Another rumble interrupted her thoughts. It didn't matter, Twilight decided. Perhaps whatever he was working on was far more taxing. If it was as complex and mind-boggling as what was written on the blackboard, he probably needed his sleep more than he was willing to admit.

Twilight yawned. It seemed like she needed a nap too, despite all her time out cold. She crawled next to her little scaly assistant and laid her head next to his. She gently stroked his head and gave Ash one last glance over her shoulder, noting how awkward position he would find himself would be when he transformed back into a pony, and soon, she too fell asleep.

*****

Rainbow Dash groaned, too tired to muster any resistance as Rarity combed and dressed her multi-colored mane.

"Heh, an' Ah thought yer hair looked bad normally," Applejack teased.

"Argh. I didn't get any sleep last night," the Pegasus griped. "Ash kept me up all night with his snoring."

"No one else is complaining," Ash said, holding an icepack to his head. A small imprint of the Unicorn's face was in the wooden floorboards in front of the bookshelf.

"Geez, I can't believe you got through the night," Rainbow said to Spike, who had been distributing cookies and miniature cakes. She was too exhausted to joke about the dragon's apron.

Spike shrugged. "Too tired to notice," he said, stretching his arms to the ceiling. He handed the Pegasus a cupcake and laid an entire tray of cookies complemented with a tea pot and cups before Rarity.

"Geez, is it just me or does the little guy give you some sort of special treatment?" Rainbow asked, too low for Spike to hear.

Rarity flipped her mane over her shoulder. "Whatever do you mean, dear?" she responded innocently.

Rainbow Dash was interrupted by a impatient groan. She turned abruptly, wincing as her hair was caught by the teeth of Rarity's comb. Her surprise grew as she discovered her source was Twilight. The Unicorn-turned-Human sat cross legged, drumming her fingers on the table in front of her. A large piece of parchment laid on the table, next to a quill and ink set.

"Can we start yet?" she asked, half pleading, half whining.

Ash shook his head. "Not until everyon-pony is here." A yawn leaked out of him as he struggled to keep a straight, focused face.

Twilight bit back another groan, instead slamming her face onto the table. The inkwell wobbled slightly, slipping a few drops of dark ink on the wood.

"Now, here's sumthin' yah don' see everyday," Applejack exclaimed. "What's got yah so revved up? Ah don' think Ah've evar saw yah so impatient before. Not even durin' cider season."

"You should see her during book season. Or exam month," Spike said, rolling his eyes. "She like this whenever she sees a learning opportunity. She once camped out in front of a lecture hall two nights in advance just because some professor was going to introduce some new theory."

"That professor happened to have had his doctorate personally presented to him by Princess Celestia herself," Twilight stated defensively. "And the Quantum Ponymer Field-Force theory was nothing new. It was a revision and revisit."

Spike rolled his eyes again. "Whatever."

A soft knock at the door drew everypony's attention to the library entrance.

"Is it-" began Rarity before the door was blasted in by a wave of confetti.

"Guess what?" Pinkie Pie asked bubbly from the side. "I got a new party cannon!"

"Didn't your old one break yesterday?" Rainbow asked.

"Yep! Just came in this morning. I was kinda worried I wouldn't be able to set up a 'Welcome-Back-from-Coma-land'' party for Twilight in time but then I found this in the mailbox and I was like, 'Yay, now I can set up a Welcome-Back-from-Coma-land party for Twilight in time'." The pink pony gave the large gun a pat, spraying the entire library with bits of colored paper and streamers. Each pony now wore a cone party hat and a large banner attached itself to the blackboard. "Oops, guess this thing has a pretty light trigger. Fluttershy?" Pinkie called over behind her. "More ammo!"

"Urgh, we just cleaned this place yesterday," groaned Spike as Fluttershy crawled in, burdened by dozens of bright bags filled to the brink of candy and decorations.

Rarity and Applejack quickly ran over to assist Fluttershy as Ash removed the banner from the blackboard. "We'll have to have the party some other time," he said, folding the large sheet and setting it to the side. "It's time to get serious."

"Aww..."

"Don't worry, dear," Rarity assured. "I'm sure you'll get the chance to try your new cannon soon. Ash must have some good news if it was so necessary for us come so urgently."

"Or bad news-ow!" Rainbow winced. "Hey, no pulling!"

"Speaking of which..." Twilight dipped her pen into the inkwell and looked up, expectantly.

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint." The grey Unicorn tossed the melted icepack aside. "Now that everypony is here, I guess I can start explaining what's up."

The chalkboard was engulfed in a grey-ish light and was slowly dragged to the center of the room. Ash sweated in concentration as he tried to minimize the painful scuffing sounds as the board scraped across the wooden floor.

At last, the board was in position. Ash took a deep breath to steady himself and began...

*****

"Alright, first off: Twilight became a Human shortly after performing a spell which allowed her to see into my dreams. We can safely assume that the two are in some way connected, correct?"

"What does that have to do with Twilight fainting in the middle of the day?" Rainbow asked as everyone else nodded, indicating their understanding.

"I'm getting there. Anyways, in addition to her change in form, Twilight began having nightmares, similar to those I've been having."

"Shoot, Twi, why didn' yah tell us?" Applejack laid a hoof on Twilight's knee.

The Unicorn-turned-Human blushed, embarrassed. "I didn't want anypony to worry," she muttered. "I guess I can understand why you kept it a secret," she said to Ash.

The grey Unicorn nodded and continued, saying, "At the time I had no idea what had happened. My first theory was that because of the unique situation, the spell Twilight performed was mutated into a transformation spell. After hearing about Twilight's visions, however, I thought of something else."

The stallion gestured to board. "This looks familiar, doesn't it Twilight?"

Recalling her observations from last night, Twilight nodded. "It looks a lot like my oneirological monitorization/astro-self interjection spell. Only, it's...different."

Ash picked up one of the texts that laid beneath the board and flipped it open. "The spell Twilight is referring to is on this page. And yes, the spell here is very similar to the spell on the board. But like Twilight said, it is different."

"Hold on," Rainbow interrupted. "I thought you couldn't read or write yet."

"Gee, thanks for bring that up."

"So how'd you create a totally new spell when you can't even read the original? Hay, I can't even read this thing."

"Two things: one, it's not totally new, it's just a bit different; and two, I can read it."

A collective gasp spread through the library.

"Wait," Pinkie said after a moment of silence, "I don't get it."

"It means he can read now," Spike explained. "Duh."

"Wrong."

"Huh?"

Ash shook his head. "I can't read Equestrian any better than a newborn foal but I'm pretty fluent in the language of magic..."

Twilight gasped. "You mean...the magic format in this world is the same as in your world?"

"Yes. Surprisingly, the lexicon is similar to my old world, though it may explain how and why I can still perform magic as a Human. This in fact..." Ash pointed at the complex formula on the right side of the board. "...is a very special, very complicated magic from my world. It allows the user to inject his or her conscious into another's." He shook his head. "I never bothered taking a look at these theoretical magic books so I didn't notice this until recently. Wish I did."

"Hold on," Applejack said. "What do yah mean, inject yer conscious?"

"The mind, or at least, an avatar or a manifestation of the mind, can theoretically be, in part, removed temporarily and housed in the mind of another," Ash explained. "This avatar is called the conscious when referred to as such."

"Why would you ever want to do that?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"You know that little voice that sometimes tells you of something is wrong? Called a conscience? A foreign conscious can act the same way, influencing your thoughts and decisions. It is also possible to read the thoughts of the person your conscious is in and in some extreme cases, mind control is possible."

"Wait, how is that possible?" This time Twilight had interrupted. "Even if you could safely transfer your brain into another pony-"

"The mind is not the brain. The brain is an organ while the mind is less tangible. And as for how it is possible..." The grey stallion gestured to the spell book. "Well, you're probably the second most experienced in this field."

"But wh-"

"This has everything to do with why Twilight is a Human and why she blacked out yesterday," Ash said impatiently cutting Rainbow's question off. "These kinds of spells are difficult and if not controlled or properly used, there can be some consequences."

"Is becoming a giant hairless ape monster one of them?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"No. But blackouts, loss of memory, and unwilling changes in physical appearance are possiblities. Twilight, when your conscious left my mind, it took something with it."

"Took something?" Twilight set her pen down and stared at Ash questioningly. "Like what? How?"

He shrugged. "Could be a memory, an idea, something vivid yet physical untouchable like that. Something purely mental. And like I said, this type of magic is difficult to do and if there is an unexpected variable, like performing it on a Human-turned-pony, leaving either mind entirely unscathed is unlikely."

"So Twilight has a memory of yours in her head?" Rarity thought for a moment. "I have to say, that doesn't sound too dire."

"Tell me, what happens when you consume something you shouldn't? Like dirt."

"Dirt? The very idea of eating dirt! Why, what foal would do such a thing?" Rainbow shuffled slightly as Rarity spoke.

"Why not?"

"Well, it's dirt. It would be redundant to say the process would be a messy one."

"Anything else."

"It's not healthy, not sanitary. Goodness knows where that dirt has been."

"And neither is having a foreign memory." Ash took a moment to consider another metaphor. "Better yet, imagine an illness. When you get sick, if the illness isn't contained, it will spread. So will a memory. It will spread though the mind and twists the host to fit its environment, replacing even the conscious. And through the mind, the body is twisted as well. That's why Twilight is a Human. That's why she's been having the same nightmare night after night. That's why she blacked out and couldn't remember things at first. That's why she has brown eyes."

"Brown eyes? But I have..." Twilight leaped to her feet and hurried to the mirror that was in the corner. A small stream of dark ink followed her.

"That memory or whatever souvenir she took with her found a place in her mind and is trying to take control," Ash continued. "It was part of me and is shaping its environment to best suit itself. Normally we'd have plenty of time to take care of it but this scenario is too different, too unique, to be considered 'normal'. Physical changes are too quick, it's already replacing her memories with mine...I count us lucky Twilight only lost a little of her memory for only temporary."

"Hold on now, are yah saying..." Applejack hesitated. "Twilight could've forget everything?"

"...She'll live entirely in a vision. That's all that would remain if the foreign piece of my conscious stays. I estimate at the most half a week before Twilight's nothing more than a shell that looks just like me, reliving a dream for eternity."

The gravity of the situation hit everypony hard in the gut. The sound of a balloon deflating could be heard as a certain pink mane flattened out. Nopony spoke, though several times Rainbow opened her mouth only to shut it, her teeth grinding against her gums.

"But you can fix it, can't you?"

Nopony expected Fluttershy to break the silence, to ask the burning question. The Pegasus walked over to Ash. For a moment, she kept her down, refusing to meet the Unicorn's eyes. Suddenly she lifted her head and her aqua eyes peered into brown ones. Ash held the gaze.

"You can fix this, can't you?"

Neverfree 1

Never Free 1

Four ponies stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest. The pink, blue, and orange of their coats clashed against the dark cover of the trees. The grey one's mane was like a white stain on a black canvas.

Even Ash was apprehensive about journeying into these woods. The fact that the plants grew, the animals took care for themselves, and the clouds moved all on their hadn't really curdled his blood but even with all his experience, the Mage was more than a little worried about the creatures within. Ash recalled his scry through the the forest on his first day conscious and vividly remembered the hostility those who dwelled under these crooked trees seemed to secrete. The manticore he had encountered was only the tip of the iceberg. There were others, he knew, and that was enough to set him on edge.

And then there was the last time he had ventured into a dark, dangerous forest, which had ended in a severe case of arachnophobia and an urge to set every tree within the near vicinity on fire.

"So the apothecary lives here?" Ash asked. He shivered as the cool wind brushed his cheek, as if mocking him, daring the Mage to step into the forest.

"No, Zecora lives here," Pinkie said. Of the four, Pinkie Pie had been been both the least and the most enthusiastic about their little trip. When Ash had inquired of a source for a decent sedation, Pinkie immediately piped in and nominated Zecora. When he had asked for her location, however, the pink pony became reluctant to speak. Rather, as she approached the name of the location, Pinkie grew quieter and quieter. Ash had to ask her to repeat herself twice and he barely heard her whisper 'Everfree' the third time around.

Now, however, Pinkie was as lively and bubbly as ever. For her sake, and his own, Ash assured Pinkie that she had no obligation to help him find Zecora; Twilight had given him written directions after all. He also needed ponies to stay behind and care for Twilight. The pink party pony would have none of it. "How else are you going to giggle at the ghosties?" she had asked. Ash had no answer.

Along the way to the entrance of the dreaded forest, the mare told Ash about how they had first gotten to know Zecora. Ash zoned her out after she began to sing about evil dances and stews. At least she was bouncing again. For some reason, Ash found the sight of Pinkie Pie walking rather disturbing.

His two other companions were quiet. Neither had spoken much, to him or to each other. The silence was appreciated as it gave the Mage the opportunity to be alone with his own thoughts. On the other hand, Ash was getting tired of hearing his own inner voice and Pinkie's physical voice.

Similarly, Ash both enjoyed the company of his companions and yet wished he was alone. Going alone was dangerous but at least he was the only one in danger. Traveling in a large number help reduce Ash's anxiety but now he had to consider the safety of three other ponies plus his own.

"And Zecora's the apothecary?" he directed at Applejack.

"Nah, she's a zebra."

The orange farmpony had been the second volunteer, next to Twilight, whom Ash would not permit. She had also been one of the more vocal ponies in trying to dissuade Ash from stepping forth into the Everfree. She considered the stallion one of the most thick-headed ponies she had ever known and made sure Ash knew. Still, thick-headed or not, Ash was also considered family, just as Applejack saw Rainbow Dash or Twilight or Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie or even Rarity as family. And Applejack was not one to let her family enter danger alone.

Strangely, Rainbow had been more reluctant. Her fear of the Everfree Forest was understandable but Rainbow Dash wasn't the kind of pony who let terror get the best of her. Ultimately, the Pegasus' pride would overcome her fear and yet another factor held her back, something that held her in place whenever she looked at Ash and opened her mouth and announce her participation, like being stabbed in the hoof into the ground. It was this strange stabbing feeling that had kept Rainbow so reserved at the moment and it was only after Pinkie, Ash, and Applejack had gone some distance from the library did the Pegasus leap into action, screaming "Wait!" as she sped across Ponyville in a blur.

Ash sighed. "And Zecora is the pony that'll make a sedation, right?"

"Zebra." Pinkie corrected.

"Is she?" the Unicorn asked more forcibly.

"A zebra? Yeah, I just told you that."

"...And she lives in the Everfree Forest?"

Pinkie groaned. "Yeah, I already told you that." She spun around and stared at the Unicorn. "You know, I'm beginning to think you're not paying attention to me."

"What? No."

"Then you ought to know how I got my Cutie Mark," Pinkie said, her eyes narrowing. "I just told you after all."

Applejack and Rainbow let out a laugh at the sight of the grey stallion being stared down by Pinkie Pie, made all the funnier as Ash was about a head taller than the pink pony.

The laughter was a welcoming change in atmosphere, even if he had been the butt of the joke.

"Of course I was paying attention. I just want to make sure I was hearing correctly, that's all."

Pinkie rubbed her upper lip as she considered Ash's excuse. A lone drop of sweat rolled down the Unicorn's check, his body betraying his panic. Applejack and Rainbow grew louder, snickers becoming full chuckles.

Pinkie backed away. "Alright, you're off the hook, for now."

Ash shook his head and turned his attention back to the forest. "I need to say it: no one needs to come with me. If-"

"Sugarcube, we ain't the kinds of ponies tah let 'nother go intah danger alone, 'specially not a friend. Right RD?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course not." The cyan Pegasus leaped into the air and swiped at the direction of the Everfree Forest. "No forest'll get the best of the greatest Pegasus ever."

Ash shook his head. Something was bothering Rainbow, he could tell, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Hopefully whatever was causing her grief would disappear. The forest and all its unseen dangers would provide a distraction at least.

"Guess there's no point in arguing with you two," he said. "Pinkie? You want out?"

"I dunno, what's in?"

Ash bit back a groan. Instead, he turned back the forest. "Alright ladies. Let's do this."

He gingerly took a step into the cool shade of the large, foreboding oaks, half expecting the earth to open up and swallow him whole.

Nothing happened. Despite how silly felt, Ash could not hold back a sigh of relief. He opened the saddle bags draped over his back and pulled out the directions Twilight had Spike write.

He handed the parchment to Applejack and walked behind Rainbow. "You two lead," he said grudgingly.

"T'sat's tha matter?" the farm mare asked, puzzled.

"Geez, you're not that scared, are you?" asked Rainbow, sounding both concerned and teasing.

"...I can't read."

*****

Twilight sat in the center of the room. A book was set before her but her attention was elsewhere.

Ash had insisted that Twilight stayed at the library, though she of all ponies knew her way to Zecora's the best, having had close contact and several visits to the zebra. Yet, as Ash and the rest of her friends argued, Twilight was in no condition to be in such an environment. She had had her Human body for only about a week and while she could walk just fine, anything faster would give her an intimate encounter with the ground. And based on her own experiences, running was more often than not the default motion of the Everfree.

Yes, Ash was right, logic and reasoning insisted. Right now she was a liability, more likely to cause harm than good. It was better for everypony if Twilight Sparkle stayed behind while her friends went out and endangered themselves for her sake.

Had she been a less cool-headed pony, Twilight would have ignore logic and reasoning. A pony like Rainbow Dash wouldn't have let such things shackle her down, a trait that both astonished and impressed Twilight. But she was not Rainbow Dash. Rainbow had been a brave pony, true to her element, and joined Ash on his quest.

No, Twilight had been burdened by the weight of common sense and it acted as a solid wall between her and an exciting adventure outside. The Unicorn -turned Human was surprised by how envious she felt.

She sighed as she set her eyes back onto the tome in front of her. It was the spell book that had arguably caused all this trouble.

"Focus, Twilight," she said to herself. "The least you can do is figure out this spell and make it easier for Ash to cast."

Using an index finger, Twilight underlined the oneirological monitorization/astro-self injection spell. On the corresponding page was the Human spell Ash had presented written on a piece of parchment.

"If Ash is right, and it looks like he is, the format of Unicorn magic must be really similar to Human magic. This should be a breeze."

Twilight fumbled with her quill as she tried to dip it into her inkwell. She glared in annoyance at her hand as it shook, dripping ink onto the table.

She considered calling Spike over for help but remembered how tired he looked after she asked him to transfer Ash's spell onto paper. Instead, Twilight grabbed her wrist with her other hand and slowly began to write.

Just as she finished the first sloppily scribbled rune, Twilight heard a soft thud behind her, followed shortly after by a quiet gasp.

"Twilight," Fluttershy said, her voice almost trembling with concern and disapproval, "you should be resting right now."

"It's just a little studying," responded Twilight, setting her pencil down and moving over to Fluttershy to help with the large bag of groceries the Pegasus had dropped. "That never hurt anypony."

"But you're not feeling well," Fluttershy reminded. "I think...well, none of us want you getting hurt. I was so scared when you fainted I fell over myself."

"I appreciate the concern, Fluttershy. I really do, But I have to do something. I can't just sit around and let everypony do all this for me." Twilight shook her head, her eyes shining defiantly. "I've got to do something too. Someway, I can also help."

Fluttershy nodded sympathetically. "You don't want to feel useless, like you can't do anything without your friends' help. That's fine." The butter-yellow Pegasus gentle but surprisingly firmly grabbed the bag of supplies out of Twilight's arms. "But having to rely on your friends isn't a bad thing. That's what friends are for, after all. Even when everything seems hopeless, when you feel weak and helpless, your friends are there. And you'll be there for them, when they feel weak and helpless, won't you?"

"Of course I will," Twilight answered, just the slight bit offended that Fluttershy even had to ask.

"Sorry," the Pegasus apologized with a blush. "But just like each of us can rely on you, you should be able to rely on us too. Remember Applejack that one apple-bucking season?"

"How could I forget?" Twilight said, giggling. "Applejack caused so much trouble just because her pride wouldn't let her accept any help...Oh." Realization dawned over her. "I can see what you're saying," Twilight acceded, growing embarrassed. "I guess I forgot myself in my own pride. Still, I wish there was something I could do to help, to make all this easier for everypony else."

"Rest," Fluttershy said. "The best way to get over any sickness is plenty of bed rest. I'm sure that also applies to mental illness too. Or at least I think...um...I think you should ask Ash about that since he probably knows about this best...'

"I guess that makes sense. If your body's ill, you shouldn't be running around playing sports. If your mind's not feeling well, I suppose you shouldn't be doing a lot of...thinking." The notion of an empty mind was almost sickening to Twilight.

Fluttershy however didn't notice. "Yes, that sounds right. The best way for you to help is to not think. Or at least, don't think too hard. That is, if you don't really mind..."

The suggestion was most unpleasant to Twilight's ears and she had half the mind to say yes, she really did mind.

Still, the logic was sound and Twilight found herself grudgingly nodding in agreement.

"That's wonderful," Fluttershy exclaimed as loudly as she dared. She shut Twilight's book and placed it back on the shelf, not noticing her friend cringe as the perfect organization system of the library became undone by a single misplaced text. "I'll start making a salad. When Rarity comes back we can have a small lunch. Oh, I hope Applejack, Ash, Pinkie, and Rainbow packed enough food..." Fluttershy trailed off as she carried the groceries to the kitchen.

Twilight resisted for a full five seconds before getting up and removing the spell book from its incorrect home. All she had planned to do was put it back in its proper place but the temptation to study was great. The book seemed to call her name, begging her to crack it open and expose its wondrous insides.

A few minutes won't hurt Twilight thought, opening the book. Just a few seconds...

"Still studying? Tsk, is that all you're gonna do today?"

Twilight lifted her head, startled. The voice was not Fluttershy's. It was too masculine, too assertive.

Nor was the library she was in her's. It was too large, more linear, unlike the circular form of the tree library.

Nor was the annoyed grunt that came out of her mouth her's.

"Aww, c'mon Ashley, don't be like that."

Twilight grit her teeth. "Don't call me that, Prince Ramthelore the Fourth."

The boy in front of her shrugged. He was tall, blond, with skin that could have either been rough or fair or somehow both. His blue eyes were almost as bright as his smile. "Don't care. Nothing wrong with my name," he said with a chuckle.

Twilight sighed as she flipped the page. "Did you come here to bother me? Or do you have some sort of purpose?"

"Geez, what's the matter with you? Just wanted to hang out."

"Go 'hang out' with one of the baron or duke's boys or something."

"Those guys are just a bunch of stuck up boring prats. You and Dorian are the only guys around here worth being around."

Another grunt was all the boy received.

"All right then, let's see." The boy sat in front of Twilight. He scratched his cheek as he thought. "Are you mad 'cause made fun of your dress?"

"It's a robe and no."

"Are you mad because I took the last cheese roll and you got spinach?"

"No."

"Are you mad 'cause I ate the cakes Sister Madilene sent you?"

"She sent me cakes?"

"You didn't miss anything. They were as dry as her sermons. Still, if you didn't know about it before that's not why your upset. Hmm, I'm stumped." The boy shrugged. "Give me a clue."

Twilight sighed again. "Think yesterday evening."

"Yesterday evening, yesterday evening...the only thing that happened yesterday night was that fight with the Darwine brothers. Is that why you're so upset?"

Twilight didn't answer.

"Hey, I saved you from those two. If anything, you should be grateful I was nearby."

"If that's what you think..." Twilight shut her book and pick it and herself up and began to walk away.

"Hold on."

Twilight glared at the boy who grabbed her arm. He took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry. We cool?"

"...you don't mean it, do you?"

The boy threw his hands in the air. "Of course not. I have no idea why stopping those two from curb-stomping your ass would make you bitter. I knew you wanted the stuffing kicked out of you, you could of just asked me."

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"...I'm joking. The point is I have no idea why you're so upset and it's somehow my fault and now I'm upset. And you know what happens when a prince get's upset? Heads roll."

Twilight was silent for a moment. "I could have taken them."

The boy scoffed. "No you couldn't."

Once more Twilight glared at the tall youth. "How would you know?"

"There were two of them, both twice your size. Maybe one of them but both brothers?" The boy shook his head.

"You could have let me try."

"Come on, is this what you're so mad about? Because your ego got a little bruised because I help? Come on. that's stupid." The boy's tone grew serious. "I'm your friend and that means I'll watch your back, from both jerks and your own ego. What kind of friend would I be if I let you get beat to death? And I'd hope you'd do the same for me."

Twilight was silent once more before smiling. "You're right, Ramth. It was a silly thing to get angry over."

"Great! Now we've wasted enough time. There's a batch of cakes in the kitchen with our name on it."

"Sarah Darwine was watching, you know."

"Wait, you mean their drop-dead-gorgeous sister? Man, that justifies everything now..."

"Twilight? Are you alright?"1

Twilight blinked. She was back in her own library. Fluttershy stood at the threshold between the kitchen and the main library.

"I...I think I'm going to go lay down."

Neverfree 2

"I'm telling you, we've passed that tree already! Give me those instructions!"

"Are yah kiddin'? Yah almost led us right off a cliff!"

Tempers were flaring and Ash was dealing with his barely any better. Still, he managed to keep his peace as Applejack and Rainbow Dash bickered like an old married couple on a road trip. His limited patience was reaching an end however.

"Give me that!"

"Hey! Ah said let go!"

"That's it."

Swiftly, Ash snatched the parchment out of the jaws of Applejack and Rainbow with his magic. He shook it a bit to remove what ever drool that had not completely soaked into the paper.

"What's tha' big idea?" Applejack growled, rubbing her lower jaw. Rainbow Dash did the same, glaring at the Unicorn that had interrupted their impromptu tug-of-war.

Ash gave the instructions a quick examination. There was a small tear and some teeth marks but thankfully nothing obscuring Twilight's directions. At least, he assumed they were still legible.

"Rainbow Dash is right. We've actually passed that tree five times already." He pointed at the crooked thing that may have once been mistaken as an oak. On its trunk were three long gashes. "Speaking of which..." From his saddlebags (still borrowed, still purple) he pulled out a rock and ran it across the tree, peeling off a chunk of bark. A fourth gash joined the other.

Applejack grew red. "Well, why didn' yah say anythin'?" she said, holding on to what remaining pride she had. "Coulda saved us all a heap of trouble."

"Who cares?" Rainbow scoffed before Ash could explain or admit that the way the farm mare intensely glared at the paper holding the directions was rather intimidating. "All that matters is everypony knowing who should be the one holding the map."

"We don' have a map," the orange Earth pony grumbled quietly.

"Uh uh." Ash pulled the instructions away from the Pegasus as she reached for the still wet parchment.

"Oh come on. You know I didn't mean to lead you guys off a cliff."

"You were laughing."

"Yeah, after I saved you. What? Pinkie was laughing too."

"Sorry. You're too reckless and keep getting ahead of everypony. And sorry Applejack, but, well..."

"S'all right. Ah know Ah ain't the exactly the sharpest when it comes tah directions," grumbled Applejack. "But yah can't read them instructions. Whose gonna lead us?"

Ash sighed. "Pinkie Pie?" he called reluctantly. "...wait, where's Pinkie Pie?"

Applejack's eyes grew wide in alarm. "Yah don' she got lost, do yah?"

"I'm sure she fine. Just doing Pinkie Pie things." The shaking in Rainbow's voice undermined the confidence she attempted to convey. "Probably laughing at some tree stumps or something. She probably just waiting for us at Zecora's right now. Right?"

Ash shook his head. With a sigh, he approached a nearby tree and carefully shredded off a large piece of bark. Setting the bark to the side, the Unicorn gathered some fallen dry leaves and a sturdy stick.

"What are yah doin'?" Applejack asked. Like Rainbow Dash, the farmpony's trembled as she struggled to keep her nerves checked and under control.

"Starting a fire," Ash explained as he arranged the dead leaves on top of the tree bark. A faint grey light covered the stick and set it perpendicular to the bark and the ground. Gritting his teeth, the Unicorn spun the stick, slowly at first, then more quickly as he got used to the action. Pretty soon a small flame began to eat away the leaves and tendrils of smoke snaked up into the sky.

"Um, beg yer pardon, but Ah ain't too keen 'bout setting camp here."

"Yeah, it's not even night yet," added Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus looked up into the dark canopy overhead. "I think."

"I'm not doing it for the fire," Ash said. "I'm doing it for the smoke. Even if she doesn't see it, Pinkie Pie might smell the smoke and realize we're here. Where there's smoke there's fire and where there's fire, there's people. Or lightning." He tossed in a few more leaves and continued to rub the end of the stick against the slab of bark. "Hopefully Pinkie'll have the sense to know that at least there are people, or ponies, here and not lightning and make her way here."

"Hey, that's pretty cool," said Rainbow, clearly impressed by Ash's ingenuity. "Where'd you learn how to do all that."

"Skills from another time, another place. Normally I'd just shoot up a flare or prepare a tracking spell but sometimes you can't rely on magic." The Unicorn grew quiet as his attention returned to the little fire. "It's an old technique. I was taught by...an old..." He trailed off and shut his eyes only to leap up and curse as he brought his hoof too closely to the fire. "Skills from another time, another place." he muttered as he sucked on the burn, more to himself than to anypony. Both he and Rainbow Dash were silent and found interest in the dirt or on their hooves.

"Uh, hate tah interrupt anythin' important," Applejack said after a few minutes, "but yah said something about yer plan havin' tah do with Pinkie Pie and havin' sense?"

"...It's not a perfect plan," Ash admitted, adding a few more leaves to feed the flames. "It's not even a very good one but it's a lot better than splitting up and looking for her. I'd rather not risk someone else getting lost."

"Lost? Did somepony get lost?"

The tiny flame bursted into a towering inferno as Ash lost control over the fire. Amid the grey Unicorn's swearing and Rainbow and Applejack's alarmed exclamations, Pinkie wiped the soot off her face and let go of the tree branch she hung upside down from.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow cried. "Not cool!"

The Earth pony giggled. "So who's lost? Wait, lemme guess...is it, Applejack?"

"Sorry Pinkie, Ah'm right here."

"Is it...R-"

"Pinkie, I'm right here."

"Um..."

"I'm not lost either. No one's lost," Ash quickly said.

"Oh, okie dokie then. Are we having s'mores?"

"Hold on. Where were you?" Ash asked as Pinkie produced a large pack of marshmallows. "What were doing in that tree?"

"Oh, I found some leftover candy from Nightmare Night in front of the Nightmare Moon statue thing." She stuck her tongue out and grimaced. "Bleh, milk duds."

Ash rubbed his forehead around his horn. "You got distracted...by candy?" He turned to Rainbow Dash and Applejack for support, for some anchor of reason or understanding. Their shrugs were not encouraging.

The Unicorn groaned. "Pinkie, please, we can't afford to get separated like that. We need to stick together as a group. We all thought you had gotten lost."

"Aw, that was gonna be my next guess." Ash raised an eyebrow. "I mean, yeah, of course not. That would bad if somepony got lost but then we'd get to have search party-"

"As long as we have an understanding." Ash smothered the dying embers. "Let's get going."

"And we're off!" Pinkie cried as leaped into the air and struck a pose on a makeshift pedestal.

"Please get off my back."

"Wait a sec," Rainbow quickly interjected. "You never told us what you were doing in that tree. What the hay were you up to?"

"Oh that," Pinkie shrugged. She sled off Ash and landed in a pile of leaves. "Well, after I ate all that candy, my tummy began to growl. Not the hunger kind of growl but the kind when it's upset. So I-"

"We can hear this some other time," interrupted Ash as he swung his saddle bag over his back. "Right now we have places to be and I think I speak for everyone when I say I'd like to leave this place as soon as possible."

"Okie dokie! But first I've got to drop these leaves off at Zecora's. She told me she needed them for tea."

The saddlebag fell with a loud thud. "...Wait, what?"

"Well, after I ate all that candy, my tummy began to growl. Not the hunger kind of growl but the kind when it's upset. So I went to Zecora's to see if she had anything for my stomach 'cuz her house was nearby. Like really close. I saw you guys walk pass it twice. i even waved! And guess what? She did! Then I told her that we were all coming for a visit and then she asked me to get these leaves in stacks so she could prepare some snacks. Um..." Pinkie paused to think, her head tilted to the side. "She also said something about wishing she had time to clean a bit so her house didn't look like a pile of-"

The rest of whatever Zecora had said was cut off by the echoing thwacks of a skull dulling itself against wood as Ash attempted to bury his head into a tree.

*****

"Ah, Applejack, hello and hi," Zecora greeted cheerfully. "And of course, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie."

"Hey Zecora," Applejack said in response. "How've yah been?"

"The forest is company poor," the striped equine answered with a hint of sadness. "I wish you ponies would visit more."

"Ever considered moving?" Rainbow asked. "Ponyville's a thousand times cooler than the Everfree Forest."

"Dangerous it may be and many nights I feel alone," admitted Zecora. She turned behind her and glanced off into the deeper parts of the woods. "But it is the place for me and so here I make my home." She grin mysteriously. "But I forget; I must be a gracious host. Pinkie, do you have the leaves? They will go well with our almond roast."

"Little early in the season for almonds, isn't it?"

Zecora turned. A grey Unicorn materialized out from the beneath the shadows of the overhanging trees. "Ah, who is this? Who is this pony I have missed?"

"Oh, right, Ah forgot. This here's named Ash." Applejack gestured toward the stallion who nodded in confirmation. "Ash, this is Zecora."

"Meeting new ponies is always a pleasure. There is joy in my heart that knows no measure."

"Uh, likewise, I suppose," the stallion replied. He blinked several times.

"Pst." Rainbow Dash nudged him in the back. "It's not cool to stare."

"Oh, uh, sorry." Ash tried averting his eyes.

Zecora chuckled. "First time seeing a zebra, I see?"

"Y-yeah."

She chuckled again. "It is fine. Many pony stare when they first see me. It's not often you see a pony as striped as can be. Then again..." Zecora smiled. "I'm not your average pony."

In a world where coats of blue and red were common, Ash still wasn't sure what was an average pony. Still, it was obvious Zecora was not. She was, well, the only way to describe her was exotic. The striped pattern across her coat, her black and white mane that somehow defied the forces of gravity, the unusual marking on her flank, all of it added to the air of mystery she seemed to expel. It reminded Ash of the Elves. Comparing a regular pony to a...what did they call her?...zebra sure felt like comparing a Human to an Elf; similar but with some innate, unexplainable difference going beyond appearance.

/Arlrand was also a master at potions.../

"Are you alright, Ash?" Zecora asked. "You look as if something wicked has come to pass."

"It's nothing," the Unicorn said. "Anyways, I apologize for staring. It was rude."

"As I've said before, don't worry. But it gladdens me to hear you are sorry. But what are we doing? Let us go inside." The zebra led the way to a hollowed tree. It reminded Ash of Ponyville's library. "Please don't mind the smell; I left some herbs to dry."

Neverfree 3

"So what brings you ponies to my humble hut?" asked Zecora, setting her teacup down. "I hope you aren't in some sort of rut." As she said this, she looked at the grey stallion who choked on his tea. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash snickered.

"...Ah don' get it."

"Well, when a mommy deer and a d-" Pinkie Pie began.

"Twilight's in trouble," Ash explained. "A spell went wrong and we've got to reverse it before it's too late. We need a sedation though and I was told you were the pony, or rather, the zebra to go to."

Zecora nodded slowly. "That's the reason Twilight's not here I take. Do not worry, such a potion is not hard to make." She finished her tea and made her way to the caldron in the corner, muttering ingredients along the way.

"Wow, this is gonna be easier than I thought," Rainbow said. "No monster encounters, no pitfalls, we'll be out of here in no time."

"Unless Zecora's missing some important ingredient and needs us to go deeper in the forest to find it," said Pinkie Pie.

"Yes, that tends to happen really often with potion makers and other crafters." Ash shook his head. "For some reason, they never seem to have all the supplies they need."

"Yeah but lookit all tha stuff Zecora has," Applejack observed. "Ah'm sure she's got everythin'."

Zecora returned to the table shaking her head. "Oh my pony friends, I am sad to say; you must back another day."

"Wait, you mean you can't make the potion?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"That is correct, Rainbow Dash. There is one key ingredient missing from my stash. The bark of zap apple trees I need to make a sedation of full power and speed."

"Psh, that's it? Easy-peasy. We'll just borrow some from Sweet Apple Acres. I'm sure the Apple family won't miss them."

"Hold yer horse, RD, don' go speakin' fer mah family fer me. Ah know fer a fact Granny Smith would rather skin herself than tah see one of her zap apple trees skinned. Those trees are all she has of her own pap, besides tha town."

"Well then, what else are we suppose to do?" Rainbow asked angrily. "Where else are we suppose to find zap apple trees, huh?"

"Ooh, ooh, I know! I know!" Pinkie hopped up and down. "I remember Granny Smith taking about how Ponyville was founded and I remember not falling asleep like when Twilight tells it cuz she never told the part where Applejack's granny almost got eaten by timberwolves when she discovered the zap apples in the Everfree Forest and then I learned the valuable lesson of not following rules cuz you can only go so far by following rules."

"So there are these trees in the forest then." Ash tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Do you know where we can find these trees we need?" he asked Zecora.

"...Yes," she answered with a little hesitance.

"Perfect." The grey Unicorn swung his pack back on his back. "We might still be able to get this all done today."

"I can see that you are itching to go but to that I must say no." Zecora shook her head. "The Everfree is dangerous as you can see but the danger grows as you approach the trees. This season is when the timberwolves are on the prowl. It is impossible to gather tree bark now."

"Feh, I say bring it." Rainbow took to the air, or at least as high as the hut permitted her. "If Granny Smith could handle them as a filly those wolves are probably nothing but bark."

"Your recklessness reminds me of a foal," the Zebra chided, "thinking of nothing beyond her goal. When the zap apples are ripe, the wolves are not at their prime. The wolves will be fully mature and organized this time. They are now twice as large and masters of the hunt. Those dreadful creatures young Smith saw were nothing but runts." She sighed. "I am sorry and I truly wish I could help you, Ash, Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie." Her tone grew harsh. "But I will not assist you on a path leading you to die. Wait a month and it will be safe. The timberwolves will have left for a different place."

"Very well then." Ash got to his feet. "Thank you for your hospitality but we must get going."

"Are you leaving for Ponyville? Let Twilight know I wish her well."

"Oh, we're not going home. Not yet."

"We're not?" Pinkie asked. "Where are we going then?"

"To find those trees of course." Ash was at the door, waiting.

Zecora leaped up from her seat. "Have you gone mad? Did you not hear a word I said? Has your hearing gone bad?"

"I heard." The door swung open. "But Twilight is running out of time. We can't afford a month." He stepped out.

"Do not be foalish. You will get easily lost and it will be your life as a cost."

"So it's us either dying by wolves or dying from being lost in a God-forsaken forest." Ash turned his head toward the Zebra. "Your call. C'mon," he said to Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, leaving an extremely astonished and slack-jawed Zecora.

They had not gone far before she called back to them, demanding that they wait.

*****

"Ah'm a mite upset how you pulled that off," Applejack whispered Ash as they followed Zecora deeper into the woods. Light was becoming even more scarce.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, doesn't it strike as ah little, well, dishonest?" The farmpony shook her head. "Ah'm mean, tricking a friend like that jus' doesn' sit right with me."

"There was no trickery," Ash said. "Time isn't exactly a luxury we can afford, especially not a month."

"Yeah, well, Ah still don' like how yah guilt-roped Zecora into this. Jus' don' seem right."

The Unicorn was silent. He agreed; he'd have preferred it if their guide had been willing but Zecora had been stubborn and with reason. And it wasn't just for her own protection; no, Zecora had refused to protect them as well. It appeared that such selflessness was common among Equestria's inhabitants.

A low growl pulled Ash back into reality. Well, most of Equestria's inhabitants he amended as a pair of yellow glowing eyes glared hungrily at the group. Before anypony else could react, the Mage pulled out a rock from his bag and sent the missile flying at an incredible. A pained yelp followed by the rustling of bushes indicated that Ash had hit his target.

"Geez, that's a nice shot," said Rainbow. Her wings folded back to her sides as she relaxed. Everypony seemed less tense now that the danger passed.

"Ah was wonderin' why yah had a sack full of rocks."

"Yeah, well, what I wouldn't do for a decent fireball," the Mage grumbled. "Whatever that was, it got away."

"There is no need for too much ferocity," Zecora. "Most creatures just wish to satisfy their curiosity."

"And their hunger."

"Yes that is true," the Zebra agreed. "And for your protection, I thank you. But the use of fire would not be wise, especially in a forest of this size."

"I suppose you're right," the Unicorn conceded. "Guess I'll have to get creative with sticks and stones." He sighed, looking up into the sky, or what sky he could see. A small, sad chuckle escaped him.

"What's up?" asked Rainbow.

"Huh? Oh, just remembering an old saying about magic from home. 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but my thoughts will liquify your organs'."

"I trust you're not from around here then?" observed Zecora, a little disgusted. "I've never heard such a morbid saying in anypony's living den."

"Oh, that's right! You didn't know! Ash is actual-"

"Not around here," Ash said, cutting the pink Earth Pony off. "I'm from, well, somewhere different. I suppose we do have a bit of a sense of humor."

"Humor indeed," Zecora said with a snort. "Ah well, to each his own to please." She tilted her head back to the path. "Come, we cannot afford any more delay. It will become too dangerous when night has consumed the day."

"A race against time." The Unicorn sighed. "Some things never change I guess," he muttered, following closely behind.

*****

"U-u-m-m, g-uys? C-c-can w-we t-ta-take a b-break?"

Ash groaned. "Pinkie, if you needed to go, you should have went before we left."

"T-this is-isn't a p-p-potty emer-gency!"

The Unicorn bit back a sigh. He wearily rose an eyebrow at the sight of the pink party pony shake and shiver uncontrollably. "What now?" he asked.

"Oh, nelly." Applejack gulped. To Ash she whispered, "It's her Pinkie Sense."

"Pinkie Sense?"

"Yeah. Ah can't explain it but somehow Pinkie can tell when something's gonna happen before it actually does."
"She can see the future?" Ash asked curiously.

"Ah think it's more like feelin' tha future. Ah know it's hard tah believe but when Pinkie's tail's a twitchin', well, yah best stay indoors." Applejack turned to the pink Earth pony. "Tha last time she was this bad we got attacked by a hydra an'
Twilight exploded or somethin'."

"I-i-it's a doozy a-a-alright," Pinkie managed to chatter. "A-a-a doozy!"

"Do you know when she'll stop?"

"Can't say," Applejack answered with a shrug.

"Perhaps we should take a break," Zecora suggested. "We have some time before it gets too late."

"I suppose we don't really have much of a choice," Ash conceded reluctantly. Pinkie Pie was in no condition to continue. "We'll take a few minutes, I guess, and see if you get any better," he said to Pinkie Pie.

"S-s-s-or-ry."

"Don't worry 'bout it, sugarcube," assured Applejack. "Ah'm sure we've got plenty of time left."

Ash began to gather some fuel for a fire. Even though it was only to be a small break, a campfire would still provide some much need comfort and protection from wild creatures, or at least some of them.

"Whelp," he said as he worked at the fire. "At least we know whatever's on the other side can't be pleasant."

"Yah believe, then?" Applejack asked. "Twilight had some trouble with it and, well, you two seem real similar, being all magical an' everythin'."

"Well, when you work with magic, the line between reality and otherwise becomes blurred. Small wonder Twilight was dubious if Pinkie's sense-"

"P-P-Pinkie S-Sense," Pinkie interrupted. "Y-you hav-e t-o say i-it w-wit-th a c-ca-pit-al S."

"If Twilight had never seen Pinkie's Sense before, I'm not too surprise she wasn't more than a little skeptical." Ash bit back a curse as the stick he worked with slipped and brushed his leg. His fur had blocked most of the damage and there wasn't even a mark but it still stung.

"Allow me, if you'd be so kind."

"You sure?" the grey Unicorn asked.

"Most certainly," Zecora responded. "I do not mind."

Ash stepped away from the smoking wreck and watched as the Zebra skillfully transformed it into beautiful forge, like a work of art.

"Anyways," he continued, "a sixth sense isn't too uncommon. Unexplainable? Yes. But so are a lot of things. I've seen people see danger miles away, days for disaster strikes." His voice grew low. "Once knew a man who predicted his death perfectly, from the very minute to the make of the bow and wood of the arrow."

"Man?" Zecora questioned.

"Oh, uh, it's a slang," Ash said quickly. "For...um..."

"A-a-a mi-ser-ab-le pile o-of s-e-cr-ets."

Zecora chucked. "An unusual term, odd but if true, I can think of no better word to describe you."

The grey Unicorn stiffened slightly. "It's getting cold," he said, drawing closer to the small fire.
Applejack nodded and made her way to Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus laid on her stomach, her chin on top of her forelegs.

"Hey," the farmpony greeted. She got a grunt in response.

"Might be warmer at tha fire."

"I'm fine."

"Yah sure?"

"Yes, Applejack," Rainbow said tersely. "I'm just tired and want to be alone for a bit."

"Now Ah know somethin' definitely wrong." The orange pony sat next to her cyan friend. "Yah hate bein' alone."

"Are yah kidding? I love being alone."

Applejack chuckled. "Nah, no yah don'."

"What do you want, Applejack?" Rainbow growled.

"Hey, jus' wanted tah see if Ah could help. No need tah bite off mah head." Applejack looked into Rainbow's eyes. "Yah've been silent fer way too long. Yah didn' even complain when we had tah stop fer a break. That's not like you. Somepony's might think Ah'm not too sharp but even Ah can tell when mah friend needs help."

"Yeah, but you can't even tell when you need help yourself."

"Yeah, well, Ah suppose that's why Ah'm not too bright." She and Rainbow Dash shared a short laugh at her own expense. "What's wrong, RD?"

"It's, well, Ash's been talking a lot about his old home lately and remember what I said at the library? You know, while Ash was sleeping?"

"Yeah. S-oh. Oh."

"Yeah and well...I guess I feel kinda bad...kinda sorry."

"Kinda? Yah said some pretty gosh-darn harsh thing there."

"Okay, really sorry."

"Well thanks but don't go apologizin' tah me." Applejack nodded toward the grey Unicorn near the campfire.

"Yeah, I should and everything, but, well..."

"What, yah scared?"

"What?" Rainbow's wings sprung open. "Me, scared? Hah! Well, maybe a little."

"Why? It's just Ash."

"But what if he gets angry? What he decides he doesn't want to be friends anymore?"

"Yah care that much?"

"Of course I care," Rainbow Dash answered. "If I've learned anything, it's that friendships are precious. I don't want to end up breaking another one. This time I won't have a stupid griffin to blame, just stupid old me."

"Huh. Whelp, best advice Ah can say is to apologize. Ah don' think Ash's tha type of guy who'd end a friendship over a few words." Applejack gave Rainbow a sideways glance. "Even if they were a bit cruel."

"You think so? You don't think he'll get mad?"

"Ah won't go that far. Ah'm sure he'll be more than a little upset but he'll fergive yah."

*****

"Feeling any better?" Ash asked.

"N-n-n-n-"

"Alright then." He turned to their guide. "How much further are these trees?"

"Less than a thousand hoofsteps lie between us and them." The zebra let out a breath of relief. "Soon this adventure will be at an end."

"A thousand hoofsteps...one's about half a foot so two thousand feet?" Ash muttered to himself. "But we've got four feet so would I have to divide..." He shrugged and said. "I guess we can rest a little long then. Are you going to be alright?" he asked Pinkie.

"Y-y-y-y-"

"Must be one hell of a doozy." Ash looked toward down the beaten path. "What are you hiding?"

"Um, hey, Ash?"

Ash turned. Rainbow Dash stood nearby, pawing at the ground nervously.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"What? Wrong? Pft, of course not." The Pegasus tried to laugh. "Why would anything be wrong?"

"Well, I've never seen that behavior from anypony besides Fluttershy," he said, noting the small hole Rainbow had dug.

"Well, we...um..." Rainbow turned around. Seeing Applejack nod helped her grasp a bit of her usual confidence. She took a deep breath. "Yeah, there's something wrong. Can we talk? You know, alone?"

"I suppose so," the Unicorn said warily. He got to his feet and made to follow the multi-chrome Pegasus.
"Do not wonder far, my little ponies," Zecora called. "Stay near so you can call help with ease."

They had gone some distance before stopping. "I think this is far enough. What's the matter?" Ash asked.

"So, uh, you've been talking about, you know, your other world a lot lately."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, well, the saying, your skills...that kind of stuff."

"Oh, right." Ash shook his head. "Sorry, it's just, old memories surface whether I want them to or not and sometimes things slip." He sighed. "But what's this about?"

"Well, you know how you fell asleep at the library? You know, while you were speaking?"

"Yes?" the Unicorn said slowly, uncertain as to where this was headed.

"Well, I kinda, sorta, uh, said some stuff back there that I shouldn't have and, well..." Rainbow steadied herself with a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"...Okay?"

Rainbow opened her eyes. "You're not...mad?"

" Is this why you were acting so strange today, because you thought I'd be mad over a few ill chosen words that you said while I was unconscious?"

"Hey, this is serious!"

"If you say so." Ash shrugged. "Consider your apology accepted."

"You're not taking this seriously," Rainbow said. She glared at the Unicorn. "This is important."

"What do you want me to do? Get angry?" he responded impatiently. "Look, whatever you said, it couldn't have been too bad, at least not enough to make me mad. You don't get to be a Mage if you're too sensitive and can't take a few harsh words without setting someone on fire."

"But I told you I wish you died back with your other world!" Rainbow clasped her hooves over her mouth too late. "Pony feathers," she whispered. She gulped as she examined the grey Unicorn she had cursed, fearfully looking for some sort of reaction.

The total lack of reaction was infinitely more frightening. Rainbow almost wished for some sort of outburst.
There was a long moment of silence, then: "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why?" Ash repeated coolly. "Why did you say it?"

"Well, it was after you fell asleep and after Fluttershy asked if you could fix Twilight's brain problem, you kinda nodded." Rainbow said, flustered. The grey Unicorn nodded, gesturing to her to continue. "We didn't know you were asleep so I thought you just didn't care and guess I kinda lost it."

"Oh."

Ash was silent once more. He sat down and began to draw in the dirt.

"Are you...mad?"

"Sometimes, I wonder the same thing," Ash said, looking up from his work. "Maybe it would have been better to die in a world I belong in. Maybe..." The Unicorn turned to Rainbow. "Do you think so too?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Rainbow almost shouted. "You're a great pony, Human, guy, whatever! Don't you ever think that and don't let anypony ever tell you that, especially not a stupid one like me! Why do you think I'm sorry?"

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks." He went back to his drawing. "I'm not angry. A little upset perhaps but not angry. Your apology is still accepted of course."

"Really? Even after what I said at the library?"

"What's more important is what you said afterwards," Ash said. "And that gives me hope, that perhaps one day, this world will be one I belong to." He extended a hoof toward the Pegasus. "Don't worry, we are 'cool'."

Rainbow laughed as she extended her own so that the two appendages bumped into each other at the center, making a soft clapping sound.

"Hey, uh, if we're cool, can you do me a favor not tell anypony I called myself stupid?"

"Of course," Ash assured with a smile. "Can you do something in return?"

"I guess. What?"

"You got angry because you thought I didn't care for Twilight. You got angry because you did care."

"Well duh. Twilight's my friend. I'd defend any of my friends, no matter what."

"Good." Ash grew solemn. His eyes grew dark and hard. His tone became almost bitter. "That loyalty, that drive to protect your friends, no matter the cost, never lose it."

The way Ash glared out into the forest sent a shiver down Rainbow's spine. "So, what are you drawing?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Huh? Oh, right." He rubbed what he had drawn into oblivion. "Just a list of those I kind of also need to apologize to...nothing important. Let's head back to camp and see if Pinkie's in any condition to continue."

Neverfree 4

"How much further?" Rainbow asked. The Pegasus peeked over her shoulder. The camp fire was no longer visible.

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "I lost count of steps. Still, we should be getting close to these trees."

"Are yah sure we can find 'em without Zecora?" Applejack asked.

"You have these trees on your farm, correct?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then you should be able to tell us what they look like," concluded Ash.

"Guess so. Yah really think Pinkie an' Zecora'll be alright by themselves?"

"They've got a fire. They'll be fine."

"I don't like splitting us up like this," Rainbow said. Applejack nodded in agreement.

"Pinkie's in no condition to be traveling right now," Ash said, "and if she ends up wandering off again, Zecora will be able to find her. If you're going to be worried, direct it toward our direction." Pinkie's stuttering words before they had left had haunted the Unicorn every step of the way.

"B-b-be c-c-ar-e-ful. I-it's a-a-a-a re-al b-ig d-d-o-o-z-y out th-er-e."

"Can you, I don't know, do some light magic?" Rainbow squinted her eyes, trying to look past the shadows of the trees. "It's getting real dark."

"I don't know. The last time I tried a lantern spell, I ended up with a miniature sun. Remember?"

"Why can't yah jus' light yer horn then, like Twilight? Ah think Rarity can do it too."

Ash hesitated. What Applejack suggested sounded simple, just a small illumination spell. While both it and the lantern spell required the conversion of magic energy into light, the lantern spell had the additional difficulty of having to contain the energy in a closed environment. The reason why his bulb of light ended up exploding was because the energy had not been contained or controlled properly.

This time, Ash would not have that extra burden. All he need was the energy, the conversion, and a direction, something much easier to manage.

It was getting harder to see. They needed the light and Ash was having trouble thinking of any harmful risks.

"I'll give it a try."

Ash tilted his head forward, his horn directed right in front of the group. He closed his eyes and before he had even begun concentrating, he could already feel heat radiating from his horn.

Energy's there he mentally noted. Now just got to get li-

Ash flew back, blinded by a giant flash. As he crashed to the ground, he heard a wild yelp.

"Damn it!" he swore, seeing bright lights rather actual shapes and figures. "Applejack! Rainbow Dash!"

"We're fine," came Rainbow's voice. "Whoa, who'da thought there was a timberwolf right in front of us? Nice shot."

"Uh, you're welcome," Ash replied, rubbing at his eyes. His sight was returning slowly.

"Remember what Zecora said though," Applejack said. "If yah end up settin' tha forest on fire..."

"It was an accident." Ash could now see if he squinted really hard. He narrowed his eyelids. It was enough: "Rainbow!" he screamed. "Get away from it! It's still moving!"

"Huh? Whoa!" Rainbow ducked just in time as a charred wooden claw cut through the air above her above, taking strands of blue and green hair.

The wolf snarled. It lifted it's twisted face; half had been burnt away, leaving its jaw in the form of a grotesque grin. From a dark socket, a glowing green light grew narrow as the creature glared at the group of ponies it had been waiting to ambush.

It lunged itself at the group, only to catch nothing but two solid blows with its face.

Applejack winced as the wolf flew off and landed with a loud crack.

"That's gotta hurt," she muttered. "Whew, nevar thought Ah'd ever meet ah tree that pushed back."

"Tree?" Rainbow asked quizzingly.

"Tree, timberwolf, both made outa wood aren' they?"

"Careful, he's getting back up," Ash warned.

The wolf wobbled to its feet. At that height, the creature was already much, much larger than anypony. With a final growl, it leap into the shadows and disappeared.

"Yeah, and don't you come back!" yelled Rainbow Dash. "Whoa!" The Pegasus ducked as something hot brushed her mane. She looked up just in time to see a beam of light hit something solid beneath the cover of darkness. The area was showered with light, revealing a slightly burnt tree under the shadows.

"Did I get him?" Ash asked, his eyelids narrowed.

"Yah need tah be more careful," Applejack chided. "Yah almost toasted Rainbow!"

"Sorry, though I don't think it would have that much damage. That wolf was still standing and it was made out of wood. Hold on." Ash lowered his head. His horn began to glow. The light grew stronger until it like a torch, a touch with a sickly grey flame perhaps but it served its purpose. "There we go."

"Agh, finally." Rainbow tried to stare but the intensity of the light forced her to look away. "That's a pretty boring color. Can you try blue? Or how about red?"

"Light's fine tha way it is," exclaimed Applejack. "It'll be easier tah find them trees. Zap apple trees tend tah be a mite purple...like that one!"

Following Applejack's hoof, Ash directed his beam at a large gnarled tree.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Hold on. Ah need ah closer look." The orange Earth pony approached the base of the tree, taking care to avoid obstructing the light.

She peeled off a piece of the tree's trunk, crushing part of it into fine powder. She rubbed the sawdust between her hooves, nodding. Applejack brought the remaining piece to her nose and gave it a sniff. Satisfied, she shoved the bark into her mouth. Ash winced as a loud crunch echoed from her mouth.

"Yep," she said between chews. "Definitely it,"

"Well, that was...uh."

"Gross!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Are you really eating tree bark?"

"What? Good fiber," said Applejack, swallowing hard. "Yah should try it some time."

Rainbow made a face. "No way!"

Applejack and Ash laughed as the Pegasus stuck her tongue at them.

"What 'bout you?" Applejack asked Ash, peeling off another piece of bark and offering it to the Unicorn.

"Uh-"

A roaring howl cut through the wind. Ash's eyes widened as a dozen pairs of glowing green eyes dotted the surrounding shadows. As his beam passed over them, the eyes were complimented with large, lean wooden bodies. One caught his attention; its face had been burnt and cracked.

"It's brought its friends!" Ash yelled. "Grab the bark!" The light dimmed to a barely noticeable glow around the Unicorn's horn. Something flew through the air toward the wolves behind the shadows. Instead of a yelp of pain or anger, Ash was awarded with only an irritated growl.

"Hurry!" the Unicorn screamed as the eyes drew closer. More rocks followed the first but it was impossible to keep track of all of the wolves who had spread themselves out and around.

"Got 'em!" Rainbow yelled with a mouthful of bark.

"Get behind me!"

When he was certain that Rainbow and Applejack were close by, Ash gather his energy and spread it around his remaining ammunition. A fast swooshing sound was heard as the rocks rocketed through the air in a revolution around the ponies.

The wolves were now close enough to be seen, their gnarled timber bodies inspiring fear. One young pup foolishly charged at the ponies only to act as proof that the makeshift barrier, while crude, was effective. The monster was caught inside the circuit of missiles like a bird caught in a cyclone for a few seconds before it fell back, colliding with a tree.

"Good thinkin'," said Applejack. "Yah think yah can keep it up while movin forward?"

"Going to...have to...try," Ash said, strained.

As he stepped forward, the shrilled whistles in the air lost intensity as the rocks began to slow down. With sweat dripping down into his coat, Ash attempted to regain control. He took another step and once more the miniature cyclone acting as their barrier lost velocity.

"Rainbow, take my bag. Put the bark inside. We need to make a run for it."

"What? Are you crazy?" Rainbow nearly screamed. "If you think I'm just gonna fly away with you two behind..."

"Ah agree with Rainbow," Applejack said. "If Zecora's right, there's no way we can out run these things."

"If I hit them with a flare, I'll be able to blind them. That'll give us time to escape."

"Can yah do that on command?" Applejack asked. "Yah didn't seem tah have much control last time."

The Unicorn grunted. "I don't need to control. I just need to let the magic loose then we get a blinding flash."

"I don't like it." said Rainbow Dash. She wore a large scowl. "Do you have like, I dunno, charge time or something? We're not leaving you behind."

"Don't worry, I'll be right behind you. Besides..." Ash glared at the enemies in front of him. His eyes shined and his jaw was set with grim determination. "...I've got too much to do to die now.

"Ready?"

Applejack gulped. She glanced over to her friend. Rainbow nodded.

"Whenever you are, sugarcube."

"...NOW!"

The stones rocketed in all directions, catching several wolves off guard. The pack struggled to its feet as a blur of blue flew past followed closely by an orange one. Before they could give chase, a bright flare lit the place, filling the woods with the intensity of a star. As the timberwolves howled in pain, a third streak ran past them.

Ash had forgotten something, however. Wolves, after all, are infamous trackers and hunters not because of their eyes but because of their sense of smell. He did not get far.

The grey Unicorn fell to the floor as something heavy landed on him, almost crushing him. He rolled onto his back and came face to face with a timberwolf's snarl. Drool dripped out between wooden canines.

The creature snapped at it's prey's neck for the kill. With little time to plan and options dwindling, Ash swung his foreleg between his vulnerable neck and the monster's teeth. He cried out as the bone was crushed under the wolf's powerful jaw. Blood trickled down his leg, mixing with the timberwolf's saliva.

With his good leg, Ash struck the wolf in the eye. He felt no satisfying squish where the eyeball would be but it did the trick as the wolf opened it's mouth to yelp in pain. Removing his arm from the creature's maw, Ash maneuvered himself so that his hind legs laid right beneath the wolf's belly. With all the strength he could muster, he kicked. While the wolf did not go flying, it was caught off balance, giving the Unicorn to opportunity to roll away.

He had hobbled a few steps before the wolf had recovered and struck him with its claw. The blow sent the Unicorn into a tree. Ash coughed as he struggled to get up. A bloody gash now cruelly adorned his side.

I can't...not here...

He dragged himself forward.

...They need me...they need my help...I can't...

Ash grunted as the cold forest floor cut at his underbelly.

...Not now...not this time...can't...fail-

The Unicorn's strained cry came out strangled as the timberwolf crushed his windpipe underfoot.

The wolf stood triumphant over its prey now that its struggling had finally ceased. The rest of the pack was in pursuit of this one's companions. Those two would be shared among his brothers and sisters but this one, this one was his and his alone.

The mighty hunter lifted his head to the heavens and howled, declaring his victory. The haunting sound sent shivers down the spines of all other nearby animals. A young jay attempted in vain to comfort her chicks. A group of old voles closed their eyes and shook their heads. The crows called out mournfully to each other. The echoing howl served as reminder, a testimony of the law of the jungle.

Satisfied, the timberwolf turned once again to its meal. Odd, he was most certain he had caught a pony, not the strange creature that laid before him now.

It was certainly larger now and larger meant more meat.The wolf's hunger was greater than its puzzlement and with what may have been a shrug, he sank his teeth into one of the long appendages attached to the torso.

Something latched onto the wolf's neck. He tried to ignore it but whatever it was, it was very uncomfortable, almost suffocating.

A low growl shrank into a pained whine. The crackle of splintering wood resonated throughout the forest.

Neverfree 5

"W-we made it." Rainbow dropped to the floor. "I can't believe that worked."

"Y-yeah," Applejack said, catching her breath. Panic had sent her into a full-out sprint, sacrificing distance and endurance for reckless speed. "No offense, Ash, but Ah...Ash?"

"Wait, he isn't here?" Rainbow scanned the area. No sign of the grey stallion could be detected. "He isn't here! We've gotta go back for him."

"Hold on!" Applejack grabbed the Pegasus' tail just as she took flight.

"Ow! Let me go!"

"If yah go in there without plannin', neither of yah are comin' back. We've gotta think of a plan first, then we-"

The bushes behind her rustled, causing the farmpony to jump. Zecora stepped out, followed closely by a quivering Pinkie Pie.

"Honest tah Betsy, yah almost gave me ah heart attack."

"I apologize, that was not our intention," Zecora said. "We saw a flash. Do you require our intervention?"

"Ash got left behind with a bunch of timberwolves," Rainbow blurted out. "We need to save him!"

As if on cue, a horrid howl echoed through, sending shivers down their spines. Large timberwolves stepped out from behind the darkness. Each glared hungrily at the ponies. One, the largest, gave out a short bark. Rainbow turned around and gulped as she saw two more wolves from behind. In total, six.

"Anypony's got a plan?" Applejack asked nervously. She inched away until she stood back to back with the rest of her friends, Pinkie Pie vibrating violently against her.

"I have some herbs in my bag," Zecora said. "They will make these wolves gag. But there isn't enough, I afraid, to make all of them go away."

The largest wolf, the alpha, growled. It began to approach the group.

"Alright, here's what we'll do; Zecora, do yah thing when tha big 'un gets close then we make a r-"

"LOOK OUT!" Rainbow push Applejack away just as the leader pounced, its mouth wide open, its teeth exposed. Rainbow now stood in Applejack's place and with no time to dodge, even considering her own speed. Rainbow shut her eyes and braced herself.

The wolf suddenly veered to the right and collided into a tree. Heads turned and eyes followed the timberwolf as it crashed and crumbled onto the ground.

The alpha got to his feet, glaring at the opposite direction. He roared, challenging whatever lurked there. Something came out from the shadows, something that made the wolf's jaw fall to the floor.

The timberwolf yelped in pain. Sap dripped down from where the lower jaw and upper jaw had once been connected. The former piece sat on the dusty forest floor.

The wolf glared at the being that stood at the other side. It stood upright, with to limbs on the ground and two others hanging from the trunk. One of these limbs had been stretched out toward the wolf, with several other appendages sprouting out like branches of a tree. It was white and almost seemed to be radiating light. A mess of white fur sat on top of its naked head, flowing in the wind. Funny, there didn't seem to any breeze.

The timberwolf growled in anger, a scene both horrific and humorous as the roar of defiance came out as more of a whimper. A long wooden tongue hung loosely from the top of the creature's mouth.

The rest of the pack seemed uncertain as to how to act. This indecision angered the alpha who attempted to bark out an order. The command was a laughable try but the icy glare their leader gave the pack reestablished order. The wolves turned their attention to the upstart newcomer that dared to interrupt their hunt. The creature lifted one of its forelimbs. The tips seemed to shine brightly.

Rainbow shivered as a sudden breeze passed through. Applejack held her hat to her head as it threatened to fly off. The grass rustled under the passing wind.

The lead wolf took a step forward and began to shudder violently. The beast took another step. Only half of its body followed. The other half joined the wolf's jaw on the ground.

The rest of the pack yelped in panic at the sight of their bisected leader. The strange creature stepped forward. They stepped back, even more uncertain now that they were without an alpha. Some growled at creature, ready to fight. Others were ready to bolt.

The creature made the first move; it held up what seemed to a small glowing marble.

It opened its mouth and uttered, "Go..."

The ball became a beam and struck the nearest snarling timberwolf. It shook its head and shivered. It closed it luminous eyes for several seconds. It opened its eyes and glanced over to the rest of its pack as if asking if anything noticeable had happened.

The wooden creature suddenly began to crackle and whine. Its hard exterior began to splinter and crack. Glowing-hot sap showered down from its mouth as it vomited violently. The wolf seemed to expand, growing painfully larger and larger until bursting with a loud, echoing boom, showering its nearby companion with flames. The unlucky pack mate howl in agony as the fire ate away at its wooden body. The remaining wolves fled at once.

The strange creature let its limbs fall to its side. He turned to the equines huddled together.

"Is everypony okay?" he asked. His voice sounded distant, like at the end of a hallway.

"Y-yeah," Rainbow answered. "How'd you-"

The glow the creature seemed to radiate faded away. The white was revealed to be a simple light bluish-grey robe. His hair was no longer caught in some undetectable wind, though it remained white.

He feel to his knees, clutching at his arm. It was caked in blood.

"Ash!" Rainbow and Applejack cried out. The two ran to the Human's side.

"Are yah alright?"

"Jus...f..."

He collapsed head first into the dirt.

"Can you see what I see?" he uttered before leaving the realm of consciousness.

*****

Fluttershy jumped as the cup shattered against the floor. Tea leaked into the wood.

Twilight stood up, grabbing the table for support. She held her hand to her forehead. Her breathing was labored. Sweat matted her dark hair; it had lost its natural purple, trading her light pink strand for a white one.

"Twilight, dear, are you alright?" Rarity asked. She approached her shaking friend cautiously and with concern.

"Jus...f..."

Twilight's legs gave up. She collapsed onto the table, knocking over the collection of danishes and Rarity's expensive porcelain tea pot.

"Twilight!" Fluttershy and Rarity screamed. The two ran to Twilight's side.

"Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy, wiping away the sweat on her friend's forehead.

Twilight stared at the yellow Pegasus, her eyes almost as dark as the night.

"Can you hear...what I hear?" she uttered. Her voice seemed to echo, as if she was at the bottom of a well.

Twilight shut her eyes and lost conscious.

*****

Celestia lifted her head from her pillow. Something was amiss.

She torn the covers off and leaped out of bed. The princess flung the doors of her private camber open, startling her guards.

"Your Highness," one of the gold-plated Pegasi said, leaping to attention. "Is something the matter? Do you require a glass of milk or a snack?"

"I require my sister at once," Princess Celestia told her loyal retainers. "Get her, now."

The guards gulped and gave each other searching looks. It was very uncommon for the princess to be giving such short orders.

"No need," a voice said. From the shadows stood Luna, Princess of the Night. "You felt it as well, my sister?"

Celestia nodded. "Go awaken the rest of your garrison," she ordered. "And set an extra patrol around the Elements."

"At once Your Highness," the guards said before saluting and taking off.

"Will that be enough to stop him?" Luna asked as the two hurried down the tower.

"I do not know," Celestia said. Worry was eating away, though the Alicorn tried to hid it. She never thought she'd see him again, not after they had just vanquished him.

"Sister..."

"I'm fine, Luna." She tried giving her a reassuring smile but even to herself, it felt hollow. Luna was not fooled.

"I do not understand," Luna said. "I would have thought the Elements would have sealed Discord away for good this time, or at least for another few centuries."

"We're about to find out," said Celestia as the Canterlot garden came in view.

Statues of all sorts inhabited this part of the garden. Some depicted scenes of bravery, others celebrating the achievements of Equestria's many ponies.

One stood apart from the rest. Pushed into a corner, it was of a strange creature; at first glance it appeared to have a head of a pony but with a chaotic collage of pieces of other creatures sewed on. The creature seemed to be writhing, as if in great pain or torment.

It was the first time either had seen the Draconequus expressing genuine fear but neither took any comfort in the irony that this was now his permanent appearance, partially since "permanent" was now questionable.

Celestia took a step forward, half expecting the sculpture to burst into confetti or simply fall over as a piece of cardboard. Nothing happened.

Luna ventured closer. "There are no crackings, no damages, no signs of weakening, sister. We were mistaken, it appears."

The princess let out a breath of relief. Never before had she ever been so happy to be wrong. Still, something bothered her.

"What was that we felt then?" she wondered aloud.

As if in reply, a faint glow shined at the where the Draconequus' heart would have been. It was not light, but a rather, some blackish beam. Celestia's ears flattened as it vibrated. Screams of agony wailed through the garden, like screeching metal on a chalk board. Luna leaned against her older sister, both offering and seeking support.

As suddenly as it begun, it ended. The dark beam had vanished, leaving no trace besides two God-awful headaches.

"Sister," Luna said unsteadily, "w-what was that?"

Celestia shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I don't think that was Discord. There was too much malice for him."

"Sombra then? I came to believe he was banished for good this time."

"It's too early to make any conclusions. We'll set up some extra guard around here just to be sure and I'll organize a research committee in the morning."

"Should we inform Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Bearers?" Luna asked.

Celestia thought for a moment before shaking her head. "As much faith as I have in my little pony, I fear she is in no condition right now. We'll deal with it this time."

"Of course, my sister."

*****

Zecora recovered from her shock first. "Ash, you called this creature, with all its strange features. How can this be? The Ash I meet was a pony. Are they the same and one? Tell me, what must be done?"

"It's a long story," said Rainbow. "We'll tell you after we get to your place. He needs help and fast."

"Very well then and make haste. I would very much like to leave this place."

"Right." Rainbow shifted one of Ash's massive shoulders over both her own. "Oof. This guy weighs a ton. How'd we get him out of the Everfree in the first place?"

"Okay, Ah'll grab his feet an' yah grab his head an' stuff," Applejack suggested. She grunted under the weight as she draped the Human's legs over her back. "Ready?"

"Hold on...got it...no, wait!"

Rainbow lost her grip, sending Ash's head crashing into the floor.

"Rainbow!"

"Hey, his head's like a freaking bowling ball. Argh, why'd he have to turn back into a Human now?"

As if in response, Ash's body sudden began to shrink. His fingers and toes grew inwardly and formed hooves. His face elongated into the shape of a snout. Grey fur grew rapidly over pink skin. The sound of snaps and crackles could have either been the breaking and reorganizing of a skeleton or the burning of the timberwolf's remains.

There had been no sudden flash.

Rainbow Dash blinked. She stared at the grey stallion laying in front of her. "...What just happened?"

"Ah dunno but Ah ain't complaining." Applejack swung Ash's now manageable shoulder over her own. Rainbow did the same. "Gotta say, Pinkie, this was one heck of a doozy."

"T-t-that w-w-asn't the d-o-oz-y," Pinkie Pie managed to say as she continued to quake.

"Are you kidding me?" Rainbow groaned. "If being attacked by a group of giant timberwolves in the middle of the Everfree and being saved by a humanized Ash isn't a doozy, what is?"

"I would not know," Zecora said, "but unless we want to find out we should go."

"Ah'm not arguin'. Let's split," Applejack said. "Hey, Rainbow, he's unbalanced on yer side."

With an unconscious Unicorn hung over their shoulders, Rainbow and Applejack followed Pinkie Pie and Zecora. Neither noticed the mark that adorned his previously blank flank, nor they see it fade away, like a shadow dispelled by the morning sun. Pinkie did however cease her uncontrollable shaking.

Send Me Away

"C'mon, Spike!" Ash called. "You know this meteor shower only happens only once every one hundred years."

"A centennial celebration we don't wanna miss," the little dragon said with a laugh. He led a large wagon behind him that held an amazing culinary compilation and a giant telescope.

Ash could see his friends in the distance. They had already congregated at the top of the hill. They covered the peak with a red and white checkered blanket.

"I'm sure I put the astronomer's guide back," Ash said as he made his way up the grassy slope. "That book would have helped me identify all the planets and stars tonight."

His assistant's eyes shifted side to side. "Well...maybe somepony borrowed it. Besides," Spike added with a nervous grin, "you don't need that book. You can already name all the planets and stars, cause you're super smart and astronomically awesome!"

Ash chuckled. "Thanks, Spike. You're such a flatterer."

Spike laughed. "Yeah, I'm a sweet talker alright."

"Speaking of sweets..." Rainbow Dash hovered over the wagon. "...do I smell cookies?"

"Yup, freshly baked home-made triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream," Spike declared, presenting one over his head proudly. "Also, apples, bananas, and fruit punch."

Rainbow's mouth watered. "Wow, Twilight, you're so lucky to have such a rad assistant. I wish I had somepony that did anything I told them to."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Scootaloo hopped up and down, her tiny wings fluttering at every leap. "I'll do anything you ask, Rainbow Dash!"

"Oh yeah, pipsqueak?" Rainbow said with a smirk. "How 'bout taking out the trash?" The Pegasus tossed an apple core to the side. She raised an eyebrow as Scootaloo dived at the eaten fruit and bounced away happily. Rainbow turn to Ash for an answer. He shrugged and helped Spike unload the wagon.

"Do we have Spike again to thank for this amazing spread?" Spike blushed under Rarity's radiant beam. "Isn't he just amazing?"

Pinkie rubbed her hoof through Spike's spikes. "Who would have thought that big ferocious dragons started as cutesy-wootsy as Spikey-wikey?"

"Spike," Rarity continued, "you are such the little star I just had to make this for you." She held a large red bow tie encrusted with several gemstones. Carefully, she helped the young dragon put it on.

Again, Spike blushed beneath his scales. "Gosh, you guys are embarrassing me." He turned to his guardian. "Well Ash, is there something you want to say?"

Ash had finished getting the tripod in place and was now in the process of setting up the telescope. "Did you recalibrate the apertures on the nine and a quarter inch telescope?" he asked. His indifferent tone hid a hint of teasing.

Spike crossed his arms but continued to smile. "Of course."

"Well, there's a reason why you're my number one assistant," Ash said as he balanced the heavy telescope.

"Hurry up!" Sweetie Belle cried, pointing to the sky. "It's starting."

Dots of bright lights filed the night sky, like millions of little fireflies resting on a black blanket. Several streaked across the heavens, inciting oohs and ahhs. Like dancers, the stars waltzed around the sky. Lights Ash identified as meteors flew by like rockets with little tails.

"Have yah seen anything like this before?" whispered Applejack. "Ah...it's jus' amazing."

"It's breathtaking," Rarity agreed.

"So...nice," Fluttershy added.

"Is that one of them consta-thingies?" Apple Bloom asked, pointing upward.

Ash looked into the telescope. "That's Orion. See those three bright stars? That makes up his belt."

"What about that one?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Ash stared at where the young Unicorn had been pointing at. "I...don't know," he admitted. "It looks like the stars are grouping up together there."

As he stared, the location Sweetie Belle had brought up seemed to gather more stars, as if the stars were being attracted, like paper clips to a magnet.

Several long streaks of stars were beginning branching off from the rest. The tendrils seemed to reach out toward their planet, toward that little hill.

"What is that?" Ash muttered. "It looks a little like a...a..."

...hand?

Ash cried out as the telescope was filled with light. He clutched at his blinded eye. "I'm fine," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

There was a disturbing lack of concern. There was a disturbing lack of silence.

With his good eye, Ash scanned the area. Everyone had disappeared. "Guys?" he called out. "Hey! Where are you guys?" As if looking for an answer, he looked up to the sky and gasped.

A colossal being stood there in the sky. It seemed to wear the heavens as a hooded cloak that cover the figure's eyes, but not its skeletal jaw and its uncanny grin. Ash took a step back as the being lifted its arm. With a thin, bone-like finger, it pointed behind him.

Ash turned around in time to see a Unicorn horn bury itself into his heart.

*****

"Gah!"

Ash clutched his head where he had smashed it against the low ceiling. More cautiously, the Mage propped himself with his hand so that he sat up in the all-too-small bed he had been laying in. He blinked out the last of his tiredness and tried taking account of his surroundings. They felt oddly familiar; weird wooden masks on the twisted walls, a mixing bowl on a table, a cauldron in the corner.

"Ah, good, you are wake."

Zecora winced as the strange creature in her bed once again sprung up and left a large imprint in her ceiling.

"Shh..." Ash hissed, holding his head between his knees. He looked up. Zecora could see a large swelling already growing from his forehead.

"Zecora?" he said uncertainly. "Then that must mean...what happened last night?"

"We were attacked by a timberwolf pack but miraculously we made it back," Zecora said. "Much of which we have you to thank, though such secrecy was not needed, to be frank."

"Secrecy?" Ash's eyes widened as his fingers brushed against his smooth, furless skin. "Crap." Taking the covers with him, Ash rolled off the side of the bed, landing on the hard floor with a loud thud. "Crap."

"Applejack and Rainbow told me your story last night," Zecora explained, her eyebrows raised. She pointed to the huddled clump of blankets to side. They heaved up and down as gentle snoring drifted from beneath them. Applejack's hat sat at the edge, where a hint of red, yellow, and orange stuck out.

"There's no need for such fright." Zecora continued. The zebra gave the Mage a sad smile. "Even if you are of a different form than before, that would not mean we are friends no more."

A mess of white hair peeked out from behind the cot. Two brown eyes soon followed warily.

"A friend is friend, no matter size or shape," Zecora added sagely as she approached the bunkered Human. She continued to smile, though her grin was now exuded happier emotions. "Be they pony, zebra, or furless ape."

Ash scowled. "Why am I always being compared to an ape?"

Zecora laughed. "Do you disagree? Tell me, what should your comparison be?"

"I...grr." Ash growled and buried his face into the bed sheets much to Zecora's amusement. The sight of this tall, power creature that had dominated an entire pack of adult timberwolves admitting defeat in such of matter was quite the scene from the zebra's point of view.

"Fine, ape it is," Ash conceded, resting his chin on the back of his hands. "Um, I'd appreciate it if you kept this information to yourself."

"I...suppose I could," Zecora said, "but may I ask why? No good can come from hiding secrets and lies."

A low mumble came from beneath the blankets. Pinkie Pie shifted onto her side.

"Easier to blend in," Ash explained, crossing his arms. "If Rainbow and Applejack told you the entire story, you should know I'm not around here-"

Zecora raised an eyebrow. "I figured as much, with all your various 'traditions' and 'sayings' and such."

"-and I'm stuck here permanently," Ash plowed on. He sighed. "Whether I like it or not, and I'm trying my best to like it, this is my new home and it's hard to get that homey feeling if you can't walk down the streets without inciting mass panic."

"Ah, I was once in your very place," Zecora said with a chuckle. "There was a time when my presence sent ponies running as if being chased." Zecora sighed at the memory. "But with time and a young filly's help I was accepted. In the end, everything was better than expected. You do not need such an elaborate disguise, to hide your true self from everypony's eyes."

Ash shook his head. "As much as I miss my fingers and magic, this body creates too many problems. It's better this way, even if the transformation isn't permanent yet."

"Very well, if that's how you will be, your secret is safe with me," Zecora said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Thank you...um, can I ask a question?"

"Is there something you need? If you like, we can have an early breakfast and tea."

"It's not that...just...where the hell are my pants?"

*****

"Are you sure you can not stay for a bite?" asked Zecora. "It is still early; there is barely daylight."

The grey Unicorn shifted his saddlebags so that both sides were balanced. In them was a large vial of Zecora's custom sedative. "Sorry," he said, "but we really need to check up on Twilight."

"Maybe next time," Applejack suggested. "Better yet, why don'cha join us fer brunch? Ah'm sure Twilight'll 'preciate tha company."

"Ooh, ooh, and the Cakes are trying a new oatmeal-raisin muffin recipe," Pinkie exclaimed, grinning wildly. "I convinced them to add cinnamon too and frosting and everything! We've gotta try it."

"I am tempted to accept and I would but there is an except," their zebra friend said sadly. "There are things at home I must attend but tomorrow morning my time I will gladly lend."

"Tomorrow then, when we've got something to celebrate," Ash said, extending his hoof. "It was an honor meeting you, Zecora. Keep safe."

"And to you the same," Zecora responded, accepting the hoofshake. "Ash the Human, I will not be forgeting your name."

And with one final wave, Zecora melted into the forest's background, disappearing among the bushes and low branching trees.

"You know," Rainbow Dash said, scratching her head as she stared at where Zecora had been standing, "you'd think with her color scheme, that'd be sort of difficult."

"Because it's dramatic," Pinkie exclaimed. "Draaamatic!"

"Oh, I almost forgot to say." Zecora popped her head out of a dense brush. Rainbow nearly jumped as her striped head seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Give Twilight my regards and and ask her if we're still having tea this Tuesday."

"It'll depend on her recovery," said Ash. "Which is why we should probably get going..."

"Ah, oops, I apologize for the delay." Zecora nodded toward the beaten dirt path before them. "Follow that trail for the quickest way."

"Thanks," Ash began but the mysterious zebra had already disappeared. Instead, he turned to the three mares accompanying him. "Well, ready to go?"

"Well, duh." Rainbow groaned as she stretched her wings. "Man, I can't tell you how much I miss the open sky."

"It was nice seein' tha original zap apple trees tho," Applejack admitted. "Ah wonder if mah granny ever went back there."

"Too bad there weren't any actual zap apples." Pinkie licked her lips. "Ooh, I can't wait for the next zap apple harvest. Wait!" She gasped suddenly, startling her friends. "Ash has never had zap apples before. And that means he's never had zap apple jam or zap apple pie or zap apple fritters or zap apple dipped in caramel..."

"Hold on, you mean car-o-mel."

"Silly Dashie, it's pronounced car-a-mel."

"What? Are you kidding me?" Dash said incredulously. "Everypony knows it's pronounced "car-o-mel."

"Ah always thought it was car-mel," Applejack interjected.

"Are we really having this conversation?" Ash asked, rubbing this forehead. "Let's get out of this forest already."

"...Why are we still standing around then?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Um, truth be told," the Unicorn answered, staring at the clump of bushes before him, "I'm kind of waiting for Zecora to pop out again. I don't know why." He sighed. "Guess she not going to. Let's go."

They had travelled some distance before Pinkie Pie asked, "So Ash, car-a-mel or car-o-mel?"

*****

"How bad?"

Ash hurried up the stairs as quickly as he could with his four limbs. Fluttershy tailed behind him closely.

"How bad?" he repeated.

"I-I'm not sure," Fluttershy said nervously. "She got some sleep but she had such a high fever last night and I didn't know what to do because she's a Human right now and not a pony or a bunny or mouse or bird and I wasn't sure what I could do without making things worse because I don't know anything about Humans and you were out and in the Everfree Forest and you were busy and I wasn't sure if I could go see a doctor and-"

Ash stopped the panicking Pegasus with a light tap on her shoulder. The poor pony had spent the night on the edge of the Everfree, waiting for the group to return. When they had emerged, she dragged Ash half way across town before explaining the situation, leaving a bewildered Rainbow Dash and Applejack in the dust. Pinkie Pie disappeared shortly.

"Fluttershy, breathe."

"I-I..." The yellow pony gulped and shook as she took a deep breath in. "Oh, what are we going to do?"

Ash stood before the entrance of Twilight's personal room. Fluttershy and Rarity managed to move Twilight into her own room and had tried their very best to provide her with comfort. He hesitated from entering, fearful of what he might find.

This isn't right he thought. We should have had more time. I know we had-have-more time...

"Let's see how Twilight's doing first before we make any hasty decisions," Ash suggested. He hoped his voice wasn't as shaky as he thought it was.

With a final nod of encouragement toward Fluttershy, Ash stepped forward.

He was greeted by the sight of a young, raven-head lady laying in a all-too-small bed, calmly reading a large tome. Spike laid on her legs, curled up like a cat.

"Oh thank goodness," Fluttershy said quietly in relief. "Twilight, you're-"

"Wait." Ash cut her off with a swipe a his hoof. He slowly made his way to Twilight's side. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said slowly.

The young girl raised an eyebrow. She put her book down. "Huh? Oh, hey Ash. You're back!" Twilight's grin swiftly disappeared as she noticed Ash's grim expression. "I-is something wrong? Wait..." She leaped up, smacking her forehead against the ceiling of her own library. Spike fell to floor. The dragon turned onto his side and continued to snore. Ignoring her growing bruise, Twilight asked, "Where's Applejack and Rainbow Dash? Where's Pinkie Pie? Did something happen to them?"

"Ever-y-thi-ng is f-f-fine, T- stop shaking me!"

"Oops." Twilight removed her hands from the grey Unicorn. Ash grabbed his head and held it straight, hoping to re-align his eyes as they swiveled around in their sockets.

"It's fine," he said. "I'm just relieved you still remember enough to be worried about your friends. Fluttershy had me worried when she told me the trouble you caused last night."

Both Fluttershy and Twilight blushed and both began to stumble over apologizes.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Omigosh, I probably made such a mess-"

"-but I was so worried-"

"-oh, and I got everypony all riled up-"

"-I'm so sorry my worrying got you worried-"

"-I'm so sorry I got you all worried-"

Ash's stern appearance crumbled as he chuckled. "Ah, it sounds like things are returning normal. Well...besides the obvious," he added, nodding to the black haired girl sitting in Twilight's bed. "Is it just me, or is your hair darker than it was before?"

"I think it's darker," Twilight said. "Rarity left for some mane dyes." She rolled her eyes. "I tried telling her it wasn't permanent but...well, you know Rarity. It's...not permanent, right?"

"Yeah. Once I've gotten rid of that piece of my conscious hiding in your own, your appearance will return." Ash frowned. "What's wrong with black?"

"I dunno. It's...just not me. Besides, a black mane?" Twilight giggled. "Really, this is more in Rarity's territory but even I know that'd look silly."

"...That's my natural hair color," Ash said, his frown deepening.

"But, um, isn't your mane white?" Fluttershy noted.

"It turned white 'cause I got old. What? Don't your manes change color with age?"

"Not that drastically," Twilight said, shaking her head. "Wow...black, really?"

"Yeah...looks like that fragment is taking hold though, if your physical form has changed this much already. Still..." Ash took the saddlebags off his back and set them on the floor. He opened them and carefully removed the vial of purplish liquid. He placed it on the nightstand. "If you're still retaining your own memories, it looks like we have some time."

"Oh thank goodness," Fluttershy sighed again. "Um, I'll go get breakfast ready. Excuse me."

"Hold on. I'll give you a hand-er-hoof."

"Actually, uh, Ash?" Twilight caught the stallion by the shoulder. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Ash gave Fluttershy a silent nod, one that the Pegasus returned before she left the room. Turning back to Twilight, he asked, "Is something the matter?"

"I didn't want Fluttershy to worry anymore than she already has so didn't say anything," Twilight began, "but this morning wasn't so great."

"What do mean, wasn't so great?" Ash questioned. "Did you...forget something?"

"It was a lot more than something," Twilight hissed quietly. "I panicked when I saw Rarity. I had no idea where I was, who she was, who I was even..." Twilight swallowed hard. "I can't believe I forgot who my own friends were. Rarity, she looked devastated when I couldn't even call her by her name, when I...screamed at her, at Spike." Twilight stood up and knelt next to her assistant. With a shaking finger, she stroked the top of his scaly head.

"I've never yelled at him before. Scolded him plenty of times, maybe even raised my voice but yelling at him, to stay away when all he wanted to do was to help?" Still snoring, Spike grabbed hold of Twilight's arm and dragged himself closer so that he laid his head on her knees. She smiled and pulled him into a light hug, cradling the young dragon gently. "He's always trying to be helpful..."

"Number one assistant," Ash muttered.

"Yeah, my number one assistant. His greatest fear is being sent away, you know...and I told him to get away from me, to stay away," Twilight finished bitterly.

Spike's snores were the only noises as the Human that was a Unicorn and the Unicorn that was a Human sat in silence. Ash cursed his inability to comfort. He considered resting a hoof on her arm as a form of silent but physical support; his hoof never left the floor.

"I don't want to forget," Twilight declared suddenly. "I don't want to forget my friends, not even for a second. I don't want to lose any memories of Ponyville, of Princess Celestia, of Spike..."

"Twilight..."

"Ash, I need to know." Twilight's words were demanding but her tone was tired, with little strength but plenty of urgency. When she turned to face the grey Unicorn, Ash saw how locked and determined her expression, almost chilly. Her eyes, however, were pleading, like the eyes of a mortally injured man or a horse with a shattered leg.

"I need to know," she repeated. "C-can you really fix this?"

This time the hoof found the hand. The smile that slowly grew across Ash's face was reassuring.

"You won't forget anything. You won't lose your memories. You won't lose Applejack or Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy or Rarity or Rainbow Dash. You won't lose Spike. I promise."

"Don't...don't make a promise you can't keep,"

"Well, this is one I can and will keep. I'll even...what was it?" Ash tapped the floor as he racked his brain. "You know, the thing about flying cupcakes or something?"

"Pinkie Pie Swear?"

"Yeah, that's it. How did it go again?

"Cross my heart..."

"...and hope to fly..."

"...stick a cupcake..."

"...in my eye," the two finished together, sharing a laugh.

"That settles it then," Ash said. "Don't worry about anything. I'll succeed."

"Yeah." Twilight smiled. "I should have more faith in my friends."

"I'm going to go help Fluttershy with breakfast then. Thinking of anything special?"

"Actually, I have a weird craving for croissants with jam and cream cheese. Weird."

"Well, we'll see what we can do," Ash said. He lifted himself onto his feet and headed down the kitchen. He turned and looked behind him just in time to see Twilight press her check against Spike's. Ash smiled sadly.

What he said was true. By the end of tomorrow morning, Twilight would be a pony once more. All her memories would be intact after the fragment of Ash's own mind was destroyed.

Ash let out a small sigh; he had told Twilight all she would not lose but never did mention what could be lost.

It's fine a voice seemed to echo in his head. It's not like you belong in this world anyways...

*****

Celestia sat on the grassy floor, wearing a glare that few, if any, ponies had the misfortune of witnessing.

"Is that you, Discord?" the princess asked angrily. "What are you planning?"

The statue said nothing.

Twilight's Library

All was silent, save for the frantic scratches of a feather quill against a sheet of parchment, like the scurrying of mice fleeing from a owl.

The only source of light was a flickering wax candle that was rapidly melting away. It did little to dispel the shadows and the room's details remained veiled and secret. What could be seen was a hunched figure leaning over the table the candle sat on, surrounded by large tomes. The noisy quill danced across the paper before him. He held the feather between ink-stained fingers.

Ash set the quill down and reviewed his notes by the dying candle light. His mouth moved as he read the words. His brown eyes stared so intensely it was a wonder the parchment did not combust. His concentration was so focused, so drawn and taken, he failed to notice the door creak open or the light footsteps or the shadows moving along the floor.

Even when the child was illuminated by the candle's flame as he approached the table's edge, Ash paid no heed. Instead, the Mage set the parchment back down and continued to scribble. This amused the boy; he wore an unsettling grin that failed to reach his blue eyes. He brushed his blond hair back as he placed his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands.

"You're going to fail," the boy finally said after some time.

The quill continued its journey back and forth the sheet of paper. Beyond that, Ash did nothing.

The boy's grin widened. "What good are these final preparations? A waste of time, a waste of effort. You are going to fail," he repeated.

The intensity of the scratches seemed to increased.

"And you know it," the boy continued smugly. "This branch of magic was never your strong suit. You're lying to yourself and to your...new friends. Face it..." He leaned close, their heads almost touching. "You will fail."

The quill snapped, leaving a long ink slash across the parchment.

Ash drew in a breath. "What do you want, Ramth?"

The boy continued to wear his sadistic grin.

"I'm trying to keep you realistic, from throwing everything away so pointlessly," he answer. "We're...'friends', after all."

Ash collected his notes into a pile and straightened them out. "You know nothing," the Mage said confidently. "I will succeed."

Young Ramth sighed. "Your success will leave you nothing more than a shell, nothing more than a disembodied conscious doomed to wander the halls of another's mind. Is that truly success?"

"If I don't, Twilight will..."

The boy crossed his arms across his chest. "So you're willing to destroy yourself for another?" He shook his head and chuckled. "What a fool."

A sudden breeze killed what little fire and light the candle had been providing.

"Fool. Yes, you will not fail the Unicorn but you will pay at the cost of your own life..."

Another cruel chuckle echoed through the dark.

"Not that that matters in this world, I suppose..."

Ash stood in the darkness, in the silence.

"Don't count me dead yet," he muttered into the shadows. "A lot can happen in an hour."

*****

"Get off me, you freaks!" the girl snarled as she shrugged against Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Books littered the floor from when Rainbow tackled the Human into a shelf.

"Hold her still," Ash barked. He swept through Twilight's desk, tossing loose papers into the air. "I know I left here it somewhere."

"Sorry 'bout Twilight," Rainbow grunted as she used her entire body to pin down one of her friend's arms. The prisoner shifted her elbow into the Pegasus' stomach. "Ow, okay, maybe not too sorry."

Rarity was having just as much trouble with the girl's other side. Sections of her violet mane stuck out and sweat matted her normally pristine coat.

"Ash," she cried out between clenched teeth, "could you be a dear and hurry up?"

"Give me a sec...here it is!" Ash grabbed the vial with Zecora's sleep potion and held it up.

The Human girl glared furiously at the ponies and the man before her. She shook and struggled against her equine shackles. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists.

"I said...LET GO!"

"Whoa, look out!" Rainbow screamed, diving out of the way.

Ash sniffed. "Does anyone else smell something burning?" He look down. "Ah, it's me."

As he beat the flames off his pants, the girl knocked Rarity aside and got to her fight. Another small fireball rested in her palm as she slowly approached the Mage. The flames danced wickedly around her fingers as she lifted her hand.

"DIE!" she roared, tossing the ball of burning death with all her might at her pants-less adversary. Her laugh of triumph was cut short as the fireball flickered away and died as it left her hand.

The girl recovered from her confusion quickly however and soon her hands were full of flames. She flinched as the burned against her skin but ignored the pain. If this is what it took to deal with these bothersome pests, well, she could handle the pain. She grinned confidently, almost manically.

Ash, however, had not been idle either. He stood tall, with his chest pointed straight towards his foe, like a target. The Mage held his arms out, as if trying to receive a hug. He wore the same insane smile.

With another war cry, the girl charged forward, flames spinning around her wrists.

Dash finally reappeared from under a pile of texts. Her eyes widened as she watched Ash face certain death at the hands of one of her own friends. Rainbow opened her mouth to warn Ash just as the attacker fell onto her face.

The girl rolled onto her back. She tried to leap back up but something had caught hold of her ankle, something cold. She looked down and cursed.

Her foot had been caught in a sheet of ice. She struggled against the frozen trap but it held fast. Remembering the fireballs, she lifted her arm only to feel something pull it back. She turned and cursed again.

Her arm was caught in a similar icy snare. Futilely, she tried the other arm but it too was frozen.

"Damn it," she muttered. Her voice was deep, almost manlike. Rainbow Dash nearly snickered, despite the circumstances. Rarity glared at the her as the Pegasus failed to suppress a small snort.

Ash stood above the girl. She glared defiantly at the Mage.

"When I get out of here, you're dead," she said.

"Twilight, let's not get unpleasant. We don't want to scare Spike and Pinkie anymore than we already have."

"What are you...Spike...Pinkie?"

Ash grabbed the girl's nose and forced the potion down her throat. He watched with grim satisfaction as her throat bobbed up and down as the sedate went down.

With in seconds, the girl's struggles ceased as she closed her eyes and began to snore.

"Well, that's one approach, I suppose," Rarity said with a sniff.

"Not my first choice either." Ash tossed the empty bottle aside.

"You don't think you gave her too much, do you?" Rainbow asked, worried.

"Nah. It'll be fine. She'll probably be a bit drowsy, a bit loopy when she awakes though."

Ash knelt in front of Twilight and shook his head sadly. "You two know it wasn't Twilight fault, right? It's the mind piece fighting for control."

"Course we know that," Rainbow said gruffly. "Twilight not the type to hurt ponies like that, especially not us."

"Yes, we understand Twilight isn't herself right now," Rarity agreed. "Oh, but I hope she will be soon."

Ash nodded to the corner of the library, where a certain pony sat, staring at the wall. Her normally bubbly hair had flattened out like a deflated balloon. Her pink coat was slightly faded.

"Will she alright?"

"Pinkie? Yeah, of course," Rainbow assured. "We just have to keep her away from rocks, turnips, sharp objects, buckets, dolls..."

"We'll take of her," Rarity said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "You have a job to do, don't you?"

"Oh, right."

Ash turned back to the unconscious girl. Amidst all the excitement he had nearly forgotten his purpose. Kneeling back down, Ash touched his forehead with one hand and with the other he held up the girl's head. She did not stir.

"So what do you need us to do on this side?" Rarity asked.

"Take care of Pinkie first, then just make sure the two of us are still breathing and keep a look out for anything unusual."

"Unusual?" Rainbow scoffed. "You mean besides having two hairless ape monsters try and beat the tar out of each other?"

Ash didn't reply. His arms fell to his sides and his head drooped over. The girl took a sudden deep breath, then continued to breathe normally.

"Is he..." Rainbow began.

Rarity approach the Human. "He's breathing," the Unicorn announced. She took a step forward and placed her ear where she assumed his heart to be. "I think he's alright-wait, something's wrong!"

Ash began to shake violent. Rarity grabbed him by the shoulders, trying to stabilize him. "Rainbow, help!"

Ash opened his mouth and a torrent of brown bile spewed out. When the stream ended, the Human stopped his shaking. Losing his balance, Ash fell on top of a sticky, aghast Rarity. Vile chunks dripped out of her mane.

Under all the abuse, the Unicorn grew redder and redder. An eye was twitching.

"You know," Rainbow ventured, "you don't look half bad."

For the second time since its transfer of ownership, the Olden Oak Library rocketed into the sky, roots and all.

*****

Twilight looked up from her book. A loud retching sound from behind her startled the Unicorn. She turned around.

"Ash," she gasped. Twilight leaped out of seat and ran to the Human. He continued to heave and clutch his stomach but no vomit left his mouth.

"Never'll get use to it," he mumbled.

"Ash, what's going on?" Twilight asked. "Are you alright? Wait, aren't we suppose to be doing something today? Oh, pony feathers! We only have an hour! Quick, what do we need for the spell? Spike, come here quick! Spike! Spike?"

"Twilight," Ash said calmly. "Look at yourself."

"Huh? What are you..." Twilight gasped and squealed. "I'm a Unicorn again! I have my hooves! I have my fur! I have my horn! Oh, my horn, how I've missed you!"

"Twilight..."

"I'm never taking you for granted again. I just don't know how I could live without magic."

"Twilight..."

"I mean, sure, fingers are nice and everything but it's so much easier this way-"

"TWILIGHT!"

The purple Unicorn stopped bouncing. "Huh? What's wrong?"

Ash got to his feet. Twilight looked up at the towering figure. She missed her former height but it was a small loss to what she considered gain.

"It's not over. You're not a Unicorn yet."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"This," the Human explained, patting Twilight's back, "is only an avatar. It's a form of your conscious that you can control."

"Wait, I'm not me?"

"No, you're still you, just not...physically? It's, well..." Ash stumbled as he sought a valid explanation. "It'll take too much time to go into detail. Think of it as a vehicle for your conscious so that you can interact with the rest of your mind."

The ground shook as Twilight scratched her head.

"Wait, so if I'm my conscious...does this make...where are we?"

"I think you know that answer."

Twilight nodded. "That makes this my mind then, right? My subconscious?" She took a look around and frowned. "I thought it'd be a little more, I don't know, impressive?"

Ash followed her gaze and chuckled. Rows and rows of book shelves stared back. Beyond that, it was as if they stepped into an empty, white room.

Well, an empty sterile room that seemed to stretch into infinity.

"I'm sorry you don't find very mind-blowing," Ash said. He approached the shelves. As he walked, snow-white steps sprung from beneath his feet. "What exactly were you expecting?"

"I don't know, something unfamiliar or mind-boggling I guess. A library's wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Not that there's anything wrong with that," the Unicorn quickly added.

"Apparently it was. A library on your mind, I mean." Ash chuckled. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time."

"Alright then, what do we need to do?"

The two had reached one of the large shelves. Both had to crane their necks back to see the top. Ash reached out and removed one of the large books. Twilight Sparkle shivered involuntarily as the text left its proper place.

"Well, we do what anyone does in a library: we search for a book."

"A book?" Twilight questioned. "Will it tell us where that foreign piece of your mind is?"

"Not exactly," Ash said, cracking open the book.

Twilight took a look inside and gasped. The book, like most books, had words. What startled Twilight was how the words literally danced around and across on the pages, swirling into shapes and figures. The Unicorn watched in awe as sentences twisted and turned and sprung out of the paper, wiggling like earthworms out of soil.

They formed a skeletal figure of a pony, then another, larger than the first. As more and more words, letters, and punctuations flew out of the book and into the figures, more details were depicted until Twilight couldn't help but wonder why those two ponies seemed familiar.

How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married! I'm your sister for pony's sake!

Ash shut the book and set it back on the shelf. The scene disappeared.

"You have a brother?"

Twilight realized her jaw was hanging. She shut it.

"What was that?" she asked. "Where did that come from?" She turned to Ash. "Was that..."

"A memory? Yes, one of its purest forms, at least for you. A person's depiction of memories and thoughts varies on the person. It would appear for you they're symbolized as books," explained Ash. "Wait, so you have a brother?"

"Yeah, his name is Shining Armor...hold on, you mean all my memories are all categorized in these books?"

"Memories, thoughts, emotions, anything of the subconscious can be viewed through these books, yes." He reached for another one.

"Wait," Twilight began, reaching out to grab her companion's arm. "So you can just read my thoughts just like that?"

Suddenly, the room began to shake. The books shuddered and began to rearrange themselves, sliding into different positions, switching places with other texts.

The entire shelf ducked into the ground like a startled mole, only for another one to pop back up. Ash leaned over and watched as the other books and shelves follow a similar pattern.

"Twilight..." he groaned.

"What? What? I didn't do anything!" the Unicorn protested. "What happened?"

"Well, no, not completely intentionally anyways." Ash tried grabbing another book. Like a frightened bird, it shied away, trading places with its neighbors until it was well away from the frustrated Human's hands. He turned back to Twilight.

"I told you, if this is going to work, I need your cooperation and your help."

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"You don't want me to read your mind or anything. This..." Ash gestured to the shifting book shelves. "...is a defensive mechanism, and a damn clever one," he added.

"Oh...um..." Twilight slumped over and dug at the ground. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine." Ash knelt down and lifted the Unicorn's chin up. "I know it's an invasion of privacy. You'd be crazy if you didn't have a few things in your heart you'd want to keep to yourself. All I can promise is that I'll try not to pay to much attention to your thoughts. We're here for my memories, not yours. But I need your help. I need you to trust."

Twilight sighed. "Alright." She got to her feet. "I trust you. You're my friend and I can trust my friends."

At Twilight's words, the books stopped shifting and the shelves ceased their shuffling.

Ash stood up. "Thanks."

"So the piece of your mind is in one of these books?" Twilight carefully removed one of them but did not open it, holding it instead at a Human's arm length. "How are we going to know which one?"

"We don't." Ash looked up and held out a hand. Five large tomes fell and were caught by a golden aura, hovering over his outstretched hand. "This is why I needed your conscious with me. There's no way I can get through all of these in an hour-"

"We only have an hour to get through all of these books?" Twilight nearly screamed. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, we wasted some time...getting you ready so probably fifty or forty minutes now." The hovering books sprung open.

...thought I could handle any test...

I'm Starswirl the Bearded...

...I got...

...pony is crazy...

...so sorry..

Ash waved and the books flew back onto the shelf. "We can do it. Believe me, it'll definitely feel longer," he asserted. "Besides, we don't have to go through all of them, just until we find my mind fragment."

"And how will we know if we find it?"

"You'll know. It's foreign so whatever feels foreign and out of place, well..."

Ash pointed at a series of shelves on the other side. "You'll start there and I'll handle this side. We'll figure out the rest after that."

"Okay then." Twilight set the book she was levitating back. "Um, hypothetically, what would happen if an hour passed and we didn't find whatever's causing all these problems?"

"Twilight, we don't have time for hypothetical situations."

"Right, sorry." The purple Unicorn galloped away.

Ash shook his head as he lifted his arms and emptied almost half the entire shelf. The stream of voices, sounds, and images was almost overwhelming. Amid all the chaos, Ash muttered.

"My body will turn back into a pony and end the spell, leaving my conscious in your mind." He sighed. "At least even then I'll still be able to look and remove whatever's causing all this grief..."

*****

Every so often, Ash would look up at the floating hourglass and watch as a few grains of sand slowly poured down. He would then dismiss the glass and return his attention to the books as they screamed and ejected images at him.

To the Mage, it was nothing more than a mess, a storm of white noise with only a handful of it actually comprehendible. It was fine, however. Ash didn't expect to understand much; they weren't his after all and he wasn't trying to interpret anything today.

...rap Up...

...clock is t...

...let me sleep...

...don't...leave...

"Not here either," Ash muttered, sending the books back. He glanced back to the hourglass. About half of the top glass was empty.

"We're running out of time."

On other hand, Ash had gotten through several rows of shelves already. If Ash had dared to be optimistic, he would have said he and Twilight were making good time, all things considered.

Speaking of Twilight...

Ash looked over toward the side the Unicorn had assigned herself, which was silent. The Human frowned. The lack of audio activity wasn't a sign of worry in itself but Ash couldn't shake off a feeling of dread. The mist that was rolling in was not helping.

"Twilight?" he called. "Twilight, where are you?"

There was no answer. Ash struggled to crush the rising surge of panic. He tried to make out a sign of the Unicorn within the fog, the outline of a pony or a hint of purple against the white background.

"Twilight?"

"I-I'm fine!"

Ash sighed in relief. He could barely make out the the Unicorn's slumped outline and began hurrying to her side. As he almost ran, Twilight's voice echoed passed him.

...are a bunch of jerks...

...don't need...friends...

...magic...is...dead...

At the sound of the Mage's heavy footsteps, Twilight's head jerked up and the book next to her slammed shut.

"Y-yeah?" the Unicorn said, wiping her eyes. They were red.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Twilight said quickly, turning away. "Nothing at all."

Ash remained unconvinced. He stared at the book Twilight tried to hide behind her. It was black, with a lock and a broken chain. The book reminded Ash of a diary. He reached forward.

"No!" the Unicorn screamed, shoving the Human back. "D-don't read it!"

Ash backed away, startled. "Twilight..."

"I'd never say that about my friends," she cried. "I...they..." Tears began to run anew.

"H-hey...wait don't..."

Twilight couldn't stop. She held her composure for another second before breaking down in earnest, burying her face in Ash's robes.

We don't have time for this... he thought, remembering the hourglass. ...but I can't leave her like this. This was not a good idea...

Ash closed his eyes. He remembered his first time visiting his own subconscious. Without realizing, he rubbed his neck, tracing an invisible, mental scar.

"Twilight, listen to me," he spoke over the Unicorn's sobs. "I don't know what you saw but there's a reason why it was in a sealed book."

Ash leaned against the bookshelf. The hourglass reappeared, as if acting as a warning. He ignored it and the reaper holding the sands.

"Everyone has some secrets in their hearts," he continued. "Secrets they keep from friends and family...and themselves." Ash picked up the black covered book. "Especially from themselves. There's not much you can do about that but that's okay."

"Okay?" Twilight lifted her head and glared at the Human. "How can you say that? How can I be okay that...that's-"

She pointed to the book.

"-is inside me, in my mind? How can I face my friends when I know that's how I feel about them?"

"How do you feel about them?"

"I...I don't want to-"

Ash shook his head. "No, not what the book said you thought. How do you feel about your friends?"

"I..."

Real friends don't care what your cover is

"I never thought I'd ever care for friends. I was always so busy with my studies..."

Friendship is a wondrous and powerful thing

"...but ever since I arrived to Ponyville, I haven't been able to get them out of my head, out of my thoughts, out of my heart..."

Everypony has a special magical connection with her friends...maybe even before she's met them

"...it hasn't always been easy..."

...friendship isn't always easy. But there's no doubt it's worth fighting for

"...but because of them, I could carry on..."

Big adventure...

"Rainbow Dash..."

Tons of fun...

"Pinkie Pie..."

A beautiful heart...Faithful and strong...

"Rarity...Applejack..."

Sharing kindness...

"Fluttershy..."

At each name, Twilight's voice grew stronger.

"I love every one of them so, so much. I'd do anything for them and I know they'd do anything for me as well. Even...even if o-one day I have to leave Ponyville...even if something happens and I can't come back...even if..."

...until you shared its magic with me...

"...we'll be together!" Twilight nearly screamed. She lifted her head, her eyes shining with dauntless conviction. "We're friends and we'll be friends until the very end. Whether together in Ponyville or in my heart, they won't leave me!"

Ash nodded. "Now tell me, what feels more real? What you just said..."

He laid a finger on the purple Unicorn's chest, where he assumed her heart was. It wasn't entirely accurate but she understood.

"...or what that book told you?" Ash finished.

"That had better be a rhetorical question," Twilight said with a scowl.

"Really? Twilight Sparkle's going to contradict the authority of a book?" Ash said in mock surprise.

Twilight returned the grin. "I'd say I'm a better authority on friendship than some dusty old tome."

"Agreed." Ash wrapped the book with the rust chain and held it out for Twilight. Her horn lit and a resounding click was heard as the lock was re-secured.

"Sometimes a mind can hold contradicting thoughts," Ash explained as he re-shelved the book. "It's one of the many mysteries of the mind. The one that is our true thought is the one we choose to act on...after all, what is a thought without an action?"

"I guess that makes sense...look out!"

Ash fell to his knees, clutching his head. Something fell on his head. Through his tears, he could make out another heavy book.

"I'm so sorry," Twilight apologized. "I have no idea how that happened."

"It's fine. I'm fine," assured Ash, slowly getting up. Still, it was odd that it just fell like that.

Ash pick it up. "You want this one or should I?"

"Um, do you think we could go through this one...together?"

"Of course." Ash opened the book and braced himself for the wave.

With Twilight by his side, it wasn't as overwhelming as the other times. Ash caught himself cooing several times as the images lasted long enough for him to examine.

"S-stop that. It's embarrassing!"

"But you're so cute as a baby...wait, wha-"

The putrid smell of smoke mixed with the disgusting aroma of charred flesh...an overpowering burning flood of heat...the tormented screams of souls slowly boiled and roasted...the urge to abandon hope...and a sickening pull within his stomach followed by sudden exhaustion and peace...

"We found it. Twilight, we did it! We found-"

Ash turned, expecting to find the Unicorn bouncing and bubbling with excitement.

There was no sign of Twilight. Instead, the book had transformed into a dark swirling pool. On the other side was a crumbling stone bridge leading to a dark, foreboding cathedral. On the bridge, heading in the direction of the cathedral was...

"Twilight!" Ash screamed. The Unicorn did not hear, continuing her path across the bridge.

"I hate mind magic," the Mage muttered before leaping into the murky portal.

Another grain of sand fell to the bottom.

Sanctuary

Hoofsteps echoed into into infinity space as Twilight slowly walked across the obsidian bridge. The Unicorn tried to calm herself and slow her breathing but each breath seemed to resonate loudly, raising the hairs on her back. She turned her head, looking behind her. Nothing was there but Twilight could not shake the feeling that something was watching her.

Twilight turned back to the grand white building before her. It had a round celling, with a long thick spire growing out the center that seemed extended into infinity. At the end, Twilight could make out a horizontal beam perpendicular to the spire, a cross. The faint chimes of a bell could be heard.

From the stain window, a small light peeked through, barely worth a candle's fire. But in the darkness, where the purple pony could barely see the ground in front of her, it was a beacon, as bright and welcoming as Celestia's sun. With the shadows as oppressive as they were now, it took all Twilight's control to move at a careful pace toward the sanctuary and not to break into a reckless gallop.

A shadowy figure looked down from the window.

*****

The large wooden doors creaked open. Twilight peeked inside cautiously before taking a step inside.

"Hello?" she called, looking around. "Is anypony here?"

The Unicorn jumped as the door slammed shut behind her. Torches aligning the wall lit up, revealing faded tapestries and dispelling shadows. A bright alter sat some distance away, surrounded by candles. Despite the sudden warmth and light, Twilight felt cold, as if something was caressing her shoulder with chilling, bony fingers...

Twilight leaped forward, spinning to face the doors behind her. Her horn lit up as she readied a spell, preparing to defend herself.

Nothing was there. The Unicorn sighed in relief but did not dismiss her magic.

Something's off about this place she said to herself silent. Twilight took a step back to the giant doors. And I don't think I want to find out...

"Leaving already?" a voice spoke behind her. There was a chuckle. "Twilight, I'm disappointed. I thought a dark and mysterious cathedral like this would have grabbed your curiosity."

Twilight gulped. She turned slowly, running dozens of escape scenarios in her head, all of which disappeared when she saw the source of the voice.

"Ash?"

At least, a Human male that looked a lot like Ash. There were a few differences, the most noticeable being his hair, which was as black as a raven's feather. The Human's features were more youthful, much younger; there were fewer creases and lines. Like Ash, the Human wore a robe, though while Ash's was blue, this Human wore white Mage robes. A crimson scarf hid his neck.

"Ash?" Twilight repeated. "Is that you?"

The Human chuckled again. Twilight flinched at the sound. It sounded similar to Ash's laugh but it was as if they were in a cave and all she was hearing was a distant echo, lacking all the emotion and feeling of the original it was imitating.

"Is that really the first question you want to ask?" the Human asked. "C'mon, I know you're dying to know. Ask me, ask me; where are we?"

Twilight glared at the Human. He was avoiding the question but Twilight was more annoyed that Human was right. She was dying to know. "Alright, where are we then?"

"A most excellent question," the Human said, sweeping down into a mocking bow. "As expected from Twilight Sparkle. Oh, don't worry, I'll answer the question...but first, how about a game of wits?"

He didn't wait for Twilight to reply.

Up a wall, like a spider I crawl
The higher the sun, the further I run
A being of dark, but at night I have no mark...
What am I?

"...being of dark...no mark at night...sun...the answer is a shadow!" Twilight declared excitedly. "Wait." The Unicorn frowned. "What are you trying-"

"Next riddle!" the Human interrupted happily.

Roots that grow deep, deep in the earth
And all its branches will enter the ground
In a thousand forests this tree will never be found
Yet as common as soil and dirt...

"Some sort of tree...let's see...elm, oak, birch, ash...branches enter ground...hmm." Twilight began to pace. "Branches enter ground, so a tree that loses branches often...rowan, holly...uncommon but common, so...cherry tree,, orange tree, apple tree, apple tree..."

*****

"An' here's the Apple family tree," Applejack declared proudly, holding out a large old parchment poster. "Datin' further than Ponyville's foundin'."

"Wow, this is amazing," Twilight said. She held the yellowing paper carefully. "Are you sure we can borrow this?"

"Of course," said Applejack. "We make a new one every reunion so Ah don' think we'd miss a copy, tho' try tah bring it back in one piece. Awful nice of yah tah be helpin' Apple Bloom with this assignment," the farm pony added. "Ah'd like tah help but cider season preparations been takin' all our time. Yah'd think Cheerilee'd lay off homework 'round this time."

Twilight giggled, recalling the schoolteacher's expression last year as she downed her first mug of apple cider. "I'm always happy to help, especially with a research paper..."

*****

"A family tree," answered Twilight. "A tree that doesn't grow in the forest but everypony has."

"And like our ancestors, our roots, we will one day be buried. Clever girl." The Human grinned and Twilight felt her cheeks burned at the compliment. At least, she thought it was a compliment.

"Next riddle-"

"Wait, we don't have time for this," Twilight interjected. "We only have an hour before...something happens, remember?"

The Human laughed. "Time is but an illusion, just as sanity is merely a self-imposed limit. What consequences are there for ignoring them? Don't answer that," he said, wagging his index finger as Twilight opened her mouth. "That's not the riddle..."

What do you store and hide, both front and back
Nations and kingdoms with gold fall if this they lack
Searched and sought by the wise
The most hoarded yet shared prize...

"What's your game?" Twilight growled. "You're not Ash...who are you?"

The Human shook his head, smiling. "Ah ah, it's not your turn yet. Patience please, dear Unicorn," he said while the tips of Twilight's mane began to smoke. "All will be answered soon but knowledge can't always be free, can it?"

"Knowledge...the answer is knowledge!" Twilight couldn't resist shouting happily. "Stored in books, with covers that cover the back and the front...more valuable than gold...and the only thing better than learning is sharing what you've learned! The answer's knowledge!"

"Eh...sure, that'll work." The Human shrugged. "Now, one last puzzler..."

He cleared his throat and turned to the alter. His eyes shut. For a moment, he was quiet.

"You found an alien, a man, something you had never encountered before, hanging from a tree. You brought him to your home, to your alien land, into your life. You know this man, correct?"

Twilight nodded slowly.

"You are his friend, correct?"

Twilight nodded slowly.

"What is in his mind?"

"What's in Ash's mind? What kind of riddle is that?" Twilight nearly yelled. "How am I suppose to know that?"

Another humorless chuckle echoed through the Unicorn's ears. She turned angrily, only to stand face to face to empty air.

"A hint, perhaps?" the air answered.

Library, temple, gold church bells
Personal sanctum, personal hell
Mind your mind, mind mind mine
Violators pay a hefty fine...

A book, a bridge, woven tapestry lore
A murky pool and an ash wood door
A seeker seeks, seeks for more
From which you came, of which were, which you were before...

"Mind mine...were before? Hey!" Twilight yelled into the empty hall. "What kind of clue is that? It doesn't make any sense!"

Much to Twilight's continued frustration, there was no reply.

"Agh," the Unicorn groaned, slamming her hooves into the hard marble floor. This was worse than dealing with Discord. The spirit of chaos at least had the decency to provide a riddle with a surprisingly logical answer. How in Equestria was she suppose to know or figure out what went in Ash's head? She didn't even know how her own mind worked. The clue itself was a puzzling riddle. Twilight felt her horn heat up, fueled with frustration turned to rage and the desire to crush the stones of the floor beneath her hooves, to shred the tapestries beyond recognition, to set the entire sanctuary aflame and watch it burn to nothing...

She struggled to keep her temper in check, taking deep breaths. Giving into her anger would accomplish nothing, the Unicorn knew. Odds were, such actions would leave her in a worse situation. "If I want to solve this, I need to stay calm."

Twilight took one more breath. "Okay, time to think. Let's look at this clue one line at a time...

"Library, temple, gold church bells...well, this place does have bells and definitely feels like a temple, so the answer probably has to do with this place...but what does a place like this have to do with a library?

"Personal sanctum, personal hell...personal sanctum, personal hell...so the answer is...Ash is thinking of a place that's both sacred and safe but also probably really dangerous...a temple-library that acts as a sanctuary but not entirely safe..."

But what kind of place would Ash be thinking about that could be both a place of safety and and a place of danger? Ponyville perhaps, with its proximity to both the Everfree Forest and the royal princesses in Canterlot? Or was it somewhere from Ash's past? Did it have to do with the scene plaguing her own dreams these previous nights, the memory Twilight had accidentally taken?

"This is getting nowhere," Twilight said, rubbing her forehead slowly. "What else was there...

"Mind your mind, mind mind mine...Violators pay a hefty fine...something to do with the mind, something dealing with the mind...uh, what's in Ash's mind...wait..."

Twilight began to pace. "Mind your mind, mind mind mine...mind my mind and mind mind his...it's comparing my mind to Ash's!" Twilight said excitedly. Her triumphant smile quickly faded into a frown of frustration. "But I don't understand how any of this mental magic stuff works. I don't even know how our minds are being compared."

Twilight ended her pacing and sat down. She turned her head, facing the tapestry. It was a faded depiction of a quartet of carefully woven ponies and a dragon sitting around a table laden with cakes. The ponies looked similar, especially the purple one, who wore a small horn on her head.

"A book, a bridge, woven tapestry lore..." Twilight continued as she watched the knitted picture. Was she seeing things or were those ponies moving? "...A murky pool and an ash wood door...here's a tapestry, there was a bridge outside..." She turned to the exit, blocked by the closed door. "A wooden door...I fell through a pool...that was in a book! So that means...that means..."

Twilight's ears flattened against her head. "I have no idea what that means. Agh!" The Unicorn got to her feet and began to pace again. "I can see a connection," she said to herself quietly, "but I can't see what that connection is. What else was there?

"A seeker seeks, seeks for more...seeker seeks...a seeker for what? Treasure? Meaning? An...swers?" Twilight paused suddenly in the middle of a step. "Seeking for more...I've been spending all this time look for the answers of these silly riddles. I'm the seeker, aren't I?"

Twilight received no physical confirmation nor had she expected any. Regardless, the Unicorn's confidence soared and she continued her pacing with renewed vigor. She was on the right track.

"But what do I do with that? Where does it fit in? Um...from which you came...um, of which were, which you were before...which you were before...from which I came...I was...I was..." Twilight shook her head. "I was with Ash, in my subconscious, my...library..."

Library, temple, gold church bells..

"Then this isn't just a temple. This is..." Twilight stopped in front of another tapestry. There was no recognizable scene in this one, just chaotic splashes of red and pink. The longer she stared, the stronger Twilight felt a sense of anger being emitted from the tapestry.

A stray strand caught the Unicorn's eye. She held it up. "Books...tapestries..."

A person's depiction of memories and thoughts varies on the person...

"A representation of memories, of thoughts, of the subconscious..."Twilight muttered. "This temple is Ash's subconscious. I'm in Ash's mind!"

A slow, echoing applause filled the hall. "Well done, Twilight Sparkle," the Human said quietly. Surprisingly, almost alarmingly, there was no condensing tone, no mockery in the Human's voice or face. Instead, Twilight found a sense of relief and exhaustion.

"We're in Ash's mind," Twilight said. "I've answered your riddle. I'm done with your games. Who are you?" she demanded. "Why am I here?"

The Human sighed, a habit Twilight recognized in Ash. He brushed pass her, taking large strides toward the end of the hall, toward the alter. The hems of his robes fluttered and swayed like specters as he flew by. He paused and turned around toward the confused purple Unicorn staring back at him.

"Coming?" he asked. He held out his hand.

Twilight took a hesitant step forward. "Where are we going?"

"We are going to save Ash."

Author's Note

Shorter chapter this time.

Jacob's Stairway

Twilight followed the strange, white robed Human in silence, save for the endless echoes that rung as her hooves struck the dark marble floors with each step. The Human glided next to her noiselessly. The two hurried across the hall without a word. As they passed, torches hanging on the walls went out, leaving the path behind them completely hidden in darkness.

Passing by each dying flame, Twilight felt herself give a tiny shiver. She couldn't help shake off the feeling that her exit out of this place was disappearing as the shadows congregated and grew.

And what did the Human mean, they were going to save Ash? Was he in danger? And from what? Where was his conscious anyhow? Wasn't he still in Twilight's mind, in her library?

Like a nest of hornets, questions buzzed in and around Twilight's head but every time she opened her mouth to set one free, her jaw snapped shut and she turned her attention back on the marble path down the hallway. There was something in her companion's expression, something frightening. What mirth and humor, however cruel or inappropriate Twilight added silently, the Human had before had vanished, leaving this cold, focused being. Twilight wasn't sure which she preferred, the annoying riddler or this stoic robot.

No, not stoic, Twilight amended, stealing another glance at the Human as she trotted next to him. There was some expression on his face, of focus, of intense determination. It was something she noticed on Ash's face on occasion, like when they were looking for a transformation spell. Still, though the Human was similar to the white haired Mage, it was unsettling seeing it on her guide.

This was the expression of a man on a mission, Twilight decided. But what was his mission? Was it, as he said, to save Ash? Twilight had a hard time believing so. Something sinister then, perhaps?

Twilight was still pondering when she bumped against the back of the Human's legs. They had stopped but where they had ended up at was still a mystery for the purple Unicorn. Had the hall narrowed? It seemed so. Try as she might, she couldn't see past Ash's lookalike.

"I have nothing to gain from Ash's demise."

Twilight started. "How did you-"

"Rather," he continued, "I have everything to lose. This shrine is my home." He turned his head back over his shoulder. "What do you suppose will happen to a subconscious if the owner's gone?"

"I...well...um..."

"We want similar things, Twilight Sparkle," the Human said coldly. He took a step to the side, revealing a beaming white stairway before them. Twilight squinted her eyes but the top was beyond her sight. Whatever stood at the end was as bright as Celestia's Sun. "You want to save your friend. I want some stability." He gestured toward the steps, prompting the Unicorn. "Our goals come hand in hand. Or as you might say, hand in hoof," the Human amended with a hint of a smile. "Ladies first."

Twilight gingerly placed her hoof on the bottom step. Her caution proved futile and despite her attempts to expect the the unexpected, she failed to predict a painful pulling sensation from deep in her stomach. A second later, the pony found herself sprawled over the last couple of stairs at the top, gasping for air. She lifted her head and shielded her eyes from the intense glare of whatever was at the peak.

"You didn't think we'd actually climb all the way up, did you?" the Human asked, kneeling over the Unicorn. He didn't seem to notice the light shining behind him.

Or perhaps he was just used to it. Twilight's own eyes were already adjusting and she could soon discern a large gold box as the source. Was it the altar she had seen before?

Before she could consider it any further, Twilight was pulled up to her feet. "Come," the Human said, ignoring the dirty looks the Unicorn shot at him for his roughness. "Time is short. After all, we only have an hour before..." The Human gave Twilight a grin that filled her with both annoyance and dread. "...something happens."

Twilight wanted to argue, to snap that if they were on a short time frame, why did he waste so much time on pointless riddles? She said nothing, however. Arguing would have been a waste of time as well.

Instead, she followed the Human up the last couple of steps and onto a platform. In the center was the golden box, which Twilight finally got a good look at. It was a little larger than the pony herself. On each of the top corners were large sharp pyramids, also gold. Stripes of engraved runes that Twilight couldn't couldn't decipher decorated the sides. The edges were coated in white, of a purer gold or maybe silver or even platinum. A bundle of white cloths sat in the middle of the top.

Once more, Twilight tumbled into the Human's legs, the altar's grandiose acting as a distraction. The Human merely gave the Unicorn a sideways glance before nudging her toward the altar with his foot. He received a frightening glare that would have impressed a cockatrice in return. The sharp edges of a lecture were just off the tip of Twilight's tongue but the Unicorn managed to restrain herself. Instead, she asked, "How exactly are we saving Ash?"

"You'll see." He pointed at the altar. "You will see."

Twilight had expected nothing less cryptic but the lack of an answer gnawed at her like a ravenous dog to a bone. The image was disturbing and Twilight quickly substituted it with Spike chewing through a ruby...

The Human clear his throat impatiently. Twilight took the hint and began to examine the golden table more intently. Perhaps these runes were some sort of clue but a clue to what?

The Unicorn turned her attention to the dirty bundle of cloths in the center. It seemed out of place, sitting on top of regal gold, but there was nothing else notable about the rags. Carefully, Twilight leaned forward, her hooves on the edge of the alter.

She gasped and fell backwards. Did the cloths just squeak?

Twilight looked back to the Human. He nodded and gestured to the bundle of cloths. "Go on," he encouraged. "It shouldn't bite."

The Unicorn got back up and and stood on her hind legs, using the altar and her forelegs to prop herself up. The pile stirred despite the lack of wind.

A light magenta glow blanketed the cloths as Twilight cautiously extended her magical grip over them. Taking a deep breath, she separated the rags. What was revealed extracted another gasp from Twilight.

A small Human laid before her eyes, huddled into a ball, smaller than even Twilight herself. With the remaining rags it tried to hide its nakedness for it wore neither garments or fur. Even the top of its head was bare save for a few tufts and strands of black and brown hair. At the sound of Twilight's gasp, it whimpered and tried to shifted away, shivering as it did so.

"Wh-what is that?" Twilight breathed.

The Human stood next to her and looked down at the little thing with disdain. "That," he said, "is Ash. Oh no, not physically," he added as Twilight gave him a bewildered glare. "Not even perhaps consciously."

Twilight's confusion grew. "Then what do you mean?"

The Human sighed. "Ash has as much control over his emotions as a child. He just prefers to lock them up in here, letting them fight and storm in his heart. The proud fool, he thought creating this wretched child and shoving it here with me would make him seem tough, like a man." He grabbed the little Human by the ankle and hung it upside down as it cried. "The stupid little orphan," he said cooly, "with no friends, no name, refusing to cry out loud...so he cries in here..."

"Stop it!" Twilight screamed. "You're hurting him!"

"I'm doing nothing Ash hasn't already," the Human said but stopped shaking the child and set it back on the altar. Its sobs subsided.

"Why are you showing me this?" Twilight asked. "What do you want from me?"

The Human sighed. "Something has happened. Something has changed. Its cries become less bearable every moment. Already they have leaked into Ash's dreams. Guilt, fear, things he tried hiding away are manifesting, twisting and eating him away. You've seen the visions before and only of the tamest, Twilight Sparkle. You know what I am talking about."

"But what can I do? I tried helping Ash with his nightmares and that's what started this entire mess."

"Do you want to help Ash?" the Human demanded.

"Of course I-"

"Then listen to me; you have the power to help him. The reason Ash didn't want your help was because of his pride. Accepting your help would be admitting that he was too weak, that he couldn't handle some as small as a little emotional turmoil and a few resulting nightmares. You have ability and I will provide the guidance..."

He turned and pointed beyond the altar. Twilight followed his gaze as a path leading further appeared.

"Follow the path. Destroy what's at the end...go."

Twilight gulped. "Are you sure?"

"There is no time for doubts. Go!"

The Unicorn walked around the gold altar and stood before the path, also made of gold. She looked over her shoulder. The Human gave her a nod of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Twilight began to gallop across the golden road. Each step resonated like a bell chime.

It hadn't taken long for Twilight to reach the end. She could still see the altar and the Human. Its brightness contrasted with her new location. The only source of light here was a dimly lit wax candle. Even by the light, Twilight could make out very little of her surroundings.

There was a wooden table in the center, a simple wooden table. Here the candle sat, dripping wax. The only other notable thing was the black tapestry that hung directly in front of her. No details, no scenes, no colors or shapes. Just a wall of darkness.

Seeing nothing else and having exhausted her interest in the table, Twilight approached the woven shadow. If it weren't for the loose strands at the bottom, Twilight would mistake the tapestry as part of the darkness around her. She picked up a strand.

These little ends always bothered her for some reason. As a filly, Twilight ruined more than one sweater and quilt after finding a loose end and yanking it out. Twilight pulled.

Odd, Twilight didn't remember pulling on it that hard. Yet even as she considered this, the end of tapestry unraveled. An accumulating pile of black string grew at the bottom. Twilight tried tossing her end into the pile as well but to her surprise, the string had somehow tied itself around her hoof. She brought up her other hoof to untie it and froze as she noticed how a dark piece of string made its way around that hoof as well.

Twilight tried backing away but tripped. Her legs were tangled in a web of darkness which seemed to tighten the more she struggled. The heap of unraveled string grew larger and closer.

When cords made their way around Twilight's neck, she began to scream. Her horn lit up for a second but the light was lost beneath the sea of blackness, as were her cries for help.

The candle flickered, almost going out. There was no sign of the Unicorn. The only things that could be found were the table and the black tapestry that hung directly before it.

"Will she be alright?" the child asked softly.

The Human looked onto the child with disgust but his expression softened. He gave him a light pat on the head and set the child onto his back. Producing a clean sheet from his robes, the Human tucked the child in.

"For your sake...our sake...pray for her success..."

The Foundations of Ruin 1

Darkness. There was nothing but darkness. Twilight waved wildly, trying to grab hold of some sort of reference point but her hooves felt nothing. She couldn't even tell if she was standing on solid ground or in free fall.

Twilight tried illumination spell after illumination spell but light refused to be summoned. She couldn't even tell if her horn was lighting up. The Unicorn called for help but her own voice sounded far and distant to her ears.

Darkness. There was nothing but darkness.

Until there was light.

*****

Twilight opened her eyes slowly, still recovering from the sudden transition. For a moment, everything was blurry, then shapes could be made out. Shapes developed details and soon Twilight stopped squinting.

"Wh-where..."

Like trees in a forest, polished wooden shelves towered over the pony. Bounded covers sat on the shelves with runes and unrecognized symbols adorn the edges. To her left were more shelves and books. To her right were more shelves and books. Twilight turned her head. More shelves in books. She looked up and to her surprise, Twilight saw books sitting smugly on shelves cut into the ceiling. Brass ladders led up and along the ceiling, providing access to the shelves. In the center of the ceiling was a mural of a winged female Human with golden hair. With one hand the Human held a book to her bare chest and with the other she wielded a silver double-edged sword. The phrase Knowledge is Might was engraved in gold letters underneath.

Twilight was still examining the mural when a large book landed next to her with a thump. The Unicorn leaped into the air in surprise and turned her head.

A young, raven-headed Human clung to the ladder. With one hand he braced the other books back against the force of gravity and with the other he held to a brass rung for dear life. His legs were just as tightly wrapped around the ladder.

"A-are you alright?" Twilight called. "Hold on, I'll get help!"

The boy didn't respond. Instead, he untangled one of his legs and climbed a little higher. He slid his arm further along the shelf. At the end, he grasped hold of some sort of metal block or brace. He slid his arm back and the block followed, producing an audible click as it locked itself at the end of the line of books.

It's some sort of bookend realized Twilight, fascinated. She took a few mental notes for the next renovation of her own library. She could expand her collection by a significant percentage.

Her musing were interrupted as another large book slammed in front of her. Twilight frown. "Hey!" she cried. "Be more careful!"

The boy ignored her, shifting instead to a new position and loosening another tome. He let that one fall as well, forcing Twilight to leap out of the way. She couldn't decide what upset her more, the Human's rudeness, or his lack of concern for her safety and for the conditions of the books. Her priorities were rearranged and Twilight's foremost goal became educating the brat the importance of proper book care. She wrapped the most recent addition to the pile with her aura.

The book remained in place, not moving an inch. "This place must be disrupting my magic," Twilight muttered, reaching out to pick it up with her hoof.

The appendage swept right through the cover as if the book was nothing but air. Twilight gasped and backed away into the bookcase behind her. She realized this not because of a solid sturdy force pushing back against her but by literally running through the case and ending up on the other side without a scratch on either herself or the book shelves.

"Wha-how-wha?" she stuttered. Carefully, Twilight stuck her head into the shelf and looked around. Nothing but darkness. She leaned a little further and popped out on the other side.

"What's going on?" Twilight wondered out loud. She brought her hooves to her face and rubbed her checks. She felt tangible. The ground seemed solid beneath her. Was it just the shelves and the books that were untouchable? No, then how did the boy grab them in the first place? Speaking of which...

"Hey!" Twilight called to the child, who was reaching for yet another heavy book. "Can you hear or see me?"

The Unicorn flinched as the book fell through her. Beyond that, there had been no reaction from the boy.

"What's going on here?" she muttered to herself. "I remember...being attacked...and now-"

"Hey! What are you doing here!"

Twilight gasped and turned around. Another boy stood at the end, his hands on his hips. Her first thought was to run but Twilight managed to control her instincts and consider how this Human could help her. If he could see her, maybe he knew what was going on.

Twilight was about to speak out but she noticed that the blond child's eyes were not on her but on the other Human who had been startled by the newcomer's shout and lost his grip. He now hung by his ankles and dangled above Twilight's head.

"Oh nuts, are you okay?"

"Just peachy," the black-haired boy grumbled in response to the blond one's inquiry. He groaned as he reached and tried pulling himself up. He failed and let his arms fall back down.

"Here, let me help," the other boy said. He walked through Twilight and stepped over the mess of books on the floor and stopped right below the black-haired boy. The blond one found the ladder the black-haired boy hung on and grabbed hold of the bottom end.

"Wait, what are you-"

The rest of the boy's question was cut off by his screams as the blond boy began to shake the ladder. Twilight gasped as the boy's ankles lost their grip and sent him plummeting to the group. Forgetting that she had no apparent influence on this world, she tried slowing his descent with magic.

The boy saved himself by grabbing hold of the ladder while there a few feet still remained between him and a messy end with the library floor. He groaned and gasped as his arm threatened to tear itself out of it's socket. Gritting his teeth, he slowly climbed down and made his way back to solid ground.

"What were you thinking?" he screamed at the newcomer. "You could have killed me!"

"Nuh uh. I would have totally caught you," the other child declared confidently. "That was my plan in the first place but since that move you did was pretty cool, I let you ruining my plan slide."

The raven-head glared at the blonde. Rotating his arm back into place and massaging it roughly, he knelt down and picked up the books he had thrown to the ground.

"So what are you doing here anyways?" the blond boy wondered. "This part of the library's restricted."

The black-haired boy frowned. Setting the books back down, he produced a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to his interrogator.

"Oh wow. You're the new apprentice of the Archmage? Are all these magic books?"

The boy, his arms again laden with tomes, nodded.

"That's so cool! I bet you're awesome at magic already then."

"Well..."

"I'm Ramth, by the way," the blond boy said, extending his hand.

Twilight blinked. "Wait...Ramth?"

The other child simply looked the outstretched hand, though whether this was due to rudeness or to the volume of books limiting his use of his arms Twilight could not be certain. "Ashley," he said tersely before turning around and walking off.

Ramth followed Ashley through the library, much to Ashley's apparent displeasure. Unbeknownst to either, Twilight followed both. How she was able to stand and walk on the ground but unable to touch the bookshelves, books, and the Humans remained a mystery but Twilight was far more interested in this new development. She had difficult splitting her attention between the younger Ash with the unusual coloring of his mane, or rather, hair and Ramth, especially since her only knowledge of the boy was from Ash's story.

"Ashley huh? Isn't that a girl's name?"

"What of it?" Ash demanded through clenched teeth. "I was named after my mother and it's a name I carry proudly."

"Oh. Hey, no need to get all defensive. Or are you still mad I almost dropped you on your head?" He speed up to match Ash's steps. "Hey, I'm sorry you feel that way," Ramth said quickly. "I mean, it wasn't like you were in any real danger but..."

Ash rolled his eyes at the sad attempt of an apology. He kept silent, opting instead to take larger strides. The other boy obviously failed to take a hint, chattering along next to the Mage apprentice. It reminded Twilight a bit of Pinkie Pie. The sight of Ash struggling to keep his stoic expression and remain indifferent brought a sad smile to the Unicorn's lips as she recalled her first day in Ponyville.

They had left the large room and into a massive hallway. Tapestries hung on the walls, depicting the story of an armored Human. In the nearest one the Human held a sword over a slain dragon. Twilight frown at such a display and celebration of violence and her thoughts went to her little assistant...

"What do you want?"

Ash's cold, almost hostile, inquiry startled Twilight, draw her attention from her own thoughts to the boys' exchange. Ash's coldness didn't seem to distress young Ramth. The cheerful blond boy grinned and produced a green candy cane from his pocket. "Want some?" he offered.

Ash raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised by the boy's gesture. With some difficulty, he shifted the books up to Ramth's eye level. "My hands are kind of full," he said. Before he could turn around, a sweet peppermint stick was shoved into his mouth.

"You worry about some of the funniest things," Ramth said with a laugh. "Hey, come on," he said, grabbing hold of Ash's arm, pulling him along.

"H-hey," he tried protesting. "I've got errands!"

"And I've got classes!" Ramth answered cheerfully. "Come on, I wanna see some magic!"

*****

Twilight followed closely behind the two boys. Ash continued to protest wildly but his struggles against Ramth's grip were futile. As they left for the outside, Twilight got the opportunity to see the castle they were in.

It was majestic, though not in the same way the palace in Canterlot was. While the sight of the mountainside spires filled her with security and confidence the same way the presence of Celestia did, this castle reminded her of her big brother: strong, dependable, impenetrable. Stone turrets jutted from the walls like spears threatening to pierce the skies, with one in the center of it all towering over the rest. It wasn't just a castle; it was a fortress. While Canterlot castle was a symbol of safety and home, this was a representation of power and strength.

Twilight felt something pull her further away from the bastion. She found herself at the edge of a forest, despite not having, to her knowledge, moved in this direction. Ash and Ramth were beside her.

"Isn't it awesome?"

Ash and Twilight followed Ramth's finger up into the tree they were standing under. A rope ladder led up to a large wooden house supported by the oak's mighty branches. It was an exquisite structure, with windows adorn with purple curtains and walls polished to shine and decorated with carving of frolicking...ponies? Twilight squinted hard. Yes, they were ponies, though some of the most twisted depictions of ponies she had ever seen and she still had a few of Spike's old claw-paintings stored somewhere.

Five towers stabbed through the top, four on the corners, one in the center. After a second look-over, Twilight realized it was a miniature replica of the mighty fortress they were in moments prior.

Twilight had to admit, it was definitely impressive. Ash simply lowered his gaze and shrugged.

"It's something, I guess."

Twilight glared at the Mage apprentice. It was difficult seeing the Human she knew as this rude, callous, conceited brat. Was it possible they were the same person? Twilight shook her head disapprovingly and wished she could interact with this world. Once more, she was denied a perfectly good lecturing opportunity.

Ramth however seemed unmoved by Ash's unfriendliness. He continued smiling maintained his cheerful composure despite the rebuffing of his amiable gestures. Under Ramth's grin and next to his friendly nature, Ash shuffled uncomfortably.

He sighed. "Alright, it's pretty cool," he admitted, his cold persona crumbling. Ramth's grin widened broadly as Ash set his books in the grass and sat down. "So why did you take me here?"

Ramth shrugged. "I dunno. I saw another kid and thought about all the fun we could have." His brilliant smile faded slightly. "For such a large castle, there aren't too many kids around."

"You haven't look hard enough then," Ash said. "Plenty of servant kids our age, though they're poor company." He shook his head. "I haven't got time to play. I'm the Archmage's apprentice," he announced proudly. "I've got to study hard and...study hard." He got up, brushed grass off his trousers, and collected his books. "Thanks for the candy," he said, turning to go.

"Wait, hold on."

Ash paused and turned around. "Hmm?"

"So you really are the Archmage's apprentice?"

"Yeah." He frowned. "Why, don't believe me?"

"Nah, I was just hoping to see some magic." Ramth shrugged and leaned against the tree. "I mean, you do know magic, right? You're the Archmage's apprentice after all."

"Well...I mean yeah, of course."

Twilight and Ramth both raised their eyebrows incredulously as Ash struggled to maintain a mask of confidence.

"It's just...I don't have a wand or any...spell books! Yeah, can't do any magic without spell!"

Twilight brought her hoof to her face at the pitiful excuse. It might have been convincing, she decided, if there hadn't been a large collection of tomes in his hands.

Evidently, this was not lost by Ramth. "What about those?" he asked, pointing toward Ash's arms.

"Oh, right...um."

"Hey, no pressure," Ramth said, throwing his hands up. "If you can't do any magic-"

"Who said I couldn't?" Ash demanded fiercely. He dropped all but one book to the ground and snapped that one open.

"Noooo," Twilight groan. "Don't be stupid Ash."

Ramth's smile grew wider as Ash unwittingly ignored Twilight's advice. He wandered next to the apprentice Mage. "Which one are you going to do?" he asked, peering over Ash's shoulder.

"Quiet," Ash snapped. "I need to concentrate."

"No, you need to stop being thickheaded..." Twilight muttered, bracing herself for whatever blotched spell Ash was about to do. Hopefully, nothing would actually happen and the only damage would be done to Ash's personal pride. The Unicorn chided herself mentally for wishing for her friend's failure but she'd rather see his feelings hurt than actual lasting wounds caused by an uncontrolled spell.

Besides, a little humility wouldn't hurt and the arrogance of this younger version of Ash was getting on her nerves.

The pages of Ash's book ruffled and moved in a breeze as the young boy slowly raised his free hand. Ramth and Twilight watched intently as a faint glow was emitted by the text and the wind grew stronger.

The wind died down. The pages stopped moving on their own. The fiery gleam reflecting in Ash's eye disappeared. Twilight released the breath she was holding.

"Um...did anything hap-"

Ramth was cut off by a sudden burst of fire that rocketed forth from the pages and into the skies. The flames crackled in the air, swaying and reforming itself in shapes and figures. The bursts and pops reminded Twilight of, well, of fireworks really but the shapes the flames twisted themselves in were similar to cloud figures the local Pegasi would occasionally create much to the delight of fillies and colts. Snakes and birds and even a pair of dancers locked in a frantic tango decorated the skies.

Her jaw dropped in awe as the flames separated and formed a giant, serpent-like dragon of scales glowing like embers and a large monstrous eagle with fiery feathers. Each time it flapped, sparks showered dangerously down. The dragon roared and flames spewed from its mouth to consume the bird. The raptor beat the torrent away and dived at the snake, which released another breath of fire.

"This...is...so..." Ramth breathed.

"Dangerous?" Twilight suggested, keeping her eyes on the heated battle above. "Irresponsible? Foalish?"

"...cool!" the boy squealed. "How are you controlling them?" he asked, turning to the Mage apprentice, who promptly shut his gaping mouth.

"I...have no idea," Ash admitted softly, slowly shaking his head. He dropped his arms to his sides, letting the book fall to the ground.

At the light thud the tome made as it landed in the grass the mighty blazing behemoths paused mid-clash, talons still outstretched and maw opened wide. The beasts turned their heads in unison towards their audience below them. Their eyes grew bright red like burning coals at the sight of the two young Humans. At least, Twilight hoped that the animated conflagration couldn't see her.

"Uh oh," three voices spoke simultaneously as the inferno began to descend.

*****

Author's Note

I almost made a 20% joke. Almost...

The Foundations of Ruin 2

"...and need I remind you, Your Majesty, that this the fifth time this month the young Sir's royal playhouse has been destroyed," the man was saying, his brushy painted mustache twisting in anger. "The royal carpenters are feeling very, very unappreciated. And I do hope I do not need to explain the detrimental effects this act of villainy will do to the royal treasury..."

Twilight rolled her eyes at the flustered man and was certain that Ash would have too, despite the man's position as an advisor to the king, if he hadn't been so frightened. King Sethiop himself stood next to advisor, rubbing what forehead he could without disturbing the simple platinum crown on his head. The king's trimmed golden beard did not hide his frown, though whether this was directed in anger toward the young raven-head boy in front of him or out of annoyance as the overly dressed man chattered away passionately, Twilight could not tell. For Ash's sake, she hoped it was for the latter.

Either gripped by a sense of responsibility not entirely misplaced or by suicidal pride, Ash chose to ignore Ramth's advice and instead stayed behind, attempting to regain control over the inferno he had unleashed. For the most part he had been unsuccessful and left his face covered in soot and hair and clothes singed. Things grew worse as a stray fireball landed on the boy's arm. Twilight had cringed at the sight of burning flesh and Ash's scream.

Before Ash had blacked out from the pain, he and Twilight glimpsed a white figure with a large marble staff standing over him. When he lost conscious, Twilight saw no more. When the darkness faded away, she found herself and Ash in this very hall, his arm miraculously healed, with the grumpy advisor, the tired king, and the mysterious grey figure standing next to Ash.

The Unicorn found herself staring at the robed man at Ash's side and averting her eyes when his seemed to swept over her. There had been no sign of her detection but those electric blue eyes as sharp as lightning were unnerving. Unlike the two younger men, this Human grew out his beard, with light grey hair falling to his waist. He was plainly dressed compared to the elaborate dress of the advisor, with an evident lack of jewelry or colorful adornments. Compared the purple and gold of the king and the counsel man, this Human was drab with his old grey robe and rope belt.

However, he held an unquestionable, almost palpable air of authority. Despite his apparent advanced age, he stood straighter and taller than the men of his junior. His face was unreadable, locked in stony indifference but the silence spoke more volumes than the king's counselor with all his blustering. Disapproval, disappointment, all were conveyed without a single word spoken and Ash shrunk back every time those light-blue eyes turned toward his direction.

"Thank you, Nigel," King Sethiop said wearily. The advisor deflated a bit at being interrupted suddenly but grew silent, choosing instead to glare venomously at Ash.

The king turned to the older man. "Archmage-" he began.

"The boy will be punished, We assure you," the man in grey said coldly. Ash gulped.

"That is hardly enough Archmage!" Counselor Nigel exclaimed. "Arson, destruction of royal property, vandalism, disrespect toward the Crown..." he listed furiously. "I would not be surprised if we found this beast guilty of conspiracy against His Majesty and our nation."

Ash opened his mouth at the wild accusations but one glance from his master silenced him. He shrunk back, letting his head hang in defeat.

"This...boy is guilty of crimes against the Crown thus it is up to the Crown to deal justice." The advisor turned to the king, shaking his finger at Ash. "Your Highness, you must uphold your law, least your kingdom falls into unbridled chaos."

The king sighed. "As exaggerated as Nigel is, there is some merit in his rant." He turned his head to the young boy, his eyes betraying pity. "Arson is a serious crime. If we had not gotten there in time, the entire forest may have been lost. Who knows how far the flames would have spread or who would have been hurt. This is why we have laws. Do you understand?"

Ash nodded soberly. King Sethiop's expression softened and he sighed again. He turned back to the Archmage. "Nigel is correct. I must be the one to pass judgment and punishment. I am sorry. I hereby-"

"HOLD IT!"

Twilight jumped at the sudden exclamation and turned around to see Ramth hurrying down the hall towards them.

"Ramth, what are you doing here?" demanded the king. "You should be with your tutor right now. Though should I really be surprised..." he muttered under his breath.

"You can't punish him, Father!"

Ash's jaw dropped. "Father?" he mouthed in disbelief, turning pale. He had spent the day with a prince without calling him sir, insulted his treehouse and brunt it down...could this day get any worse?

"Your Highness," the counselor said to Ramth as he approached the king. "You are still young. Wisdom will come with age and one day you will stand here as a judge but until then, let the adults handle it."

Ramth stood defiantly before his elders. "It's not Ash's fault! Well, at least, not all of it..."

King Sethiop stroked his beard slowly. "Speak."

"Your Majesty-"

"That's enough, Nigel," the king said calmly. "What sort of adjudicator would I be if I pass judgment without hearing every witness. My son will speak." Nigel opened his mouth with a protest on the tip of his tongue that died at the sight of the king's displeased glare.

To Ramth, the king said again, "Speak."

And so he did. From the very encounter at the library, the young prince told the congregation what had happened. How the young, impressionable Mage had been dragged off and coerced into performing such dangerous magic by the prince.

Twilight couldn't help but smirk as Ramth's gestures grew wilder and his voice cracked with passionate. He was almost dramatic as Rarity. Twilight's smile grew at the comparison, though beneath all that flair was simple honesty and loyalty.

Loyalty.

The Unicorn's smile faded. She had been cursed with the gift of retrospect and kept trying to compare this sweet boy with the monster Ash had described. How was it that a boy who willingly step forward to defend someone he hardly knew would grow up to be a murderer, staining his hands with the blood of his friends, of the one he was currently defending?

"...and if there's anyone you're gonna punish, it should be me!" Ramth finished, stomping his foot in emphasis.

"Ramth, please don't stomp indoors. I have enough of a headache."

"Sorry."

King Sethiop leaned back. "Are you admitting to being this boy's accomplice?"

"No Father, he's my accomplice."

The king chuckled and turned to his advisor. "Well Nigel? Should I imprison them both?"

"Imprisonment? Your Majesty, were you not listening? This boy is now guilty of kidnapping a member of the royal family and endangering his life! Execution is the only suitable punishment."

"Ramth has also admitted his part in the crime. Are you accuse my son of kidnapping himself and threatening his own life?"

"Absolutely...wait, what?" The counselor looked at the king, confused.

"Are you saying I should execute my own son?" the king asked cooly, his blue eyes narrowing.

"Of course not, sire. But you must-"

"And I will uphold the law. I do not need you to tell me how to do my job." King Ramth shook his head. "However, seeing how the damage done was partially on the fault of Prince Ramth, I don't believe the royal family will be pressing charges of property damage. It's a good thing the Archmage was nearby to contain the fire," he added with a nod to the venerable Mage. "I will leave the boy's punishment in your hands, Archmage. See to that this will not happen again.

"And as for you, Prince Ramth," the king continued, "I'll leave your punishment for your mother to decide." The young princeling groaned.

"That will be all. This 'court' is dismissed."

With a swish of his cloak, the Archmage spun around and stalked off. "Meet Us in the North Tower, boy," he said quietly without turning.

Ash bowed clumsily. "Th-thank you, Your Majesty," he stuttered. "This won't happen again, I swear!"

King Sethiop looked around. Counselor Nigel had left in a huff and the only other beings were his son and Twilight, both watching curiously. To Ash and Twilight's surprise, the king chuckled. "Next time, I will expect those flames to be under your complete control. You'd better hurry and see what your master has planned. It's never a good idea to keep a Mage waiting..."

*****

Like a statue, the Archmage sat. An open book sat on the table before him but Twilight could tell the old man wasn't really reading. Several minutes had pass in total silence since Ash had entered the room, who stood in front of the Archmage's desk, save for the crackling of a burning log. Twilight took the absence of activity as a chance to examine the Archmage's office.

For a room that supposedly belonged to the most powerful Human magic user, Twilight was a little disappointed. She wasn't entirely sure what she had expected but this certainly was not it: a simple wooden desk cluttered with loose sheets of paper, a half-filled bookshelf, a small potted plant, a coat rack. The walls had no wallpaper to hide the stones that built up the tower and were completely deprived of pictures or paintings or the like. In fact, the only inkling of adornment were a few runes craved into the wooden desk. All in all, it was extremely spartan, borderline dull even for the bookish Unicorn.

"Do you know what is the most important thing to a Mage?"

The Archmage's sudden question interrupted Twilight's examination. She found herself pondering the question just as Ash considered it.

"Intelligence?" Ash ventured.

"If that were the case, do you believe you have a chance of being a Mage?" the Archmage said, slowly flipping a page. "We have seen great scholars fail at even attempting the simplest spell yet match some of the most magically in wit."

The Archmage got to his feet and turned to the sole window. "Intelligence is important to a Mage, that is true, but control is greater. A Mage must always have control over his magic...and over himself." He looked to Ash for the first time and said, "It is said that all are capable of magic but in reality, only those with the discipline and nerve to develop such skills do.

"Control goes beyond developing magical abilities, however," the Archmage continued, walking through Twilight as he stood over his apprentice. "We have seen many lose their lives and souls to darker arts because of a lack of self-control, a disturbing issue found in you as well."

Ash flinched at his master's incrimination. He bowed his head in shame. Twilight drew near him and, in sympathy, tried to put her hoof on his shoulder.

The Archmage's features softened and he placed his own wizened hand on Ash's other shoulder. "We do not wish to lose another apprentice to his own hot-headedness. You have potential but you must learn self-control first, least it go to waste. Patience, boy. Peace. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Ash exclaimed, nodding furiously. "You mean I can still be your apprentice?"

The very tips of the Archmage's lips seemed to lift up as he nodded slowly. He lifted his hand and returned to his desk.

"Now, We believe We sent you on an errand...where are the books you were sent to retrieve?"

"I...uh, I dropped them outside."

"Then you should go find them before it gets dark." The Archmage cracked open another dusty tome and began to study it with disinterest. "After you retrieve the books, bring them back to the library and shelve them in the correct locations. Then, relieve the librarian on duty and reorganize the West Wing as per her instructions. We believe she wanted them in sections of subject instead of by time period this week."

Ash's jaw dropped as the Archmage continued to turn pages nonchalantly. "Once you have returned, we will discuss your punishment."

The room faded to darkness and Twilight saw no more. The Unicorn waited patiently and expectantly for something to happen, a transition perhaps to a new scene. A sudden thud behind her drew her attention and as she turned her head toward the sound, light flooded her vision...

*****

Ash groaned as he let the books fall from his arms. The librarian would be giving him an earful, he knew, but at that point he was too tired to care. As thankful as he was of not being banished or thrown into the dungeons, Ash wondered if this punishment was any better and if his master had a sadistic side. The harpy of a librarian certainly as she seemingly drew pleasure by sporadically changing organization systems and declaring sudden re-shelving days, five in the course of two days.

"If I never see another book..." he muttered venomously, bending over and rubbing his arms.

"Whatcha doing?"

Ash looked up and saw a mess of blond hair. He bit back a groan as he snapped to attention.

"Prince Ramth, uh sir?" he said uncertainly.

Ramth frowned. "Ramth is just fine, you know."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, and you don't have to salute...and you're using the wrong hand."

Ash quickly shifted hands, only to receive a giggle from the young princeling.

"Kidding, now you're using the wrong hand."

"Which is it?" Ash asked, trying to contain the aggravation that threatened to leak into his tone.

"I'll only tell you if you promise to stop saluting and stop calling me prince. You look real silly by the way."

Ash groaned with frustration he didn't bother hiding and let his arms fall to his sides. "Fine, whatever." He picked up the pile of books and turned his back on Ramth. Twilight sucked in a gust of a breath at such a display of rudeness and lack of respect toward authority and royalty. The Unicorn couldn't imagine speaking like this to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna or even to Princess Cadence. Then again, she couldn't really compare her majestic mentor with this young child.

Ramth grabbed hold of Ash's shoulder. "Hey wait. Are you upset that I called you silly-looking? Cuz you are, when you're trying to salute. I mean, I've seen five year olds get it down better than you and man I wish I've got someway to show you how you look...hey, do you think there's a spell that could..."

"Look, what do you want?" Ash demanded. "With all due respect, I've got a punishment to deal with and I don't recall you being part of...it." He gulped. "No disrespect, s-sir."

Ramth merely chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I sorta went a little far. Sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing-" Ash tried saying.

"Hey," Ramth interjected. "I don't care if I'm a prince. If I'm acting annoying, you tell me."

"Yeah, but after all you did for me...you really save me back there by speaking up..." Ash let the books fall to the floor as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, just as the blond boy had. "I didn't even get the chance to thank you," he said, his eyes toward the floor.

"Aw shucks. You don't need to thank me." Ramth grinned widely. "It's what friends do."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, friends. I mean, after everything we went through, well...I mean, we are friends, right?" Ramth said nervously.

"I...I don't know...I've never really had a friend," Ash awkwardly admitted, rocking on his heels.

"Really? No friends?"

The Mage apprentice shook his head. "The Academy was full of jerks and I wasn't really close to any of the other orphans at the Church. Most of them weren't around my age anyways, though a few called me 'big brother'."

"I see...hmm..." Ramth scratched the back of his head for a few seconds before his expression brightened. "I know! I know!" He thrusted his hand forward. "Then for now, we'll be brothers. Maybe later we can be friends."

Twilight's heart leaped as Ash's hand grasped around Ramth's. A small smile grew across his face.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

*****

The Foundations of Madness

"You've been asleep for almost five days."

Ash didn't respond. His eyes never left the bed sheets that covered his legs and part of his torso. He sat as straight as he could out of respect but never raised his head to meet his master's gaze.

"Five days," the Archmage repeated as he paced in front of the small cot Ash was resting in. "Five days. The spell was difficult, as we warned, but five days was beyond what we had expected, boy. This is abysmal."

"I'm sorry," Ash muttered. The Archmage ignored him.

"Child, we have seen the potential you possess. You're mastery over elemental magic is very impressive and you are improving in several other subjects. Those were not compliments," the old Mage added with a glare. "Merely facts, facts that make this situation all the more a mystery."

Ash said nothing. He turned his head toward the opposite wall. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

The Archmage stopped pacing and sighed. His gaze soften. "Perhaps...perhaps it was too much to expect from a child..."

"No!" Ash screamed. He tossed the blankets off him and tried prop himself up to his feet. "I'll get better. I swear! I can do better! I'll do better! Don't send me away!"

The Archmage arched his eyebrow as he gently pushed the young apprentice back in bed. "Send you away? Where did you...ah." The Archmage nodded slowly. "Do not worry," he assured. He got to his feet. "Yes, it was too early...this is not a question of skill," the old man added quickly as Ash tried getting back up. "Merely of age and maturity. We will explore arcane conscious manipulation and probing some later time."

"Yes sir," said Ash. "T-thank you."

The Archmage shook his head and turned to leave the white room. His hand rested on the door handle. "We do not know what you saw nor do we wish. The damage has been done but remember this: a man's worth cannot be measured, especially not by the man himself. Enjoy your sweets." With a sweep of his white robes, the Archmage disappeared.

"Sweets?" Ash turned to the bed stand. Next to the empty water jug was a crystal glass filled with peppermint sticks...

*****

Ash shivered involuntarily as the crisp cold wind cut across his cheeks. He stared down at the farms below, where the harvesters scurried like ants, gathering the last sheaves of wheat and stalks of corn. They sure looked like ants from this height anyhow.

Another gust of wind blew by, sending Ash's dark bangs over his eyes. He scowled as he pulled the hair back. He would need a haircut soon, he concluded. Ash shook again, his light jacket poor protection from the cold air. How he hated the cold.

"You excited for the Harvest Festival?" asked the blond boy beside him. As Ramth spoke, he sucked on a green peppermint stick.

Ash shrugged, tossing the last remains of his from the edge and watching it plummet down beside the tower.

"I'm sure excited," the princeling continued. "I heard that the Dwarves are coming this year. That's always fun. You know what makes a festival a festival?"

"Food? Games?" Ash ventured. "An air and want of tomfoolery?"

"Well, that too. But Dwarves are the best party-ers. Did you hear about the Prancing Pony inn a couple a years ago?"

"The one that was destroy and burned down in a drunken bar fight?" Ash vaguely remembered the sermon Mother Grena gave on temperance that week and the ear yanking he and five other boys received for falling asleep.

"Yeah. That was a Dwarf," Ramth said with a chuckle. "They don't usually visit Human cities but we always see a few traders and travelers and ambassadors and stuff and they're usually friendly. Noisy but really fun. Some of them are pretty short-tempered and rude and Mother doesn't care for them but Dad loves them. He always invites the artist-o-cats over for festivals and feasts but not many come over I really like the ones who do. Oh, I know this one Dwarf. He's a noble but he's really nice. I think you'll really like him. He's really funny and..."

Ramth's voice became a blur and Ash stopped paying attention. He leaned on the edge and watched the harvesters again. Daylight was burning away and the farmers had doubled their speed to finish their gathering before nightfall. Even from this height and light, Ash could see the peasants' franticness. The king had promised to double their wages if the job was done early and King Sethiop was not known for empty words.

Ash stifled a yawn and lowered his head. His eyes fell to the earth below him and he was afflicted with sudden dizziness as he realized just how dangerous his position was. If a man fell from this height, never mind a

Ash felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to face Ramth who was frowning.

"You alright?" he asked. "You looked really out of it. I know the doctors said you were fine but-"

"It's nothing," Ash quickly asserted, waving his hand as if trying to brush away the blond boy's concerns like bothersome flies. "Just, you know, thinking."

Ramth shook his head. "You do too much of that, you know. It's like they always say, act before you think."

Ash rolled his eyes but made no move or attempt to correct the princeling. He sat down and leaned his back against the tower's cold stone wall. Ramth joined him, ignoring the dust that clung to his trousers.

"So, what were you thinking?"

Ash shrugged. "You know, stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Yeah...stuff."

"Hm..."

S
i

expanded and grew between the two boys, like the chill in air that became colder as the sun began its descent.

"Ramth? Am I a bad person?"

"Huh?" Ramth turned to the apprentice Mage. "What do mean?"

Ash closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"

"Hm..." Ramth got to his feet. "Well...hm...well, it wouldn't kill you to smile more, you're a little mopey all the time, you're kinda rude sometimes..."

Ash's glare was met with a sheepish grin and a shrug. Ash let his head fall, hiding his eyes beneath a black curtain.

"But..." Ramth continued, extending the vowel.

Ash rubbed his arm against his eyes. He looked up and saw the same friendly grin Ramth always seemed to wear when they hung out.

"You're my friend and I'm not friends with bad guys." He extended a hand out. "C'mon, I think the chefs are making cheesecake right now. If we hurry, we can grab a piece before supper."

"Yeah." Ash grabbed the offered hand and, with Ramth help, got up. "Let's do

...could have taken them."

The boy scoffed. "No you couldn't."

Once more Ash glared at the tall youth. "How would you know?"

"There were two of them, both twice your size. Maybe one of them but both brothers?" The boy shook his head.

"You could have let me try."

Ash was silent once more before smiling. "You're right, Ramth. It was a silly thing to get angry over."

"Great! Now we've wasted enough time. There's a batch of cakes in the kitchen with our name on it."

"Sarah Darwine was watching, you know."

"Wait, you mean their gorgeous sister? Man, that justifies e

you've got

g?"

Ramth nodded, his grip around the large bouquet tightening. "Yeah, I think so..."

Ash grinned. "What's wrong? If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd seem nervous."

The stout youth next to him chuckled loudly. "Aw, lad, yea not gettin' cold feet, are yea?" The Dwarf stuck his hand into one of his enormous pockets and pulled out a large bottle. "Liquid courage?" he offered. "It's ginger cider," he added in response to Ash's raised eyebrow. "I know yea virgin Human tongues can't handle anythin' stronger."

"Hey, I happen to be a coiffure of fine wine, thank you very much," huffed Ramth, sticking his tongue out. "Thhee? It thakes offenths."

"You mean sommelier," Ash stated. "A coiffure is a hairdresser."

"I can do that too!" Ramth declared. "Maybe..."

Ash rolled his eyes to the heavens while the Dwarf grabbed his knees as he laughed. "Ho," he managed to gasp. "I can see it now. Th' great Ramthelore the Fourth, mighty prince of th' hair. Ladies swoon at his every step, their horrid styles vanishin' 'fore their eyes."

"Men will cower at his feet and stand in awe of his mighty brush and comb," Ash added, cracking a wide smile. "Oh, Sir Ramth," he said in a high pitched voice. "Save us from the dreaded dreadlocks of...Dreadlockia."

At this Ramth began to laugh. "Dreadlockia? Is that really the best you could come up with?"

"Dreadlotopia and Dreadlopois were options. Would you have preferred those?"

"Nah, those are just as bad."

"Aye. Stick to th' spell books 'nd leave th' clever wordplay to those with actual wit."

The three shared a long laugh. Neither Ramth nor Ash seemed to mind that they had been the butt of the joke.

"So," Ash said as the laughter began to die down. "Still nervous?"

"Immensely," Ramth answered, despite his giant grin. It slowly disappeared to make room for a much more serious face.

"I'm not sure I should do this..." he mumbled.

"Why? You like her don't you?" said Ash.

"Yeah but...well, she's an aspiring nun and I'm a prince. What if Father doesn't approve? What if the Church kicks her out? I mean, its not like nuns aren't allowed to marry but still...scandals and everything? What if this is all just a mistake? I don't know if that'll ever work out and if it doesn't...what's the point?"

Ash punched Ramth's shoulder lightly. "Hey, none of that. You love her, right?"

"Ah, Ash," the Dwarf began. "Isn't it a little early for that-"

Ramth shook his head. "No, he's right. I can't call this a crush or an infatuation anymore...yeah..." The young prince forced a laugh with a shrug. "I guess I'm in love. I'm a love-struck idiot."

"So what's the problem?" Ash asked. He gave Ramth a quick shove in the back. "You've always been an idiot and now you've got an excuse..."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ramth demanded. "And stop pushing me!"

"Then get going." Ash pointed to the sky. "Sun'll be down soon and you don't have time for worries."

"But-"

"No buts. No excuses. If you really love her, all that crap you're giving us shouldn't matter. Nothing should matter! Now hurry up and go before people began noticing me shouting!"

Ramth took a deep breath. "That's...the dumbest thing you've ever said, and that's saying a lot." He took another shaky breath. "Thanks, you corny jerk."

Dorian and Ash watched as Ramth

p ike beckoned Twilight and Pinkie

clos e r and closer and closer still....

off toward the market, trailing flower petals behind him.

"You've been pickin' up romance novels 'gain?"

"...maybe..."

The Dwarf chuckled. "Still, it worked. I honest didn' think he'd actually confess."

Ash knelt down and picked up one of the stray petals. "You know Ramth as well as I do, Dorian. He's not a coward."

"Didn' say he was. Jus' a bit thickheaded, like the rest of us." Dorian smirked. "Ah, well, birds of a feather, eh?"

"Yeah..."

Ash picked himself up and sighed. He made his way to a nearby bench and plopped himself on. Dorian joined him with some difficult and offered him the bottle.

"I'm not allowed. You know that."

"Yea, but I can see you need a drink, even if it barely qualifies as one." The Dwarf took a quick swing and pushed the bottle into Ash's face. "I won't tell anyone if you won't."

A moment passed before the bottle finally exchanged hands. Ash held the drink in his lap but made no move to bring it to his mouth.

The tw o mares leaned forward...

...."I have a cr u

s h on Rarity..."

ure you're okay with this?" asked the Dwarf as he produced another bottle from beneath his coat.

"His friendship means more to me than a girl, even if it is Matilda."

"You sound bitter, lad."

"It's the drink. I hate the taste and the smell of ginger. It burns my throat, my nose...my eyes."

Ash rubbed at his eyes furiously. "Damn it," he growled, letting the bottle fall with a clatter. Brown liquid leaked into the cracks in the street. His shoulders shook violently.

Dorian sighed. The Dwarf carefully set the bottle aside and tried to put his arms around the Mage's shoulders. What Dwarves lack in stature they tend to make up in pride but both eluded Doran today as he found that he could barely reach his friend's neck. Embarrassed, he let his arm drop and awkwardly patted Ash's knee.

He offered Ash the second bottle, which he took with shaking hands. Cider spewed out, staining Ash's clothes. Dorian watched regretfully as the precious cider flowed out onto the streets. With nothing to drink and nothing to say, the Dwarf kept patting Ash's knee.

Minutes passed in awkward silence. Occasionally, another person would pass by but one glance at the Dwarf's glare and they would decide that there were better, safer scenes to examine.

XII

IX M i n u t e s III

VI n awkward silence...
.
.

...Though I'm pretty sure...she's gonna pick up on your feelings...

XII

IX M III

P i

a n

s u

s t

e e

d s

"Did I do the right thing?"

Ash had finally broken the silence, though his voice was barely a hoarse whisper.

Dorian thought for a moment, examining his friend as he pondered. Ash's eyes were hidden beneath a curtain of black of hair and if there had been tears, they had already been wiped and rubbed into oblivion so that not even a streak remained.

With a sigh, the Dwarf stuck his hand into his coat and and pulled out a small tin canister of something stronger. This sort of question was not a question that could be solved quickly, easily, or sober. He took a long draft as Ash waited patiently.

Dorian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set the emptied canister down on the bench. "Didja do the right thing? That's what you want to know, yea?"

"Yeah."

"Well, for one, yer a damned hypocrite," the Dwarf said firmly but without malice. "Lemme finish," he interjected as Ash opened his mouth to defend himself. "Yer a hypocrite. That one prep talk you gave Sethy, 'bout bein' in love an' nuthin' matterin', really nice an' sentimental but advice doesn' hold much weight if yah don' follow them words yerself. So, either yer wrong 'bout lettin' Matilda go without a fight or yer advice is wrong...an' I'll give yah a hint...

u ain't

g."

Ash shook his head. "I don't understand. What wasn't I wrong? Was I right about my advice or my choice?"

Dorian tsked. "Dunno. Tha's up tah yah tah fig' out. Either way, yer not wrong n' I'm right. I'll let yah know what I think tho...

"Yer an idiot fer lettin' a girl go like that. A damned idiot. Yer choice weren't the smartest if yea ask me...but yea did it fer a friend an' lemme tell yea, a friend like Ramth ain't something ye'll twice in a lifetime. Like me uncle used tah say, yeah can always mine more diamonds but good luck findin' a good blade."

"...If you're looking for a sword can't you just make a new one?"

"Ah said a good blade!" Dorian roared. "A good one. One that won't bend or break when tested in battle. One that won't rust an' stick tah yer belt while a goblin skewers yea in the gut. One that'll stick tah yea hand even afta yer life an' breath's already beaten out of yea an' continue tah swing tah avenge yer blood, tha blood of its master!"

Dorian was breathing loudly and began to sway. He grabbed the edge of the bench to support himself as he waved away Ash's concerns. "I'm fi-" The Dwarf leaned forward and released the contents of his stomach into the streets.

"Good God!" Ash leaped to his feet and grabbed the Dwarf's arm to support him. "Are you okay?"

"Does it look like Ah'm okay?"

Ash picked up the discarded canister and took a quick sniff. He gagged instantly and nearly joined Dorian in decorating the public grounds. "What's in this stuff?"

"Dunno. Me pappy's own personal recipe. Doesn't let me touch it. First time tryin' it actually. Says he keeps it on reserve fer meeting diplomats an' aristocrats." Dorian gave Ash a weak smile. "Ah can see why."

"We need to get you to a healer." Ash tried to coax the Dwarf onto his back in order to quicken their pace but Dorian would have none of it.

"Never carry a Dwarf. Ah c'n walk jus' fine," he declared proudly before nearly tumbling into a pool of his own vomit had Ash not taken hold of him. "Yah c'n lead me tho', if yah like..."

"Yeah, sure." Ash extended his arm forward and almost immediately regretting as Dorian's weight threatened to tear his arm from the socket. With a groan, he began to lead the Dwarf slowly into the city.

The sun had already begun to set. The nightlife would begin soon and navigating the streets of capital city with the rest of the crowd was always a nightmare. Ash kicked up their speed from a snail's pace to a tortoise's jog. His teeth digger into his lips in frustration as he almost literally dragged Dorian through the city. At least the time it would take to get to the healers at their current speed would give him time to ponder Dorian's words.

***

*
And so he pondered...

***

W W
a a
s s
H H
i i
s s

OR
A C
d h
v o
i i
c c
e e

WRONG?

WRONG

As he made his way, Ash pondered. The street lamps were lighting up and he found himself at the bottom of the steps leading the healer's cathedral.

"You know what?"

"Uh?" the Dwarf moaned.

"You're right. I've got no regrets."

Dorian opened an eye. "No regrets?" He muttered sleepily.

"Besides having to hale your heavy ass all the way here?" he replied with a strained grin. "No regrets. After this, we need to find Ramth and congratulate him. I'm sure Ramth should have finished

"...should already be there b

now..."

"Sorry, sorry," Ash apologized, doubling over as he fought to recover his breath. "I couldn't decide between the fifty-fourth addition Almanac of Wild Botany or the twenty-second Encyclopedia of Fascinating Flora."

"Are...are you serious?" Ramth asked in amazement.

"There are over a thousand species of useful herbs and poisons plants out there. I'm not going to memorize every single one of them and their features." Ash shrugged. "You're welcomed to try."

"Fine, fine, whatever." Ramth shifted the sack he held to his other shoulder. "Matilda got tired of waiting for you and went on ahead. We agreed to meet at the city gates with the garrison but should probably get a move on. She's waited long enough."

"Right." Ash followed suit, groaning as his large bulky bag threatened to crush his back. He struggled to keep pace with the prince as the trails of his robes swirled around his ankles and the end of his staff. Not for the first time, Ash considered the practicality of Mage attire.

"Which did you end up choosing anyways?"

"Well, the Almanac is more up to date but the Encyclopedia is indefinitely more thorough. So naturally, I ended up taking both."

"Explains a bit," said Ramth with a roll of his eyes. "So, what do you make of it?"

"Make of what?"

"You know." Ramth gestured in the air with a wave of his hand. "This whole situation, the prophesy...all that?"

Ash sighed. "You mean how the fate of the entire world rests on us finding a series of mythological artifacts, artifacts that we know absolute nothing about while the dead begins walking the earth to feast on the living and demons and monsters burn our homes to ash?" He sighed again. "I'm a nervous wreck and feeling kind of pressured. How else should I feel?"

"I dunno." Ramth shrugged. "Excited? I mean, c'mon, a real adventure, like the kind we've always talked about with Dorian. This is an opportunity of a lifetime!"

"Yeah," Ash scoffed, "given we survive."

"Don't be such a pessimist. Or are you being cynically?"

"It's being realistic." Ash gave his friend a cold hard look. "This isn't some sort of happy-go-lucky fun-time trip around the mulberry bush. There's...well everything's at stake really so pardon me if I'm feeling a bit pressured at the moment."

"Yeah, I guess...but we're finally get to see the mines Dorian always tells us about. Not to mention Elves. Elves! No Human's been able to see one in years, let only actually being able to take a step in the Fey Forests. Do you think the rumors are true? That the trees actually sing when the sun rises? Or that every Elf is at least a century old but never looks any older than a couple of decades? Or how..."

Ash rolled his eyes as Ramth considered story after story. He couldn't be annoyed at his friend however, not really. The sound of his voice trailing off onto some new tangent was comforting and familiar and for the moment Ash was at peace. For the moment Ash had forgotten about the gravity behind their quest. For the moment, it was nothing more than a little road-trip, a little adventure.

Even if it was only for the moment, it was nice. Alas, as the two approached the gates that served both as the entrance and the exit of the capital, the pressure fell upon the Mage once more. The armed guards served as a reminder, though they would accompany them along with the Archmage and the king only as far as the Dwarven capital for the summit of the recently established Alliance. Then, it would just be him, Ramth, Matilda and Dorian and two Elves he didn't even know.
Another long sigh. Ash turned his head toward the center of town. The cathedral's towers stared back. Would this be the last time he would see them? He never did thank Sister Madilene...

Something gripped his arm. Ash turned and saw that Ramth had gotten hold of him. The prince gave him a cheery smile.

"Don't worry about it. We'll be back before you know." Ramth released Ash's arm and gave him a light punch in the shoulder. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to see if I can convince Matilda to give be a kiss in front of all these people."

At this Ash grinned as well. "What, not afraid of the possible scandals?"

Ramth returned the grin. "Nope."

Ash shook his head as Ramth made his way toward the cleric with her head bowed in prayer. Even beneath the standard headdress, Ash could make out Matilda's lovely blond hair. Another sigh escaped him. Ash shook his head again and turned back to the towers.

The Mage nodded. Yes, Ramth was right. He would see these towers again. He would sit in the Green Dragon tavern

again and listen to the bards play. Perhaps one day, songs of their feats would be song.

Yes, e

g's g

g to be j

F i N e

i f
F i N e f I n E E
i e n N
N F i N e I
e i E N I F I N E

F i N e I

i e N

N E

...right?

*** ***

* * * *

*** ***

We're friends ** **

* * * *

* ** * aren't we?

* * * *

a * *

s * *

* *

** i

*** t...

* *

***

...a *

l * * *

l... * * * *

* * * *

...j

t a...

* . . *

* * L . *

* * * . . * *

* . . *

"...do you understand, Twilight Sparkle?"

Heart's Desire

"Do you understand, Twilight Sparkle?"

The white figure paced around Twilight, who found herself on her back, staring up at the endless ceiling. She could hear every step the Human took, as if he was walking on crystal or glass. Twilight struggled up to her hooves as the Human continued to speak over the echoes of his steps.

"Do you understand, Twilight Sparkle?" he said again. "Do you see the source, the cause of Ash's pain? It is not from guilt of his failure, least not entirely. It is not loneliness, the fact that he is only in this world. Nay, it is something I believe you would understand very well." He chuckled. It reminded Twilight of the shattering of a crystal glass and she flinched just the same. "After all, you are a sort of an expert on the subject, are you not?"

The echoes stopped. Twilight looked up into the face of the Human. Those dark eyes, the same color as Ash's but without any life, those eyes stared down into Twilight's own purple ones. The Unicorn gulped as he reached out. The small smile he wore did nothing to comfort her as he help her up to her feet.

The Human gestured to the side. Twilight followed the directed motion. Behold, the pitch-black tapestry from before hung before her. The Human made his way toward the ugly thing and motioned a wary Twilight toward him.

"It won't bite."

"I'm not entirely convinced," the Unicorn growled. "What, did you expect me to forget my first meeting with that...thing?"

"I should hope not," Ash's lookalike replied with another empty smile. He brushed his hand over the murky canvas. Like old cobwebs, the darkness was brushed aside, revealing a majestic image that incited a gasp from Twilight.

A large woven likeness of Ash stood before her, though it took a few seconds Twilight a few short seconds to recognize him. In the depiction he wore a light blue robe that seemed to shimmer despite the lack of light or that the entire thing was made of fabrics. Detailed runes were sown across his chest and in his left hand he clutched a large wooden staff, with silver symbols running down. He seemed to be staring intensely out beyond the tapestry, beyond Twilight and the Human who stood next to her, as if watching or waiting for something to approach.

And he was not alone. To his side stood another young man. Like Ash, he was cleanly shaved. A large red breastplate protected much of the man's torso. To his right side hung a sword, its scabbard red. His hand rested on the weapon's rounded hilt. Runes, like on Ash, adorn the armor and on the sheath, though they were golden as oppose to silver. The man's blue eyes stared out into the distance, though in a different direction than Ash. Golden strands of fair hair brushed over his eyes, as if a light breeze had passed through.

Both men rested their other arm by their side. A long silver chain was wrapped around their wrists, linking the two together. A brass lock was connected to the ends.

The Human smirked. He poked the center of the tapestry where the chain warped itself around the arms. The touch sent ripples through the entire image, creating distortions.

"Even now, the bond remains strong. Even after everything..." He turned to Twilight. "Do you understand, Twilight Sparkle? Do you understand the pain betrayal brings upon the betrayed?" Another chilling smirk. "It can keep you up at night."

"You told me in order to help I Ash had to destroy this." Twilight swallowed. "You...you meant to destroy..."

"Destroy the bond," the Human finished. He lost the the fake mocking smile and adopted a somber humorless expression. "Destroy the bond between Ash and Ramth." He glared at the woven image. It had received a sudden coat of dust, giving the image a musty aged presence. "The memories, the emotions, the camaraderie, everything...everything must be erased."

The Human stroked a finger over the embroidery. Dust clung to the appendage. "All must be erased," he repeated as he rubbed his fingers together in disgust. "As long as this stands, the dreams will continue."

"I-I can't just wipe away something like this," Twilight protested. "You're asking me to destroy-no, complete annihilate an entire friendship! You're asking me to go against every principle I have, ignore every lesson I've learned!" She took a deep breath.

"I saw...I saw Ash's life before he came to Equestria, before everything happened. He looked so happy, so peaceful when he was with his friends...much more so than I've seen him during his time with us," Twilight admitted gloomily. The purple Unicorn shook her head and when she spoke again, the strength and force in her voice was restored. "You're asking me to take that all away. I-I can't do something like that."

Twilight's front rose and fell rhythmically. The pattern quickened as the white-robed Human approached. He wore a cold frightening stare that nearly stopped Twilight's heart. His lips were curled into a snarl.

"I'm asking you to save Ash," he said coldly. "I'm asking you to remove the very source of his pain, to free him from the torture Ash inflicts on himself because he refuses or possible can't let go."

He was now right in front of the Unicorn. He took a step forward, forcing Twilight back. "Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, what would your princess say if she saw you prolonging Ash's suffering? What if this was Rainbow Dash here in pain, slowly shattering apart. Or Rarity? Fluttershy? What would you do then?"

Twilight gasped, grasping her head between her hooves. Images of Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy writhing on the ground and eroding away filled her head at each name.

"S-stop-"

"Pinkie Pie? Applejack?"

Pinkie Pie's weak cries sound almost real. Applejack slowly lifted her head and as their eyes met, Twilight watched as the farmmare's orange coat turned grey as ash and began to peel away as if caught in the wind...

"S-stop it."

"Spike?"

"SHUT UP!" Twilight roared, slamming her hooves into the ground. Large cracks began to form.

"Every moment you hesitant Ash suffers longer. It will eat away his soul, his very being, until there is nothing left but dust." The Human struck the tapestry with his fist in emphasis, creating a small musty cloud. "Friendship? Bah, this is a poison! From the very beginning, it was poison!"

The Human turned around with such force, the edge of his robes struck Twilight's cheek and pushed her back. He ignored her pained cry as he continued, his tone almost venomous.

"It blinded him from danger. It pushed him to make needless sacrifices. And now, it acts as the one barrier that stands between him and peace in this world."

He unclenched his fist. Blood trickled down his stained fingernails. Once again, he turned his attention to the horrified pony. Twilight backed away slowly until she found herself against a wall.

"This is your chance, our chance," he said in a softer, less threatening tone. "We can end it. We can finally have peace. Ash will finally be at peace. Isn't that what you want?"

"I-I-"

"No more dreams. No more visions. No more torments. End it. End it!"

"But-"

"eNd It! EnD iT! END IT ALL!"

*****

Twilight opened her eyes. The Human had disappeared, though his screams still rang violently in her eyes. She shivered.

She looked around and groaned. Of course there was nothing but shadows and the embroidered picture. The sudden isolation was both a blessing and a curse; in all honesty, Twilight found Ash's twin and his dark attitude extremely unsettling but the complete silence that the Human's insane rants had kept away was just as unnerving.

"Now what?" Twilight wondered out loud. As if in response, an open flame bursted in front of her, nearly singeing the Unicorn's mane. The flame rested on a thick rod that balanced perfectly on its head. The fire itself was violet, flooding the room with a similarly shaded light. It eerily reminded Twilight of her own magical light.

Carefully levitating the torch out of the ground, Twilight directed the light side to side. The shadows hid nothing of interest. Save for the tapestry, the Unicorn, and the purple torch, the hall was bare. As Twilight considered exploring the halls further, a gust of wind blew by, almost extinguishing the flame. Chill seemed to seep beneath her coat and skin and she shivered.

"...bUrN iT..."

The aura surrounding the torch flickered as Twilight struggled to maintain control. She looked around her for the source of the voice. Another gale passed through.

"...BuRn...It...eNd It..."

The winds now seemed to fan the flame, pushing it to grow until the torch was almost blinding. Twilight held the torch a safe distance away and shielded her eyes with a hoof as she looked past the raging purple blaze towards the tapestry.

"Is this what you really want?" Twilight asked Ash's woven image. The torch wavered in air as the Unicorn spoke, her voice just as shaky. She took an unsteady step forward. "To just forget everything? Is that what you really want?"

Ash did not reply. Those embroidered lips made no movements, those yarn eyes betrayed no thoughts...

Twilight lifted the torch a little higher as she took another step forward and then another. The flame grew larger in size and intensity with every step. The purple hue had faded until the flame was pale. Twilight looked past the fire, her eyes focused on the depiction of the Mage. Of a friend.

Of her friend.

"Is this what you really want?"

*****

I can't continue if I keep on holding onto the past...

What good memories I've had can't balance Sethiop's betrayal. If it means forgetting about that day, I can let them go...

*****

Author's Note

Imagine if I ended the story right here. Aren't I a stinker?

Twilight's Resolve

Soft echoes rang through the hall as the Human paced back and forth, his hands behind his back. The trails of his robes billowed behind him as he moved, as if facing against a stream of wind. His mouth was turned down into a deliberate, thoughtful frown and every so often, the Human would turned his head and stare down the hall before continuing his march.

A soft clicking sound began to resonate quietly, distinct from the noise the Human's shoes made against the hard crystal floor. It was a sharper sound, like mallet strikes against a glass bell, and it was growing louder by the second.

The Human stood still and soon the only break in the silence were those echoing clicks. He turned to the estimated direction of the noise's source. A small light violet glow shone amid the darkness in the same area and as the clicking sound grew louder, the purple beacon grew larger and brighter.

Click clop click clop.

The Human's frown seemed to deepen as the noise grew louder and the light became brighter. The purple blaze was reflected in his rapidly narrowing brown eyes.

Click clop click clop. Click clop click clop.

By the flame a purple Unicorn could now be seen. She walked slowly behind the purple torch and drew nearer and nearer.

Click clop click.

Her hoofsteps rang against the crystal floor. The sound had kept Twilight on edge since the beginning and as she got closer the Human could see that her ear would flick or flatten against her head every now and again in response to the echoes. She kept her head low as to avoid directly staring into the blinding fire but her eyes remained focused ahead. They found the white-robed Human and the echoes of her hoofsteps grew. The distance between the two was rapidly vanishing.

Click clop click clop. An echo, then, utter silence.

Only a few empty feet now separated Twilight from the Human. The Unicorn lifted both the torch and her head in order to look directly at the man. The Human lowered his head and, ignoring the intensity of the flames' light, glared back.

For a few empty minutes, Twilight and the Human did nothing but stare at each other, as if locked in a staring competition. At last, the standstill was broken as Twilight held the torch a little higher, then dropped it at the Human's feet. His only reaction was to follow the torch's path with his eyes.

He set himself on his knees and picked the torch up, holding it dangerously close to his face as he examined it. He closed his eyes and cupped the flame with his hand. The hand became a fist, suffocating the fire underneath. When the Human had unclenched his fist, the hand was charred. Skin peeled away in burnt crisps and the sickly aroma of badly cooked meat swelled through the air.

Twilight wrinkles her nose at the smell but fought off the urge to flinch at the sight of the Human's burns as he showed them to her. He wore an accusing glare, as if blaming the Unicorn for his injury. Twilight met it with her own scowl.

"You didn't do it."

"Yeah," Twilight said just as curtly. "I didn't."

The Human sighed. He tossed the extinguished torch to the side. Slowly, he got to his feet and set his back against a wall. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his good hand.

"Why?" he asked weakly. "Why didn't you break the bond?"

If the Human's gaze had lost power, Twilight's had been strengthened. "That friendship is what defined Ash," she answered. "Everything he is, everything, is because of his bond with Ramth. Not all his memories were good ones but they still define Ash's character, just like how learning about the magic of friendship from Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack redefined what kind of pony I am now." Twilight shook her head. "If I took all that away, what would Ash become?"

"He would be nothing," the Human said. "But would that be so horrible? So wrong? A new canvas for a new world. He'd be able to start an entirely new life in Equestria. There's a reason why he sought to become a pony, why he tried to abandon his Human image and identity." The look he now gave Twilight was of sorrow. Twilight struggled to withhold her pity.

"He told you...he was weak. He is weak. The loneliness will crush him. He will lose trust in even himself. Why won't you set him free?"

"Because I believe in Ash." Twilight held her head high. "I know he's suffering but taking the easy route isn't the right solution. And Ash knows this. Giving up is like that is never the right way and I know Ash believes this too. He won't give up."

"You don't know me," the Human growled. The previous hostility was returning. "You don't know Ash. He's already given up! He's too weak to continue! If you actually knew Ash, you'd know his limits!"

"He's not weak!" Twilight argued. "A weak being wouldn't sacrifice so much for somepony they've only known for a few weeks. A weak being wouldn't risk so much on someone that's not even a member of their own species. A weak being wouldn't be willing to give so much away. Don't you dare call Ash weak!"

"He can barely contain and control his own emotions! He's afraid to stand alone! Of being alone! You heard himself; he's not strong enough to handle the weight of being the only Human in existence. His friendship with Ramth and the other only solidified this dependence on other Humans. He isn't strong enough to handle this! He. Is. Weak!"

"Then we'll be his strength!" Twilight shouted. "When I fought Discord, I felt so powerless when I was alone...I almost gave up and left Ponyville. But I was reminded of everything I learned from my friends and that gave me hope and a way to beat Discord. When I tried fighting Nightmare Moon on my own, I almost lost and Equestria was nearly plunged into eternal night. I didn't save Equestria that day...we saved Equestria together." Twilight struck the ground heavily. The Human flinched at the resulting ring as Twilight pressed on:

"If there's one thing I've learned, it is that friends are your strength. There's nothing wrong with leaning against a friend for support. I don't think Ash is weak but even if he faces something that's beyond him, as long as he has friends, as long as he has us, as long as he has me, we can conquer any problem! Because friendship...is magic!"

At her words, Twilight's horn enveloped itself in light. Twilight shut her eyes as her horn grew brighter and brighter, much brighter than the torch had ever been. She heard the Human scream, though whether from pain or not the Unicorn could not tell, nor was she willing to risk blindness by stealing a quick peek.

Twilight lost track of time but eventually the magical light lost intensity and died down. Cautiously, she opened an eye.

The hall was no longer dark, the shadows having been driven away. Stone walls, woven tapestries, it was nearly the same setting as the sanctuary they had been in at the beginning. The only difference was that instead of white marble, the floor was made up of clear crystals, perhaps even glass.

Seeing no immediate danger, Twilight opened her other eye and looked around for more details. The tapestry of Ash and Ramth was nowhere to be seen, Twilight noted, and for a few minutes neither was the Human.

Twilight almost missed the Human a second time as she scanned the room. His robes blended with the surrounding stone walls. His back was turned toward the Unicorn, his hands held behind.

"So be it," he muttered. "You've chosen the high road, the path of difficulty. So be it." The Human turned and faced Twilight. He suddenly looked very tired. Had he always had such dark rings around his eyes?

"I will not admit I am wrong, least not yet," he quietly spoke. "Perhaps, in the end, you will regret your decision. Perhaps, in the end, you will see that magic is a double edged weapon and cuts two ways. Perhaps..." He lifted a hand to quell Twilight's rising protest. "Then again, maybe you are right. Maybe what Ash needs isn't a clean slate, but a chance to try again." The Human chuckled, shaking his head. It was as soulless as ever but this time, Twilight felt no need to bolt away. "What insanity," he said. "What utter, utter insanity.

"Ash will take you back, when he arrives," the Human announced, turning his back to Twilight again.

"Hold on, what do you mean, take me back?" Twilight asked, suspiciously. "Take me back where? What's going on? You never even told me who you were or why you were doing this! Don't turn your back on me! Tell me what's going on!"

"Ask Ash," the Human answered with a shrug. "He knows better than I. In fact, you could say he'll be dropping by real soon." He look up.

Twilight tilted her head as well and followed the Human's gaze up toward the endless celling. She squinted, trying to look past the darkness and shadows. Had the Human seen something she had missed.

"Odd," Twilight heard him say. She let her head fall to a more comfortable position and placed her attention at the Human, who had also let his head take a more natural stance. "Funny, he's normally so punctual, you know." The Human tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I wonder..."

The Human's wondering was interrupted suddenly as the floor below him shattered with a loud crash. On reflex, Twilight covered her face with her leg, shielding her eyes from the flying shards. Even from behind shut eyelids, the Unicorn saw an intense white flash. Once again with caution, Twilight opened her eyes to survey to area. She kept her hooves up however, poor shields as they were.

An upright figure stood before her, Human. Dusty light-blue robes, almost grey, trailed all the way to his knees, where they appeared to have been torn at furiously. A sleeve had all but been burned away from the shoulder, revealing a partially charred arm. The other sleeve remained intact and the arm appeared, for the most part, undamaged. At the end hung the other Human, his neck surrounded and constricted by the fingers of the newcomer.

As he held the white-clad Human up, the newcomer glared venomously with a single hate consumed hazel eye. The other remained closed as blood dripped from the forehead and dried itself over that side. The rest of his features were twisted into a beastly scowl as he glared up at the Human he held up by the neck.

Long white hair with light red stains hung limply from his scalp, like a freshly wrung mop. He was in dire need of a haircut.

As he brought the other Human closer to his own face, Twilight saw uncanny similarities. Her experience with Humans may not have been extensive but she had spent enough with a particular Human to recognize those light brown eyes, that thin check structure, the jawline.

The mess of aged white hair...

"A-Ash?"

Ash's Folly

"Well, nice of you to finally join us," the doppelgänger gasped, smirking as he did so. If being strangled had bothered him a bit, he certainly did not show it. "Tell me, how was the trip down memory lane?"

Ash pulled his lookalike closer. "I didn't need a reminder," he spat.

"No? Tell me Ash, has your grip weakened since we last met?"

Ash's eye grew wild and his hand shook with rage as his face twisted into a snarl. Growling, he lifted the lookalike higher and wrapped his other hand around his neck.

The lookalike merely grinned at Ash's display of savagery. Even as Ash's grip around his neck tightened and his feet dangled several inches above solid ground, the white-robed, raven-headed Human mocked Ash with a smile, a sight that enraged him further.

"I'll kill you!" he roared, his face glowing red with anger. "This time I'll end you for good!"

"Please," Ash's clone managed to croak. "If you honestly think you have the time...or the courage...do yourself a favor, huh?"

Ash screamed. He flung his double to the floor and placed his knees on his chest. He balled up his fist, then struck. And struck. And struck. Each strike was followed by a loud resounding thud that rang far too long as Ash's fist met his double's jaw, chin, and cheeks.

There was a different echo this time. Ash opened his eyes and found his fist dug deep in the crystal floor. Sucking in his breath, Ash yanked his hand out. Shards stuck out from his knuckles and blood streamed down them like rivers through valleys. Ash brought his fist up to his face and grabbed hold of the largest protruding piece of glass with his teeth. He threw his head back and spat out the stained shard. A trail of blood followed it through the air. Blood flowed from the wound unhindered as Ash flexed, opening and closing his hand.

"Might be better to leave it in," the double chuckled. "You might actually do some damage."

Ash struck his double again, hissing in pain as the remaining shards dug deeper into his flesh.

The doppelgänger chuckled again. "Guess not." He rubbed his unblemished cheek.

Ash's breathing was shaky, in pain and in exhaustion. He struggled to keep his eyes opened and focused as red sweat rolled over the bruises on his face. He sucked in another unsteady breath and grabbed the double's robes, forcing him up. Slowly, Ash lifted his free hand. A small ball of fire burst between his fingertips. As the white flames grew larger, a long shadow fell upon his features.

"Think you can survive this?"

"Dunno. Can we?" The double grinned. "Care to find out?"

At the black-haired double's challenge, Ash's eyes widened and his hand shook violently. The flames flared into a miniature inferno, barely contained in ball form. His fingers cracked next to the heat of the blaze and skin burned away, exposing the pink flesh underneath by the light of the fire ball.

"Are you...hesitating?"

Ash's hand went down. The blaze fell closer and closer to white-clothed counterpart's face, which kept its calm, disinterested stare and sneer even as these features were illuminated by the fire in Ash's hand. The flames licked the air inches from his nose.

Inches were all that stood between fire and flesh.

"You stopped. Finished already?"

"Go to Hell!" Ash snarled but his hand remained in place, unmoving. He turned his head, glaring at the limb. It twitched as Ash willed it forward but something held it back.

"Ash! Stop it!"

The Mage blinked. He let the imposter fall to floor with a hard thud and rubbed the sweat and blood out of his eyes with his freed hand. A faint violet light shimmered over his arm. He looked to the other side.

"You're hurting yourself! Please, stop!"

Ash blinked. "T-Twilight?" he muttered as something collided into him hard.

*****

"A-Ash?" Twilight said uncertainly. Something was off about the Mage. While he looked more like the Ash she was familiar with, Twilight had never seen the Human so angry before. The sight before her, with the white-haired Ash trying to strangle the annoying black-haired one, furthered her confusion.

What was going on here? Were either of them actually Ash? The lookalike had mentioned the Mage's arrival but was this actually him? Twilight had never seen him so violent. It remaindered her a bit of the injured manticore she and her friends had encountered on her first day in Ponyville. The blood that trickled over his eye completed the wounded raging beast motif.

"Well, nice of you to finally join us," Ash's lookalike managed to say. The utter apathy in his tone and in the careless grin he wore as Ash threatened to choke him was unsettling and sent shivers down Twilight's spine.

"Tell me, how was the trip down memory lane?"

Ash let his double fall a few inches, dragging him closer to his face. "I didn't need a reminder," he snarled with ferocity and hate that was just as unnerving to Twilight as the total disinterest of the doppelgänger.

"No?" the hanging double sneered. "Tell me Ash, has your grip weakened since we last met?"

Twilight's eyes widened in horror as Ash reached out with his other hand.

"I'll kill you!" he screamed. "This time I'll end you for good!"

"Please," the double responded weakly as Ash's hold around his neck strengthened and the surrounding pressure increased. "If you honestly think you have the time...or the courage...do yourself a favor, huh?"

Twilight flattened her ears against her head as Ash released an anguished cry as he tossed his double to the floor and leaped on top. The Unicorn winced at the first punch Ash threw, the impact echoing down the hall and through her ears. She gasped at the second one that quickly followed and took a step forward, readying herself into a gallop.

And do what?

Twilight paused in the middle of her next step. What was her plan, she wondered. Was it to stop the fight? She let her hooves fall forward and prepared for the next step.

Why?

Again, Twilight hesitated. She had caught a quick glance of Ash's face, which was still contorted in rage. She had never seen anypony, any animal, any being this angry and this violent. That murderous glint that shone in Ash's eye right now had not been present in Nightmare Moon, Discord, or Queen Chrysalis.

This, this was a personal matter, one that Twilight did not understand and because of that, she hesitated in intervening. She wasn't sure she could even prevent Ash from dealing further damage, much less convince him to listen to reason. And who knew what would happen to her...

He wouldn't hurt me... Twilight argued to herself. I said it myself: Ash is my friend...he wouldn't try to hurt me.

Yet her resolve melted like wax of a candle at the sight of Ash's burning and unrelenting fury. Twilight's uncertain attempts to crawl forward slowly ceased as the thuds of Ash's fists rang in her ears and she shut her eyes.

Strange, that last one didn't sound much like a thud. Twilight opened her eyes and watched while Ash struggled to free his arm from the hole he had punched in the glassy ground.

As Ash struggled, Twilight got another good look at his face and gasped. Dark bruises marred the sides and blood ran down from a crushed nose, as if he had just been dealt a beating rather than having dealt one. Ash's breaths came out pained and labored and his eyes were barely focused.

What's going on? Why is Ash hurt? Twilight wondered just as Ash finally freed his hand and brought it to his mouth. The Unicorn watched as he tossed his head back. Something sparkled in the air and Twilight followed the projectile as it flew close by, flinching as what she now saw as a bloodied shard of crystal clatter against the floor barely a hop away. Peppered spots of red littered the floor around it.

It's like all the damage Ash is trying to do is being reflected. Why?

"Might be better to leave it in," the double had spoken with a short laugh that chilled the Unicorn. It was not the kind of thing or tone one would normally hear from a beaten being. Was Ash the only one getting hurt? Twilight turned to the double but his face was obscured, revealing nothing.

"You might actually do some damage."

Another taunt. Why? What did this imposter hope to gain from inciting Ash like this? What did he hope to gain from Ash's pain?

A loud hiss interrupted Twilight's musings. Ash was clutching his bleeding fist, breathing heavily. The double chuckled. "Guess not," Twilight heard him say smugly.

Ash's shoulder quaked as he lifted a shaky hand. Twilight watched anxiously, expecting the hand to fall and strike, only recoil in surprise as flames burst forth from the Mage's fingers. The Unicorn's widened in horror as she realized what he intended to do.

"Think you can survive this?"

The double's features were illuminated by flames, revealing untouched lips twisted in a smirk. "Dunno, can we? Care to find out?"

No! Twilight leaped into a gallop as the small fire ball exploded into a rage firestorm in Ash's hand. He'll roast himself!

"Are you...hesitating?"

"Don't do it!" Twilight screamed, her horn glowing as she reached out to grab hold of Ash's arm. Her cry received no response and the flames fell closer. Twilight shut her eyes, strained, as she willed her reach further, her grip stronger. She could feel her magic encompass the Mage's wrist but was it enough?

"...You stopped. Finished already?"

"Go to Hell!"

Twilight opened her eyes, half-expecting to find her friend on the ground in agony, burnt beyond recognition. She let out a sigh of relief after seeing the fireball was inches away from Ash's target, still in the white-haired Mage's hands. Though it was faint, Twilight made out purple lights surrounding Ash's arm, which she recognized as her own aura. Ash fought back however and Twilight moved closer, hoping to strengthen her hold.

"Ash! Stop it!" Twilight cried out. Already it felt like her magical grip was fading, even as she redoubled her efforts. She hurried forward. "You're hurting yourself! Please, stop!"

Ash's back stiffened. He turned away from the hated doppelgänger and let him fall to the ground.

"T-Twilight?" he breathed.

In her joyous surprise, Twilight had forgotten that she had broken into a full gallop, and tackled him in a manner that would have impressed Rainbow Dash.

*****

"W-what are you doing here?" Ash demanded as he recovered and lifted the little purple pony off his chest. "Wait, of course you'd be here," he groaned. "Only reason I'm here," he added under his breath.

"Huh?"

"It's...never mind, it's complicated." Ash sighed as Twilight protested, exhausted but relieved that the Unicorn was safe. He got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Be careful," said Twilight. "You're still hurt. Let me-" The rest of her words died away as her jaw fell. The bruises had disappeared. Even all the blood that leaked from his forehead was gone, as if wiped away by an wet towel.

His eyes were no longer strained or unfocused and to Twilight's relief, nor were they filled with seething rage. They instead reflected worry and gladness as they looked over the Unicorn. Twilight recognized those hazel eyes, the eyes of a friend.

Twilight's fear returned as Ash turned and anger flashed in his eyes. His black-haired double had gotten to his feet, wearing that chilling smile Twilight had begun to recognize as his trademark.

"Are we done here?" he asked. "Are we finished?"

Ash glared. "We both know it's not over and it never will be."

The double shrugged. "Perhaps. Then again, perhaps not. Maybe this little one'll change your mind." He gave Twilight a wink. She gave him a scowl in return. "Still, you know I'm right about one thing."

Ash was silent for a second before reluctantly nodding. "I don't have the time to be here right now."

"Hey!" Twilight shouted as Ash embraced her barrel with an arm, lifting her up and sprinted off.

"Or the courage!" the raven-headed, white-robed Human shouted after them, laughing. Ash grit his teeth and ran faster, with Twilight's protests trailing behind him.

*****

The sanctuary doors swung open loudly as if on their own account as Ash and Twilight approached, something Twilight was thankful for as Ash made no indication of slowing down.

Twilight struggled futilely against Ash's hold. She felt the aftershocks of each step the Mage took as he ran, which made it difficult to articulate her discomfort. Her legs hung limply over the ground as Ash held her up to his chest. His constricting grip around her middle made each breath Twilight took a strained exercise. It might have been bearable if Ash had chosen a slower, more comfortable pace.

"A-Ash, h-hold on," Twilight groaned. "I-I can w-walk on my o-own."

The ringing echoes of hard shoes against marble and crystal were replaced by solid dull thuds. With effort, Twilight managed to turn her head and saw that the temple behind them was rapidly disappearing. She looked down and saw dark obsidian stones. To the sides were dark voids, deprived of any matter.

"W-where are w-we g-going?" Twilight asked as she was jolted along. "A-Ash, w-what's going o-on?"

The Unicorn's frustration grew as her imposing transport remained silent. "We need to hurry" was all he had said to her and the utter lack of communication was getting on Twilight's nerves. She had half the mind to reach out and trip the Mage up.

She fought against the urge but refused to resign herself to complete ignorance and helplessness. Thus, despite the physical difficulty and the apparent pointlessness, Twilight continued to question.

Twilight sighed. "A-Ash," she pleaded while bouncing against the Mage's front, "you c-can't just leave m-me in the dark. W-what's going on? Why are w-we in such a h-hurry? What h-happened back t-there? A-and w-why-yah!"

The Unicorn flew out of Ash's arms and skid across the hard stone ground. Dazed, Twilight slowly got to her feet and looked behind her. The Mage sat some few feet from her, grabbing and pulling at his leg. A small hole had broken through below, trapping the appendage at the ankle.

"Ash, are you okay?"

"Forget about me," Ash said. "You need to hurry. Go!"

"Go? Go where?" Twilight demanded. "What's going on?" she repeated.

"We don't have time for questions. You-"

Light cocooned Ash's leg and around the hole's edges. Bits of stone fell from around the ankle until the hole became sizable enough for the leg to freely move. Before Ash could act, Twilight had already lifted his leg out, almost forcefully.

"There, I saved you. Now tell me what's going on."

"Saved? I told you to run!"

"Run where?" Twilight screamed back. "Why? What are we running from? Why am I leaving you behind? Why were there two of you back there? You can't expect me to do all this without asking any questions, without getting any answers! What's going on?"

The ground beneath Twilight's hoof crumbled as she stomped. Instinctively, the Unicorn swung her forelegs forward, hoping to grab hold of the ledge. In mid scream her hooves caught something other than the sharp stony edge she had expected. Twilight opened her eyes and looked up into Ash's eyes.

"Don't panic," he said. Even as the words left his mouth, the bridge began to quake violently. Chunks of obsidian fell into the void below. If this had been a less stressful situation, Twilight would have noted that no resounding echoes of the stones hitting bottom were made. All things considered, Twilight was taking things rather calmly.

"Don't panic? Don't panic? I'm not panicking, I'm being frantic!" she screeched. "I just wanted to know what was going on! Was that too much to ask?"

The shaking increased. With a grunt, Ash swung Twilight up onto his shoulders and leaped into a run. He adopted a less reckless pace than before as he maneuvered around sudden holes that appeared.

"Hold on! The spell's falling apart," the Mage explained as he jumped over one of the growing cracks. "We're running out of time! It won't matter that we managed to return your body to normal if your conscious gets lost here; without a conscious, your mind won't work and neither will your physical body. We need to get you back into your body before the entire spell collapses! Question answered?"

"Yes, thank you," Twilight squeaked, hugging Ash's neck as tightly as she could without strangling him. "What about back there? Why was there a different version of you?"

"Is this really the time or the place?"

"Look out! Hole!"

Twilight's warning was perfectly timed and at her cry Ash bounded over the gap without breaking stride. "Thanks," he said as he crossed another miniature chasm.

"Guess not," Twilight muttered quietly into Ash's back in response to his previous incredulous statement. Disappointment oozed from her voice that did not go entirely unnoticed by the Mage. Even in such a situation, where death or even worse were possible consequences, Twilight's curiosity roared like a famished lion.

Quit moping she chided herself. Getting out of this place in one piece is more important right now. Besides, if Ash doesn't want to explain, he doesn't have to. It might be some really personal.

As sound as her reasoning was, Twilight still could not banish the little cry of disappointment in her heart. She sighed, hoping it was silently enough to pass undetected by Ash.

The sigh was echoed by the Human she piggybacked. He was silent a little longer before saying, "You know, you saved me back there."

"Huh? Are you talking about..."

"From myself," Ash tried to explain. "If you hadn't stopped me, if I had gone further...well, trust me when I say it wouldn't have been pretty. Though how much trust I really deserve is debatable," he added under his breath.

"What was that?" Twilight asked.

"Hole. Hold on." Ash hissed in pain as he landed roughly, rolling his ankle.

"Are you okay? I can run on my own you know."

Ash shook his head. He was already on the move again and the small injury didn't seem to slow him a bit. From her position, however, Twilight failed to see the winces Ash made as his left foot landed each few steps.

"This is faster," he said. "I've got a larger stride and it'll be easier for me than for you to get over these cracks."

"Oh," was all Twilight could muster against Ash's logic. It was rare for the Unicorn to be on the receive side of reasoning and Twilight considered mentioning that in the position they were in now, if one fell the other would too, in order to save some face. She abandoned that line of thinking, realizing that she was about to suggest splitting up simply to increase the probability that at least one of them would survive.

We'll both make it. I know it. We'll make it together.

"In case we don't make it, you...I think you deserve to know, about...him."

Twilight almost bit through the collar of Ash's robes as she struggled to conceal her groan.

"Look, I don't feel right keeping it a secret, especially considering how you saved me from, well, myself really." Ash shook his head. "It's...well..." He sighed. "You ever had someone just walk up to you and throw every single one of your flaws into your flaws?"

"You mean criticism? Sometimes, why?"

Ash shook his head. "I don't mean constructive criticism...but on that topic, how do you feel when someone criticizes you?"

Twilight shrugged. "When I was younger, I always felt really awful, like I really messed up somehow and didn't deserve to be Princess Celestia's student. Now though, I've learned to accept and learn from criticism. Learning from our mistakes helps us improve after all."

"But when we're young, being force to face our flaws, our issues, our mistakes, it's hard not to hate ourselves, hard to even look at a mirror."

Twilight opened her mouth to counter; what the Mage was saying seemed a little exaggerated, extreme even. Images of Spike filled her head, however, his face displaying the utter disappointment and even anger he held toward himself when Twilight confronted him about the /Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy/ he had accidentally destroyed. He had gone so far that he came to the conclusion that she no longer cared for the little dragon. And then there was the time Spike lost control over his greed...

Perhaps she could take criticism in stride. Maybe her flaws didn't bother her so much because she knew she would always strive to improve. With time, Twilight was certain, Spike would grow and accept his flaws as well. Now however...

"Do you know what my first experience with mental magic was?" Ash asked, stirring the Unicorn out of her thoughts. She shook her head, uncertain as to the direction the discussion was going.

"No," Twilight said, realizing that Ash couldn't see the nonverbal answer.

"It was a trip into my own subconscious. I couldn't have been any older than twelve and what I saw scared me. I saw a monster in there. A selfish, smug asshole with a superiority complex. I saw myself."

"Excuse me?"

Ash released a dark chuckle. He spent a few moment maneuvering over the crumbling bridge before continuing:

"For an orphan, I had quite an ego. I pull myself into a prestigious academy by my own abilities and persistence. I caught the eye of the Archmage, the most powerful Human spellcaster, became the Archmage's apprentice and potential successor, I had quite the list of accomplishments and pride quickly became my personal deadly sin. Add a little insecurity in there and, well..."

Another weak chuckle. "I often tried to avoid other children and when that was unavoidable, I would insult them with hidden meanings, with little mind games and riddles. I thought I was so clever and didn't think I was doing anything wrong. After all, I thought I was better."

"That's doesn't sound like you at all. I mean, sure you can sometimes be a little sarcastic, maybe even a little condensing, but I've never saw you as acting overly smug or superior."

"That's because I grew up. But part of growing up was recognizing and confronting my darkness, learning that I wasn't perfect, that I wasn't as high and mighty as I thought I was. Remember the locked diary you found in your subconscious? Similar reaction expounded.

"I don't remember much. I do remember wondering how Ramth could have had me as a friend, as tainted as I was. In my mind I was no better than the snotty noble children he had been forced to associate with. I remember thinking to myself, this must be cleaned. I...in midst of all my emotions I lost control over my magic and when I could think again, I saw another me in standing before me, wearing pure white robes, taunting me with that smug grin. So I stabbed him."

"J-just like that? You just somehow summoned a double from out of nowhere and stabbed him just like that?" Twilight said in disbelief.

"He's not exactly a double or a clone. He's a manifest of the flaws I wanted to purge from myself, resulting from my lack of control and self-loathing. I don't think I was entirely sure what I was doing when I ended up creating him but I do know the drive of the magic was the destructive emotions I held against myself at the time. I think I figured that if I destroyed my self that was filled with all the bad stuff, my flaws would disappear."

"It didn't work, did it?"

"...As if mistakes could be erased that easily. No it didn't work. I woke up a week later in my physical body, feeling awfully weak. It didn't matter that he was made of all the parts I hated myself for, he's still part of me and trying to kill him is the same as turning a knife on myself. Back there, I guess I lost control; its been awhile since I confronted myself. If you hadn't stopped me I don't know if I could have ever woken up again.

"So thanks. Just wanted you to know I'm thankful. For listening too."

Twilight tightened her grip around Ash into a gentle hug. "Thanks for telling me," she said. "But you're better than that, you know. He's not really you, just a part. Just like that diary. Don't ever think you don't deserve to be anyone's friend. A true friend loves you for who you are, flaws and all."

This chuckle brought a smile to Twilight's face. "Personal experience?"

"Maybe, though I don't think I ever wrote an official friendship report on that. Maybe I should-STOP!"

Ash skid to an abrupt halt, almost tripping over his hurt ankle. Several yards before the two was a large open window. Light streamed from the portal like a beacon. Twilight leaped off her friend's back and gaped at the window. She felt herself drawn to it, like a moth to a candle, but without the danger. It was where she belonged, where she needed to be.

It was also on the other side of a gigantic chasm that had split the bridge into two.

Twilight ran a few quick calculations in her head while estimating the width of the abyss and looking for alternative routes. There was no way she could safely jump across and the hole stretched across the entire width of the bridge.

"What are we going to-HEY!" Twilight screamed as Ash placed a hand under her stomach and lifted her above his head. The Unicorn blushed suddenly; his hand had shifted dangerously low.

"Hey! Where are you-"

"Lower your head," Ash instructed.

"Eh?"

"Lower your head!" he said more forcefully. Twilight quickly complied.

Ash's palm began to heat up and his fingers dug into Twilight's underbelly. It wasn't entirely painful but neither was it comfortable. The rest of her body began to warm up as well. The Unicorn wondered what was the Mage planning.

He pulled his arm back and drew in a breath.

"What are you-"

Then he released, sending the screaming Unicorn sailing through the air like a javelin. Tears trailed out from Twilight's shut eyes which were followed by a stream of equine-based profanities. She had the sensibility to keep her head down and Ash was grateful for that.

A small grin lit the Mage's face as he saw Twilight soar through the portal. She was finally safe. Ash released a sigh of relief just as the stones beneath him crumbled down into the endless void below.

Instinctively, the Human swung his arms behind him, hoping to latch himself to the rocky edge. He caught something softer than the stony ledge he had expected, though it was not much warmer.

He looked up into his own brown eyes.

Author's Note

Then he let go. Then end.

Did this just get featured? Good Lord, I'm speechless. Thanks guys!

Some Days...

Ash's eyes narrowed. "You," he snarled. There was more than a hint of malice in his voice.

Ash smiled in return. "You," he said, reaching down with his free hand, the other already enclosed around Ash's arm.

Ash glared at the extended hand as if it was part of a dangerous snake. He looked down below him, where the abyss threatened to shallow him up like the debris that fell next and beyond him. He looked back up at the grinning youth above and the abyss suddenly looked rather welcoming. Another tremor jolted him out of his thoughts, convincing him to put his pride aside, and with evident reluctance he grabbed hold of the outstretched arm. With a mighty heave and a groan, Ash pulled Ash up.

"Getting a little heavy, aren't we?" he said as he rested his hands on his knees.

"If you don't stopping grinning like an idiot I will rip your head off," Ash growled, stretching rubbing his sore arms. "With a spoon."

"No you won't."

"Don't test me. I'll find a spoon somewhere, somehow." He had already begun to move, pushing past the large sanctuary doors. He sighed; it had been a long time since he had last visited and every time he was filled with mixed feelings of awe, peace, and disgust.

He ran a finger against a nearby tapestry. The dust that had settle was blown away as if by a sudden gust of wind. Behind the coat of dust was the image of a young boy sitting in the lap of a young woman wearing a blank headdress and and modest white gown. The side's of Ash's mouth twitched at the sides. They fell back down as Ash had approached his side.

"What...what did you show her?" he asked.

"Hmm? Nothing but the truth of course. Why? Was there something you didn't want her to see?" Ash chuckled. "Still, she's quite the remarkable creature. We underestimated her."

"You underestimated her," Ash corrected.

"Oh, and you had your entire faith in her? Did you truly believed she would still bare the sight of you after looking into your soul, after seeing me?" He laughed. "Don't lie to yourself. Even now you fear the next time the two of you meet. Misguided fool." Ash crossed his arms and shook his head. "She truly is a remarkable creature, that Twilight Sparkle."

Ash was silent. He said nothing to defend himself or to refute. As Ash turned and began to walk away, the other chuckled, shaking his head.

"You know, she's pretty cute, for a pony," he called out to the retreating Mage.

"She's also not here right now." A small flame ignited in Ash's right hand. In the other he held a rust-coated spoon.

"Peace peace," Ash said cheerfully lifting his hands over his head. "I think the time for fighting has passed, don't you?"

The fire lingered a moment longer before extinguishing. The rusty spoon, however, remained. "Don't test me," Ash said again, turning his back on him as he walked away.

"But of course, isn't it time for you to wake up?"

Ash paused. He sighed and hung his head in resignation just as an arm plunged into his back and burst through the other side out of his chest.

The white-robed Ash pulled his arm out and watched the white-haired Ash dissolved. "Peace," he muttered as he too began to fade. "Isn't time...we moved on?"

*****

Twilight's nose twitched. Something was tickling it and her annoyance was growing. Her attempts to ignore whatever was touching her proved futile and she mentally cried out in displeasure as sleep slip from her clumsy fingerless figurative hooves.

The Unicorn's eyes sprung open. "What are you doing?" she asked the rainbow-maned Pegasus. Rainbow Dash held a feather pen between her teeth, the tip still wet. Behind her stood a grinning Pinkie Pie holding an inkwell.

Rainbow snickered. "Nothing in particular," she sang. "Pinkie on the other hoof..."

At this the pink Earth pony snorted. "Best. Idea. Ever."

"...I'm going to regret looking in a mirror, aren't I?" Twilight groaned. "Real original guys. Where's Rarity? She'll fix this." The Unicorn looked around, pleasantly surprised that the library was completely organized. "Where's Spike? Did he clean up? I don't remember if the library was this clean before..."

Twilight's eyes widened. Rainbow Dash yelped in surprise as she and Pinkie were dragged into a crushing embrace.

"T-Twi?" Rainbow began uncertainly.

"I'm so, so sorry," the Unicorn cried into Rainbow Dash's chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I...I'm so sorry..."

Rainbow Dash glanced over to Pinkie Pie who responded with a shrug. "Hey, Twilight," the Pegasus said, struggling to free herself. "I get it. We get it. You weren't yourself so stop blaming yourself. We sure ain't."

"Yeah," Pinkie piped in. "We know you're not a super violent meany McMeaner pants. Ash told us how that part of him that was inside you that made you all Human and not you and stuff was making you go all coo-coo. Wait!" Pinkie gasped. "Does that mean Ash is the real super violent meany McMeaner pants? Am I really friends with a super violent meany McMeaner pants? Does that make me a super violent meany McMeaner pants? Is my entire life a lie?" Pinkie screamed to the heavens. The Earth pony's breathing grew erratic and her eyes widened in panic before calmly stating, "Nah."

"Yeah, anyways," Rainbow Dash continued as she tried pushing Twilight off, "Rarity went home after Ash started spewing blood over her." She shuddered. "I honestly have no idea how she's gonna get those stains out."

Twilight released her friends, who fell unceremoniously in a tangled heap. "And...and Spike?"

"Don't worry your pretty purple head," answered Pinkie. "Our little dragon slept through the entire fight. He woke up a few minutes after you fell asleep."

"The little guy was kinda torn between going to help Rarity and staying here with you," Rainbow explained. "So he took neutral ground and went back to sleep, at least until you became a pony again."

Twilight blinked. She lifted her legs in front of her and grinned at the sight of her hooves. Fingers were nice, she supposed, but weren't worth the trouble; too unnecessarily complicated Twilight had concluded. Her smile grew larger as she ran her hoof through her hair and felt the familiar tip of her horn. Already she could feel its warmth and power and its magical connection.

"...so now he's cooking breakfast."

"What was that?" Twilight asked absentmindedly, still distracted by the return of her horn, her glorious magical horn. There are many like it but this one was hers and she had mastered it as she would have mastered her-

"Wait..." Twilight sniffed the air. "Is that...I think I smell..."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Like I said, the minute you turned back into a pony Spike ran around the room cheering and stacking books, then put on his apron and walked into the kitchen."

"I wanna apron like that," Pinkie chirped. "Do you think Spike would trade it for a gem or two."

Twilight's mouth watered. Spike was making her favorite, she could smell it. It was a dish her mother would make that would send a filly Twilight into an adorable feeding frenzy and would leave a big fat smile on the little Unicorn's face for the entire day. It was the same dish her mother would always make when she and Spike would visited. Spike must have gotten the recipe Twilight thought as liquid pride leaked from her eyes. She quickly rubbed them with her leg.

"Hey, no need to get all sappy on us now," Rainbow snarked.

"I'm fine. Y-you got ink in my eye...or something..." Twilight groaned. "Let's get this over with; hand me a mirror, please."

Rainbow grinned evilly. "Are you sure you want to see?"

Twilight sighed. "No, but might as well..."

"You absolutely sure?"

"...yes."

"Absolutely positively, one hundred percent, without a drop of doubt..."

"Rainbow..."

"Okay then." Rainbow Dash's menacing smile grew as she slowly produced a small mirror from behind her.

"Wait," Pinkie interjected, stopping her accomplice. "Twilight, are you absolutely positively, one hundred percent, without a drop of doubt sure that you're absolutely positively, one hundred percent-"

"Give me my mirror!" Twilight screeched, snatching it out of Rainbow's hooves. She held it away at a good length, fearing the worst. She had seen herself with a mustache before and it hadn't looked good, no matter what Spike insisted.

Twilight opened her eyes, prepared to scowl at what ever caricature stared back. To her utter confusion, all she saw was a purple Unicorn with a dire need for a hairbrush.

"I don't...what?"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had fallen on the floor in a giant fit of laughter. Twilight looked at the two pranksters in wonder until she noticed the inkwell Pinkie had been holding. She brought it closer, levitating it to eye level.

It wasn't one of her own wells, Twilight realized. While hers were of a shiny coat of black, the same color as their contents, this one was oddly blue. Even stranger was the chalky-white outline of an inkwell on the side.

"You two drew on my face...with invisible ink."

The laughter grew as Twilight set her face onto her hoof.

"I...I don't even...okay then." Twilight shook her head. "I don't get it. You do know I won't be able to see what ever masterpiece you've made, right?"

"That...that's the idea," Rainbow gasped. "You'll never know!"

"And we're not gonna tell you," Pinkie sang. "Nope nope nope! Not even the giant pen island..." The rest was drowned beneath her giggles and snorts, at which Twilight rolled her eyes.

"You should see what Rarity did with Ash!" Rainbow added. "She ended up going through six bottles of trick ink! Oh wait, you can't."

"Wait...where's Ash?" Twilight gasped. "Hold on, didn't you say he was bleeding?"

"Geez you're slow this morning. Don't worry," Rainbow assured. "He wasn't bleeding, just vomiting blood everywhere. Luckily Rarity was nearby to catch it all."

"Vomiting blood?" Twilight said, panic creeping into her voice. "W-where..."

Rainbow shrugged. "He woke up after he turned into a pony too. Went straight to the balcony and been there since."

"He looked really grumpy," Pinkie Pie added. "Like how Mr. Cake looks sometimes before his coffee after a long night out. Or when Berry Punch runs out of juice."

"Is...is he okay?"

The cyan Pegasus shrugged. "Why wouldn't he be? He looked a little tired and, like Pinkie said, kinda angry, like he lost a bet or something."

Twilight struggled to her feet. "Did you ask him what was wrong?"

Rainbow shook her head. "He said everything was fine and to keep an eye on you." The Pegasus yawned. "Hey Twilight? Nice to see you up and all but I kinda need to head off. I've got some z's I've gotta catch up on."

"And I need to get ready for your party. This is gonna be the best 'Congrats on Being a Pony Again' party ever!"

Twilight smiled. "Can't wait, Pinkie. I think I'm going to check on Ash, see how he's doing, then see if Spike needs any help. You two sure you don't want any breakfast before you go?"

"Nah, we're good," Rainbow said. "We got Spike to whip something for us earlier."

Pinkie belched in agreement. "You might wanna go grocery shopping today. We emptied your fridge."

Twilight groaned. "Alright then. See you two..."

Twilight stared as her hoof made a soft clicking sound against the wooden floor. She lifted her leg and let fall.

Click. Clop.

"Uh, Twilight?"

The Unicorn giggled. "I never noticed that!"

Click clop click clop.

"I can't believe I've never noticed that before! Wow!"

Click clop click clop.

"We're leaving now, Twilight," Rainbow said uncertainly as she nudged Pinkie toward the door, least the pink pony join in the improv tap dance.

"Bye!" Twilight said cheerfully, tapping away. "Wait, was I..."

*****

Ash sighed, leaning against the balcony railing. He shut his eyes and massaged his forehead with a hoof. It was a poor substitute for fingers.

The grey stallion groaned. He ran his hoof through his mane, hissing in pain. Apparently, even in this body Ash still felt the side effects of the spell.

Ash watched silently as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie left the library. Guilt seeped in like frost in the winter. The two, as well as Rarity, had spent their entire morning taking care of the two. He wished he had been in a better condition to thank the ponies correctly or at least say good-bye but with his head pounding harder than a certain orange filly Pegasus with bongo drums, Ash was in no mood to deal with their antics. He made no attempt to discover why his face felt so stiff or why he tasted soup and, for the time being, nor did he care.

I need to do something for those three Ash mentally noted. He sighed. Another day, another debt...

"How are you feeling?"

Ash winced at the sudden voice. "Please don't shout."

"Um, sorry?" Twilight apologized quietly. "I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

"Head hurts. Just sleepy," Ash grumbled.

"Oh. Well, Spike's almost done with breakfast so..."

"I just want sleep. Sorry," he added. "Got a short fuse right now."

"Okay," Twilight said, nodding in understanding. "We'll save something for you for later." She turned to leave.

"Hold on."

Twilight turned. Ash beckoned her next to him.

"Is there something you need?" she asked, making her way to his side.

"It's..." Ash sighed. "It's a beautiful morning isn't it."

Twilight nodded. "That it is."

"Nice view up here."

"I guess. It's a nice place to read, when Rainbow Dash isn't around anyways."

Ash sighed again. "I...thanks," he finally muttered.

Twilight tilted her head. "For stopping you? You've already thanked me." She smiled. "Don't worry about it. I couldn't let one of my friends hurt themselves."

"Not that. For earlier, for believing in me."

Twilight frowned. "What are you..."

"After I told you...after you saw my past and everything, you were given the chance to erase the pain. You didn't."

"I..."

"I know why you didn't. And I honestly can't tell you if you made the right decision because I honestly don't know." Ash turned away. "It would have definitely been easier just to forget everything, just start anew."

"It wouldn't be you though," Twilight argued.

"Maybe. But meeting myself again after so long made me wonder, would that be so horrible? Part of me still thinks it would've been better just to forget Ramth and everything." Ash shook his head and gave Twilight a sad smile. "And that part reminds me that I'm just a big an idiot now as I was so many years ago. You were right; giving that all up, taking the easy route...that's not what I really want, not what I need." Ash cleared his throat before continuing: "I was just too big an idiot to realize it."

Twilight stared at the grey Unicorn for a full minute before doing something unexpected: swatting him in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Ash rubbed the afflicted area. The blow hasn't meant to hurt but with Ash's head as sore as it currently was, the pain grew exponentially.

"That's for calling yourself an idiot," Twilight grumbled. "You're not an idiot. You made a few bad decisions, a few mistakes but you're not an idiot. No friend of mine goes around putting themselves down like that."

"Even if it's true? Ow!"

"It's not. If it were, I probably would've already called you out, if Rainbow Dash or Applejack hadn't already. You really need to change that attitude of yours though," Twilight lectured. "Look, even after seeing your past I don't think I'll truly understand what you're going through but I want to help you. We all want to help you, Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike...we're all here for you, so don't try to bury everything down in there." Twilight tapped her hoof on Ash's chest. "Let us help. We're friends, aren't we?"

The image of a smirking blond boy leaked uninvited into Ash's mind.

We're f

The End

after all...

Author's Note

Finished? Hardly! See next season/week!

The Second Revival

Ponyville Days

The End of One World...

The End of One World…

All will rise or all will fall
Six will arise to heed the call
Together they stand, divided they die
Six will come to answer the cry
One as six and six as One
Unlimited power, bound by none…
----The Essences of Concord, a prophecy

Ash took a step back, one hand clasping his rune-engraved staff, the other around his arm in the attempt to cover his wound. Flesh blood soaked the Mage’s blue robes, staining them red. Before him was Prince Ramth Sethiop, his comrade, friend, and the leader of their party. In his right hand he held a giant dark obsidian blade, 3 and 1/2 feet long and 6 inches across at the broadest point. The blade was wet with blood, Ash’s blood.

The ancestral Sethipian Blade that was normally welded by the Prince had found itself in the center of a young cleric’s chest, her fair face contorted in pain and surprise, white gown painted red by her blood. Next to her was the headless body of an Elf druid, blood still flowing out of the neck. Several feet away laid an Elf ranger, her bow broken and arm missing. Her remaining arm clutched a battle axe, whose owner laid a broken mess at the bottom of the mountain, debunking all claims that it was impossible to break the bones of a Dwarf.

“You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you Ash?”

Ramth’s voice was calm, like the eye of a storm. He took a step forward, his boot kicking up soot, blade swinging menacingly. His face betrayed no emotion, just perfect calm and peace. That peace frightened Ash, chilled his very soul. As Ramth stepped forward, Ash stepped back, tightening his grip on his staff. The ground shook as the volcano slowly grew more active; Cerfuli of the Chaos and Despair was reawakening, the Demon’s own sword held by the descendant of those who had ended his reign of terror in the first place.

The name of the weapon had long been forgotten but even the most inept mage could tell its powers did not come from this world. Ash could see, even feel, the dark aura flowing out of the blade. Where the sword had cut him, Ash could feel the same darkness, his other senses numbing and despair and hopeless filled his spirit. More alarming, however, was that the same evil air surrounding the blade was also being produced by Ramth.

“It would have been best if you had died by a single cut, my friend,” Ramth said as if he was speaking about the weather. Ash was not so calm.

“What have done? Cerfuli will arise any moment! The Essences---“

“Are here.”

Ramth lifted his left hand, clutching to five pieces of string, four of which were, until recently, worn around the necks of his companions. Attached to each of the strings was a bright crystal, each of a different color: red, magenta, yellow, blue, and green. The sixth and final crystal dangled from Ash’s neck.

Ash held the staff with both hands, his wound no longer his greatest concern. He knew Ramth was wearing enchanted armor, given to him as a gift from his father the king. No simple fire ball or lightning bolt would harm him. A more powerful spell like Firestorm or Frostbite could work but such spells required time and concentration. Ash needed to stall.

Ramth saw Ash’s change in stance and let a sad smile creep up his face.

“Ramth, answer me: why are you doing this?”

“Is that a last request?” Ramth asked, mockingly. Ash remained silent. Ramth let out a sigh.

“Simple: power.”

“Care to elaborate?”

Ramth broke into a dark and heavy laugh. “Why? Confused are we.”

“If you’re looking power, you already have it. As son of the king---“

“I am just one of five, two of which are ahead of me in succession.” Bitterness filled Ramth voice. Ash almost lost concentration in surprise. Though Ramth always spoke of wanting to take the throne, he never had held any anger toward his older brothers.

“I fail to see how killing all of us fixes your problem.”

“It appears I do need to do some explaining,” Ramth said with a sigh. “Very well; I will take the Essences and the Dark One’s own weapon and destroy Cerfuli. With Cerfuli’s blade, I will gain control over his armies of darkness. With Cerfuli’s blade, the Essences of Concord, and legions of Demons, none will stop me. Not Elves, not the Dwarves, and certainly not the king of Man. The Alliance will fall and the era of Ramth Sethiop will begin.”

“I still fail to see how killing all of us plays into your plans.”

“Collateral.”

“Excuse me?”

“I doubt any of you would follow my plans, despite our time together. You would have tried to stop me and would have succeeded. You had to be removed.”

“That’s it? We’ve been on this journey for over a year! You’ve known Dorian and I since we were children! You confessed to Matilda when you were sixteen! And you throw that all away simply because we’re threats to your mad plan?”

“Yes.”

Ash struggled to hold his concentration but his anger was making it difficult. “We’ve been together all are lives! We and Dorian were practically brothers! For God sake, Matilda loved you! Even the Elves were willing to die for the rest of us, for you! Didn’t any of our adventure together mean anything to you?”

“No.”

“For God sake, let go of that cursed blade! It’s clouding your judgment!”

“My mind has never been clearer,” Ramth snarled, his face contorting with emotion for the first time. “For the first time in my life, I can do what I want, what I’ve dreamed.” A twist smile grew across his face. “Perhaps it is your judgment that is clouded. Has the death of the lover you could never win unhinged you?”

Ash snapped. With a mighty roar he swung his staff, summoning a sea of flames and directing them at the fallen prince. The flames surrounded Ramth, obstructing Ash’s sight. The mage kept the spell on even as he felt his reserves leave him. When Ash finally released the spell, smoke and ash filled the air.

“For…Matil...da,’ coughed Ash between pants. He leaned on his staff as he struggled to collect his breath.

The smoke prevented him from seeing the dark blade strike.

Ash blinked once then coughed up blood. The blade went through his stomach, his robes providing little protection. Ramth stood before him, as calm as ever, his armor burnt and blackened but without any sign of bodily harm. With a stretched arm, Ramth extended out to the limp body of his former friend.

“It is done,” Ramth said softly as he reached for the purple crystal that dangled from Ash’s neck, only to hiss in surprise.

Ash’s hand seized the crystal, his eyes burning fiery white. The crystal turned a similar color as did the others, which burned against Ramth grip. In surprise and pain, Ramth dropped the Essences, which began to float and revolve around Ash, his face filled with rage. With his free hand, Ash grab Ramth’s collar and for the first time, Ramth was afraid.

“Long live the King.”

A flash blinded the prince, who fell back, losing his hold on Cerfuli’s sword. When his sight had returned, Ramth could not find Ash, Cerfuli’s blade, or the Essences. All had vanished. The prince fell to his knees, roaring in frustrating. A mightier roar answered from the top of the mountain as the volcano became fully active.

The Dark One, Cerfuli of Chaos and Despair, had awoken.

Loo of the Loonies

Today had been scheduled as a spa day for Rarity and Fluttershy but unseen circumstances forced Fluttershy to cancel. Instead, they decided to have tea around noon at the Boutique. Ash's awakening and apparent loss of hair, however, caused the flustered Pegasus to forget.

While she head to the library, Rarity went to Fluttershy's cottage. While she was sure that Fluttershy was just so busy that tea time simply slipped her mind, Rarity couldn't help but worry. The mysterious creature that popped out of the tree didn't appear too dangerous, despite its size, but Rarity just couldn't silence that nagging voice.

I'm sure Fluttershy is fine. After all, she has a great gift of dealing with animals.

If Rarity truly felt this way, why did her trot quicken?

*****

"You said fur, right?"

"Yes, white fur, and it's all falling out. And it was burnt and smoking too. Oh no, what if he's already bursting to flames?"

Twilight shut her book on mystical beasts. "I don't think he's phoenix, Fluttershy. Phoenixes are birds and have feathers, not fur. He sounds more like a mammal." She looked over toward her friend. "You should know that better than anypony."

"I know but he doesn't look like any mammal I've seen. He doesn't look like any animal I've seen."

Using her magic, Twilight placed her book on a growing pile. Spike ran by, placing more texts next to her.

"I can't find anything on this thing either." The purple Unicorn groaned in frustration. "I wrote a letter to the Princess, asking for more books on Equestrian fauna but I haven't received a reply yet. Right, Spike?"

"Right," answered Twilight's scaly assistant as he began shelving the used references.

"Do you think he came from outside Equestria?" asked Fluttershy. Twilight thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"We found him in the Everfree. That's pretty deep in Equestria."

"But Zecora said she had never seen anything like him as well so he might not be native."

"Maybe..."

Both ponies stood silently thinking. Spike stood between the two, waiting for one of them to discover the obvious solution. When neither did, Spike sighed and spoke up:

"Why don't you just ask him where he's from. You said he could talk and stuff, right."

Twilight jumped up. "Of course! Why didn't we think of that before?"

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea." The Pegasus pawed at the floor nervously. "He just woke up. I wouldn't want to answer so many questions about myself if I just got up."

Twilight's enthusiasm died down slightly. "Maybe I should go see this...whatever it is first. I didn't really get a good look at it now that I think about it."

The two ponies left the library, leaving behind the young dragon. With a huff, Spike began to clean up the remaining books. He wanted to see the creature too but once again, Spike had been excluded from the adventure.

*****

Rarity wasn't sure what she would find at Fluttershy's cottage. Despite all her attempts, the poor drama-prone Unicorn couldn't help but entertain wild and horrid visions of the mad beast hovering over Fluttershy's torn body...

Enough! Honestly, Rarity, how can you imagine such horrid images. Frankly, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

Despite her self-assertions, the Unicorn was in a near straight on gallop. Ponies gave her looks as she sped by, but Rarity paid no attention.

Rarity wasn't certain as to what she would find at Fluttershy's cottage but she certainly didn't expect to fin Applejack on top of the creature, who laid on the ground with much less hair and hogtied. An unpleasant bump was growing from the creature's forehead.

"I told you, I just need to relieve myself!" the creature yelled exasperatedly.

"An' Ah told ya ta tell me what ya need relievin' of," the orange Earth Pony snapped back, a large scowl on her face. "Ah told Fluttershy ya weren't goin' anywhere and Ah meant it."

"Ahem."

Applejack turned and noticed the white Unicorn standing at the doorway for the first time. Ash turned his head the same direction.

"Oh, heya Rarity. Fluttershy went tah get Twilight if ya lookin' for her."

Rarity looked at the farm pony, then at the creature, then back at Applejack. Her initial shock of hearing Ash speak had already faded away and any worries of him being a danger were banished after seeing him in such a helpless state at Applejack's hooves.

Ash stared at the Unicorn in wonder. He had never seen one before in his life and the only knowledge he had of them were from his master's texts. What he did know he could feel; Ash didn't need some book to tell him he was dealing with a very magical being.

And it speaks, too.

"Is that, the... well, you know," Rarity waved a hoof in Ash's direction, emphasizing her question.

"Yup, that's the monster we found in the Everfree."

"Can I get up now? I really need to go."

"No," Applejack answered bluntly. "This one's been makin' it real difficult around here. Keeps sayin' it needs tah 'relieve' itself but won't tell me what."

"Um, Applejack, I think he needs to use the little filly's room, if you catch my drift."

"Ohhh, well, why didn't yah just say so."

Ash glared at Applejack.

"Don't worry, dear, Applejack is always like this."

"Hey, what's that suppose tah mean? Hey, what in thunderation are yah doning?"

"Untying him of course. How else is he going to relieve himself?"

"I dunno, maybe it'll just go like that."

Ash and Rarity both gave Applejack a horrified and disgusted look. She simply shrugged in a silent reply.

Rarity returned to her work and Ash watched in amazement as his bonds began to loosen without being touched, at least physically. Blue aura coated the Unicorn's horn, the same that had covered the rope.

Applejack watched at a distance. At last, the final knot was undone. Ash stretched out, making sure blood was still flowing.

When he was finally satisfied, Ash sat up. The orange pony tensed slightly and Ash flinched. Blood may have still been flowing but his wrists were still raw and sore.

"Thanks," Ash said to his savior.

"No trouble at all. Fluttershy's bathroom is to your right."

"Thanks again, but I don't think I'd fit." Ash carefully stood to a crouch and head to the door. He hadn't gotten far before he found a noose around his neck and was pulled back.

"And where do yah think yar goin'?" demanded Applejack fiercely. The Human gasped in reply.

"Can't...breathe..."

"Applejack, honestly," rebuked Rarity, shaking her head in such a manner that each strand of her mane fell directly back in place. "There is no need for such a show of force."

Applejack turned to face her friend, giving the rope a quick tug as Ash attempted to crawl toward the door. "Well, we can't have it wandering around Ponyville. Who knows what trouble it could cause."

Rarity inspected the figure sprawled on the ground before her. His face was turning blue. "He doesn't appear to be much of a threat."

"I dunno..."

"Maybe you should loosen your rope first. I don't think Fluttershy would appreciate it if you strangled on of her patients."

"Oh, right." Applejack blushed slightly as she quickly removed the noose from Ash neck.

Color returned to Ash's face. A quiet moan groan escaped him as he slowly sat up, rubbing his neck.

Applejack glared at the Human. Ash stared back. For a few moments, they simply sat there, staring. Ash finally ended the silence:

"So, can I go now. I really, really need to, well you know..."

*****

"Is this really necessary?"

Ash stood outside before the two ponies. Around his leg was another tied cord. The other end laid in front of Applejack.

"Yah wanna go or not?" Applejack said with another scowl. "It's either this or us watchin'."

Rarity was appalled by her friend's alternative and the look she gave demonstrated her opinions on the subject. Applejack ignored it.

With a sigh, Ash headed to the trees, where would have at least some privacy.

Ash loosened his belt. His clothes did not age well but the enchantments kept them in a usable condition.

A quiet groan of relief escaped him. The Human quickly looked behind him and, when finding himself alone, began to concentrate. Cutting the rope with magic would be effortless but what would his next step be? Ash closed his eyes, seeking instead with his mind.

To one side he could feel an immense amount of life, similar to the ponies he had met. In some, he could feel magic flowing freely through them.

I don't want to resort to violence, but if worst comes to worst, can I handle these many magic user?

Ash turned to the other direction, to the forest. His mind entered the forest only to reappear at the entrance. Ash frowned and his forehead furrowed in a mix of concentration and frustration. Again, the forest pushed him out. Ash redoubled his efforts, his brow wetting with sweat. This time he managed to enter the forest but his mind was shrouded in a mist. What he could detect through the fog was not friendly, he could tell. And that there were many of these unseen hostiles.

Ash opened his eyes and wiped away the sweat. Breathing deeply, he began to try again, hoping to find more details.

"Oi, hurry it up over there! Or did ya need to numbar two?"

*****

"Hold your horses, I'm finishing up!" was the reply Applejack received.

"'Hold yer horses', what the hay is that suppose tah mean?" Applejack asked Rarity crossly. The Unicorn shook her head. The phrase was just as confusing to her.

"Hey guys! What's up?"

Applejack and Rarity looked up. Rainbow hovered over them with a confident grin.

"Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash," Rarity greeted, "We're keeping the creature we found in the Everfree Forest under watch while Fluttershy's out."

"Really? Cool, where is it anyways?"

"Over there, by the the trees," answered Applejack. "I'm tellin' ya, its taking too long."

"Applejack, the creature's obviously a 'he'," Rarity said. "There's no need to keep referring to him as 'it'."

Applejack snorted.

Rainbow Dash landed between the two mares. "What's he doing, then?"

"Ah, well, he, how do I say..."

"Nature's call," Applejack explained bluntly. Rarity gave her a look of disapproval.

"Oh. Hey, whats this rope for?" Rainbow Dash picked up the cord's end with her mouth.

"That's tah keep it from running off. Hey, what exactly are you doing?"

*****

With his concentration drained, Ash gave up trying to scry the forest. He sighed deeply as he pulled up his trousers and began to tighten his belt.

If he did try to escape into the forest, who knows what he might find. Where would he go from there anyways; without any knowledge of his surroundings, the Human would be hopelessly lost. No, he'd take his chances with the magical taking ponies.

At least they're not blatantly trying to kill me Ash thought just before he felt a sharp tug from the rope tied to his leg. The Human fell to the ground and managed to spit out a mouth full of grass before being dragged back to his wardens.

*****

"Rainbow Dash! What are you doing?" screamed Rarity. The Human that laid before her spat out grass before groaning in pain.

His unwitting tormentor spat out the rope from her mouth. "What? I didn't get to get a good look at the thing in the forest."

"What if he wasn't finished?" the Unicorn yelled. The cyan Pegasus' nonchalant shrug did nothing to improve Rarity's current mood.

"Ah don't understand why yer so upset. It's just a animal."

"Even if it's just an animal doesn't give us the right to be rude," Rarity protested undignified. "You don't treat Winona this way, do you?"

"Well, no, but Winona's family."

"I resent being called an animal," Ash said, rolling on his back. He grunted as a new pony jumped on top of his belly.

"Whoa, you can talk!" the new pony said with excitement. This one was Pegasus, like Fluttershy, but was of a cyan coloring and dark pink eyes. What really caught his attention was, however, her mane; ragged and unkempt, it was of all colors of the spectrum. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. Ash blinked and rubbed his eyes, uncertain if it were really. It can't be natural he thought. Can it?

"What are you anyways? What were doing in that tree? Can you really talk?" the colorful Pegasus bombarded Ash. With each question, she (she? Her voice is definitely feminine but deeply so) jumped and landed back on top of his stomach.

Ash turn his head to Rarity, who was busy arguing with Applejack. He turned to the Pegasus, who was still rapidly shooting out questions with enthusiasm.

The Human looked upward and groaned.

Is everyone in this country a crazy pony? Maybe I should have taken my chances with the evil forest...

Transformation Completion: Baby Steps and Criticisms

Ash groaned again. While the process was painless, he felt extremely worn down, as if he had sprinted a mile. His limbs were so sore.

"It worked," Twilight repeat, this time with much more energy.

"Wow," Spike went over to the new stallion, giving him a quick poke. "You never cease to amaze."

Ash mumbled something into the floor. Spike poked him in response.

"What was that?"

With another exhausted grunt, Ash slowly lifted himself from the floor. He stood wobbly for a few seconds before collapsing. Ignoring Spike's laughter, he tried again, this time managing to sit.

"How do I look?"

"Well..." Twilight looked over the stallion, giving her answer some thought while she took in his appearance.

"He looks a lot like a royal guard." Spike grabbed a mirror. "Off-duty."

Ash stared at the stallion in the mirror. He stared back at him.

His reflection was no longer a raven-haired pale youth. Before him was tall stallion, dark grey with white grey mane. A slender horn stuck out from beneath his messy mane. Indeed, at first glance, one could have mistaken him for a guard who was on vacation. Even his eyes were a similar color: hazel, though this feature was one from Ash's Human self.

"Yeah, I guess he kind of does look like a night guard." Twilight helped the Human-turned-Unicorn up. Ash muttered a tired but grateful thanks. His stance was much less shaky this time, though it seemed like the smallest breeze could tip him over. Spike fought the urge to poke he again and contented himself with the mental image of the stallion falling over like a fainting Fluttershy by a single touch.

"I'm a pony now." Ash wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. As much as he hated bumping into thing, at least he had a sense of balance. It'll just take some time getting used to, that's all Ash assured himself.

"Yep, welcome to ponykind." Twilight held onto her composure for a few moments before bursting in excitement. Once more she skipped around the library. Without anything to brace against, Ash nearly toppled.

"We did it! We did it! We did it! It worked! It worked! It worked!"

The purple Unicorn's excitement worried the grey one; did Twilight actually know whether the spell worked or not or was its success news to her? Ash would have shuddered at the thought of using such an experimental spell had he been more balanced.

"Spike!" Twilight paused from her happy hops. The baby dragon had been flexing in front of the mirror, blissfully ignorant.

"Spike!" Twilight called again, this time winning the dragon's attention and his blushing face. "Help me record the spell and send it to the Princess. I'm sure all of Canterlot's high magic researchers will want to know this." The purple Unicorn squealed. "At last, my first official thesis paper. I'll even have it published! Maybe it'll be printed in Magical Equestria or Magic Time or--"

"Uh, Twilight, I kinda, sorta already erased it."

Like a punctured balloon, Twilight Sparkle deflated. "What?"

"Oh look! Ash's about to take his first steps!" Spike waved wildly at the white-maned stallion, silently begging for his cooperation. With a sigh, Ash lifted a hoof a few inches. For a few moment, he felt a childish sorry sense of pride. He grinned foolishly

I can walk!

What would have been the most pathetic achievement for the accomplished Mage ended in an even sadder failure. At least his unceremonious collapse distracted Twilight from Spike's unintentional destruction of what may have been the greatest discover of magic in this decade.

Ash groaned once more, this time in pain. "Thought the head bumps would stop after becoming a pony."

"Not bad," Twilight lied forcefully as she helped him back up. In truth, she had seen the Cake twins crawl better. "Though next trying actually taking a step. Pony's weren't made to stand on only three feet."

"Did somepony mention standing on three feet?"

Pinkie Pie leaned through an open window and peaked inside the library. "Cuz that's really fun to do and really easy once you get the hang of it and--"

The pink party pony interrupted herself with a gasp and leaped into the tree, crashing into a pile of notes and sending books and paper flying.

"Omigosh! I've never seen you around before and I know everypony in Ponyville and I mean everypony!" Pinkie grabbed Ash into a gigantic, rib-crushing hug that left the poor stallion gasping for air. "You must be new here and that means you don't have any friends yet which is sad but don't be sad because I said yet and starting today this hour this minute this second, I, Pinkamena Diane Responsibility Pie, am your friend!"

"Pinkie..." Twilight began in order to explain and save the remaining bones of Ash's new skeleton. Two sharp knocks on the door distracted the purple pony. Spike's attention was stolen by the refined voice that came with the knocks.

"Twilight? Are you home?"

"We saw the flash," came Fluttershy's demure voice.

"And all the running newsponies," Rainbow Dash called. "What were you doing and why didn't you invite us?"

"Ooh, I have invitations right here!" Pinkie Pie looked around. "Oh wait, no I don't!"

Twilight went over to the door but was blocked by Spike.

"Let me handle this."

With a proud strut, the dragon slowly made his way to the door. Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike tried to straightened his spikes. He reached for the door.

"Ah don' like it. Twi's takin' too long. Ah'm buckin'."

*****

Applejack chuckled nervously. "Ah'm awfully sorry bout that Spike."

With his good eye, the little dragon gave her a hard glare. He held an icepack to the other one.

"And sorry bout jumpin' you, Ash. Didn' know what tah think, a strangle stallion with his hooves 'round mah friend."

"Pinkie did all the touching, " Ash protested defensively with a slight blush that amused the friendly pink pony. "I can barely stand on four limbs. How am I to balance on just two?"

"Oh, don't worry about that." Pinkie Pie appeared right next to the grey Unicorn. With a foreleg, she leaned on him, threatening to disrupt what shaky balance he had. "I can teach you all about hugging." A giant grin spread across her face; to Ash, it was unnerving. "I'm really really good at it."

"...No thank you."

Twilight thankfully interrupted the awkward situation by bringing the refreshments. Pinkie's attention was redirected toward the cookies and sweets and she proceeded to drown her tea with sugar.

Ash watched as the mares skillfully lifted their cups and drank. He stared as his own cup and tried to imitate. The tiny tea cup shattered on the floor.

"Sorry..."

"It's fine." Twilight grabbed a rag and quickly cleaned the mess and replaced Ash's broken cup with a new one within the minute. It was as if the purple Unicorn had expected this to occur. She probably did, though it would have been wiser to give him a sturdier non-china cup, Ash thought.

The grey Unicorn watched as Rarity levitated her cup and brought it elegantly to her lips. The blue aura surrounding her cup also covered her horn. Ash prodded his own horn. Time to see if this is more than decoration...

The former Human Mage focused his magic toward his horn, just as he would with a staff or a wand. The ease was surprising and feel of magic coursing through his body never felt more natural than it did now. Ash pointed his horn toward his cup which became encased in a greyish light. To his surprise, the cup was lifted without so much of a thought. Ash grinned triumphantly.

Twilight watched the stallion as he tested his abilities. She nodded in approval. "That's it, you're getting the hang of it."

Ash laughed. "I think I've got this backwards. I can use magic before I can walk."

"Nothing wrong with that," Rarity said. "Why, Unicorns can use magic when they're very young."

"Yeah, you should see Pumpkin Cake!" Pinkie Pie recalled the first time she babysat the Cake twins. "She levitate much bigger thing than that and she's just a few months old and can barely crawl."

"Did you just compare me to a baby?" Ash's esteem took a nosedive. "Gee, thanks."

"Still don't know why you chose to be a Unicorn," said Rainbow Dash. "Not there's anything wrong with Unicorns," she quickly added in response to Rarity and Twilight's angry looks. "It just, Pegasi are better."

Ash tried to shrug, only to hit the table with his chin as he lifted his forelegs. "The spell didn't really give me a choice. But I'm glad I'm a Unicorn. At least I get to keep my magic." Ash lifted the cup higher to emphasize his point. The cup exploded as it absorbed the addition energy as push in.

"I'm guessing the spell didn't give you a choice in your color scheme," the proud Pegasus said as she picked shards of porcelain out of her multicolored mane.

"Well, no. Why? Something wrong?"

"Eh, it's boring. Dull. I mean, grey and white?" Rainbow Dash shook her head, her vibrant mane waving wildly. "Man, I thought you'd look cooler as a pony but you're just as boring as you were a Human."

"I think he looks fine," Rarity defended. "Sure, he is a bit drab and grey isn't the best color, rather dreary really, and maybe he could use some mane dye. I'm sure Rainbow would be willing to let you borrow some..."

"Not helping."

"Hey, my mane is one hundred percent natural!"

"Er, well, but grey goes with any color really." Rarity thought for a moment. "Yes, grey's such a neutral color, why, you could where any color you want and it would be fine."

"We don' normally wear clothes." Applejack simply shrugged as Rarity glared at her for crushing her one good point. "Ah'm jus' sayin'. Unless Ash wants tah wear clothes all his life havin' a grey coat doesn' help him that much."

"Well I think he looks fine. Reminds me of, of..."

"A royal guard?" Spike offered.

"Yes, a royal guard." The white Unicorn quickly noted the stallion's limp messy mane. "Off duty. What do you think Fluttershy?"

The shy Pegasus took a hasty look at Ash before finding more interest in her empty cup. "I think he looks...nice," she muttered quietly.

Fluttershy's sudden increase in coyness put Ash at unease. Whenever, she looked up, the Pegasus would try to avoid his eye. "Is, um, something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, no. Nothing is wrong..."

"You sure?"

"...."

"What was that?"

"......"

"Don't worry about Fluttershy," Twilight assured.

"Yeah, she's just a little shy around new ponies." Rainbow Dash gave her a quick pat. "You should have seen her at flight school."

"I'm not exactly new. I think I've been here for about a week. Besides, we've met and Fluttershy wasn't like this before."

"Yah weren' exactly a 'pony' back then."

"Oh, right."

"It's fine, really." Fluttershy pawed at the floor nervously. 'It's just, I'm going to miss Ash the Human. I'd love to have a Human friend. That's all."

The library seemed to be saturated with awkwardness. At last Rarity ended the silence.

"I've been curious. Why exactly have you given up your Human body?"

Ash considered shrugging again. "Meh, it'll be easier to live in Ponyville as a pony than a Human. At least now I can actually leave the library and maybe take a bath."

"Reasonable," Rarity admitted, though hesitantly. Despite his rationale, something felt off. Something that Rarity couldn't figure out.

"That it?"

Everypony turned to Applejack who wore a hard, scrutinizing look toward the stallion.

"What do you mean?" Nopony except for Applejack and Rarity heard the discomfort in his voice.

The farmpony sighed. "Listen, Ah can tell when somepony's hidin' sumthing from me. Ah know yah've had a hard time and Ah want to trust yah but Ah can't help but feel suspicious when yah go 'round with yer secrets."

Ash sat in silence, his eyes glued to the table. Everypony else had their eyes glued on him.

"Ash..." Twilight began, uncertain.

"You know I've had a hard life so why would you pry?" Applejack met Ash's glare without a flinch but inside she felt cold. "No matter, if it will put you at ease..."

"Yah'll be honest this time? No hidin'?"

"If it will put you at ease," Ash echoed. His voice seemed hollow.

The Human-now-Unicorn stared out of a window. The sun would be setting soon.

"That day, I lost everything. Not just my friends, my whole world. Gone." Ash shook his head. "Should I try to struggle and continuing living as the only Human in existence? To wander without company of my own? To endure alone until at last I am dead and the last traces of Humanity finally disappears?" Ash shook his head. "I am not that strong. I cannot carry such a burden.

"Humans are naturally social. We live together, work together. Without a society, what would a social creature do? How would it live?"

"Ponyville would accept you," Twilight protested. "I'm sure of it!"

"You read the article. You saw the reporters. Every one of them were frightened and I'm sure the rest of this town is just as scared. I would be a freak, an outcast."

"You're not a freak!" Fluttershy almost yelled, surprising everypony including herself. "You're just different. We don't treat cows or donkeys any different just because they're different."

"Fluttershy's right," declared Rarity. "It doesn't matter how you look."

"Yeah, everypony can be anypony's friend and everypony includes you too! Look at Cranky Doodle Donkey! You don't know him yet but you will after you become friends with everypony in Ponyville!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash punched the air. "And if anypony wants to say otherwise they'll have to answer to us."

"Thanks." And yet, Ash sounded just as sorrowful. "But regardless of how I am treated, I will still always be alone. Donkeys and cows will always have their herds but me? I have no other Human."

"So what are you gonna do?" Rainbow Dash flapped her wings in frustration. "Give up? Give up your identity just because you're a bit lonely? Because you don't want to be the last Human?"

"Yes."

"I didn't thin--wait, what?"

"I said yes. I told you I'm not strong enough to handle this but I doubt you could be either so stop being so critical."

"But if you give up, all of Humanity will disappear," Twilight noted.

"Humanity died the day Sethiop stabbed me in the stomach." Once more, the stallion shook his head. "I should have died that day, with my people. I shouldn't have abandoned them."

"You can't believe that, dear. None of what happened was your fault."

"Princess Luna said the same but it doesn't vanquish my conscience completely. My guilt wants to resurface, no matter what I want to believe. That's why I need to cast off my identity, my guilt, to begin anew here. I can't continue if I keep on holding onto the past. That's why I've given up my Human body."

"Yer jus' runnin' from yer problems. That ain't gonna solve nuthin'."

"My problems aren't the kind that can be solved. I can't rebuild my world. Even if I could return, what could I do against the Dark One?"

"But what about your friends, your memories?" Twilight argued. "Do you want to give them up too?"

"What good memories I've had can't balance Sethiop's betrayal. If it means forgetting about that day, I can let them go."

Ash let out a tired sigh. "I'm sorry I can't get you to understand and hopeful no one will. Thanks for listening though."

"Are you all right?" Fluttershy asked meekly. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

The grey stallion smiled wearily. "Listening to me is help enough." He turned to Applejack. "I hope I've made myself trustworthy and I hope your trust is worth the cost."

Ash looked out the window. It was beginning to get dark.

"The day ends and night begins. The past passes on and the future becomes present. My past is passed and my future is now. That's why I've chosen my path."

*****

Dear Princess Celestia,

I've always thought that friends could solve any problem but today I've learned some problems have to be dealt with on your own. However, friends will still always be able to provide an ear and sometimes listening to a friend's problem is help enough.

On a different note, Ash has been successfully transformed into a pony, though his reasoning is a bit puzzling. It sounds like he is trying to hide from a guilty conscience. Maybe the key to opening Ash up is through the complete and thorough repression of his misplaced guilt. He is difficult to understand but I had difficulty understanding Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity too at first. He seems to be trying to forget his old friends and I'm a little worried about him trying to make new ones. However, I am sure that I will be able to show him the true Magic of Friendship.

*****

You cannot run...

You cannot hide....

School Day Follies

"Why is there a royal guard here?"

"Is the Princess in town?"

"Hey, I don't think he's got a cutie mark."

"What? Really?"

"Do you think he's a reject?"

"Well duh. Who would want a blank-flank as a guard?"

This is demeaning. Ash tried to slouch down and disappear beneath his tiny desk. Twilight, how did you trick me into this?

"Ash, please sit up straight," the purplish pony called from upfront. Cheerilee, if he remembered correctly.

Ash struggled back up. He tried to ignore the giggles coming from behind him. And from the sides. And in front. Why was the only conveniently open seat in the center of the classroom?

*****

Some hours ago...

"...and so we were wondering if you could help us."

Twilight and the grey stallion sat in Cheerilee's cozy living room. Ash, if the teacher recalled correctly from his welcoming party. She hid her smile at the memory of the living piñata as she took a sip of tea.

Cheerilee looked up from her cup. The stallion quickly lowered his eyes. Too late, Cheerilee had noticed the intensity in his glare. It was a chilling look, one that made her a little uncomfortable. Though normally content as an Earth pony, there was little Cheerilee would not have given to know a spell for reading minds.

Twilight quickly jabbed her grey companion in the side. "Quit staring," she whispered.

Ash quickly lowered his eyes. How is she holding that tea cup without fingers? he wondered. How do hooves work?

Cheerilee sighed. Even if he was a little unusual, a student was a student. "I'd be more than happy to help Ash...I'm sorry, I don't think I ever got your full name."

"Oh, well it's..." Twilight began to look frantically for inspiration.

"Door."

"Huh?" Cheerilee and Twilight turned to the grey pony whom had spoken.

"I'm Ash Door. I come from a family of...door makers. They make doors."

"Door makers? If you don't mind me asking, where did your first name come from?" inquired Cheerilee.

"I'm named after the tree. Ash trees. Ash wood is very good wood. For making doors. Because we're door makers."

"Hmm, that's interesting." Cheerilee offered her guests more tea before refilling her own cup. "Where are you from?"

"Shit...inburg."

Twilight stared at the sweating Unicorn, fighting the urge crawl beneath the table and disappear. Cheerilee, thankfully, failed to notice the extremely exasperated look on the purple Unicorn's face.

"Shitenburg? I've never heard of there before."

"It's outside of Equestria," Ash responded. "It's why I can't read or write. Because it's not of Equestria. Where Equestrian is used."

Cheerilee's eyes widened in surprise and interest. "I really don't know too much about what's outside Equestria. I'm sure the both of us can learn a bit from each of us."

"I sure hope so. Being illiterate has been a big pain in the..." Ash racked his brain for an appropriate replacement. "...flank."

"Knowledge is very important," Cheerilee said sagely. Twilight nodded in agreement. "And I'd love to help you but I'd have to check my schedule." The purple Earth pony sighed. "I'm sorry but my work is very demanding."

"Don't worry," Twilight stated. "We'll enroll him into your class. That why we won't interfere with your schedule at all."

Cheerilee gave the grey Unicorn a quick look over before saying doubtfully, "Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely," interjected Twilight as Ash opened his mouth to respond. "I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"Well," the teach began with a wide smile, "I hope to see you in class tomorrow. Do you need directions to the schoolhouse?"

"Don't worry," Twilight said. "I can show him the way. And I'll be sure he'll be there bright and early."

The two Unicorns finished their tea and said their good byes. When they were safely outside, Ash turned to Twilight..

"What just happened?"

Twilight shrugged. "Don't worry. You'll just be in Cheerilee's class. You won't have her full attention but you'll be just fine. She's a very good teacher."

"If you say so," Ash said. "Wish you at least asked me though."

Twilight took note of the grey stallion's melancholy tone. "Is something wrong."

He shook his head. "I haven't had the best memories of school." Ash looked to the distance, his features clouded.

"Do want to talk about it?"

"Eh, nothing big. A few bullies, horrid instructors. Nothing I want to talk about."

Twilight took the hint. "That was some pretty quick thinking though, Ash 'Door'."

Ash shrugged. "Meh, I panicked and said the first thing that came to mind."

"And you thought of a door?" the purple Unicorn asked quizzically.

"Actually I first noticed that the windows were closed and wouldn't make a good escape." Brushing his white mane from his eyes, Ash smiled sheepishly. "Besides, it kind of matches my 'dour' personality."

"And your...place of origin?"

"Panicked and said the first thing that came to mind." The corners of the stallion's mouth fell back down. "Are you sure this a good idea? Joining the class and everything?"

"Positive. And don't worry about bullies. I'm sure you'll be able to connected and relate with all your classmates with ease."

*****

As Ash ignored the gossip around him, he began to wonder if Twilight had been lying to create a more convincing situation, or had a horrible sense of judgement or was making a very clever insult. I'm wasn't that childish, the grown stallion protest mentally. Right?

With a sigh, he turned to the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. The entire schoolhouse consisted of a single room that was already a bit crowd without the addition of the overgrown new student.

At least it only took a little effort to peek over his peers heads to see the lesson. A small smile lit his face at the memory of looking directly into the back of someone's head while the teacher would drone on about chemistry and how everyone had better memorize the diagram on the board should they wish to pass the upcoming exam. On the board Ash couldn't see.

A tap on the shoulder brought him back to present day. Ash turned around to face the small, bespectacled filly with freckles.

"Escuse me mister," she said quietly, "but I can't see the board."

"Right, sorry." Ash shifted himself and leaned to the side. It was uncomfortable and his neck was beginning to strain as he stretched his head out to the right but at least he and the red-headed filly could both see.

"Now I can't see!" complained a chubby grey colt.

"Argh." With a groan, Ash shifted to the other side only to receive a similar grievance. In defeat, the stallion laid his head on the tiny desk, giving everypony behind him an adequate view of the chalkboard. He meanwhile treated himself to the back of Applebloom's red-maned head. Her pink bow made it even harder to see the board but from what Ash was hearing, he wasn't missing anything important. He had aced the concept of addition years ago.

He did however discover that despite their lack of size, the desks made great pillows.

*****

"...and that's how Equestria was made, at least, as far as we can tell."

Ash opened his eyes and wiped the drool from his lips. All around him fillies and colts were getting out of their seats and were heading to the door.

"Where's everyone going?" he asked a passing pinkish pony. In hindsight, the ridiculous tiara she wore should have been a warning sign.

"Are you serious? Don't you know what recess is?" Sticking her nose in the air, the filly left the classroom with dark grey pony who carried herself in a similar manner. After muttering something about 'blank-flanks', the duo snickered out the door, leaving the room deserted, save for himself and Miss Cheerilee.

Cheerilee looked up from her papers and noticed that Ash's seat was still occupied. "Aren't you going to go outside?"

"Am I allowed to?" he asked warily.

The teacher smiled warmly "Of course. Recess is, well it's a break. It helps the helps the students go through the day and gives them a chance to interact with each other. School isn't just about work, you know."

"It's not?" Ash's own experiences said otherwise.

"Of course not." Cheerilee gestured to the open door. "Why don't step outside for a bit? It's a beautiful day today. Get some fresh air and refocus your mind so you won't fall asleep in the next lesson."

Ash turned a bright red his dark grey coat could not hide as he made his escape. He did not hear Cheerilee's chuckle over the shuffle of papers.

Miss Cheerilee was right; it was a wonderful day. The sun was shining brightly and only a few clouds hung overhead. A cooling breeze whipped his mane back. The scent of grass was in the air as was the sound of joyous laughter. Ash took a deep breath and sighed. Now what?

Young ponies over every color ran past him, chasing each other in play. The swing set was occupied, the two little fillies rising higher and higher in the air. The creak of teeter-totter and the laughter of all the fillies and colts filled the air.

The fun he saw reminded him of how old he was. It wasn't the greatest reminder. Never had he felt so ancient, not even after Princess Celestia had told him how many years his slumber had been. The thought made him feel even older.

The giggling of a blond, pinkish-grey Unicorn caught his attention. How far had he fallen, envying a child as she reached to the clouds in her little seat connected to the earth only by a pair of chains. To feel such childish delight once more...

"You ask him," somepony hissed behind him.

"No, you."

"Don't be a chicken, ask him."

Ash turned around and three little fillies froze underneath the tall stallion's glaze. He recognized Applebloom but not the other two. One was a Unicorn the color of alabaster with a mix of purple and pink in her curly mane while the other was an orange Pegasus with a messy magenta mane that reminded him a little of Rainbow Dash, sisters perhaps?

"Ask me what?"

"Um..."

The white Unicorn and the orange Pegasus shoved Applebloom forward. She gave the two the darkest glare she could muster and received sweet innocent looks from her friends and an uncontrollable mental /d'aww/ from Ash. With a frustrated groan, Applebloom turned to face the giant stallion before him.

"S'cuse me, mister, but how old are you?"

"Applebloom!" the Unicorn exclaimed. "Rarity says you should never ask a pony for their age."

"Thought that only meant for ladies," the Pegasus said. "'Sides, I thought we were gonna ask him about his Cutie Mark. Or, at least his lack of one."

"Cutie Mark?"

"Yeah, how come you all grown and don't have one?" Applebloom asked.

"Yeah," the Unicorn added. "What's your special talent?"

"Do you even have one?"

Ash frown at the winged filly. "Of course I've got a talent," he replied irritatedly.

"Then where's your Cutie Mark?" the young Pegasus shot back.

"I...okay, what's a Cutie Mark?" Ash immediately regretted the question as he watched three jaws fall to the floor with a hard clunk. Perhaps it would have been wiser to have asked Twilight after the day was over.

"You don't know what a Cutie Mark is?" the white Unicorn cried out in amazement. Ash closed his eyes as the entire yard turned their attention to him and the trio. How could one little pony emit so much sound?

"A Cutie Mark appears on a pony's flank when he or she finds that certain somethin' that makes 'em differant every other pony," Applebloom answered.

"You mean that's what those silly symbols are?"

"They're not silly!" shouted the orange Pegasus, her wings rustling in annoyance. "They're important!"

"Yeah," the Unicorn agreed. "How else are we suppose to know what our special gift is?"

Ash thought for a few moments before struggling. "I don't know. It's a good a system as any, I suppose."

"So how come you're so old but don't have your Cutie Mark? Applejack's always tellin' me that Ah'll get mine soon."

"I...don't know."

"Maybe..." The Unicorn filly gasped. "Maybe we can help you find yours."

"Sweetie Belle, we can't even find our own," the little Pegasus said with a groan. "Why are we helping this guy now?"

"'Cause we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And if we had a fourth crusader..."

"Then we'd be able tah cover more ground, so tah speak," Applebloom concluded. "We'd be able tah find our Cutie Marks even faster!"

"Okay, I guess that makes some sense," the Pegasus conceded. "But why this guy? He's so...old. He's like, fifty and he still doesn't have his own Cutie Mark. Why do you think he can help us? He's, like, old."

"I'm right here. And I'm not that old. I'm only..." Let's see, left on the quest when I was eighteen, journey last for about two years, was stuck on a tree for a couple thousand...

"Scootaloo, stop talkin' an' think. Think of all the things all the adults won't let us do without them supervisin'. If we've got an adult with us..."

"We'll be able to do all those things our parents won't let us do," the Unicorn, 'Sweetie Belle' Applebloom had called her, finished.

"I don't think--"

"I like how you think," Scootaloo exclaimed. "We'll be able to go bungie jumping."

"Yer thinkin' too small. What if our special talent has tah do with them salt bars Applejack an' cousin Braeburn talk about."

Scootaloo flared her wings in excitement. "Or what about watching those movies they won't let you watch without a parent?"

"Or, or those nightclubs sis always mentions after her trips to Canterlot," Sweetie Belle added. The three of them gasped and grinned wildly.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CLUBBERS,YAY!"

"Oh God, my ears!" Ash held his hooves to his head to slow the bleeding.

Cheerilee meanwhile nodded her head as the windows continued to shudder and vibrate. She was beginning to wonder when the Crusaders would pierce the skies and auditory systems with their chant today. Frankly, she was a little worried when she had released her students without sore ears.

The ringing finally stopped. The world stopped shaking. Ash opened his eyes.

"So whadaya say?" the orange one asked at a more tolerable volume level with the same amount of enthusiasm. "How about being our fourth member?"

"What, you mean join your little group, what did you call it?"

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!"

"Oh, right. Of course." You'd think he would have remembered the first time and spared himself from another drum bursting scream.

"We're on a crusade," said Applebloom.

"Yeah, a crusade for our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo expanded.

"Yeah, and, and, yeah, what they said."

"Please get off my head."

Sweetie Belle obediently crawled off Ash's back. He winced as she took a few strands of white hair with her. With a leap, the Unicorn filly went to her friends. The three faced the stallion with expectant eyes.

"So will yah? Will yah help us?"

"I, well..."

"Please?" they pleaded in unison.

Over the course of his quest, Ash had heard the song a siren, was subjected to the hypnotic spell of a vampire, and even faced the seductive wiles of a succubus disguised in the form a certain nun.

If he couldn't resist those, how could he have fought off those wide shining eyes, pleading and begging?

"I...guess?"

"YAY!"

What have gotten myself into?

Our Little Resolution

Our Resolution

Ash's eyes fell to the ground. His head drooped heavily. He was silent.

Fluttershy took a step back. "No..." The Pegasus shook her head. "No..."

"A-are yah..." Applejack gulped. "Yah...yah not sayin'...yah can't..."

Ever so slightly, Ash nodded.

"You're kidding me!" Rainbow Dash tackled the Unicorn. "Tell me you're just joking! Well you got us, jokes over, ha ha." When Ash refused to answer, Rainbow grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "This isn't funny!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed. "You'll hurt him."

"What about you?" the Pegasus asked with a snarl. "You heard what he said, what could happen. And you know what he told me last night?" Rainbow glared at the grey Unicorn laying on the ground, not bothering to move. "He told me not to worry, that everything will be fine. And you know what he did last night? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! He just sat in front of you like a creep. Isn't that right, Spike?"

"Well, I didn't want to say anything but, well, kinda..."

" He didn't do anything to help, anything at all!" Her voice grew louder, more shrill, and she shook Ash more violently. "You useless, no good...why, I...I ought to...ought to..."

"Rainbow Dash, please calm down," Rarity said as she helped Twilight pull the Pegasus away from Ash. She turned to the grey Unicorn. Still he laid. "There must be something we can do. Please, tell us, what can we do?"

Ash was silent.

With a roar, Rainbow Dash broke free and crash into him. Wrapping her hooves around his neck, she shouted, "Answer her! Answer us! Why. Won't. You. Help? After all we've done for you...you should have just died in your own world!"

Not even Applejack with all her strength could separate Rainbow Dash from Ash. "Rainbow, what are yah sayin'?"

"If he never came here, if he just stayed from whatever forsaken world he was from, Twilight would...would..."

Rainbow broke down. Her tears fell as her hooves fell from Ash's neck. "Tw...Twi..."

"I'm right here, Rainbow." The Unicorn-turned-Human, wrapped her arms around the blue Pegasus and embraced her. For a moment, Rainbow Dash struggled, then gave it and returned the hug.

"Rainbow, I'm still fine. I'm still here."

"But...bu..."

"We'll find a way. And even if we...I'm glad I met you. I'm glad I met all of you."

Twilight released Rainbow and looked into her eyes. Twilight's were indeed browner but Rainbow could still see through them that Twilight was still there, that she was still the pony she became friends with. Was still friends with.

The tender moment was broken as gentle snoring drew everypony's attention to stallion laying on the ground before them.

"Um, is he..." Fluttershy began.

"Of course I can fix it," Ash sudden said, snapping awake. "What do you think I spent all night doing..." The grey Unicorn began to feel a bit self-conscious as he notice how everypony in the room regarded him with confused, worried looks. "...is something wrong?"

Pinkie Pie fell to the floor, giggling. "He...he fell asleep in his own lecture!"

Twilight's laughter joined Pinkie. Soon, everypony was laughing and the library echoed with the sound of mirth. Even Ash cracked a smile, albeit somewhat embarrassed and a little bit confused. The mood before had been forgotten.

"Guess I did kind of black out. Sorry about that." Ash stifled a yawn. "Anyways, back on topic..."

"So you can fix this, right?" Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I have a solution. I don't like it but it'll work."

"Wha' do yah mean, yah don' like it?" Applejack questioned.

"It's a complicated process. I'll be using a spell similar to the one Twilight experimented with, one that allows you to project your conscious into the mind of another. Once there, I'll find the piece of my mind Twilight took with her, remove it, and if everything goes according to plan, we'll have the purple Unicorn we all know and love by tomorrow."

"That doesn't sound too complicated," exclaimed Rainbow.

"But it does sound rather risky," Rarity noted. "If the spell is similar to the one Twilight used, aren't there similar dangers? Couldn't you possibly take part of Twilight's mind with you after you get rid of your part in hers?"

"All magic has its risks. The trick is knowing what they are and being able to minimize them," Ash explained. "While it's not my expertise, I know this type of magic to a competent degree. I know how to performing it, I know how the possible dangers, and I know how to avoid them. I even took the uniqueness of our situation and did a quick diagnostic probe of Twilight's mind so I'd have a sort of idea of what I'd before facing." He gestured to the board. "The other side has a basic outline of her subconscious, if anyone's interested."

Everypony turned to the mess next to the equation. Suddenly, the complex formula of the oneirological monitorization/astro-self interjection spell looked like a schoolfoal's math homework, at least as understandable.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head to one side, then the next. "Uh, what am I looking at?"

"Ooh, ooh, I know!" Pinkie Pie leaped up in excitement. "They're lollipops! Yeah, lollipops! No wait, balloons! Twilight must want a party! With lollipops with lots of sticks sticking out of them and more lollipops on those. A multi-pop! I totally know what to do for your birthday. This is so much better than my other idea! I mean, who'd want a boring old book anyways?"

All eyes turned to Twilight. "...lollipops...they're okay, I guess," she mumbled.

"Sorry Pinkie but it's not that simple," Ash said. "And I'm not going to bother explaining how to understand the outline. It'll be almost easier to teach all of you how to read someone's mind."

"But you can read it, right?" Twilight asked.

"Eh, reading isn't exactly the right term. Feel or sense its meaning, know what it's conveying, yes, I can do that." Ash's brow furrowed as he added, "Curiously, and real convenient too, the basic layout isn't much different from a Human's mind. Whether this is a result of Twilight's transformation or simply that our minds are similar, I don't know."

"What about this section?" Twilight pointed to the erased part she had noted last night. "Will you still be able to perform the spell without this part missing?"

"What part's missing?"

"This part," Twilight said, jabbing at the area with her index finger. "It's all erased and vandalized. Rainbow, why would you do this?"

"I didn't do that," the Pegasus responded, confused.

"Well, somepony erased this section and wrote RD equals awesome."

"That's actually part of the map," Ash interrupted. "I don't know what I wrote but that's what was there. And it's all erased because because I thought it was a nice touch. You know, like mist. That part was actually the deepest my mental probe got without actually subjecting my conscious into your mind. Hence, the metaphorical fog and confusing, cryptic symbols that even I didn't understand. It seems a bit longer than I remember." The grey Unicorn shrugged. "Whatever, don't really need it now."

Rainbow, despite herself, snickered as Twilight blushed. "Nice to know I'm awesome even in your mind."

"I believe we are getting off topic," Rarity said, noting Twilight's discomfort. "Ash, you mentioned that you don't like your solution yet from what you've said, you seem rather confident that it will succeed. What is the issue?"

"First off, the spell makes me nauseous and and takes a lot of energy. I fainted after just probing the surface of Twilight's subconscious. If everything goes down smoothly and I get my piece out of Twilight, I'll probably be out for the rest of the day.

"Second, even with a basic map of Twilight's mind, I could still easily get lost. It's only a basic outline and that's all I can get without exposing her and myself to more risks. And even though I said the layout is similar to mine or another Human, it's still unique. Every mind is different. To lower the risk of getting lost, I'm keeping Twilight at least partially conscious to guide me through, but that adds a few other complications.

"Oh, and because I'm pretty sure I can only do this while I'm Human, we only have a couple of hours to find the foreign part in the entirety of Twilight's mind before I lose control of the spell and my conscious becomes a permanent part of Twilight's mind. And if we're not carefully, this little trip could easily drive both her and I insane. Seeing your own inner mental self does that. So yeah, I'm not a big fan about using this spell."

"But yah've done this before," Applejack questioned. "Right?"

"I've done it enough to know it's not my best area of magic." Ash sighed. It was times like these when he wish he could exchange his abilities for Sid's. The older boy was a master at mental magic. It was impossible to hide any thoughts, any secrets, anything from him. Ash's eyes grew misty as he remembered how the other Archmage apprentice temporarily deleted his knowledge of proper washroom use after Ash had set his pants aflame...

The Unicorn shook his head. No, his abilities would be adequate. There was no reason for envy. Never mind the last time he interjected his conscious into another's mind, the host woke up and killed himself in order to trap the Mage within his mind and prevent the revealing of a certain secret. There was no reason to worry. None at all...

"Well, is there anything we can do to help?" Twilight asked eagerly. Even in the face of danger, Twilight's appetite for learning could not be satisfied. Here was a different kind of magic, one that she didn't truly understand. If she had anything to say about, it wouldn't last that way. "You said you needed me to guide you. What do I have to do to prepare?"

"Just stay asleep while the process is taking place. Things'll get tricky if you wake up."

Twilight frowned, confused. "I thought you said you wanted me conscious."

"I don't want you conscious, I want your conscious."

"...what?"

"It's too hard to explain. You'll know when we get there, okay?"

"What 'bout tha rest of us?" Applejack asked. "How can we help?"

"I need someone watching over my body while I'm out. You know, keep me from choking on my own vomit, that kind of deal. And if things take a turn for the worst, someone needs to wake Twilight."

"Wait, I thought you said I need to stay asleep."

"You do. If you wake up, you could potential trap my conscious inside your mind. I'd like to avoid that if all possible but if things do get hairy..."

"How are we suppose to know when things go bad?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"When Twilight starts freaking you out, then something got royally screwed. Other than that, there's nothing else to be done. Oh, I do need a sedation. Something like that'll definitely help."

The entire room was dead silent. Each pony was left with her own personal thoughts. A storm of conflicting feelings was almost tangible. There was hope, a light at the end of the tunnel but what was at the end? Was there really any hope, any real chance?

Perhaps performing magic that dealt with the mind and conscious had left Ash with a higher sense of awareness as he noticed how quiet everypony had become and had guessed the reason why. "I know this is a lot to take in and I know it doesn't sound like a plan made for success. It's not foolproof, I'll admit, but it's not that bad." The Unicorn smiled, trying desperately to dispel the sense of despair in the room. "Everything will be fine, I...promise."

"If you say so..." Rainbow said, her normal confidence lacking.

"Ah trust yah." Applejack squeezed Ash's shoulder gently. "Ah know yah know what yah doin' and an' if yah say we've got nuthin tah worry..." The farmpony gave the Mage a playful shove. "Well, Ah'll believe yah."

One by one, the others nodded and voiced their support.

"We're behind you a hundred percent all the way," Rarity exclaimed, her eyes as determined as diamonds are hard.

"If you need me...I mean, if I can help..." Fluttershy took a breath. "I'm here for anything you need."

"I know you'll do great," Pinkie Pie said. "You're like the smartest Human-turned-pony I've ever met. 'Course, you're the only Human-turned-pony I've ever met. But I bet if I ever met another Human-pony, he wouldn't be half as smart as you are. You know what this calls for?"

Ash hazard a guess. "A party?"

Pinkie giggled. "No silly. This calls for party preparations! Then we can have a party!"

Rainbow Dash approached hesitantly. "Hey, I...you're a decent guy. I should have never doubted you." She extended a hoof. "We cool?"

"You don't have to sound so apologetic," Ash said, a little puzzled. He took the blue hoof in his own and shook it. His confusion grew as a grin spread across Rainbow's face and she soon began to shake.

"Heh, yeah, you're a pretty nice dude but you've got some things to know about being cool," the Pegasus said as she laughed. She slipped her hoof out of his and punched him in the shoulder jokingly.

Next was Spike. For a majority of the time, the young dragon was uncharacteristically silent. Now, he cleared his throat and opened his mouth. "I...you...uh...please?" Beneath his green scales, he turned a visible bright red as he stumbled and tripped over his words.

Ash nodded sternly. That was all the assurance Spike needed. It was a simple gesture but between the two males, it became a solemn oath.

Twilight was last. She knelt down so that she was eye level with the grey Unicorn. She moved closer and hugged him.

"Afraid?" Ash asked, his face and neck growing hot.

"Not really. You're in charge of all this. I know I'll be fine." She released the Unicorn and turned to the rest of her friends. With her arms opened, she invited them forward.

It was while Ash found himself in the middle of a massive group hug that the gravity of what he had said, what he had promised, finally hit him. He held all their hopes in his hands. All they could do was have faith and trust him. If he failed...

No, failure was not an option. He could not afford to fail and he wouldn't, this he swore on his soul.

He tried not to remember the last mission he couldn't fail.

“It would have been best if you had died by a single cut, my friend...”

...Are Worth Waking Up For

"Yeah." Ash smiled. It was weary but it was the most genuine smile Twilight had seen him crack in some time. "Thanks, Twilight."

"Good!" Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. "Now, let's get some breakfast and get you ready for school. I think we can spare ten extra minutes for sleep if your pack is already prepared."

Ash paled. "S-school? Are you serious? N-now?"

Twilight nodded furiously. "Of course. Gosh, I've forgotten how many days you've already missed and I am definitely not going to let this become a habit..."

The grey Unicorn groaned.

It was a new day.