Angels and Demons

Chapters

A Beautiful Hallucination
A Teaspoon of Insanity
Revelations
Part II/Equestria Bound
On A Wing And A Prayer
Rude Awakening
Magic Lessons
Missing Screws
Everyone's Favorite
Out of the Frying Pan...
Part III/...Into the Fire
An Unexpected Visitor
Questions and Answers
A Glimmer of Hope
Reunited (And it Feels So Good)
All Good Things...
Epilogue/Wheels in Motion (Bonus 1)
A Starlit Conversation (Bonus 2)
Calm Before the Storm (Bonus 3)
Sneak Peek at Angels and Demons 2: Timelock
Part I/Into The Rabbit Hole
Familiar Faces

A Beautiful Hallucination

Was he really seeing this correctly? A pony, she'd said she was a pony, as if there was nothing unusual about that.

"You look..." She remained there, even if he looked away. All the tests he knew from childhood that allowed you to tell whether something was a dream said she was there. In a dream if you had a piece of paper, it never looked the same when you looked back. She did. Every single detail. As vivid as anything. "Like a pony... something like that anyway." He could feel his breath having quickened. Now Norman was starting to feel a fear that something had broken inside him. His eyes begged her to tell him otherwise. However he wasn't really frightened yet.

A laugh escaped her, which she quickly stifled. "I apologize, I should not have laughed. I just found your statement amusing. You are correct, I AM a pony. An alicorn from Evodia, to be specific." She said gently, and seemed to have no intent on harming him, nor any idea he had no idea what an alicorn was. Hell, she seemed fully intent on helping him. But her smile faded a moment later as a realization hit her. "Wait a minute... you can SEE I'm a pony?!" This seemed to unnerve her for some reason.

Oh its just a dream! He must have fallen asleep in between the first nurse coming. This delusion eased him a bit and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I can see you're a pony." He was usually always able to do things in his dreams and alter them to his benefit if he remembered that he was dreaming. "Four hooves, a horn on your head, blond mane/hair thing going on on your head... white fur, uhm... something on your back. It's a bit hard to see because it's so dark."

This seemed to stun her. She stood there for a moment, not saying anything. Her horn glowed brightly, and the lights turned on. He could see her clearly now. She seemed to be running some sort of internal diagnostics. "Check...check... check... all my spells are working properly... and yet you see me. Fascinating." She muttered, half to herself. Then quickly composed herself. "I apologize, I'm being unprofessional. You merely caught me off guard."

He was about to try for the window or see if he couldn't make something levitate. However he couldn't resist a thought game "I would have wondered that you were a nurse who played along with my delusions, but!" He had read quite a bit of mystery novels "Nurses are specifically instructed not to that at any time with unstable patients or hallucinating, or delusional patients. So, since you haven't denied being a... whatever you are, pony you say... "

She sat next to his bed, her mane perfectly framing her eyes. "That is because I am the only pony here. I come from Equestria, but being as I am a high ranking nurse I have special permission to travel to different realms when I deem it necessary in order to provide care." She said. "Being as I have never been to Earth, I thought it would be interesting to take on a case or two. But my magic specifically casts illusions suited to the realm, so as to not cause... culture shock."

Did his mind really remember a plot straight out of pulp scifi as easy as that? Whatever medicine they were giving him he almost hoped they wouldn't stop. "So nobody notices that you're a pony? You take up more room in the bus or tube, how don't they notice that? You shake hands with people." No he had seen her levitate things, perhaps that could be extended. He had to be clever. "When people try to get into the elevator with you, how don't they notice the extra space you take up?" Ugh, he had already asked that, he hated how dumb you were when you were dreaming.

She smiled. "You're thinking, and thinking logically. That's a very good sign that there is no permanent brain damage. As for your question, it's a series of spells that cause a distortion in space. When someone stands behind me, there is an invisible warp of sorts that makes it seem like they're standing much closer to me than they actually are. The humans eye is very easily tricked when it comes to illusions." She held up her front leg, extending her hoof to him. He had mentioned shaking hands, and it seemed her intent to try and make him as comfortable as possible. "You are welcome to touch, if it makes you feel better." She hesitated. "You may think you are dreaming or hallucinating, but I assure you I am real. You are in no danger."

Well you could always invent excuses like that. How long had this dream lasted, minutes. It did make him feel a little unsure of himself. Slowly he reached and studied the hoof for a moment. The colors flushed with the leg it was part of. In fact the leg had displayed a range of motion impossible for a real equestrian. He took the hoof and shook it. "My name is Norman Bach, human, occupation... patient."

The joke was lost on her, and she was as friendly as ever. "Always a pleasure to meet you as always, I am sure you'll be pleased to know I am much less eccentric than Miss Pie is." The reference was lost on him. "I appreciate your calmness during all this, I didn't expect you to see through my magic. I theorize it's an unusual unique response to your concussion."

Norman wasn't sure what to do. Dreams tended to dissolve by now and he felt uneasy about her appearance. There weren't any contradictions he could think of that couldn't be swept away immediately. "What's your name?" Ah be little more clever. "The one you use here... and your... well... your real one."

The pony seemed amused by his questioning. "I am Angel Wing, both here and in Equestria. Angel is a fairly neutral name, amongst humans, anyway." She closed his medical file. "I'm going to let you rest. Would you care to hear more about Equestria on my return?" She added this last part to keep him busy, knowing full well that she wasn't entirely supposed to tell him about it.

"I'd like that." He said and rested back in bed. He was supposed to rest after all, fall even more asleep. It had been a vivid dream, but he wanted to wake up now, or get some good sleeping done.

A Teaspoon of Insanity

[DAY FIVE]

Having drifted in and out of sleep, Norman had been in the hospital for four days now. He was finally allowed to get out of bed, PROVIDED he was with an escort, and move about the facility to stretch his legs, no longer confined to his room. A nurse came to check on him. He hadn't seen Angel in almost a day, and presumed she had either returned to this Equestria place, or he was indeed going crazy. "Good afternoon, Norman." She said pleasantly. "I'm Vicky, I'm just here to make sure you're running properly. We ought to have you out of here in a day or two."

It was kind of a good sign, only it left him with a bitter taste. Good dreams always disappear when you wake up. However if you kept dreaming you'd never be in the real world, so waking up was a good thing. If Angel was just some part of the concussion, then he was glad to have seen her, however he had his doubts. "I'm glad to be out, lying still and not being allowed to read anything was horrible." He laughed. Still had a terrible headache, it came and went, sometimes sharp as a pencil being driven through his skull, other times just a deep uncomfortable pressure. He took as many painkillers for the headache as he was allowed. There was something he had to test though. "Is there a nurse on the staff called... Angel?" He worded it as if he might have gotten her name wrong.

The only time the headache went away completely was when the -what had she called herself... an alicorn?- pony was tending to him, and even then she explained it might never go away, but she'd help him however she could. "Yes of course there is, she's your own attendant. Didn't you know that?" She looked at him quizzically. "I had thought she introduced herself. Miss Angel is off today, but has left instructions for you to get a hold of her if you'd like her to come in."

"No that's alright, I just wasn't sure I got her name right." It was true, but not for the reason the nurse probably figured. So there was an Angel on the staff, and she was his attendant. That part of the story fit, or he was even more delusional than he thought. He asked for the instructions to contact her, in case he needed it, the pain was bad but not severe. Tolerable, if not comfortable. He had another mission though. Testing the theory. If he was seeing things, she simple couldn't be the only thing like that. So the mission of today was to go for a walk around the hospital, and casually spy for human like ponies walking about. Or anything off.

The nurse handed him a sealed envelope. "Angel was very clear in that you were the only one allowed to read the contents of this message. I'm not sure why, but she's very, very private. The staff wonder about her sometimes." She shook her head. "But, she has an exemplary record, so I suppose anyone is allowed that option. Do you need anything right now?"

"Not as long you keep filling up my vial of painkillers for the day," He teased. There was punch out in the aisle and a nice antiseptic smell. He looked around. Horrible architecture, made in the thirties probably. Long demoralizing corridors of near featurelessness, except for the doors to the various wings and the occasional nurses station. Doctors, nurses, porters milling about. He had a mission. To find ponies. He tried to be cheerful about the aspect of checking his own sanity. It wasn't too hard with some humor applied. It was what to do in case he found out he was crazy. Or... no, he put of the thought of what he'd do if he found out that it was all true.

He tried to piece together what Angel had told him. She'd only mentioned ponies from her land so far, but he had a suspicion of other species as well, if indeed this was all true. She also used her magic to get here, so if he saw any other ponies here, they'd likely be unicorns as well. Or maybe another whole new world really DID exist, and he'd be the first to see it. The corridors were long and rather bland. There was a childrens wing, a surgical section, a recovery section, there was something for everything. Nobody stopped him as long as he didn't draw attention to himself, or enter one of the restricted areas. But as far as what he'd seen so far, absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. It was your average, run of the mill, over-cleaned hospital. If there were ponies here, they were either very well hidden, or he hadn't seen them yet.

That scratched the notion that he was completely out of the rocker. And subtle delusions were hard to make sense of. He had to see Angel again at some point. Moving was good though, so he kept doing that. Trying to find a small garden somewhere he could sit in if the weather permitted it. The slip of paper the nurse had passed to him was still in his pocket, he'd be able to read it. Sitting down he deigned to send a couple of messages to his family letting them know how he was recovering. "Got a constant headache that comes and goes, will ask the doctor about it at some point if doesn't diminish over the next week or two. Should be out in a couple of days if there's no sudden things. Everyone is optimistic, so so am I, love." He didn't write anything about Angel, but now it was time to read the paper slip.

His father, Alex, had visited him a few times, but there was nothing significant about those visits. They were not estranged, but they certainly weren't going to a ballgame together anytime soon. Conversation with him was awkward and stale, at best. Angels note was completely blank, but as he stared at it, words appeared upon the parchment. <If you need me, call me. I'll come.> He had the strange feeling, the way Angel operated, that if he showed the paper to anyone else, they wouldn't see anything at all.

What was wrong with just scribbling that in regular pencil? Then again how would a winged unicorn -alicorn?- write if not by magic. It made sense in its own internal logic. He looked around and contemplated 'realness'. The concrete was grey concrete. The sky was a good azure blue, with some leadened clouds. The sandy of the small path he had walked on was... indeed... sand. He felt the grit between his toes. How could something like that intervene into this world. This place was too, he searched for the word to describe how the grey buildings and substantiated of the ground under his feet made it hard to believe that Angel was real. Too solid. This world was too solid. The paper was, real, but the words seemed ephemeral. When he thought about it Angel too... seemed not quite solid. She looked funny, he couldn't place what it was. She was brightly colored, but... it was as if the colors weren't showing true. So… she's a figment? Hmm… then he thought of something. Feathers! Could she have dropped feathers? He quickly stood up and went back to the halls. Just one would do for this test.

Unfortunately, searching the halls would yield vain results. Asking other nurses about Angel was positive, they knew of her and had nothing but good things to say. However their descriptions indicated they only knew her as human, and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. His room, however, would be more promising. Being as she had spent the most time there, it was the most logical place to search, and provided a single white wing feather under his bed.

There was a sharp pang of head ache. Unfortunately it wasn't time for pills yet. He bit back the pain, the joy of the triumph made it easier. Standing up he held the feather between his fingers. It had that off-ness about it, he couldn't quite place it. He wasn't sure that this would work. She had said the spells were put on herself. Perhaps they went with her. Time for a final check. He went out to the nurses station and struck up polite conversation, and showed her the feather. "I found this feather lying around, do you know what kind of bird its from?" Internally he begged for her not to tell him that it was a pencil or something like that.

She took it from him. The feather was oddly colored for this world, it was just a little bit too vibrant. And extremely large. The nurse took it, and frowned. "That's quite a fascinating find, Norman. My guess would be a swan, it's very pretty."

Not quite as long as his forearm. He took it back, nodding as if contemplating the same thing. Telling her he thought about taking a nap he went back to his bed, turning the feather between his fingers. This was the first tangible confirmation that what he was seeing wasn't just in his head. The nurse hadn't been lying, had she? No you couldn't doubt everything, otherwise you'd end up in a never ending spiral like Descartes. The feather was real, only it couldn't be real, so that meant that it was what? That it wasn't from any animal of course. Then it was a feather that Angel had dropped. The thoughts swirled in his head, equal measures of anxiety and excitement.

Revelations

The nurse had seen the feather. There was likely a logical explanation, Angel had not once lied to him, and had been very kind thus far. The pounding in his brain intensified suddenly, as the human mind was not 100% equipped to deal with what came next. Angels voice came like an echo, resounding inside his head like a long-forgotten song or suddenly remembering what you entered a room for. <Norman? Are you alone?>

He gritted his teeth, and gripped the side of his bed, doubling over a bit. The voice was recognized, but it hurt. Like two icebergs grinding against each other, only the icebergs were the two hemispheres of his brain. Mutely he screamed. "Coming through" He whispered soundlessly, wondering whether that was enough. Vocalizing. Could she hear his thoughts? "Found a feather... you're real!" Then he bit into a blanket, to avoid crying out because of the pain. A tear flowed down his eyes, partly from the pain, and partly from the strange sensation of joy he was feeling.

She didn't seem to realize she was causing him such pain, and continued. <Oh, good! I wasn't sure this would work! I have something I want you to see, but I need you to promise me you can keep an open mind, and not... overreact.>

He needed to throw up. This was bad. It was becoming hard to tolerate. When he was little he had an ear infection which had to be drained. The doctor had told him it wouldn't hurt when he punctured the ear drum with a needle. It had, unlikely anything he had felt before. Both his mother and his father had to hold him down to the couch. "Okay." He managed to croak, holding onto the bed. Feeling faint and dizzy.

The voice left his head, and diminished enough to become tolerable. His door was closed, and he was alone with his pounding skull. He'd never felt anything like that before. If anything was real... THAT pain... nothing could make that up. Angel appeared next to him in her usual manner, but this time, something was on her back. Something small, clinging to her mane, and covered in blue scales. It took him a moment to realize he was unmistakably looking at a baby dragon.

The absence of pain, it almost distracted from the surprise visit to the hospital room. He wiped the sweat from his head and climbed onto the bed, resting back, trying not to take too deep breaths. It had hurt terribly, and the worst part was knowing that it could hurt like that again. Angel hadn't caused it intentionally, but he feared pain like that would now be a part of his life. He smiled weakly. "Hi Angel, you gave me a bad headache." The feather was produced from inside his gown. "The nurse saw this, didn't know what it was… I'm not the only one who can see you. Oh... and hi?" He waved to the baby dragon. Why not.

If Angel was worried about his revelation, she didn't show it. In fact, she seemed amused. "Of course she can see it. It's a feather. Nothing mysterious about that." She said calmly, and pressed her horn to his cheek as she had done several times before. Once again, the numbing agent took hold, and the pain in his head completely went away. "How did I give you a headache?" She asked.

A glow light of 'get better'. No mother could kiss away pain like Angel's horn. "Don't know, the headaches come and go and when you spoke I just suddenly had an attack." Thinking back on it there hadn't been any modulation when as he heard that inner voice. "I don't think it was your voice, it just started hurting when you contacted me."

She thought about that, and her eyes widened suddenly. "Of course... the telepathy! You aren't a receptor for telepathy! I am so sorry, I didn't even..." She sounded truly remorseful. The dragon on her back was indifferent, cooing and chewing on her mane. "I won't do it again, I'm truly sorry." She promised. "There shouldn't be any permanent effects, using telepathy on someone not a receptor for it..." She struggled to think of a metaphor. "It's like driving on the wrong side of the highway. It's possible, but an unbelievably bad idea."

He nodded, taking her word for it. Now that the pain was over he felt the adrenaline slowly leaving him, quelling the nausea. "He's a cutie that one, how young is he? In years uhm… our years? How long are the days in your world?" Hadn't she used a name for that place. What did we call our world? Universe? Suddenly the name sounded a bit silly. The way many words could turn silly if you spoke them enough times. Norman of the Universe. He chuckled a bit at the internal thought. Now that he suspected that the world was real he wanted to know more about it. "Don't worry little guy I won't hurt you, I'm just sick is all, and most of that is just a headache."

Angel deposited the dragon in his arms, and it immediately curled up and took a liking to him. "He hatched about a month ago, I've been watching after him temporarily. His name is Flint." She said calmly. "Listen, Norman, may I speak seriously for a moment? I've been going over your last batch of tests."

He nodded, many doctors had been going over tests. He'd even had to lie inside a huge (and very noisy) MR-scanner, which sounded like the inside of a jackhammer, or a car that couldn't quite start. You had to be an ice block not to be taken in by Flint. Very carefully he put a hand on the little dragon and gently stroked and massaged him. "Go on Angel, I'm listening. As for you, you're a little heartbreaker, Flint."

Angel sounded worried, and proceeded slowly. "When you fell, you had a concussion. Your brain... rattled, slightly, from the impact. There was some very slight swelling, which is always serious, but we've managed to get all that under control. You're probably wondering why you've kept you here so long." She explained gently. "There's a part of your brain thats responsible for pain. Awareness, receptors, that sort of thing. That lobe is..." She paused a moment. "Bruised, if that makes sense. The bottom line is...that dull pounding you feel... I'm afraid that's never going to go away. I can give you suppressants, but you'll most likely have to deal with it."

He nodded, its what he had feared so its what he had expected. His mind focused on the little hatchling, curling up content as a clam on his lap. Its funny dry surface. The news passed through his head, and lay in the background. At the moment he felt a little paralyzed. He'd feel that level of pain again, and again, and again, for as long as he breathed. He was glad Flint was there. Without speaking or doing anything but just being, he made it easier to bear. Something else to focus on. "So.. are your days as long as ours?"

She smiled, and the dragon attached onto him, pulling at his hair with its claws. It was heart melting, and strange to think this litlte guy might someday grow up to be a terrible assassin. "Yes, a good deal of our culture is parallel to yours, with some differences. We are all vegetarians, for example, and day and night do not happen on their own, they're controlled."

"Controlled day and night cycle?" Gods? "How about the weather?" That was the first bit she had really told him about that world, except as what related to what she was. It was a real world, though he hadn't seen any like it. "A bunch of questions… round globe like our world? Do things... uhm… look the same, I don't know how to word this. Any humans there, or used to be there?"

"Not Gods. Princesses. One for each." She explained. "Weather is all planned and coordinated, from who brings in the storm clouds to when the rain is scheduled for to processing paperwork for a blizzard." She explained. "Round globe yes, in fact, many of our cities are named for yours. It's sort of a... parallel dimension, an Earth populated by ponies, if you will. No humans, never have been. That brings up my other point. When you're discharged, I'd love to take you. But you'd need a bit of... alteration."

"You don't seem to have changed much?" That sounded dumb even when the words left his mouth. He didn't even know what she looked like where she lived. He had always wondered whether something really different than this world existed. "Do you have colors we don't have?" In Discworld they had octarine, the color of magic. "And uhm... you'd take me there?" He'd thought of it, for fun. However his imagination had been about discovering a portal she was using. That had been dispelled when she had made it clear that she simply (or elaborately, he had no idea how it worked) teleported about.

"Our colors are the same, although I doubt if you'd ever seen a green or orange pony before." She said pleasantly. "We come in all colors, and everypony does their share of work. There are no wars, no violence, very little crime. Such matters as these are usually very quickly disputed. There are criminals and evildoers, yes, but... problems are easily solved."

"Sounds like a fun world." He smiled "So what sort of changes would I have to go through… what changed about you? If anything, I don't know how this works. We don't have magic here, or at least... I'm not sure that we do" A lot of people saying that they could do magic, but turning out to be charlatans. He wondered if Earth had once had magic, only it left. There were spellbooks called grimmoires, but that was about it.

She smirked at that. "My colors are a bit different, and my proportions a bit elongated, to fit yours. As for you... isn't it obvious? You'd have to be a pony."

Part II/Equestria Bound

Did he hear that right? Him? A pony? Could she do that? He hadn't figured that, stretched and twisted a bit. A different world, with different laws of physics. "I'd be a pony?" The thought struck him as hilarious, and he laughed a little. Not because he dismissed her proposal. He hadn't thought about that. With a hand he steadied Flint. "Sorry little guy, she just startled me… me a pony? How would that work?"

"Quite simple really, we'd just give you a new body. Or the body you would have had if you'd been born in Equestria. I'm not sure what you'd be though. I'd wager on pegasus, but I've been wrong before." She mused. "It's a complicated spell, powerful, only alicorns could pull it off. Although I've heard stories about a really gifted unicorn in Ponyville, I haven't followed that lead very extensively. I've been focusing on my medical practices."

"What... you'd exchange my body, or change it?" They'd gone through Kafka at the High School, in The Metamorphosis the author had woken up as a beetle. "It sounds a bit worrying... would it be hard getting me back to normal?" The proposal was... exhilarating, the thought of walking around in a new body was a childhood fantasy come true.

"Not at all. Think of it this way, you'd just be assigned a new body to fit a new realm. Human in one, pony in another. Heck, if I took you to a realm entirely populated by ostriches you'd probably be an ostrich. It's just a way of assimilation. No mental changes, no permanency." She assured him. "I'd take you back here, you'd be yourself again."

"How could I leave and... well, people would notice that Norman wasn't in his bed. Or that I wasn't in school…" He was still a bit dizzy from the proposal, and strangely giddy. Nobody had ever told him anything like that was possible. Well, fiction sure, and this was reality. "I'd love that Angel, I'd love that a lot." He wondered when it could happen. And the nagging doubt in his mind insisted that it was all a delusion.

"Therein lies the issue. Time would continue here as normal. A few days there would equally a few days gone from here." She winked at him. "I don't know about you, but I'd say a week in the hospital deserves a personal vacation, don't you?" She hinted, implying it wouldn't be completely unheard of for him to vanish for a while after discharge.

"Yes, I'd love that. Uhm, but you'll have to send a slip to my mom or dad, or something like that. They're not around much." He scratched his arm a bit. "But they still need to know if something happens to me... can I snap pictures? I can always go with that I'm an art student somewhere." How would you work a camera with hooves, asked the doubtful part of him. Damnit, I'll find out!

She shook her head, as part of him slightly suspected she would. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to bring anything between the two worlds. It is for the safety and security of both worlds. No photos, no souvenirs." She said firmly. "I can't allow it."

"Alright." He smiled "Can't have everything." He looked at Flint "Wish you could stay here little guy, but I don't know much about taking care of little baby dragons." He stroked the little baby dragon's head. "He's been very well behaved for someone who's having his first visit to another world."

Angel smiled, and returned the dragon to her back. "He's a sweetheart, just like you. Probably why you get along so well." She teased. "I'll let you rest for now, if you ever need me, all you have to do is call. I've taken a liking to you, can't say that about a whole lot of people." She confessed.

"Is this world really so bad?" He couldn't say that he wasn't proud of being human, and living here, but he wondered what kind of world she came from. Princesses who ruled night and day. It sounded… like a good thing. Those princesses would be good enough to be allowed to do that.

She shook her head. "I cannot comment on that, we come from two different places. But do me this. After you've spent some time observing my world and my culture, make a comparison for yourself. Only you can decide that. You may not to get to see or do or meet everyone you want to though."

With that, deciding he needed his rest, she parted from his company once again with a gentle "Goodbye for now, Norman!"

[DAY SEVEN]

Norman had never known four simple words to be so deliciously satisfying. One of the nurses, named Amelia, had come to his bedside that morning. He hadn't seen Angel in two days, she'd completed her tests and was likely back in... where did she say she was from... Evodia, that was it. "You're free to go." She had said with a smile, and helped him up to escort him to the front lobby. His father had come to meet him, although the man was relieved you were alright, he had an expression indicating he'd rather be somewhere else. His head was only a dull tolerable throbbing, one that hadn't gone away in two days. The woman at the front desk slid his father a stack of papers to sign and date. He looked at his son. "I'm glad you're okay." He said.

Watching Angel walk... trot... through the hall, hoofs clacking against the hard floor, and nobody noticing it as porters moved beds around her was surreal. She stood out more than anything, and yet nobody was noticing. It made him wonder what she looked like to them. He'd only ever seen her as she truly appeared, without all her elusive spells. The meeting with his father was awkward as usual. At his fathers comment Norman nodded, he was also glad he was "okay" too. Only dad I have a permanent head ache now and its never going away, and it hurt so bad this morning I almost started crying and I have to go through that again. However what came out was "I still have some things left to heal."

Alex, that was his dads name, looked down at him. "You'll be alright, kid. Give it a few days. We'll put all this behind us." He said reassuringly, sliding the stack of papers back over to the nurse, who flipped through them. "Great! You're all set to go. I had a message for you from Angel as well, Norman. She said she's sorry she couldn't see you off but she's proud of the way you've handled this. Said you'd know what that meant."

He did, he hadn't freaked and he'd eventually come to terms with her existing. That was quite a thing to process, he still wasn't absolutely sure that it wasn't a figment of his imagination. Certainly now that his was here a worry came to him again about that. However he couldn't go on simple denying what had happened. "I like her, she's offered to help me with it." She'd been tight lipped about the "vacation" and what it would imply. He'd be turned into a pony! And see a whole different world! Would she just suddenly spring it on him? The thought of suddenly teleporting made him a little antsy.

Angel had been very kind and understanding thus far, and open to all his questions. She had mentioned something about nursing being her 'destiny', although hadn't explained that any further, leaving him confused as always. His father drove him home, and apparently that was about his quota of companionship for the day. "I gotta get back to work. You need anything? Crackers? Soup?" He asked.

Don't worry, there's some powdered chicken soup and some soda. I think I'll just rest and maybe call Thomas and tell him about the pains, its a bit hard for me to talk to you about it. Just the thought was giving him a pang of head ache which he blinked away. "No I'll be fine." Was all that came out. He couldn't remember when it had started becoming hard to talk to his dad. Things had changed over the years. Or had they always been like that, and now he was only noticing?

His father would never admit what Norman suspected, which was that his father only wanted one child, and Norman had been... unannounced. Alex had always had a good relationship with Thomas, and Norman had played second wind. It was infuriating. When he'd first gone to the hospital, he knew his dad had been there, but he was fairly certainly he had finished whatever he was doing at work first, before bothering to find time for Norman. That was most likely where Angel was such a relieving presence, she always made time for him, was always very patient. Alex slapped Norman's shoulder. "Good man, raised you well." He said, and headed out the front door.

Norman nodded and waved, and slinked back into the house, closing the doors gently. He wasn't sure what said off the migraine attacks, but they seemed to come and go in waves and he was afraid he was building up to one. What had the nurse said? Only one painkiller every four hours, it doesn't help taking more than that. He'd had one this morning, so there were at least two hours until he could take the next one. He went for some cold soda.

His house was empty, but as he made progress for the kitchen, the pain in his head suddenly vanished entirely. It never lasted for more than an hour, but only happened when... he turned the corner to the kitchen, and found Angel sitting calmly by the counter, as radiant as ever. "Good morning, Norman." She said cheerfully.

You're a sight for sore eyes, Angel. "Thanks, I think the pain was building up again." He loved the horn she had, and the pony it was attached to who was still quite a mystery to him. He still got a soda.. she was a guest in his house. What did ponies like? "Uhm... want anything? I think we've got some crackers in the drawers somewhere." Did she need a trough to eat from?

"No thank you, I had too many flowers this morning, I'm rather ashamed of myself." She admitted with a sheepish grin. He could likely ask her anything he wanted, though some questions might be borderline offensive. "Just so you know, I'm invisible at the moment, except to you of course. It'd be rather strange to have your nurse or a pony unexplainably in your house."

"Oh there's no one here, except for a cleaning lady who comes by now and then." His father pulled home good money. He took a chair and opened the soda there. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon. I was afraid that you'd suddenly, POOF me off somewhere. So... are we still going to do it?" Say yes, say yes, say yes, say yes!!!

"You mean take you to Equestria? I'd love to." She said. "That is, if you think you're ready for it. Oh, I'd love for you to see Equestria. It's beautiful." She gave a half smile. "But... things don't work the same way they do here, I hope you realize that."

He nodded, and took it serious. "I know, part of that is really exciting to me, but... is there something I should know? I only know a little about that world, princesses who rule night and day. Pegasus...sii weather control, and well, that I'll turn into a pony." He had thought about that one, that would prove quite a challenge, in private he had tried picking up things with his hands balled into fists.

"I think the change will be instant, we have different rules and physics in Equestria and you'll be expected to abide by them, and your form will change to suit them. I don't know which of the three types of ponies you'll be. But I'll teach you how to walk, and if you're a unicorn, I'll teach you basic magic. Wouldn't that be nice, able to control that headache of yours without me around?"

He nodded, magic... wings. Heck if I just have a tail and hooves I'll still have fun stumbling around all day long for that week. "Phew, I was kinda worried you'd have to change me through some large complex process. Its nice to know it'll be over when I'm there. But uhm… when are we going to leave?" She hadn't said anything about that. As for how nice it would be to control his headache, that would be nice, but then... he would only be able to do that if he was a unicorn, and when he was in Equestria.

"I'll take you now. But remember, however long we're there, you'll be missing from here, so make sure you leave a note or something explaining your absence." She said cautiously. "If anyone asks, you're from Manehattan." Her voice was serious, he wasn't sure if she was joking about that. "We'll figure out the rest later."

He nodded, it was serious. His dad would lose his mind if he just up and up disappeared, although more so because he'd have nobody to sent to the store for him while the football game was on. So he spent some time figuring out what to write. Lying was easy, but he wanted to be honest so he decided to tell the honest truth. "Hi dad, the nurse Angel called me and said that I could go on a retreat for a week. Its a place not too far from here. There's still some headache issues. If you're getting worried, just direct questions to the hospital and they'll try to get in contact with Angel." He showed the note to Angel and quickly wrote something similar to his big brother, Thomas. It was an email, and a long one, he told Thomas about how he know has permanent headaches that comes and goes, and its hard to talk to Alex about it. That the nurse Angel has offered him a resort for a week. And some personal feelings he expressed, which only he and Thomas would get.

Angel nodded in approval. "Good!" She said. "Now take hold of my horn, and I'll do the rest." It was an odd request, he'd assumed the horn was a private and sensual part of a pony, but likely it was just extremely bad etiquette if you didn't ask first.

This was it, the moment of truth. "I trust you, Angel." Having put the note in a place his father couldn't miss. Namely on his work desk, he went back to Angel. Shivering a little with anticipation, expecting a few nasty shocks and apologies from her as well as her admitting she couldn't do it he placed his hands there. The horn was hard, like a rocky spire, yet it vibrated with an inner life. "R... ready."

There was a bright flash of light, and a heavy warmth that rocked through his body. The ground fell out from underneath his feet, and he had the sensation of falling, of total blackness. Was this what teleporting was like? It was terrible. The next conscious thought he had was Angel standing over him.

On A Wing And A Prayer

"Norman? Norman? Are you okay?"

He was on his back, confused. It had been disorientating. There had been a bright light, a sense of falling and then a discontinuous transition to where he was now. Looked up at Angel she seemed... different. He recognized her, but... was this how she looked here? The proportions were a little different but it was her. He coughed a bit "That... was wild. Did it work? Am I…" He extended what he thought was a hand towards her, so that she could help him up.

His limbs were in all the wrong places. Angel looked... there was no other way to put it. She looked absolutely beautiful. He knew now where she got her name. Her colors were unnaturally bright and vibrant, her mane bounced and curled in ways that Earth never would have allowed. Her eyes were the brightest shade of blue he'd ever seen. He half expected to look behind her and see a line of suitors stretching all the way back to the nearest town. The second thing he noticed was his front leg, covered in thick light blue fur, and the hoof at the end of it. She grabbed a hold of it, and yanked him up. "I'm so glad you're alright." She said with relief. "I've never done that before. Not with someone else."

The limbs had shifted, and reoriented a bit. His legs had always been below his torso, now they were on the side. He felt the floor for the first time through the muted sense of the hooves, like a toeless shoe, some carpet brushed against the sensitive underside. His brain was working on overtime processing all the sensations, and trying to interpret them. Okay, so my arms point a little more forward and my fingers have stretched out a single limb terminating in a hoof, he thought. And things were shiny to boot. "You're... beautiful!" He said, standing up a little funny. Wow, overbalance, he landed forward on all fours with a loud clank, looking as uneasy on his limbs as Bambi on the ice. He shook his head... long neck, long... head? Oh yeah, like her. He felt the mane flap, and tried standing up. "It worked!" He exclaimed looking at her. "Haha, you really did it!"

His comment seemed to brighten her up even more. "Yes, years of daily intense grooming will do that." She teased. Something was coming up the road behind Angel, something white, bouncing up and down. He couldn't quite make out what it was. But as soon as he tried to focus on it, it was just... gone. Angel assumed a rather snobbish looking stance, and stuck her nose up. "Of course Angel did it. Was there ever any doubt?" The reference was lost on him. She seemed to realize this, and dropped the facade. "How are you feeling? Don't try to rush into it."

"I don't know? I haven't had a sudden change of what I was, before." Was he even the same? Could he translate human Norman from the Universe, into pony Norman of Equestria? He felt the hard floor beneath the hooves. Tried to wriggle fingers... nothing, no wait, the hoof seemed to flex subtly. He looked up and took a few deep breaths. "It's all a bit much all at once." His torso was horizontal, but he was standing up, on four legs. He lifted the legs in turn and looked around a little. He wondered about the white thing he had seen, but first things first.

They were in a park. Ponies of every color were running, walking, and flying everywhere. A few select unicorns were practicing magic on different objects. Every size and color were accounted for, and they all had... well, he'd assumed Angels cross on her flank had been a birthmark, but they all had one, and each one was different. Behind him, was a beautiful city, stretching up towards the sky. Assimilation was becoming easier once his mind settled, and his legs functioned more properly.

The spectacle was hard to take his eyes of. She could have rooted me here and it would all have been worth it. The sensation was peaceful. "The people here seem very happy." He remarked as he shook his rump a bit, he felt the tail respond. Check. "Get your camera ready. I'm taking my first step." He teased. How did she do it? Right arm... er foreleg first, then left hindleg...

Just to appease him, Angel summoned a camera out of nowhere. But before either of them could do anything, he was tackled from behind, and something was hugging him. Something large and white. "Hi!" Whatever it was had caused Angel to facehoof. "Oh Celestia, not her."

Needless to say, despite how sturdy standing on four hooves ought to be, he collapsed onto his belly, legs folded clumsily under him. At least the forelegs have arm like flexibility. He was about to reach behind, but he remembered that he now sported hard hooves, so he turned his head instead. Seeing what was on his back, both the white thing he had seen colliding with him, and… wing check.

There were no wings, so that was out. He was covered in soft blue fur, and Angel hadn't told him if he had a horn or not. Sitting behind him was the white object he'd seen a few moments ago. A pony with the same color scheme as Angel. White coat, yellow mane. "Surprise!" She giggled. "Get it?" He didn't. "Cause that's my name and I surprised you!" Oh God, was she ever bouncy. "I saw you coming up the road and I didn't know who you were and I know all the ponies here so that means you must be new!" Her words fired out of her like a machine gun. His head hurt again. "And since you're new, welcome to Canterlot, new pony!" She squeaked. Canterlot? Wasn't Angel supposd to take him to Evodia?

It hurt, he gritted his teeth... which had moved somewhat more forward, at least the front ones. Would this body never stop to give him surprises. His muzzle thankfully wasn't as long as the ponies in his world had been. "Hi there, Surprise. You... uh... surprised me." Alright, be a good example, Angel is here. He looked at her pleadingly, and cast her a 'Know her?' look. Well, time to try to get up, filly on my back or not. He tried gathering his legs up and stand up gracefully. At least as much grace as a newbie could muster. Then again, it didn't feel impossible. What would I have been if I been born here? I guess basic mobility was covered. Then again...

Angel looked annoyed. "Yes." She said flatly. "Surprise, isn't it Golden Harvests birthday today?" The white pony gasped in horror. "Ohmygoshitis!" She said. "I gotta go!" With that, she bolted down the road. Angel looked relieved. "Thank Celestia for that." She muttered, and leaned down offer an apologetic nuzzle. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright, headache returned but its bearable." He said standing up, brushing off some dirt on his left foreleg. "And hey, I'm standing, I was afraid I'd have to be taught to move from scratch." There wasn't much of a wobble. He stood firmly, just in a very strange position. "Is she your little sister?" The horn check could wait for later.

"Oh no, Surprise doesn't have any siblings. But she knows everypony, and everypony knows her." She said. "Looks like you just had your first encounter with the locals, I'm surprised it took her THAT long, honestly. But she should be off our backs for now. Just don't ever tell her when your birthday is. You'll never get rid of her." She warned. "Well... as Surprise said. Welcome to Canterlot...um... we still have to name you, don't we?"

He nodded "So... Surprise, Angel, Golden Harvest?" And she had said something about a Celestia. That was all the names he knew. "Somehow I don't think Norman would be a normal name here, but I don't really know what I should be called. Blue Migraine?" Nope, he instantly knew that wouldn't be a proper name. It would be like calling someone in his world "Bob Hrallroprillalar." Well, maybe not that bad, but something along that nature. "Tell you what, you got me here, you changed me, so, you name me." He trusted Angel, if anyone should name him it would be her.

Angel sat next to him, as patient as ever. "Well, tell me Norman, what are you good at, what are your favorite things to do?" She asked.

"Reading, definitely, and solving puzzles, riddles, figuring how things work. I love mystery novels." Always had and always would. "I haven't written much, but I've tried. I'm good at games I think, I like maths and chemistry, not so much physics. Biology." What was he really good at? He hadn't really thought about that. "I enjoy walks in the forest and light candle dinners." He joked, hoping it wouldn't go over her head. The cultural overlap varied greatly, sometimes they would be on exactly the same wavelength, and sometimes she would wonder what he meant by things like the internet. "I do like going for walks, its nice, mostly alone sometimes with friends, finding things no-one's seen before. I guess that's kinda why I really wanted to come with you."

She sat there for a good moment, although gave him an odd look at the bit about candle dinners. She wasn't sure if that was directed at her or not. "Hm... puzzles and math... you like unlocking things... Silver Key? It's vague, but it works." She offered.

"Silver Key..." It tasted a little odd, yet it seemed to go with what names were in this world, so he decided to go for it. "Alright, then that's my name, and if people ask where I'm from I say Manehattan." He rechecked the rules with her. Just to be sure they were on the same wavelength. "So... what happens now?" His stomach decided to answer that by growling, he'd only had the soda that morning. He blushed. Boy your belly really wriggles when it growls here in Equestria.

"Now? Now I treat you to dinner." She said kindly, and produced some strange form of currency he'd never seen before. Large gold coins from a pouch in a medical bag she summoned from thin air. "This will be an interesting experience for you. The cafe is right down the street, this way." She said cheerfully.

Rude Awakening

A cafe, huh? Wonder how that worked here. Did ponies drink coffee? He got up, and made a pact with his legs. If you guys behave nicely, I won't have to land on top of you. What she was doing was faster than walking, it was definitely trotting, bouncing on the hooves elegantly. He did his best to follow. Feeling the strength of his legs. It made him feel almost as if he was soaring across the ground. The look on his face was probably very goofy. Most people that experienced these joys he were experiencing now, they had all since forgotten them. If a baby could recognize his situation it would have sympathy.

There was something Angel was hiding. He wasn't sure what it was, or why, but she was definitely hiding something, presenting a puzzle for him to solve, or at the very least to get to the bottom of. Many other ponies were staring at him. Was there something in his mane? Did they... know? How would they know? She brought him to the cafe, and sat him down at an outside table.

He noticed the staring, once he was trotting confidently. Noticing how some of their heads turned, following him. At first he thought they had been looking at Angel who was the shining image of beauty, even in this world where everything looked colourful. No they were looking at him. Bald? No he could feel his mane. Was something hovering above him? Following Angel into the cafe he had tilted his head to see if something was hovering just above him. It was a new business maneuvering into a sitting position. He decided not to ask her what it was, he wanted to figure it out for himself.

They were sitting near the reflective surface of the cafe building. A large plate of assorted flowers had been placed in front of them, and Angel was already nibbling on one, seemingly expecting him to do the same. His reflection revealed the large horn on his head, but without proper training and tutorage, it was absolutely useless. As far as he could see, he looked as normal a stallion as any of the other ponies around. Angel sat on the ground, but there were chairs as well if he chose to use one.

He decided to park his rump on the grass in a fairly controlled maneuver. He was a bit self conscious about his motions, he probably looked odd to people. However presently he didn't mind that. He hadn't even sensed the horn, there wasn't much in the way of feel or weight, at least not that he'd noticed. Leaning his muzzle down to the flowers he sniffed them a bit, lifted one with his lips and began the process of emaciating and swallowing. He had expected something dreary.

Instead, he got sweet. Sweet, and slightly crunchy. It could be assumed that different flowers had different flavors, and these were absolutely delightful. Angel smirked at his caution, she seemed to be enjoying her time with him. "Enjoying yousel- oh! Oh, look!" She pointed a hoof upwards. "There's a storm scheduled for tonight, you can see the preparation team!"

"Pretty good, I once ate all the tulips in a garden when I was little." That's why he had been a bit apprehensive. The result had not been pleasant. It had made him very sick. "Thank you, do you eat these every day?" What did these people eat? Horse like things it seemed, only it there was preparation to things. Perhaps these flowers were served raw, but he noticed other ponies having things that, though it was hard to recognize, looked battered and deep-fried, or cooked, served buns... was that hay the lady a table away was eating?. At her mention he looked up to see the flight team. Weather control via flying ponies. He smiled. It felt right that things should happen like that, as crazy as it seemed.

It was his first real look at the pegasus race. They were criss-crossing across the blue sky, racing back and forth. Most were carrying dark grey clouds, and placing them in place as if putting together an enormous jigsaw puzzle. Each cloud seemed to have a designated spot, and each pegasus seemed to know exactly where that spot was. Angel commented cautiously. "I should note, that while I am on vacation this week, if an emergency comes up I will have to leave you temporarily. I apologize in advance, but sickness never goes on vacation." She warned, a bit regretfully.

He was a little worried by that, but he understood that she had a lot of things to do. "No, of course not. I'll find a room to sit in quietly if that happens." It was always hard for him to express what he felt. His excitement about seeing something that was probable a common day thing for the people -why does that word taste funny- here could probably be read from how he'd looked at them. However how did he explain to her how grateful he was? "If you think you can count on me, then I'm not worried. This place is strange... the good strange, but it seems familiar. I don't know how to put it."

She shook her head. "I will always keep my eye on you, Silver. If you ever get in trouble I will help you." She said gently. "As long as you are in Equestria, I will be with you until you're comfortable." She promised. "Who knows? Maybe I'll help you get your mark." She teased.

[DAY SIX]

It was Normans first night in Equestria, and Angel had bought him a night at the Canterlot Inn. He couldn't help catching a glance at Angels money pouch, and surprisingly noted she seemed to be VERY well off. He had stayed up attentively watching the sky, expecting the moon to be cast in some sort of magical glow when it appeared. But it rose as subtly as it did on Earth. If Angel hadn't told him it was controlled, he never would have guessed it. His dreams were odd, filled with flashes of light. He caught glimpses of a large dark blue alicorn, who told him something in a gentle, reassuring voice, but when he woke, he couldn't remember what it was. He had spent almost every moment in Equestria with Angel thus far, and she seemed to have taken quite an attachment to him. When he woke, he expected her to be sleeping in the second bed across the room from his, but she was gone, and it didn't appear to have been touched.

He rolled, legs gathered up funny below. Stretching your forelegs worked pretty much the same as with arms, the joints were a bit different, what had been hands were now the long sleek legs that terminated in a hoof. Pure blue smooth fur. Just the strange new way that light seemed to behave here was a wonder to study. Noticing Angel's absence he lifted off the covers, and rolled out of the bed onto his legs, shaking his head a bit. The day before had been filled with gentle introductions to various small things, opening doors for instance. The art of picking up stuff. And it was an art. Was there a bathroom in this in? Morning routine? Did you stink of sweat here too? He stuck his snout under his armpit and gave it a testing sniff.

There was no bathroom, which was confusing. He realized he hadn't had the urge to do anything bathroom related in almost 12 hours. Was that part of life not needed here? There WAS a showering room, which was basically just a shower in the wall with a drain below it. He was starting to smell slightly, so that cleared that right up. Angel had said he could use his mouth for most things unless she taught him magic, which she hadn't had a chance to do yet.

He didn't puzzle too much about the toilet situation. It would come up when it would come up. The knobs and tabs were all mouth friendly, he could use that, though he could also paw them into action with his hooves. There was some uncomfortable experimentation until he found the right settings for lukewarm water… how did you soap yourself? There was a brush, though new to him it was a fairly elaborate maneuver he applied some shampoo to it, picked up the brush with his teeth and started working it in. Puzzle solving from the morning, not bad. It was too much fun to be really frustrated by.

One thing that DID exist in both worlds was incredibly inconvenient timing. No sooner had he gotten in the shower and completely covered in soap, there was a pounding at the door of the room in which he was staying. It was not a patient, light knocking, more like an aggressive 'I'm respecting your authority by knocking but asserting my authority as a high ranking official by coming in anyway!' knocking.

Quickly! Do something. "One moment!" He pulled the tab for water and was doused in icy liquid. Shivering and teeth and clambering out he shook himself to get the worst heat off. No full body hair drier anyway. Clothes, where did I put my clothes?!! He stomped around for a moment until he realized they were unneeded and went over to the door, fumbling with the lock. "Hello, can I help you?"

He hadn't any clothes, they had disappeared upon his entering to Equestria. He found himself face to face with two stern looking Guards, clad in armor. With the glow of a horn, he found himself completely warm and dry. "Are you Silver Key?" The one on the left asked.

Angel had been consistently using that name ever since he came here. It still sounded a little funny. However whatever fun there was to be had in it, drowned by the fact that these two armor clad guards were staring him down. "Ye... yes... I'm Silver Key, visiting here from Manehatten." Manehatten? He still doubted that there really was a place called that here. I mean, there has got to be limit to how many similarities there can be.

The guard on the right nodded. "Search him." He asked, without really asking, as the one on the left pushed him to the floor. "And just what is your business here in Canterlot, Silver?" There was a tone indicating he was believed, but just barely.

"Huh?" He was frightened and got to the ground. Something was wrong. Silver doubted that this was something that Angel had planned. How did they even know about him? "Tourist, I'm visiting here to see the sights." It was true. Of course he couldn't say that he'd been transported here. Angel had been adamant on that.

"Out of my way!" A female voice barked. The two guards instantly stepped aside, as a large, stunningly pretty alicorn stepped in. She was adorned with gold jewelry. Her coat was dark blue, and her mane was a lighter blue with a white stripe through it. The guard on the left coughed. "On your hooves, Silver Key. Make way for Princess Novaria." Novaria glared at him. "What's wrong with you? I told you to question him, not rough him up. What do I pay you for?" She turned to him, her tone calm. "My apologies, sir."

Princess? Royalty? This was quite a morning. He was still shivering from fear and shock from what the guards had done. His felt like a melon being squeezed in a vice. However watching her walk in, a pony taller and more beautiful than anything he had seen he shivered. Awe, that was the word. He wasn't sure whether he should genuflect, but he did so any way as she came close.

The room was starting to get crowded. He barely had room to back up, and his head was starting to throb again. The guards backed off to the side. The princess approached him. "I apologize for all the inconvenience, but when you accompany royalty, you must surely expect some background checks. And wasn't I surprised, Silver Key, to find out that you... do not exist. No records, nothing." She looked concerned. "So I trust you will not lie to me. Who are you, and what do you want with my-" "MOTHER!" Angel appeared in the doorway, her horn carrying several bags of groceries. The bags dropped in shock, and something shattered. "Oh my gosh, mother. Seriously?! I told you to leave him alone!" Novaria didn't budge. "It's standard procedure, love. I-" "Standard procedure my flank! Leave him alone!"

For a moment Silver couldn't keep up with it. His head was murdering him. Angel, her mother, royalty. The implications were obvious, but they made his head spin, and at the moment it objected to that violently. He was still genuflecting, he had no idea what was proper here. Angel, a princess? She hadn't told him, hadn't asked him to do that. Perhaps she didn't want to. The other, he didn't know. He gathered himself up a little, feeling woozy. It was hard to concentrate. "Uhm, I'm confused.. your highness." Princess, huh? Come on mind, straighten yourself out for a little bit. "If I was under escort by another member of the royalty, how do you have the higher authority to overrule her?" The question revealed that he didn't live here of course. In principle she should already know that, and it would answer her question. Likely answer, this wasn't her jurisdiction and Angel didn't have any power here. That would be a traditional royal family. She wasn't the queen.. Angel had only explained a little about the politics of the town they were in. They didn't have a warrant either, did a princess power extend beyond a law? Perhaps they had no constitution of rights. "And come here? Can you just do that?" He didn't look at her defiantly. His head was killing him now, his legs were becoming unsteady.

Novaria frowned. "Canterlot is under Celestia and Luna's jurisdiction, but that does not mean I cannot protect my daughter as I see fit, especially when she's out galloping with strangers." Angel was livid. "This is EXACTLY why I gave all that up! Now leave us! You've done enough." The guards exchanged a look, and Novaria looked hurt. "....Very well. But we WILL discuss this later, Angel." She whisked through the doors, flanked by her guards. Angel, sweet, petite, always calm and collected Angel, snorted with rage and slammed the door with her horn, breathing heavily and glaring at the floor.

He had won. He didn't care. He fell onto his side, eyes shut. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts… He didn't know of anything around him. What was up or down, where he was or who he was. It hurts. The pain was there and had always been there, and all the rest of it was just a thin illusion. It hurt. Was he crying, yammering, everything around him felt thin and frail, soft and cushioned, as if his whole body was numb. It was... compared to the pain.

He was vaguely aware of the alicorn rushing to his side, even less vaguely aware that he'd collapsed. Her horn touched his, usually reserved for intimate encounters, but there were always exceptions. She had tears flowing from her eyes, but said nothing regarding them. The pain receded, as it always had, and Angel just lay next to him, for once her composure was shattered.

Magic Lessons

Nothing is sweeter than the absence of pain. Normal people have no idea what they have. People without constant agony. He breathed easy, and just lay there, coming back to himself. Of course the world was real, he remembered that now. "Sorry... huff... for the... dramatic display. So... that's your mother?" He bravely smiled. Oh don't cry like that, Angel. Don't be sad. The whole world ought to hang its head in shame for putting even the tiniest little tear on your face. Heh, Here it probably might somewhere, he thought. Somehow that cheered him up.

Angel quickly composed herself, as she'd long ago been taught to. Was that why she hardly ever became upset, ever showed emotion? Appearances? Angel offered a weak smile, raising to a sitting position. "My mother and I don't get along... not like we used to. She wants one thing, I want another."

"I'll probably be a master of this when its time to go home. Just like skiing... do you have that?" Sitting he took a deep breath as the last of the adrenaline left him. Angel had not informed him, so that meant she had expected this not to occur. Her mother had found out about a new pony spotted walking with her daughter. Angel had intervened, thought the matter was closed and gone shopping. He looked over at the spilled groceries. Looking back to her "Is it something you want to talk about?"

At the very least he now knew why she didn't want to go to Evodia. She turned and floated the groceries over to the table, beginning to unpack them. He had a feeling they'd be staying at the Inn for a while, Celestia knew she could afford it. Her ears pinned back, and she sounded sad. "Aww..." She pulled out a broken, shattered vase, which held an assortment of flowers. He had a heart melting feeling that they were meant for him. "Maybe you'll get your cutie mark in diplomatic intervention," she teased.

Angel had toiled over him from the first moment he'd met her, and she seemed to enjoy doing it. She was immenseful fun to have around, not to mention it kept his brain from imploding. She looked stunned. "You don't know about... oh gosh, of course you don't!" She turned, showing off the red cross on her flank, similar marks had been on every pony he'd met. "Cutie marks are earned for discovering your special talent, it's a rite of passage. Almost everypony gets them at a rather young age." She explained. Except him. Well that explained why everyone had been staring at him. "It's usually directly related to what your talent is."

He checked his flanks, she was right. Now that he thought back he had noticed little things like that. Some feathers on one, a pot with a stirring spoon on another. "You just get one? Or is it applied to you?" A common tattoo parlour? That seemed a bit far fetched, unless tattooing here didn't hurt. Somehow that didn't seem right. "When did you get yours?" It was a very interesting notion. He wondered what his 'cutie mark' could be.

She smiled a bit at that. "You just get one, it appears as part of you when the time is right." She said. "When I dropped out of Princess training and applied for medical school, I had no idea what I was doing, other than I knew I wasn't cut out for royalty. When I saved my first patient and she thanked me, I felt pride like I'd never felt before. There was a lot of excited whispering, and it was just there." She said proudly.

"Just/.. there?" It sounded almost too cool to be true. This world certainly had some fun surprises. The people... ponies, here didn't get to wonder for their whole life whether they had found what they can do best. He made himself a promise that he'd try to discover whatever it was that he was good at here. If he couldn't bring anything else home, he might be able to bring that with him.

Angel stepped closer, and began to nuzzle him, gently rubbing her nose against his neck. She smelled nice, although that wasn't surprising. "As long as you're in Equestria, no matter what, I'll help you however I can." She promised.

He'd never been nuzzled before, it was a strictly equine thing. It wasn't necessarily a loving gesture, but one of intense trust and affection. It filled him with a strange warmth and calm, a feeling that anyone would want to experience as many times as possible. She pulled in a little bit closer, just sitting right next to him, her head on his shoulder. "You'll find your mark, Silver. I know you will."

"I still haven't found a way to thank you, there's so much you keep showing me." His heart fluttered warmly deep inside his large chest. The novelty of it caught him so off guard that he had no choice but to savour it. He had never really felt like this before around anyone. He realized that even above finding his cutie mark, he'd find a way of showing how much all of this meant to him. What that was he couldn't say yet, but he'd try his best. It was all anyone anywhere could do.

Outside, it was raining, just as Angel had promised. It'd been raining all night. They'd stayed and watched the pegsasi do their thing, and headed inside when the first drops of rain fell. This was shortly before Novara had intervened. In apology for her mothers intrustion, Angel had invited him to see a movie with her, a Western Comedy called Blazing Saddles. It was entirely done by ponies, and he was only just beginning to fully realize that this was an entire civilization, an entire culture, very real, and very different from his. Towards the end of the film, she had looked over at him, and cast him a reassuring smile. He knew she wouldn't let anything happen to him. Not here.

Very different yet strangely familiar. He was trying to soak it all in. No industrial revolution seemed to have taken place, there many small independent enterprises, and not so much mass production. They had the ability to do it, but for some reason it wasn't catching on. It made things a bit expensive, though he hadn't gotten a feel for how much five bits really was. He relied on Angel to navigate, but he wasn't stumbling anymore. Though sitting in a seat was a new strange experience, from the way this body worked. Somehow the upright position worked just fine. "Not a bad western." Just different, similar style. Spaghetti western, but with earth ponies. A fair unicorn maiden, lost gold, showdowns. Bar fights where bucking substituted for fist punches half the times. Ever since Angel had revealed that she was a princess he had felt a little awkward being in the presence of royalty... but you couldn't see it unless you noticed her wings. Leaving the theater he had to ask her. "Are they just for show, or can you fly?"

She looked amused by his question. "Of course I can fly." She assured him. "I just... well, I don't like to fly all that much. It's very impersonal, I like to stay on the ground where I can talk with everyone. Trying to talk to friends while flying is very rude." She said cautiously. She had left his side only a few times since coming here, but was never gone more than a few hours. She enjoyed her role as a nurse, and she was damn good at it.

"I think I've put two and two together that only royal ponies have them." Based on seeing her with them, her mother, and finding out about Celestia and Luna. Newspapers had talked about a coronation event for another princess, and he had noticed wings and a horn on her as well. It made sense in a way that the ruling cast could represent both unicorns and pegasi. Though when he thought about it "The earth ponies, are different too aren't they? Are you like them too... strong?"

She led him towards a small building, behind which was a lovely field. It was full of plants, flowers, and all sorts of things. She placed down a few bits to an earth pony by the door. "Two please." She said, and the earth pony waved them in. "Come, Silver. I'll answer your questions in here."

He wondered what she had just bought two of. The field was beautiful. He had to admit that things seemed to lack detail. It was like living in an oil painting, or something like a cartoon, though with more consistent lines. Somehow the lack of detail seemed to enhance the appearance of things, simplified but didn't steal from the essential. Was that an artist side of him speaking? No, finding his cutie mark wouldn't be that easy. He walked with her, watching her graceful movements.

As they walked through the door into the back field, he noticed two things. The first was that the field was fenced in. The second was that there were several other ponies all milling around, keeping to themselves. Angel smiled playfully. "Welcome to Canterlot's only outdoor restaurant." She said with amusement. "Take your pick, everything's edible." She winked at him, and resumed answering his question. "The earth ponies are known for their strength, the pegasi for flight, the unicorns for magic. I'm best at magic, the other two are more... diluted." She admitted. "Pegasi could fly circles around me, and I wouldn't stand a chance against an earth pony in a hoof wrestling match."

He nodded, and sampled the edibles on the ground. Plants of all kinds, herbs he thought he knew. Grass, just regular grass. It tasted like regular grass, though he had an easier time chewing than he used to. Didn't know what to make of the taste, so he continued with occasional samplings. "Who's the queen?" It was a fairly innocent question. He'd often wondered about it. Though of course he often wondered about a lot of things. At the moment he was trying to make those wonderings about Angel and focus about her. Though there was enough things here in this world that it could make his mind wander.

Angels face fell. "There is only one queen, but she hasn't been seen since an attack on Canterlot last year. We don't talk about her. There are just a small number of Princesses. My mother, for Evodia. Celestia and Luna, for Canterlot. Cadence, for the Crystal Empire. I've never met any of the others." She admitted. "Would you like me to try and teach you some magic?" She asked.

He nodded, he'd love that. "I've tried to feel it out, but I don't have any sense of it, not much is happening" How did eldritch powers work? Another puzzle. Magic. It was just natural here, but no less magical. In-explicit powers of the world.

Angel began to nudge him with her hoof and nose, little modifications. "Posture is important. Front legs apart, back legs together. Back straight, head up. Good, there you go." She said kindly. "Now, relax your mind, try and let go of your thoughts, and only focus on one thing." She looked around, bringing over a small rock. "Focus on this."

Easier said than done of course. Puzzle solving required a particular kind of mind, both concentration, but also the ability to stop trying to solve a puzzle in a particular way and change it around. Focusing on an object which wasn't an abstract problem was similar enough. However that's what he attempted. Focusing on the rock, trying to forget the utterly distracting world around him. Which could only be compared to finding a still center, while in a screaming kindergarten. Back to the rock, focus.

"Now, if you think you have a handle on your target, tell it what you want it to do. Send a mental assault of commands at it. Magic is usually a bit more complicated, but levitation is something that foals can do. It shouldn't give you any problems. Just command the rock to lift." She sat next to him, her tail brushed against his. "Rock, lift."

He lost his focus and smirked. "Making it more challenging?" That wasn't something he minded. The rock. Almost everyone in his world had done this at one point. Looked at something and just tried to will it to do something. That was impossible of course. Your thoughts were contained in your head, they didn't extend and they had no influence beyond your mind, and by extension your body. Everything he had learned told him that the only way to make the rock rise was to walk over and lift up with his hands. However, he had no hands here, he had hooves. Things were different, and perhaps he could persuade his intuition that this was true. Rock, rise.

He expected a good deal of trouble, but Angel had not been lying. Levitation was something even the most basic of foals could perform, and it took only a minute or so before his horn sparked to life. A heavy warmth shot through him, as if he'd just stepped into a sauna. Astonishingly, the rock wobbled, and seemingly reluctantly lifted off the ground. It was nowhere near as impressive as Angels healing power, but it was magic.

Childhood joy. The simplest thing in the world, and there it was. A rock, levitating and moving, at his will. Careful now, don't over extend it, just bring it over nice and slowly. He couldn't contain it and guffawed. "Amazing!" If ponies looked at his astonishment he didn't care, he looked to Angel. "I've always wanted to do that!"

As soon as his surprise broke his concentration, the rock fell to the ground. His focus was lost, but it didn't matter. He had performed magic. "Always?" She seemed confused. "But you've only been a pony for a few days." She asked curiously.

"We can't do that in our world." He said, not quite sure what she was getting at. "I've always wanted to do something like that. Levitating things, lightning from my finger tips.." He had forgotten and raised a hoof, looking at it. "Hehe, we have stories with people who could do magic. Lightning shoots from the fingers, or from wooden staffs... I guess here its all in the horn?"

"Magic is channeled through the horn, yes. If your horn was to break, you'd lose the ability." She said. "I'm really proud of you, Silver." She said, and nuzzled his cheek warmly.

He returned the gesture, feeling all manners of clumsy and inept. And he still hadn't found a way to express the gratitude for Angel who had been living up to her name the whole time. Giving and never expecting anything. Perhaps that's just the kind of pony you are, Angel, perhaps you just like giving yourself all the time. That's not all there is to you though. There's so much you don't tell me. A puzzle to be solved? No clues, just a mystery. Spittle between her and her mother wasn't the only thing she was hiding. If she was hiding it, she had reasons. Though she was very friendly towards, he was probably not one she could confide everything to. Why had she befriended him? A human from another world, and gone to great lengths in getting him.. here? Just a good kind gesture? Just for fun? Somehow he didn't buy that entire. You help so many ponies here, is it that hard for you to tell them what you feel? Is that why you brought be me here? Headache again, thankfully never rising above a painful level, as long as she was around.

She had not lied to him before, kept things from him yes, but never lied. He could likely ask her anything, and she would tell him. The thought occurred to him that eventually she would take him home, and she would leave again, leaving him alone and in constant pain. Her focus on him had temporarily left, as she was concentrated now on eating a large patch of clovers growing beneath her hooves.

Missing Screws

Silver wasn't ready to ask her why she had done this. Maybe before he went home, if he hadn't figured it out by then. For all he knew this was the only time he'd be here, likely. What she had said seemed to indicate that the spell had been hard to do, and her mother had been none to happy about it. He hoped this wasn't what was going to happen, though even this one visit was more than he could have ever hoped for. "How many worlds have you visited?"

Angel paused, and thought about it for a moment. "Many, many cities, but worlds outside of Equestria? Only yours. What was it... Earth? I've only been there a few times, for patients who would have died otherwise. I don't use realm travel unless someone's life is on the line. Until you, that is. You were more of a... project."

"Would I have died?" The thought stunned him for a moment.

She shook her head. "No, no, no! It's just that... all my other patients were so out of it, I couldn't talk to them. I knew nothing about the world I was visiting, and had no way to get answers. You... you were intelligent and coherent. I jumped at the chance to learn about where you came from. Is that bad?"

He shook his head. Well the cat was out of the bag then, and his guesses hadn't been that far off. Her saving him from death, that would have come between them. That wasn't something he wanted. Did they really think he was smart? Yes he got good grades where in school, he liked mystery novels. A pony, with great healing knowledge considered him, a sixteen year old, smart and coherent. It made him feel a little embarrassed. He wondered how he looked to her, a fairly quiet person/pony who offered occasional sentences and showed utter fascination with everything. "No, its not, I'm glad I got to know you Angel."

"Just... be careful when you visit Earth. People there can be really bad." They did have wars here. And they had catastrophes, serfdom, tyrants, magical disasters. However, they didn't have genocide. They had death, but it was different. They didn't have serial killers or rapists. It was hard to put into words, even bad people seemed silly in some way in this world. He wondered if Angel even knew what he was talking about, sometimes she seemed naive about his world. "Not as powerful as... Discord? but worse, more evil, cruel. They wouldn't pity you, Angel, and they could... really hurt you." The thought of her... not captured and imprisoned, but beaten up, cut up or worse... it was too much.

The alicorn sat next to him, something on her mind, but a thought she hadn't voiced. Not until now, anyway. She knew who Discord was, but had not been around for his shenanigans. Angel didn't know about all the bad things on Earth, everything here was unbelievably peaceful. "These bad people... why are they bad? Would they hurt you?" She asked, then added, in a low, hopeful, timid voice. "You don't have to go back... if you don't want to."

How did you explain how all humans could be capable of unbelievable cruelty? He wondered if the knowledge itself would hurt her. They had soldiers, and rarely, they had war with the things that this implied. But would they understand that bullies, mere children, could beat you up? "I don't know if you'll understand, its not something you have in your world". Changelings that drained emotions out of the victims didn't kill them, just made them miserable. The Crystal Empire hidden away in shadows for a thousand years, but the citizens, though demure and despairing hadn't been harmed completely. How would he explain Auschwitz to her. He felt like shrinking away, like he didn't belong here afterall. "Angel… if this gets too much, promise me you'll tell me to stop talking." He wouldn't tell her until she swore on her best honour to do so, and he'd watch her. He wasn't even sure he should, she didn't deserve to know that something as cruel as that existed. His doubts were showing.

She hesitated. "I'm not sure I want to know." She admitted. "If you want to go back, I promise, I will not keep you here, all you have to do is ask. But likewise, if you want to stay, I'll make sure you have everything you could ever need, and I'll help you with everything." She promised. She shook her head. "I... I don't want to talk about this anymore. I don't like it." She said, and began heading for the door to the field.

He felt like a worm. This world was an apple, and he'd chewed a greasy line through it. The ponies here had problems, and they had issues too, they weren't perfect. Crimes took place here as well. And in wars people died. However no matter how bad they were, they were nothing compared to humans. "Angel, do you mind if I spend some time on my own. I need to think.. and.. I'm sorry, Angel." She had probably gotten the idea. Silver didn't know whether she could understand an evil like that even if he had explained it to her, but she'd gotten the idea. Maybe that would protect her. He hoped so.

At his request, she looked confused. "Of course you can." She said gently. "You are not bound to me, you're free to explore all you want. If you need questions answered or become lost, just use your telepathy to contact me. And Silver..." She approached him, and gave that gentle nuzzle again, the one that reassured him everything would be alright. "Be careful." She teleported away, presumably to business, leaving him with only a small bag of bits in case he needed to buy something.

He had some bits. It wasn't that he didn't want Angel's company, he wanted that very much, but he worked most efficiently on a problem when he had some solitude. Finding a way of showing gratitude to Angel was the most important project, but he had no leads to that yet, so he wanted instead to focus on finding his cutie mark. Whatever that was. He hadn't changed too much going here, not that he noticed, his talents seemed the same. So whatever talent he really had, was probably what his cutie mark was. Puzzle solving was his first bet? He asked around for a puzzle shop.

Angel was very kind, and was more than willing to do whatever he asked, even if that meant parting company. She was a wonderful companion, but even she could not do everything, and from what he understood, she could not help him get his cutie mark. The ponies he asked were all immensely friendly, and gladly pointed him in the direction of a small shop in Canterlot with an enormous question mark over the door.

More of a games shop by appearance it seemed. Time to test something and there were two possible lines he wanted to check. The first was simple puzzle solving, if not, then building puzzles. He knew of a lot of easily built puzzles. With only hoofs he'd have the added added difficulty of having to do this by magic alone. Not an unwelcome challenge. "I'd like your ten hardest puzzles please." He asked to the shopowner the moment he stepped in the door.

The shopowner, he found, was a pink mare with an affinity for sitting on her head. He found her upside down, and immediately got the feeling that this one did not have all her marbles. She flipped over, and gave him an unsettling grin. "Ooooh, someone's looking for a challenge, it seems." Her eye twitched slightly. "This way!" She leaped off the counter and bolted down an aisle.

Well that was a non sequitor from the beginning. Some ponies exceeded humans in eccentricity. Or perhaps the laws of physics just let that excentricity be more perfectly expressed here. At any rate he followed along with her, hopefully she wasn't sending him on a very expensive puzzle hunt.

She wasn't. Or if she was, it was a terrible puzzle. She began pushing puzzles into his hooves. He found, if he stood on his back legs, he could walk and carry things for very short distances. It was not unheard of here, but it wasn't very efficient. She was giggling. "You're gonna need this one... and this one... and this one!"

"No more than ten." If they were hard, then he'd solve no more than a few of them over the next hours, if they were easy he needed no more than ten to know that. Besides there were no reason to expend too much money. He smirked when he had loaded it up. Walking on his hind legs was especially awkward since parts of him wanted it to work like his human legs. "How many bits?" He hoped it wouldn't be a small fortune.

"Ten puzzles, ten bits." The pony said calmly. Wow, that was cheap. There didn't seem to be any tax here, another plus for this world. Nothing was overpriced, everything so far had been unbelievably reasonable. "You're never gonna solve all those." She made a sudden whinnying sound, for no apparent reason other than she could.

Ten bits wasn't unreasonable. His intuition for how much things cost was off. There were gem stones for certain prices, and he hadn't quite absorbed all that Angel had told him about that. He found the nearest table and went to work, they seemed to be mostly mechanical puzzles, something had to be removed, unscrewed, aligned correctly. Familiar, yet the laws of physics were a little different. Were some of them magical, and required unlocking some hidden arcane power? He went to work carefully. Working first with his hooves and eventually, though more frustratingly, by his horn.

The shopkeeper waved to him, still giving off that unsettling grin. "Good luck, young stallion! And if you get more than three of them, I'll give you another puzzle free! If your friends ask, tell them Screwball sent you!" She said, and went back to sitting on her head. His horn sparked now and again, but it was difficult to get it to work. With a bit of effort, he gradually began to get the pieces to slide on their own. Most of them were just regular logic puzzles, but two were convincingly magic related.

Familiar, a slide puzzle, boring. Aligning the symbols. They were magical so he didn't really have much of an idea in how they should align. Elementary unicorn magical symbols. Angel had shown him them, and he'd memorized some. Wasn't that hard. Just a bigger alphabet. Hiragana and Katagana of Japanese were more than sixty symbols each, and they used both. Wasn't too difficult to solve, if only because he'd seen a similar one. Interlocking rings presented a special challenge because of the lack of fine thaumaturgical motor-skills that he possessed. No Rubiks cube. The magic ones gave him nothing, he wasn't sure how to proceed at all. One was a simple glass sphere, with something that seemed to glitter inside of it. He went about seeing how many of them he could solve.

Out of the ten, within an hour, he managed to solve six. True to her word, Screwball brought over two more puzzles, one of which was magical, the other of which was not, which was fairly easily solved. He had two piles now, a large one off to the side, and three magical puzzles in front of him which seemed all but impossible. Worst of all was one with magic symbols on it, which was nothing more than a box. And despite his hardest effort, it would not open.

He checked his flank just to be sure. There wasn't the feeling of accomplishment and finality. It was just a quick test after all. He expected to find nothing. He also needed to cool off, and get his mind on other things than what he'd wanted to warn Angel of.

His flank was as bare as ever. And he didn't feel any closer. to getting a mark. Angel was a native of Evodia, a pony blissfully naive to the cruelty of the world. War, murder, guns, genocide. Those things just... didn't belong here.

Everyone's Favorite

Stay here? No, he couldn't. First of all, as much as his father was cold and his brother was distant they were still family. Secondly, he didn't want to infect this world inadvertently. He worried that just indirectly he'd have that effect. That those horrors would seep out of him, and then these ponies would know real horror. floating the unsolved puzzles into his saddle bag, and handing the solved ones back to the shop owner he left. He considered building puzzles, but he wasn't sure that this was his talent. He knew of puzzles, but was that really what his talent was?

Angel would be sad if he left, but she wouldn't protest it. She had done everything for him thus far, and hadn't asked a single thing in return. She'd shown him wonders not even his dreams could have come up with. His talent was likely something to do with unlocking something, or solving something, but as to what, he hadn't the faintest idea. In his thoughts, he'd become distracted, and as he turned a corner, he collided right into another pony.

He shook himself, hoping he hadn't poked something out with his horn. Thankfully it they collided chest against chest, sending him onto his flanks in the dust. Shaking himself off he told himself not to be so distracted the next time. And thankfully, this collision made him stop morbidly obsessing over his inheritance

.The grey mare he'd run into apologized profusely. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry! I was just on my way to the coffee shop for the new cranberry apple muffins they have and wasn't watching...and... I'm sorry!" She looked up at him and-GAH! What was WRONG with her eyes? "Are you okay?"

It was hard to tell whether this was cruel, or good, whether she was just eccentric or… "Hello." Seemed about as good a time as any to strike up a random conversation. He had been thinking about something awful and he didn't feel like resuming a bad inner conversation. "The name's Silver." Still didn't come off as smoothly. About all that he could say was that after a full day of hearing all sorts of names from Licorice to Gem and Hiccup, it didn't sound as uncommon. "We all bump into people sometimes."

The mare was... dare I say it... bubbly. "Nice to meet you Silver! I'm Der-" "NO!" There was a blur of pink from out of nowhere, who tackled the grey mare to the ground and stuffed a cupcake in her mouth. The pink mare sat up, panting heavily. "You can't say that! Then the author is gonna have to spend a whole lot of time editing out your dialogue and we don't have time for that!" Silver had no idea who this was or what she was going on about. This place was starting to get very strange.

He didn't know her name, but he'd seen her. "Hey, I know you.. or I know of you. Saw the papers today." Though it was a several days old newspaper. He'd only really noticed it because he was looking at the differences between the ponies. Five friends at the coronation of the princess. Its what he'd wanted to ask Angel about. However the outrageously (even for this world) curly hair and bright pink was fairly recognizable.

The pink pony beamed. "Oh! That's so nice! And I know you too, Silver Key!" Wait, how did- "You totally have to invite me to your birthday in 173 days! It'll be the best day EVER!" She squealed. His headache was coming back. "I don't normally like newspapers, they make me look fat." With that remark, she suddenly inflated like a balloon until she was almost perfectly round, then deflated with a loud hissing noise.

He tried to at least bite the head ache down. It was something he'd have to face. Though the excited attitude of the pony didn't help it. She knew his name? Where from? Official statement from the queen? Private memo to her friend, who'd told her. He'd been here a few days; Hotly contested topics between the few princesses? Hmm, unlikely; Not clear what Novaria inferred about him, but she seemed to react more to him being in proximity to her daughter and not being on Novaria's approval list than suspicion of being a visitor. "Congratulations on your friends… birthday?" He tried to count up the days, when was his birthday again. The headache was making it painful to think.

"Thanks! We're all real happy for her! Oh! I gotta go!" She dove into a nearby mailbox, and the lid slammed shut. When the cross-eyed pegasus went to open it, there was nothing but a few letters. "...That's Pinkie for you."

Another pang, it was a bad one, not one of two moments he'd had where everything seemed to disappear. He'd almost forgotten the reality of the pain. The non sequitors of the pink pony was lost on him, this world could do anything it seemed. Though he suspected, from the way the grey pony reacted that it was a rarity. Slow breaths. He had no idea what helped to calm the pains, other than Angel and the painkillers he couldn't bring. He tried not to whimper. Don't let it be another one of those attacks. Two hours without Angel… no, he refused it couldn't be like that. He wouldn't be a cripple he couldn't navigate without her help, that wasn't fair to her. "Uhm... De... whatever your name is, I need help to find back to my hotel. I'm a little sick." Despite his good memory he had a hard time remembering the library.

Angel would likely have been glad to help him, but even if he HAD stayed here with her, what if she got called out on an emergency for a day or more? He couldn't rely on her every time the crippling pain returned. She had mentioned that every unicorn had a special magical talent. Hers was a specialty in healing. What if he couldn't heal himself, even with magic training? What if his specialty turned out to be navigation, or cosmetology? The mare nodded. "Oh no, that's not good! Come on, this way!" She rushed out into the street, almost getting run over by a carriage pulled by a pair of enormous stallions. "Out of the way!" One of the stallions scolded. She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry!"

He tried to distract himself be watching the spectacle and observe all the details, trying to put the lives of these ponies together. Tried to understand their world through the little glimmers he was shown. Engaged himself in that, saw one pony tried to find out her story. It eased his pain a little, lifted him, healed him. Something good to do. Who was in the carriage? He'd learn as much as he could here in the days left. It was a good world. The pain in his ebbed and flowed. It felt like two icebergs grinding against each other. Follow the grey pony Silver, you can do that. She seemed to know the way.

The pegasus had taken him almost a quarter mile before she seemed to realize that she had no idea where she was going. She turned back to him, grinning. "Ummm... which hotel are you staying at again?"

He didn't know. He honestly didn't know. Where had she taken him? The pain made him annoyed, and he feared getting aggressive. He wouldn't do that, couldn't. Easy off Silver, she been helpful. He looked around trying to see where his surroundings were. The pain wasn't incapacitating. He hoped internally it wasn't another attack like that again. Fear started burning. He didn't want to suddenly call Angel, she could be occupied with saving a life. In his or her world. "L-listen, I'm sick. Its hurting so much, I need some... doctor... to..." Every word started hurting, every sound. No... no please. No... no. Tears streamed, as his legs started quivering. Not now, not again.

"Are you okay, mister? Mister? Mis-" Her voice was distant and distorted, and he wasn't sure what happened after that. His eyes snapped open, finding himself lying in his bed at the hotel room, a cold compress on his head. This room was empty, at least it appeared empty.

Out of the Frying Pan...

It hurt, but not as badly. He felt helpless, even with someone leading the way he couldn't reach a safe spot. Looking up at the ceiling. Familiar, comfortable. The memory of the pain attack was as real as anything. Could so much pain really exist in this world. "A-Angel?" He asked, looking around, how had he gotten there?

Angel emerged from the bathroom. Her cheeks were wet. Although she'd tried to hide it, even through her soft fur, he could tell she'd been crying. "I'm here, Norman." She said gently.

He noticed how much she cried in proximity to his pain. "What happened?… are you crying again?" He asked the former simply to know how the transition had occurred, the latter because he didn't want to see her crying, because this was the second time something that'd happened to him was making her cry. "Hey now… I don't want you to be sad." Did she feel his pain. No... it wasn't like that, maybe it was just fantastic empathy.

"Ditzy said you were fine, and then you just... collapsed." She explained. She came up to his bedside, and her eyes teared up again. "I tried so hard, Silver. I tried to make your pain go away. I want it to go away... but I can't... I did my best and my best wasn't good enough. I'm sorry."

"Hey come over here Angel, you can't do more than you've already done. I don't like hurting so much, but I don't hurt when you're here." He didn't even want to think about it, he thought he'd be less scared with every pain attack, but he feared it more than ever. However it was Angel he cared about. He reached out and put a hoof on her shoulder. Please don't come back our world when I leave. I don't want to know that you'll cry about this, because there's probably even worse things. I don't want to see you when you understand what happened to the woman in wing 4 who got pregnant but is an emotional wreck. I don't want you to see your first sight of a brutalized murder. And I don't want to see you a victim of some brutality like that, because you rushed in and tried be a hero in a world where heroics acts aren't always something that ends well. He hugged her and put his muzzle against her chest.

She pulled him close, and her soft feathered wings wrapped around him. "I only hurt when I see others hurting." She assured him. "I can handle harsh words, insults, they mean nothing to me. But when my friends hurt, I hurt." She said. For a long time, there was silence, and the two just nuzzled each other until they fell asleep.

[DAY SEVEN]

Silver would be returning home soon. The thought was a conflicting one. Did he stay here, with Angel, for the sake of not wanting to feel pain like he did when he was separated from her for more than a few hours, and leave everything behind? Or did he return home and live what would seemingly be a life of discomfort, leaving this world behind? Each decision had pros and cons. Angel was laying outside on the Inn balcony, the warm summer wind rustling through her mane. She seemed to have heavy thoughts on her mind as well.

Silver had decided to enjoy as much of the time remaining as he could. However there were a few things he wanted to ensure. Protecting Angel from his world was paramount. He did not want her to get hurt, even inadvertently. The pain was in the background, like an inescapable annoying noise you couldn't escape, but it wasn't incapacitating, and with any luck he'd be able to last for a few hours without it crippling him. He knew he couldn't perform any spells that would ensure Angel's stay in this world. There was only one pony he knew of with anything resembling that kind of authority and power. Her mother, Novaria. Failing that he could write letters to the other princesses of course, but he didn't want to risk them not reading it, or reading his letters and not taking it seriously. Packing nothing but his saddlebag she'd gotten him, he stepped silently out of the apartment. Time to seek an audience with Novaria, considering her massive distrust of him, getting her to listen to him for a few minutes might not be that hard. She had practically barged in the first time, just on the suspicion that her daughter was in danger.

There was only one problem, this was Canterlot. How the buck was he supposed to get to an entirely different province, the one Angel called Evodia? He had seen little method of transportation here, although he and Angel had passed train tracks at one point, presumably indicating a train ran through the city at scheduled intervals. Could be possibly speak to her with telepathy, as Angel did?

How long a ride was it to Evodia? Probably an all day affair. Could you rent teleportation services? He hadn't seen that many ponies actually capable of teleporting themselves let alone someone else. It was probably possible for certain high level unicorns, and of course the alicorns. Then he had a second idea. Why was he assuming that Novaria wasn't keeping some sort of eye on him right now? Guards left to watch him? She hadn't promised to her daughter that she wouldn't. Was there anyone in the background that had been following him? He tried casually looking around.

If he was being followed, the follower was doing a very good job. He saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. But it was a good bet Novaria was watching him. She loved her daughter, and wasn't about to let her go galloping around with a strange stallion without full background checks. And those background checks would reveal that he did not technically exist.

Invisible unicorns? Or just really casual people? Would he even have been able to tell that he was followed in his own world. No need to wonder about things you could test. He still had a quite a few bits, so he rushed to a shop, bought a big white sign and ran up to the nearest available rooftop that he could up on. Scribbling with hooves was difficult, and his horn penmanship was terrible. He had to flip it around and try writing again. "NOVARIA - WANT TO TALK - DAUGHTER IN DANGER" He held it between his hooves and pointed it towards the sky. Isn't that the vantage point of magic crystal balls, and such would have? It was a shot in the dark. If that didn't work, he'd see if he couldn't find another way to get to her residence quickly… or see if she was still in town by any chance.

Nothing seemed to happen. Increasingly frustrated, he was sure that would have worked. Upon turning around, however, he found himself nose to nose with Novaria, her silence almost giving him a heart attack. "Now, Silver, you and I know perfectly well that Angel is in no danger. And it's rather unkind of you to try and convince me otherwise." There were no guards in sight, just the two of them on the roof.

He was shocked that it had worked, hadn't expected it to, he just wanted to try it rather than wonder about it. Putting the sign down, and getting back to four hooves he genuflected, and stood up again. "Yes she is. She doesn't think she is, because she doesn't know that my world is very dangerous. She's visited a hospital, one where I happened to lie in.. but she hasn't seen much beyond that. Do you have a truth sayer spell, I want you to be sure that I'm not making it up" It hurt, what he was doing now, and it made him feel sleazy for doing it behind Angel's back. However he wasn't sure how to protect her from his world otherwise.

Novaria was kind, yet sounded concerned. She sat, her posture perfectly straight, holding eye contact with him. "If something bothers you, tell me. I cannot help you if you do not talk." She said simply. "What immediate danger is she in? She has denied my offers of royalty, and seems content in her path."

"If she keeps visiting my world, its not a matter of if she'll get hurt. Its a matter of when." He tried to explain to Novaria, being as general as he could how a killer where he lived differed from theirs. That serial killers existed. He wouldn't explain what a rapist was. More than anything he was afraid of that kind of evil coming here. He took a deeper breath and explained Auschwitz to her. As it was, just as it was. No glory, no hope, just seemingly endless death. "Its.. not always that bad. Its relatively peaceful right now, but... I don't think our world works like yours. If you stand up to evil there, I don't think you'll ultimately overcome it even if you stay true."

Novaria looked stunned. She was quiet for a long time. She seemed worried that he had brought this cruelty to Canterlot with him. "Why?" She asked, her voice cracking. "What purpose does that accomplish?"

He looked down in shame. "I don't know. I don't think our world is hopeless, your majesty, its just full of evil. Perhaps something went wrong a long time ago. There's no magic there. No elements of harmony. We may have destinies like yours, but they're not obvious, mostly people never discover what they really are or can be. We still fight the good fight." He had some pride left in him after all. "And I'm really, really glad to see a world like yours. I won't be doing anything, many people aren't bad. But some are, and if Angel gets there... sees someone victimized like that, rushes in... I don't think she'll understand what they're capable of."

She looked at the ground for a long time, her eyes cold. "You should go." She said finally. "Our ways are peaceful, and aside from the occasional villain, we have nothing like what you speak here. And I am not about to see that change because you poked your nose where it didn't belong. I want you to take your things, and get Angel to send you back." She said sternly. "Or I will do it for her. And do not ever speak of this again, especially not to her."

He nodded, part of him considered it better to just leave now. Right here. It would hurt Angel, and she would be mad at him, and she would be safe. However he was also selfish, he wanted to be here, wanted to see it. This time he bowed, as deep as he could go. "Please... let me stay the rest of the week. I don't want this world to be harmed, that's why I talked to you. I haven't done anything that bad in my life." He hoped he hadn't made the case against humanity too strongly. "Just let me take the memories of this back to Earth, maybe I can tell them about it in a story, I think that would make many people happy. Just this week... if Angel hesitates in sending me home, then send me yourself."

Novaria looked at him. "One day. Twenty four hours. And then you go." She said. "Or else I will tell Angel all about your world, and she'd be devastated." Part of him didn't think she'd actually do that, but was it worth the chance?

He got up and nodded "Thank you your majesty." Could he tell her that there were causes to fight for in his world, and that not everything was in vain? That there was hope, perhaps even eternal hope? No, it would be too much to explain. She didn't have to understand why his world was good, she just had to understand that his world was dangerous. He'd put enough of a burden on her getting her to understand how dangerous other worlds could really be. Would she despair knowing about it? Somehow he didn't think so. It was done now, he had said it. One last day, he hadn't as long left here as he'd expected. He'd find something today. Something that would tell Angel how much she meant to him.

"And...Silver." Nova hesitated. "I am an alicorn with a very particular set of skills. A set of skills which make me a threat to ponies who cause trouble. If you leave now, I will not look for you, and that will be the end of it. But if you do not, I will hunt you, I will find you, and I will banish you. " She warned, and vanished in a puff of blue smoke.

Part III/...Into the Fire

There wasn't anything in this world that he could buy with bits, that Angel couldn't easily give. Though he knew a bit of her, he didn't know all her personal tastes. So buying some precious rare trinket wouldn't be good. He had to think of this differently. Who was Angel? A princess who had shirked that duty in order to become a nurse. Why? Because she wanted to directly help ponies. One pony at a time. Seeing them get better, heal, learn, grow. She had a nurturing instinct. It had to incorporate the one part of her that he really knew. What had she done? Taken a sick teenager from Earth, into her world to show to him. He'd been clumsy and fumbling from day one, but she enjoyed seeing that. All the joy he had felt, she'd felt. Empathy. And she didn't know that tomorrow he'd be whisked back home.

What had she shown him here? He hadn't taken pictures of himself… he wanted all those moments to be captured somehow. Could he have someone make a figurine of him lying clumsily on his back, laughing, from when he had been teleported there? And first... meal... had been those flowers, he'd find that place, get one of those and have make it endurable so that it would spoil. Bits and tidbits, and a photo of him, with a personal message thanking her for showing him everything. Could be done in an hour or two.

He had not been allowed to take things from Earth, and would likely not be allowed to take anything home with him either. His admission to Novaria could have gone better, but the princess was only looking out for her little girl. And Angel? Blissfully naive to everything.

It had more or less consumed all the bits she had given him. All sorts of little trinkets from the things she had shown him. Two small figurines. Things that would make her remember. And a letter, to be opened when he got home. "Dear Angel, I'm sorry that you had to see me go so soon, so quickly. You're going to be furious, and then you're going to be worried. You've shown me so much, and I know that there's many things you would have wanted me to see. I wish I could see Cloudsdale with you. You could have offered to go into a swamp, and I'd be right behind you. I don't know how your mother plans to prevent you from going to Earth. Its to keep you safe, Angel. You have a big heart, and my world is very cruel. It doesn't work like yours. I'm sacrificing my last days here, so that you can be safe. Don't be sad forever Angel. I know you won't be. And you're wrong, you did help me. The pain is bad, but I can live with it. Thank you for showing me a place filled with magic. Yours forever, two heartbeats apart, Silver Key." The envelope was sealed and it was all wrapped up. He snuck back into the hotel room, feeling calm. Today he'd just enjoy being with her.

Angel greeted him when he entered the hotel room. She beamed her usual charming smile. "Silver! Hi!" His puzzles were laid out on the table, it seemed she'd been trying to solve them. Two of the magical puzzles had been opened, but there was still one final magical puzzle that remained frustratingly intact. She approached him as she always did, and gently touched her horn to his. The pain that'd been building up again immediately receded.

He lifted the present and showed it to her, and pulled it away when she came closer. "Don't open it before tomorrow." And shimmied it under the bed before she could protest. "Didn't know you liked doing puzzles?" So much more to learn about you Angel. The healing touch numbed his pains, filled him with relief, made him forget his worries. Her scent was wonderful. Deciding to be a little bold, he leaned in and stroked his muzzle against the side of hers.

Angel giggled, one of the only times he'd heard her make the sound. It was a noise as musical as wind chimes. She nuzzled back, her tail brushed against his. "I don't, but as my mother would tell you, I don't like being told I can't do something. It only makes me want to do it more." She said confidently. "She told me I couldn't be a nurse when I first voiced my desire for it, and look at me now."

Her tail brushed his, and he flicked his against hers. Not a bad little game. Turning to the table, lets forget all of our worries, tonights its just you and me and the fun we can make. "I could solve all the non-magical ones, but I'm not sure how to proceed with arcane puzzles. Didn't go to unicorn school." He nodded at the solved rune puzzle, which had lit up all sorts of ways when the runes had been assembled into the right meaningful order.

She smiled, and floated the last unsolved puzzle over to him. She touched her horn to his, and he felt some of her power drain into him, giving him more ability than he'd had before. "Try." She coaxed encouragingly.

Could she do that? He wasn't even sure what she had done. It seemed clearer. The runes, he recognized those now. It was a fun puzzle, they only made sense when put together in that order. "Unity!" He said, the magic only worked then. Probably what she would have done wouldn't last too long. Was this how a real unicorn in more control of his ability would understand things? He turned to the final puzzle. Lifted it into the air, focused the eldritch powers. Not with fumbling ignorance now, he could sense the eddies and flows of the magic, searching inside the puzzle. Like being handed a rubiks cube for the first time, but finally able to work it with your fingers.

Her gift of power was temporary, and would last only a few minutes at most. But it was enough to give him a better understanding of the runes, and his own magic. The puzzle resisted him at first, but gradually, it began to get easier. He slid a rune into place. It clicked. Tried again, nothing. Tried something else, another click.

It wasn't just a matter of sliding things around, you had to unlock some truth, something real and hidden in the world. A connection between yourself and something else. Perhaps that's how magic worked here. The understanding Angel had given him was intuitive, not abstract, he wished he could learn that understanding. Working the puzzles vain desires about what he couldn't have bleed away. There was only the puzzle and him, with Angel at his side. Things inside the puzzles clicked stirred, there were hidden runes, and traces of power, like notes not put together in the right harmony.

Another rune slid into place, and the puzzle burst open. It unfolded like a flower, and cast the room in a supernatural glow, projecting a beautiful starfield across the ceiling and walls. Angel looked delighted, her eyes glued to the ceiling. "Ooooh!"

He beamed in pride, understanding the little special connection he had with the puzzle. The joy he'd always had when finally beating a seemingly impossible thing. When you finally got it. And then the understanding was gone, ebbing out of his mind, like a symphony dying away. It felt bitter, but he was still satisfied that he'd done it. He floated the puzzle back to the table. The star sky spell lingered on the walls, the light of the room sucked away, leaving pin pricks everywhere. He noticed that Angel glowed on her own, a light coming from her fur and feathers. "You look beautiful." He smiled.

Her cheeks burned red, and she lowered her head. "Thank you." She said. "When I was young, I was always taught proper grooming habits, told a princess should never look anything less than her best. I despised the extensive sessions, but I suppose to some small extent, I enjoy looking nice. I-" Her eyes widened. "Silver!" She gasped, he couldn't tell her tone was one of fear, or awe.

"What?" He looked around in confusion. And then he had a sneaking suspicion. He followed the gaze from her eyes directly to his flank.

There had been absolutely no warning, no feeling, no difference. But his eyes surely did not decieve him. It was there. A mark not just of personality, but one as unique as he was. [See authors note]

Tears welled in his eyes, he'd done it. That's was his talent, that's what he could do. Perhaps it even extended beyond puzzles like the ones he had just solved, but even if it didn't he was happy. "Thank you Angel, I... I think would have found this out even on Earth, but it feels good to know." So many people never really knew for sure, he knew now. He looked at her, she was beautiful beyond comprehension. He didn't deserve a second she'd given him. "If you want to open your present you can do that now... just don't read the letter until I'm home."

In her excitement, Angel lost her self control. She lunged forward, wrapping him in a hug, and he was suddenly aware that she was kissing him. Pressed up close, muzzles locked. It lasted only a few seconds, she pulled away almost immediately, her ears pinned back with embarrassment as she tried to compose herself. "I....I'm sorry." She said quickly. A thought hit her, and she asked, very quietly. "You want to go home now, don't you?"

He knew he loved her before she kissed him, now he knew she reciprocated. It was going to make this bitter. He nodded. He wouldn't explain to her everything he had told Novaria. Letting one of them, who didn't have any connections to, know about it was bad enough, letting Angel carry that burden was unbearable. "Its been a wonderful couple of days. I hadn't known so much existed."

For a moment, he was afraid she'd back out. That even a pony as perfect as Angel would be found to lie, or back out of a promise. Her voice was quiet, but she maintained her promise. "I'll take you home." She said quietly.

He went over and nuzzled her again, just feeling her. And then he gave her a lingering kiss. Stepped a few steps back. "I wouldn't trade it for anything Angel, not even if they gave me the whole world, not for a single second of it."

While he was nuzzling her, while his eyes were closed, he felt a brief sensation of warmth, and a light rush of wind. The transition was calm and nearly unfelt, much smoother than his first had been. His eyes opening, he'd find himself in his bedroom at home, completely alone, with no sign of the nurse pony. Saying goodbye must have just been too much for her. His form was still in the four legged position, the stance he'd been stuck in for several days. It would feel very odd standing back up.

Not stuck in. It had been a blast. He'd enjoyed it. Father wasn't home? Well that was not unexpected, he hoped him and his brother hadn't gone crazy over his absence and issued a police search. His heart ached about Angel, and she was probably crying her heart out right now. She'd open the present eventually, either before or after being confronted by her mother. He didn't expect to her ever again. He hoped wouldn't. They'd only known each other for a short while, he thought to himself. The his heart would stop aching, even if his head wouldn't. He stood up and stretched. He could start by taking a pain killer today, and then… see about writing all the things down he could remember about that world while it was still fresh.

His pain was not bothering him, not yet. When he stood up, he fell back down. Standing up again, again he fell back down. With stunned silence, he found his front legs still ended in his hooves, his body still coated in unnaturally blue fur. Had Angel... made a mistake? That didn't seem like her.

He hadn't even noticed. Being a pony must have grown on him. Gathering himself up on his four legs. Proportions were a bit off in this world. Bruises hurt more too. Back to the good old laws of his reality. Was he supposed to change slowly back into a human? Or did she forget to turn him into a human when he arrived here. When she arrived she was a pony, so ponies could exist here. He tried reaching out towards her telepathically like he'd always been able to do. <"Uhm, Angel something is wrong. I'm not a human."

He would still be able to do the most basic of magics, telepathy included. But if Angel recieved his message, she did not respond to it. She had never ignored him before, so he had to assume his message had not gone through. Something was very, very wrong.

Author's Note

[Spoilers]
Cutie Mark: http://cfa.bizspeaking.com/image/bizitem_afb8e5cfb6b764c2b7d454aa58a829d2645cbbc2.jpg

An Unexpected Visitor

Had his message not gone through?

He pictured her crying her heart out, and not noticing. Or having had a sudden emergency call and was unable to answer. Though there was another possibility, she couldn't respond because she wasn't hearing him this time. Put on magical ignore? No, but something must be different. Had her mother already cracked down with spells to block the passage way from this world to the other? The startling fact fell on him like a ton of bricks. He was non-human, and he was standing in the middle of his old living room. He quickly moved away from any windows retreating to his room. Had the cleaning lady come and gone for today?

The house was overly clean, she had come and gone. He was alone for now, unless he had an unexpected visitor. But how long would that last? He'd be discovered eventually. Poor Angel was likely absolutely heartbroken, he couldn't blame her if she didn't want to talk to him right now. Novaria was a more likely cause, preventing him from contacting her daughter.

Incompetence assumed before malice, it was always possible that Angel had simple bungled the spell, forgetting to include a transformation spell turning him human. If that was the case she'd find out, and then either her, or Novaria, or some high-level unicorn would be sent here to fix the problem and come back. Unease settled in his stomach when he realized that there was a chance that this wasn't going to happen. It seemed to be the only option, but he had lost the short magical intuitive insight that Angel had given him, he couldn't really even speculate anymore what could have gone wrong. Alone, no danger for now. He simply had to wait it out. Should he take some painkillers? Technically he was a non-Earth pony right now, so he didn't know what the painkillers might do to him. He tried finding his phone, or computer, keep himself occupied with finding out what his father and brother had been up to.

His phone was on the desk where he'd left it, next to the computer. Both were off, which was not unusual when he went on vacation, in order to distance himself from social media. His father likely would be unconcerned either way, but Thomas would drive out in a heartbeat if something was the matter.

Okay now the challenge of turning them on. The novelty of hoofs had worn off, he didn't mind them, but right now he really wish he had fingers. There would probably still be a good charge on the battery. Steadying the base with his left hoof, he tried to get a tip of the right hoof to press down on the power on button, getting life into it. The computer was the second best bet, e-mail when all else fails.

He was still a unicorn, he still had magic. He was just terrible at it, that was the only catch. If all else failed, he could use his horn to hit the keys. After a few fumbling tries, his computer turned out. At the same time, he heard the most wonderful voice that he'd ever heard in his life. A call from the President at that moment would not be anywhere near as satisfying. <"Silver?.....Its..... can't get.... you okay?">

He was relieved, they could get it fixed eventually. <"Yes Angel, its Silver, something has gone wrong. I'm still a pony!> He repeated the message at least three times to make sure that enough of it came through that she'd get it. What was going on? He hadn't expected her mother to crack down so quickly.

Something was wrong, Angel wasn't getting through, and he doubted he was getting through either. But at least she knew something was wrong. Her voice was getting even more distant. <"Will help....... can't....... find.....Library!"> Her voice faded, and he couldn't get anything more than that. Well that didn't help at all.

It was more than before, something could be done. He wasn't sure Novaria would rush to help him. Even if he had returned a pony. Though he could hope against that. There wasn't anything he could do. Remain hidden until he couldn't and then what? One step at a time Silver, he thought to himself. He navigated through his mail. Hopefully his brother hadn't gone nuts. Spending some time reassuring his brother that he was home was worth it.

His mail was mostly junk and a few outrageous hospital bills. He realized his saddle bag had fallen off, and a note he hadn't seen before was sticking out of one of the pockets.

He wasn't supposed to bring anything. They'd missed that. This alarmed him. Angel had expressed in no uncertain terms that this was dangerous. Was is it this that had caused him to remain a pony? He looked to see what was in there.

The note turned out to be from Angel, and was rather short. "I know I forbade you from bringing anything, but I so wanted you to have something to remember me. If anyone asks, just make something up. Be safe." -Angel . Taped to the bottom of the note, was a single bit.

[SEVERAL HOURS LATER]

The long night was almost over, Silver hadn't hardly gotten any sleep. His horn was reacting to the darkness, glowing dimly like a light left on down the hallway, and he hadn't quite managed to figure out how to turn it off yet. To add to his anticipation, he felt like he was being watched, and the feeling had persisted for several hours. He had checked his room several times, but found nothing, and it was beginning to annoy him.

There were no spells that he knew, beyond levitation. He'd have to hide the old fashioned way, and that was going to be a huge problem. How on earth would he hid here. He wasn't as gigantic as Earth earth ponies… horses, were. Needing to think straighter, he doused his head by levitating a sphere of cold water onto his head, wiping it off against the towel. Clop, clop, his hooves were noise, there were no hiding them. Had he left any marks, he started pacing the hallway, looking to see if any prints had been left. Looking for unstraightened corners, and misalignments in anything.

His urges were back, the urge to straighten, to correct, to put everything in its place. They'd been gone the last few days.Did it simply not exist in Equestria? If it did, he hadn't had it. Another point for Canterlot. As he paced, a rather unsettling thing happened. The lights flickered, and a large, fanged smile appeared in the center of the room. It wasn't attached to anything, it was just.... there. He knew magic when he saw it, which was a relief, perhaps this entity could help him. Then again, perhaps this entity wanted to kill him. The disembodied jaws circled him, reciting.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the JubJub bird, and shun,
the frumious Bandersnatch!"

It spoke in a voice indicating it was having far too much toying with him.

This, was just confusing. He had anticipated a grumpy unicorn, who'd flash here diagnose the problem and unceremoniously return him to mundane humanity. This was unexpected on multiple levels. Silver was heartbroken for having to leave Angel, he was scared and he was tired, he had a headache and he hadn't had his pain killers and he'd just found out that for a couple days he'd been free of a mental compulsion he'd had since childhood. Eyes following the jaw that circled him in the dark, he took aim, turned on instinct, and bucked as hard as he could.

Questions and Answers

He connected, and there was a loud thud as something smacked against the wall. And then before his eyes, the strangest creature he'd ever seen began to appear. A hoof here, a claw there, a wing, an antler. None of it made absolutely any sense, and it was a moment before he realized it was all attached to the same creature, which drove him crazy. There was no rhyme or reason, no organized pattern, no sense to it. The creature was tall and slim, and distinctly feminine. She rubbed at her shoulder. "Well that wasn't very nice at all, Silver." She said with annoyance. "Can't even allow a girl her fun?"

"Who are you? Are you here to help or not? I don't...!" A sharp pang ended his protest and he struggled with his words, as the world blurred for a moment. Breathe deeply Silver. "I... huff... am not in the mood for this. Just, if you're here to help, help, if not, go. I've had enough bad news today, to be the object of ridicule and taunting from tricksters." At least that's what she looked like, and Hero With a Thousand Faces had been on the literature assignment in his high school. "Are you here to help?" He asked a little hopefully.

The creature approached him. "Am I here to help? Well I'm certainly not here to cause you misery." She said, and touched a talon to his horn. The pain receded instantly. "You really should get that looked at." She mused. "Heads will roll, otherwise." With that, she removed her head, and did exactly that, rolling it across the ground before it hit the wall and popped it back into place.

He felt like crawling under the covers somewhere. Somewhere deep and dark. In a nice room, with straight lines, and a bright noiseless, non flickering light. Healing his headache was at least a good thing. "Not an enemy then." Who was she? He looked her over, not much seemed to make sense. "Not a pony, can't be too many like you; Didn't see any or hear of any in the few books I flipped through on Equestria's population; Powerful, that trick of yours... powerful enough to be able to cross dimensions." Intelligence was a good thing, it made him feel less powerless all things considered. "Weren't sent here by Novaria, and you didn't come on your own unprodded, if you did why would you have come here? Ergo you were sent by Angel… I'm sorry I hit you then."

She sat on the table, floating one of his books in midair and spinning it in circles. "Nopony sent me, I'm here of my own accord. Nor do I know who Angel or Novaria are." She said. "I am here because I sensed an instability in your dimension, so I followed it, and lo and behold, here you are." She frowned. "You do realize you're a pony, right?" Really. He hadn't noticed.

Always something. "Ah alright, but then I'm not sorry." Humor helped, he'd need a lot of humor… and washing his hands a couple of times to withstand being with her all night. "Gee you've finally noticed, didn't take you as long as I had anticipated." He went down the stairs. He didn't care that he was a pony, or that he probably had a biology that belonged in a completely different universe. However if he was gonna do this he needed a special magical power unique to his world. Coffee. Did they have that in Equestria? Well his guest was gonna have her first cup. Levitation made the preparations easier. "What do you give unexpected visitors?" He asked her rhetorically, following the commercial for the brand of coffee they had. See if she liked receiving non sequitors as much as she liked passing them out. He realized something.. he'd talked to Novaria about one of their villains as a comparison to humans… "Discord! No.. you're not him, but similar?" He started the coffee maker.

The strange girl tapped him playfully on the head. "I'm a draconequus, and yes, I know Discord. We went out a few times, but he's a little... eccentric, for my taste." She said with amusement. "We're still good friends, however." She took hold of his hoof, and shook it feverishly. "I'm Alicia. Whoops!" She grinned, his right front leg had completely come off in her grip, like the arm of an action figure. She was trying to cheer him up, a relief from the sour day he'd been having thus far. "So how come you're still a pony? I don't think your species will take too kindly to that. Of course you could always pass as a regular pony and live in a stable, but I really don't think you'd want to do that. Similarly, coming out as a talking blue horse really isn't all that smart either."

The arm detached unceremoniously with a little comical plop. All common sense would make anyone expecting a huge jet of blood gushing out from the main artery. A part of him kinda wished it had, if only to shock the creature who called herself Alicia. He shook visible, he needed a drink of something strong. Two cups floated down, and the blackish and enormously strong coffee was poured into them. He floated one over to her. "I have a right to keep and bear arms you know... so hand it back."

Alicia looked absolutely delighted. "But of course, you absolutely have the right to bear arms!" She snapped her claws, and not only did his front leg snap back into place, but his front legs were covered in shaggy brown fur and ended in massively clawed paws. Alicia grinned widely. "I do love wordplay!" She teased. Well she was quite... interesting, to say the least.

He blinked, looked down, drained the entire cup of coffee in one gulp. Rinsed it, soaped it, rinsed it, soaped it, rinsed and put it back on the rack. Looked down to see the bear like legs still there and, well they weren't human toes, but indulged himself and kneaded and flexed them all the same. "Haven't been to do that for a couple of days." This was a good sign. At least he hoped so. "You do transformations? And no, to answer your earlier question I don't know why I remained a pony. I figured Angel might have forgotten, she was a bit out of it, emotionally." He wouldn't have put it against her for a second.

Alicia grinned, and settled back in a chair. Another snap of her claws, and his regular hooves returned. "My dear, I do EVERYTHING." She said. "I try to practice more moderation than Discord, however, as I don't get the same thrill he does taking over cities." She said. "If you don't mind my saying so, I MIGHT know why you're stuck as a pony. You used to be... what are you called... humans, right?"

"Yes.." He said and quickly corrected. "I used to be one human." Just to be sure that she didn't turn him into a flock. The thought of that made him uneasy on his feet. He felt like washing his hands three times. He scratched the underside of the counter. He stood more easily on the pony legs, than on the ursine limbs. "Why do you think it happened?"

Alicia looked him over, her arms crossed. She seemed fairly kind, though not as in control of herself as Angel was. She was more unrestricted. "Honestly?" She asked, and pointed a talon at the mark on his flank. "That."

"My cutie mark?" He asked skeptically. Part of him was surprised it had made the journey at all. No, Angel had had a cutie mark on her even when she was on Earth. It was a mark he had gotten for unlocking puzzles. Somehow it meant he couldn't go. "Why?"

"Multiple theories, but that is all they are, are theories, unless you have a better suggestion. First, you have a lock. I don't know what your talent is, but locks not only unlock things, they lock things, so perhaps metaphorically you have locked yourself into being a pony. Secondly, cutie marks are reserved for ponies who discover their destiny. So, perhaps... you have discovered part of your destiny is to remain a pony." She offered, summoning a monocle, pipe, and teacup, and sipping from the latter. "Elementary, my dear Watson."

A Glimmer of Hope

He had no intuition for how magic was supposed to work. It didn't matter, he had to take her word for it, she was likely the only creature he'd ever see again who was any authority on the matter. "Can't you try? I can't live like a pony here. I don't know any magic, I can't hide myself." And I don't want to hide myself. He thought he would return to his life. Angel hadn't see this coming, neither had Novaria. The room seemed to be spinning. "Try, at least?"

"It's only a suggestion." She shrugged. "What would you like me to try?" She asked, a bit confused.

"Try turning me human." Why wonder about things when you could test them. If it worked it worked, if it didn't they'd both know it wasn't just a theory. At least he would know just how much trouble he was really in.

She looked thoughtful. "I could try, but none of my spells are permanent. You'd get a couple hours of humanity, at most." She warned. "Do you have a picture of yourself? I have no idea what you looked like."

A couple of hours! No more! No he had to test this, so he ran up and found a picture of him taken not too long ago. It was posted on Facebook, taken while he was recovering in the hospital. Standing up. They had cameras in Equestria, he'd learned, Angel had taken it. Back when he was sure that whether he was hallucinating. The mouse could be moved my magic, clicking was harder to figure out, but more of the same. He ran back down, the picture of him floating behind. "Can you do it?"

"I can. But I say again, it will last only a few hours, after which case you will be a pony again. I do not know if I can fix that." She said regrettably, and waved her claws over the picture. He found himself growing quite larger, and within a few seconds, was crouched on his hands instead of his front legs. He was wearing the same clothes he had been in the picture, which was a relief, considering the alternative.

It felt off in some way he couldn't define, and familiar. Slowly he gathered himself up and stood. Stretched and kneaded the fingers uncertainly. No, he couldn't run up and perform his quirky rituals even though he wanted, there were other things he should do first. He pulled out a chair for her to sit on. "Thank you Alicia, so sorry for being an ungrateful host. Kicking your teeth in." His discomfort was showing. "Are you hungry?" He didn't wait for her answer but decked up two plates, and put some of dads leftovers into the microwave. Meat, he had to admit that he missed that. Sitting down on the chair he felt more at calm, hospitality is a set of rituals. "Do you know what's happening in Equestria?"

She smirked. "It takes a lot more than that to take down a draconequus." Strangely, a small hourglass was on a string around his neck, the purpose of which had not been explained to him. "What do you mean? I go back and forth from Equestria as I please, but I haven't heard of any trouble there aside from the usual."

Deciding to put the time limit she had given for him to the test, he explained what had happened to him. Of course offering her Earthy refreshments underway, if only to have something to do, the small rituals he associated with cooking, stirring the pot so and so. They had become subtle, but most people noticed the way he'd stroke the edge of a door of a room he was leaving if he'd been there for a while. As best he could he relayed what Angel had done, how he had come with her, how he'd realized how good her world was and desired to protect her from his, and how he had told Angel's mother about that danger to prevent her from coming here.

The draconequus frowned, and her frown deepened the more he relayed to her. "If you ask me, it sounds like you almost didn't want to leave. Nor did this Angel want you to leave. Did the two of you... have a thing?" She asked. "That would certainly validate this Novaria's... overprotection. Can't say I blame her, especially with what I've seen on Earth."

"What was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell her about it, you don't know how loving she is. I think if I told her just how much people suffer here I couldn't make her promise not to go, and she would, and then she would get hurt. I wasn't selfish in this, she's safe. That's how I want her to be. Or what? Do you want me to find her not here, and in desperation come to Earth and read about the strange pony creature stabbed to death in an alley?"

"I do not know her, but from what you tell me, it sounds as if you think she's remarkably selfless. But..." She hesitated. "If things here are truly so horrible, can you not change things? Can you not put a stop the war and the hate? Alternatively, do you not think that this Angel would be able to handle herself here? Or do you simply not want her to learn the truth?"

"Stop war? People have tried to do that for ages, no luck." It wasn't just for lack of trying, you couldn't explain all the wars as simple misunderstandings and unfortunate events. Many wars had been fought over bitter differences that couldn't be healed by diplomatic relationships, or a touching friendship. Her other questions cut deeper, and hurt. "She's powerful. I think it would take a lot, but I also don't know how she'd react if she saw violence like that. I was about to tell her, and just.. she looked at me and told me not to talk about it. She was sad the rest of the day. I think she understands that something is wrong with this world, and I don't want to affect how she remembers me." Even as he said he realized he was admitting something selfish. Vanity, how he wanted to be remembered by her, not as he was. Sniffing he wiped away a tear. "She's safe, its going to hurt her and she'll worry about it, but I think she'll be well… but if you see her, will you let me know what's going on?" Realizing what the little hourglass was for he raised it up to see how much sand was left.

There was a good amount of sand left. Alicia volunteered to keep track of time, and spend the next hour or so teaching Norman several Equestrian recipes, all completely vegetarian. When the first patches of blue fur first spread across his arms, she pulled out a stopwatch. "Two hours, fifteen minutes. Damn, I'm good."

It was over quickly, his body folded back into that shape, and he landed defeated on his forelegs defeated. Lying down he put his head on the ground. How would he survive? Perhaps Alice would teach him some helpful spells. He could walk around like Angel had done. She'd make it work, so could he. "What am I going to do?" A small idea stirred "Can you… take me to Equestria?"

"Of course I can." She said. "In fact... I may very well be able to enchant an item so you can move back and forth between realms on your own, if you desire it." She gave a playful knowing wink. "Just can't stay away from her, eh cowboy?"

"I thought Novaria would have set up some way to prevent that?" She seemed to have implied as much in her discussion, but maybe that was just to discourage him. He was hopeful. He'd leave, yes, he couldn't live here. Somehow he'd have to later explain this to his family. Angel, I want to be with you tonight. For once on Earth he forgot all about his OCD and launched himself at Alicia, tackle hugging her.

"Agh!" Alicia tensed up, though she could do many things, she had not been prepared for that at all. She fell backwards upon her chair, and returned the hug.

Reunited (And it Feels So Good)

Think, Norman! Had to think! He had to think about this constructively. Angel was not dumb, she had been to his house at least once, namely when he was taken to Equestria the first time. He ran into the house making sure there had been no sign of her… had she made it this far. Not a good sign. He dialed the hospital with his levitation skills, thanking his dad for having a main phone. "Yes hello reception, this is Norman Jefferson, I was a patient for two weeks, three days ago. I'm wondering if a nurse called Angel has been by?"

"Oh of course, Norman, we remember you." The receptionist said kindly. "Yes, Angel did stop in some time ago, she seemed anxious to find you. When she couldn't, I think she said something about wanting to check the city. Is everything alright?"

His heart sank, just where she shouldn't have gone. The receptionist hadn't noticed anything strange so Ange's magic was on, that was always something. The same could not be said for him, he'd have to hoof it. "Did she say anything specifically? Any directions, or was she just heading downtown."

The receptionist shook her head. "I'm afraid that's all I have." At least he still had his hourglass. All he had to do was keep an eye on it until it almost ran out, then duck into an alley like Batman and reset it. Easy, right?

He noticed that it still hung around his neck, he had figured Alicia's magic was a one time thing and that had just been a convenient timers. There was hope yet, but he'd have to be fast. Flipping it, he steadied himself on two legs, got out of the hospital outfit he had materialized in and got on some jeans a shirt and some shoes. Went around to the garage, his brother's motorbike had to be there.. somewhere, keys up behind tool box. Was there fuel in it. He had no license, but his brother had shown him how to drive a long time ago. If he got pulled over he'd take the fine. However he needed to get downtown fast.

The city was a big place, and Angel was completely out of her league. She expected everyone to be kind, to be patient, to be understanding. She expected everything to work here the way it did in Equestria. And it simply didn't. Luck was with him today, the motorbike was three quarters full. It'd have to be enough. A miniaturized version of Alicia appeared on the console, barely six inches tall. "Any particular reason you're running around like a madfilly?"

It wasn't as such Angel's naivety that put her in danger, it was her ability to sense pain and her desire to relieve it. "Angel; A pony I love dearly has run to this world to save me from danger; She doesn't know what this world is really like; She's in danger! Will you assist… Alicia" He looked at her. "I'll give you something very precious if you'll help me save her today" He tried to think of what he was willing to sacrifice. What did she want?

"If the fate of someone you love hangs in the balance... then I will not ask anything in return." She said. Well that was completely unexpected. She smirked at the look on your face. "What? I'm not completely heartless. Do you happen to have anything of Angels? A lock of her mane, tail hair, item of clothing, hairbrush, anything like that?"

"I gave you a bit she'd given me" He answered quickly, surprised by her graceful offer, he'd misread her. No time to worry about how to own up to the draconequus, Angel was in danger. He couldn't think of anything else on him. Had Alicia taken the bit knowing it would be used?

Alicia shook her head. "I'm afraid that won't work, if you had something of hers I might be able to trace her." She explained. "A bit is far too general of an item to trace properly."

"Will a short letter.. message, with her magic on it work?" He asked. Thinking back.. she'd handed him a piece of paper that only he could read, telling him how to contact her. He'd kept it. It was blank when you looked at it, however he would see.. if he looked long enough a message telling him how to contact her telepathically. Realizing this he instantly tried contacting her, while Alicia decided whether it was good or. "Angel! Angel! I'm here, where are you?!" He sent it out as loud as he could.

"That would work perfectly. I could put a lock on her magic, and lead you right to her." Alicia offered. "Do you have such an item?" She asked. Again, there there was absolutely no response from his attempt to contact her.

He rushed off, going back to the building. It was in his room, he knew it was.. but it he couldn't find it. Going almost nuts and not caring for once about making a mess he tore open all the places he had been in or that he suspected that the cleaning lady could have gotten to. No luck, he upended his bed, looked under it, checked everywhere. Went back to the living room and to his father's office. It had to be somewhere, he was wasting time. About to give up and simple go out and look for her blind, he realized suddenly that he had something far more personal. He rushed back to his jacket and opened the big inner pocket and fished it out. A foot long feather, one of the inner ones on her wings. With it he rushed back to Alicia. "Will this do?"

Alicia looked delighted. "Why didn't you tell me you had that in the first place? Give it here!" She said. "Get on your bike, strap in, and for the love of Celestia, hold the buck on, whatever you do." She warned. "I'm not kidding."

Huh? He was far too often confused when the draconequus was involved. He did what she said, but kick started the bike all the same. Reving the engine. It wasn't hopeless after all. "Do it Alicia!"

Alicia saluted again, and disappeared entirely from his sight. He wasn't entirely sure what she was up to, but it didn't take too long to find out. Completely out of his control, the bike shot into motion, jerking him along with it. It frightened him terribly until he came to the first turn, and without knowing where he was going, the bike turned on its own. At least one of them seemed to know where Angel was.

He hung on for dear life. Find Angel, teleport with her to Equestria, that was the object. He just hope he got to her in time. Hoped he'd guessed her intentions, and hoping beyond all hope he hadn't guessed the outcome. Clutching the bike with his legs, holding tight with his fingers, he begged God that he wasn't too late.

The bike barreled down roads and sidestreets for a good twenty miles, taking him into the heart of the city. It stopped at every red light and stop sign, and pushed through every green. Alicia was a devious genius when it came to magic. Before long, the bike sputtered in front of an alley, and coughed until the engine quit.

He looked around, no sign of Angel. Jumping off the bike he bolted down the alley. What had drawn her here… she must have tried to find out where he lived. Had she been so out of her mind that she hadn't looked up the information at the hospital, or too honest to do that? "Angel?!!" He shouted, running as fast his legs could handle. It was an alley, so he flipped the hourglass. He needed the speed only four legs would afford.

The voice that he heard was nothing SHORT of angelic. "Silver?!" She called. "Silver!" She ran out from behind a dumpster, dirty but relatively unharmed. "What in Celestias name... Silver! You're a pony... but... but this isn't Equestria..."

He ran up to her, if cameras were following him from the windows above he couldn't possible have cared less. "Are you alright, Angel?" What had she been doing there, behind that dumpster. Were any of her feathers broken?

She rushed towards him, shedding her human disguise, until there was only two ponies together in an alley. She instantly showered him in affectionate nuzzling. She seemed to be unhurt. "I came here looking for you, but everyone kept staring at me and calling me pretty. One very nice man ran up and grabbed my bag and ran off with it, but he must have needed it a lot more than I did, so he's welcome to it if it helps him out." She said cheerfully. She wasn't stupid, but her mother had guarded her for a long time from the perils of civilian life, and every now and then her social ignorance was blatantly
displayed.

He nuzzled her smelled her, rested his head against her. "Angel how did you end up behind that dumpster?" She was there, she was not covered in blood, or worse. "Are you ready to teleport back to Equestria?"

"Oh, I was just resting. I would've searched every crack in this city for you if I had the time, and you could've been back there because I hadn't looked there yet, so I had to cross it off." She shrugged in her usual logical way. "I don't understand, I thought you didn't want to see me anymore."

She wouldn't lie to him, would she? "Too much to explain here. We need to you get out back to Equestria, you don't have to teleport me.. another strange friend gave me that ability. I don't know where in Equestria we'll end up.. but Angel, teleport, now" It was an order "I'll teleport with you.. on three, one, two, three!"

Angel clung tightly to him, and they ended up in a room he'd never seen before. A large bed underneath a skylight, through which he could see pegasi zipping among the clouds. A chair, a desk, and hundreds upon hundreds of books.

Only then did he relax more, hugging her closely. "Angel, angel, angel… beautiful, angel.. why on earth did you go to Earth? I tried contacting you because I was still a pony when I had gotten there. Hoped someone would be sent to fix it… you should have been smarter than to rush blindly in there yourself. I warned your mother about my world, just to make it harder for you to go there" He looked at her, beautiful, innocent, cutting right into his heart. "I'm sorry I left you Angel… I won't again, not anymore, not ever." He meant it.

All Good Things...

The lovely alicorn cuddled into him, nuzzling into his neck, offering the occasional soft kiss upon his cheek. "I had to find you, Silver. I got your present and read your note, and the thought of being here alone again, I just couldn't do it, I couldn't. I tried to contact you, but no matter how hard I tried, something was blocking my messages." She insisted. "I don't want you to leave again."

She meant it, he knew she meant. He smiled, they'd known each other for only a few days. It wasn't exactly the most responsible decision he was making. "Is that a wish, my princess?" He asked, teasing her a little about the title she had. "Together" He lifted up her right hoof, and put his flatly against her fetlock. "Yours?"

Angel kissed him once more, this time on the muzzle, and held it. It was a deeper, more meaningful kiss than last time. Her tail brushed against the back of his legs, and she scooted in closer to him, her wings curling around his sides. She seemed to want to be as close to him as possible, and not to let anything ruin it. She looked into his eyes, and smiled endearingly. "I guess it is true what they say, after all."

On Earth he was young and still under his father's rule. Here in Equestria he realized that.. he was a grown colt. He'd been making mature decisions since day one, and it had felt completely natural. He wanted to be with her, and he could be. So he leaned close and kissed her again. He wondered whether he should say a corny line 'I unlocked your heart'. Marriage… yes, he would propose, not now though, at some proper point.

The alicorn curled around him, completely content to be right there with him. "Silver Key?" She asked, hypnotizing him with those bright eyes of hers.

He felt like he was swimming, floating. So this is what love felt like? "Hmmm?" He answered slowly.

Angel leaned in, kissed him on the nose, and beat him to his corny line. "Friendship really IS magic, don't you think?"

[EPILOGUE]

There were always many sick ponies to be taken care off, but even an alicorn needs some time off. Silver had quickly whisked her out of Canterlot, pegasi driven carriage ride, and then a long walk through fields were Earth ponies tilled the soil. At some point he'd tied a blindfold around her eyes. "Just a little further." He'd said for the past half hour. "Watch for that root, yes you've missed it good, keep following." The air was silent here. There were usually some kind of noise going on where ever Angel had been. Some pony having an especially good day, singing about it in the distance, the bubbling energy all but carrying you away with it. Tragedies, ponies crying, or hurting in various ways needing help. Canterlot of was fairly noisy. The absence of noise was interesting. "You can take them off now." She did, and found herself standing on a grassy plain. In the far distance she saw the mountain where Celestia's castle was built into. However no ponies were about, not a single pegasi in the sky. "I found it a while ago, pegasi only adjust the weather here once a week, mostly sunshine and its quiet." Not a bad spot for a picnic, but he had a devilish smile. "I thought this was the perfect spot for you to finally do it."

Angel snuggled against him the entire way in the court ride, demanding to know where they were going, her pleas being met with indifference. She looked around, at first expecting a picnic. "Silver, it's lovely." She gushed. "But I don't understand, why are we here? You want me to finally do what?"

He smiled, there was a filled saddle bag, probably with those goods, but no prepared spread for them. "I've been around you for a while now Angel," Almost a year in fact, he'd seen their version of Christmas with her. The place was starting to make more sense to him. His magic skills improved, as a tutor had been appointed to him. He was now a registered unicorn of Canterlot. He had proposed marriage to her last Running of the Leaves. "In all that time I've never seen you.. fly.. those wings aren't just for show are they? Why don't you fly?"

In all the time he'd been with her, she hadn't changed a bit. She was just as sweet as she'd been on day one. She'd gotten him a book on learning magic for Hearth Warming, and if that wasn't enough, even pulled some strings to arrange a magic lesson from Princess Celestia herself. She had helped him work on a backstory for Earth, explaining his disappearance. People disappeared all the time for less significant reasons, this one was more planned out. As for his proposal, she'd accepted before the words were hardly finished coming out of his mouth. "Why don't I fly?" She smiled coyly. "Because you can't, Silver. And I want to spend every possible second that I can... with you."

"Oh way to go put a crimp in my wonderful plan to open you up a bit more" He went over and nuzzled her. "No I've been wondering about it for a while… have you ever flown?" He levitated out the checkered sheet and spread it on the grass. It had hurt building that story. He'd wanted his family to know, to some extent what had happened. At least his father and his brother. Perhaps they could even have come here for the wedding, as mind blowing as that would have been for them. However if they came they risked staying there, and a lock down had been put on extra dimensional travels.

Angel had told him as kindly as she could that he couldn't tell them the truth. They couldn't know about Equestria, it was too dangerous. He was lucky he knew. He was still welcome to return to Earth now and again, but assimilating back into humanity would be difficult, and he was only permitted back as long as he had his hourglass. "Yes, I've flown many times. If you really want to see it, I suppose I can oblige." With that, she spread her divine wings, flapped once, and lifted into the air, slowly rising higher with graceful, ever widening circles.

There you go Angel, living up to your name. He smiled to himself. "That's great Angel." Was it other ponies jealousy you had sensed, and you'd wanted to ease them of bitterness? Everypony who'd had such animosity should hang their head in shame for that. He sighed, was that what you had felt? Mixtures of jealousy, and those were jealous and ashamed of that. He cheered her as she flew and did a small graceful ariel. I'm not jealous Angel, I've got you and I want you to be all that you can be. An a wedding would be coming up, such a large affair by the sound of it too. He opened the basket and fished out a small trinket, the feather that had let him back to her. He'd had it magically made immune to all effects of weather and tarnish. And on the fine hairs, he'd written "Never stop shining", he turned it between his hooves and looked up to her.

Angel landed a few yards away, and began walking towards him, as perfectly poised and graceful as ever. If she knew how lovely she looked, she never made mention of it, not one to put herself on a pedestal. When she saw the feather, she looked stunned. "Is that.... but how?"

"A friend of mine showed gave it back to me, its what made me find you back when you were on Earth. She's.. still a bit hesitant about Canterlot, but I think she'll want to meet you eventually" Sadly she hadn't been around for him to bargain for a couple of temporary wings. "You were beautiful up there Angel. I hope our first one will be a pegasus." Then you'll have to fly sometimes. Hopefully this part of Equestria will still be quiet by then.

"Our first..." She looked confused, then her eyes widened, and teared up. "You mean... you want.... w-with me?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.

He nodded and stood up nuzzling her "I didn't propose to you just to be around you… at least one, glad more, earth pony, pegasi, unicorn.. heh, or maybe our first one will have it all like her mother. He'd been ready to be a father for a while now. Though Equestria's innocence had never entered him, he knew his foals would be safe. That had been one of the questions he'd asked of Celestia the day she had tutored him.

The alicorn looked stunned. "Yes. A thousand times yes." She whispered. "But..not right away. I want some time with you first, just the two of us." She asked, leaning in to nibble on his ear. "How can I ever repay you for everything you've done for me? You gave up everything."

He considered that, fauxly of course, teasing her as if he was genuinely about to demand a certain sacrifice from her side to make him feel equal. Celestia, whom, if it was possible, was probably the wisest pony in Equestria, he'd asked whether he could be free from the evils of his own world. In a patient and sympathetic way she'd explained, that she couldn't change those parts of him without him ceasing to be who he was. His world hadn't been hopeless, the fights there were worth fighting, even if they were harder to understand. A gentle no. He smiled and shook his head "The only thing I really felt I was giving up was you. I have you. I'm sad about my family, but its as it should be. I want to see you happy. I can't fly? Don't let that stop you.. besides you'd make a quicker trip home from the hospital that way."

"Just don't ever leave me again." She said lovingly. "Not for long, anyway." She pressed her nose up against his neck, leaning on his shoulder. Her right foreleg gently touched his left foreleg, and her tail brushed against his flank. "As long as you're here, I can't be anything less than happy." She closed her eyes, content. Overhead, birds sang in the trees. Pegasi raced through the sky. Another family laughed on the other side of the field, watching closely their own young foals. Life in Equestria shimmered. And as cliche as it was, he knew everything was going to be just fine.

Author's Note

Yes, Star Trek reference!

Epilogue/Wheels in Motion (Bonus 1)

[SIX MONTHS]

Angel was asleep. She lay next to Silver in the bed they shared, the quieted rhythmic pulse of her breathing a hypnotic and peaceful sound. Nothing had happened between them, but there time together was valued more than all the bits she could offer him. It had been approximately six months since his decision to live in Equestria, and every day there was something new to learn. But this wasn't to say he couldn't visit Earth whenever he wanted. In fact, an occasional visit might be just the very thing he needed. The Canterlot Library was huge, but there was material you just couldn't get here.

Silver had enjoyed watching her fall into her deep sleep. During their first meetings he found that she actually snored. Something that was cured, when he put an arm across one of her wings and his muzzle softly at her neck. These days she had ceased snoring entirely. Taking in her scent he silently promised himself that he'd get all the work done before the wedding. Easing out of bed, so as not to disturb her sleep he retreated. He could be gone for an hour or two. He slipped into the special magically made pants that could alter to his shape and forced himself into the matching simple t-shirt and vest. Sunglasses. Human money would be in the in the closet he rented at the metro. Gems were gems both here and there, only more valuable on Earth, so money had not been a problem. From this apartment he knew he wouldn't arrive in a terribly populated area. He checked the second wrist watch on his arm to see what the time was over there.

The watch wasn't exactly needed, but it completed the look he was going for. Time moved here in exactly the same flow as it did on Earth. Five minutes were five minutes, either way. He had not seen Alicia since the day he'd gone searching for Angel, and it slightly perturbed him. At the very least, why had she not come to check in on him? Angel had sat up in her bed, somehow her mane as perfect as ever. Only she could pull that off. "Silver? Are you alright?"

Time moved at the same rate, but depending on where he usually teleported to time zones could be different. It was closing time for most places in both Equestria and Earth, but because of the timezone he was going to, he had at least an hour of rummaging around. She was awake! Oh, fiddlesticks. Alright Silver, remember that honesty is extra important here. "You're up early." Wasn't it around 1am? "I'm alright Angel, I'd hoped you wouldn't see this, didn't want you stressed."

The alicorn had always been completely supportive of him. Although his trips to Earth worried her, she did not know of the danger which was nonexistant here, and she hadn't yet tried to stop him. She cast him a soft smile, for it was rather difficult to try and sneak things past her. "You know I'd help you, if only you'd ask." She said. She had never worn pants herself, although he'd seen her in a dress once or twice, a sight which always made his heart stop. "Are you going over there again?"

He wouldn't ask her of that. Explaining the kind of cruelty there existed on Earth was not something he could do. Not when she was looking at him. In fact when he thought of it, he always felt ashamed. "Angel, I know you're powerful and you could probably handle yourself, but there are things I don't want you to see." They'd scar you inside, he thought. "I'm finishing some trips, some knowledge I need if I'm going to help making this world safer." He had an idea. "Why don't we go to Earth for our honeymoon? Teleport there directly after the final party? We don't have to stay long." He could find a safe spot.

"Bad things? Like what?" She seemed confused. "If people there do things you don't like, why not just ask them to stop? That usually works." Such cluelessness. He was a pony now, and passed as human, and there was no reason why she couldn't pass as one as well. But she, on the other hand, just wasn't meant to be human. "I'd like that very much." She said in excitement, since she had not seen very much of his realm. He suspected she had gone back once or twice on her own, but she'd been lucky so far. "Maybe I could meet your brother, I'm sure he's very nice."

"Things work differently in our world. We... do have heroes Angel, and people doing good things." And not all heroics worked in Equestria. "However its not obvious when they do good. Not always." That was vague if anything, and he sighed, feeling the weight of shame. "I won't be going there after we've bonded." He couldn't, at least Alicia had said so and though she seemed fairly random at times she had never said anything false. He was about to start saying something and stopped. Suddenly he felt inadequate and unworthy of her.

Angel stepped forward, and pressed her nose against his neck. She smelled like spring, with just a hint of cherry blossoms. "I love you, Silver. I can take care of myself. Don't worry." She said gently. "You talk about Earth, but I've seen so little of it. I'm coming with you." She spoke in a voice indicating she wasn't entirely asking anymore.

He thought about it for a while. It was late a night, not much would be happening, and they wouldn't be far from the library. The hourglass was around his neck and he considered this a lot. Going there was always frightening if he suddenly lost the hour glass or lost track of time he'd be completely exposed. "Can you use that illusion spell you were talking about on both of us?" That might be safer.

The alicorn brightened up immediately. "Oh, yes!" she said excitedly. If worst came to worst, she might be able to fly away, but he'd only ever seen her fly once. Though he was fairly certain she took to the sky when he wasn't watching. "And if you see something you don't like, we can return here." This last part was added with a bit of reluctance, mainly just for his satisfaction.

Not seeing her fly always stung him, having wings and being able to seemed like a great joy and she felt uncomfortable doing it. Hopefully there would be a pegasi or an alicorn between his kids. Though if that failed, he had other ways. He wasn't sure what he had expected when the illusion was applied. Beyond just the general feel of a set of interlocked spells surrounding him, he couldn't sense looking different. She looked the same, he looked and felt the same. Ditching the pants, shirt and vest he safely stored the hour glass inside a cupboard. "Ready?" He asked her. This was going to be strange.

It wasn't that she hated doing it, it was that he couldn't do it. Always thinking of others, she was far too kind and thoughtful to fly in front of him, which despite his protests, she seemed to consider exceedingly rude. Angel snuggled up against him, her tail flicking against his legs, and her horn glowed. The ground fell out from under him, and he found himself human once more, slightly dizzy. He was alone, and his head hurt for the first time in months. Since living with Angel, she made sure his pain almost never came back.

A warm rush of wind picked up, as if they were standing in a wind tunnel. The ensuing feeling was extraordinarily strange. He still felt like a pony, in fact, he could still feel every one of his four legs on the ground underneath solid hooves. But looking down, he appeared very much to be human. Although he could feel his back legs, he could not see them. Across from him sat the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, dressed in jeans and a green sweater, with curled blonde hair. "It is a bit disorienting, isn't it?" She asked. Looking about, he'd find they were in front of a library. For some reason, they always seemed to end up in front of libraries.

Blonde, of course, she had been almost white as a pony. He shifted around a bit, watching his simulation of a body keep up step. Even Luna, famed originator of many illusions spells, as he had learned, would probably be impressed by this spell work. He smiled at her "You look beautiful, glad to finally see what you would be like as a human." Looking around he saw the familiar late night, one hour before closing time, milling of people going about their business. Tall buildings extended up everywhere. Cars streamed by. "On earth... people... live a lot more densely."

Angel was staring at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists. She looked amusingly disgusted. "I don't like this, it doesn't feel right." She said, before looking up at the towering buildings. Her eyes widened, and she craned her neck up so far he saw her nearly fall off the ledge she was sitting on. She wan't used to such magnificent structures.

"Don't like what?" He raised a hoof and watched his the faux hand raise in turns, flexing with his intentions of moving it. His nerves were up and he was on end. He wasn't sure what to think of the architecture of Canterlot, sometimes it looked quant and sometimes it was silly. He wondered what she thought of the towering modernistic structures of glass and steel. "If we want to cross the road we'll have to wait for a green light." They had traffic lights in Ponyville. In Cloudsdale at least, hopefully she had seen something like that, but he returned to her bad feeling. If their illusions was off it they had to go home. "The illusions are holding up?"

"Yes, they're holding up. But I haven't used a human form in a long time, and you never get used to -" She paused, and turned an adorable shade of red. She had just realized he'd been human before becoming a pony, and he'd adjusted just fine. Canterlot had horse drawn carriages and trains, but no automobiles. "Oh, good, we have green lights in Equestria as well. What do you do for an orange light?" He couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Orange means be ready, green means go, red means don't go... but if turns red while you're going you just keep moving." He interlocked his hoofs around hers, and watched their fingers intertwine. If he ever meet Alicia again he wondered if she could hand him another hour glass, it might be fun to show her what it felt like to be a human. "Come across." They passed a hotdog stand. The smells of frying fat he enjoyed as a human, as a pony it was about one of the most noxious scents he knew of. His stomach almost turned. "Hurrying on."

Their fingers curled together, and she smiled at him. As they passed the hot dogs, although she wasn't entirely sure what they were, her face made the same involuntary reaction his did. She hated the smell. He felt her tail curl around his back leg, both of which were technically nonexistent. Her fingers pulled away from his, and she stooped to pull up a flower growing between cracks in the asphalt. For a moment he worried she was going to eat it.

"The gryphons eat meat too." He had never seen one, but she spoke of them. It was just something to say, her seeing fried meat wasn't embarrassing. Never had bacon smelled as awful as this. Two vegetarians having a violent reaction to the sight of meat, eh people wouldn't notice. He gently tucked her away from the scent, wanting to get as far away from as he could as well. Inside the clean library. "There, that's better. Sorry about that Angel." He watched the flower she had picked. "Some flowers are more elegant on Earth."

As soon as they were inside the library, Angel gave a squeal of delight, and ran into one of the aisles. She would be alright here, few bad things could happen in a library. The librarian was busy stamping books being returned. A librarian who he'd seen before. Alicia stamped the book she was holding, and placed it back on a cart. "Thank you, come again." She said cheerfully. "Hello... Newman. Or was it Norman?" She winked at him.

It was a welcomed sight. "I keep bumping into you on accident?" He asked, knowing that she probably only showed herself when she wanted to. Lifting up his right hand, he showed her the wedding band. His human analogue showed her a wedding ring on a finger. "Thank you Alicia. If I can find something that'll be worth a truckload of fun for you, I'll repay it."

The draconequus was just that, a draconequus, looking completely out of place with her fur and feathers. But nobody was giving her a second glance. "I'm always watching out for you, Norman. Congratulations." She said. "Any foals on the way?" She asked with a playful grin.

"Not until I'm done here." He smirked, looking over to watch Angel. Feeling a bit like a parent watching out for her, protecting her innocence. Was that right of him? He turned to Alicia. "Am I doing the right thing keeping her in the dark? Protecting her from this place?"

"I think you are." Alicia said. "I would only bring her here if I could keep an eye on her. Discovering the evils of this place... for her it'd be like a child discovering there is no Santa, only to a much more profound degree. I think she'd be devastated if she knew." Alicia said. "I personally think you both belong in Equestria, where you're safe. I know you weren't born a pony, Norman. But she loves you."

He nodded and smiled faintly. Shikata go nai. It was beyond something he could reach. He wasn't as innocent at heart as the ponies could be, and if he really wanted he could make the hairs of the worst of them stand on end. "This world isn't all bad.. I want to show her a little of it. You know, just for one day. She showed me a whole new world, and I've kept her from most of mine. Can… you give me another hour glass? Just a honey moon visit, an island in the Pacific."

"It's yours. It'll be waiting for you when you return to Canterlot." She said. "I-... oh crap. You better go get Angel." She said suddenly.

He didn't hesitate for a moment, and shot down in the direction he had seen her pass along. What had she found? What had found her? Idiot, he should have been by her side every step of the way, not just relied on blind luck. For a passing moment he wondered what his human body looked like sprinting at the rate he was.

The worst of the worst flew through his mind. He had never wished to be back on four legs so badly. Although his human self was, for the moment, an illusion, he could not run as fast as his pony self, and magic would surely be seen. He found Angel standing in an aisle looking very confused, surrounded by books on War and Crime. She didn't seem to fully understand yet, and was only just about to open one.

He ran towards, not tackling her but kicking the book away from her at all speeds. He shivered, if it landed close he'd rush over and kick it away. "Angel... please, lets go home now." A plea. Never would he rush at her, but he'd bark an order at her even if that would scare her.

Angel didn't understand, she hadn't seen enough. But he'd come within seconds of her asking questions, questions he couldn't possibly answer. "What is all this?" She asked, but the tone in his voice scared her so much she could only nod. "Okay." She locked fingers with him, and anyone looking in their direction at that moment would see a flash of light, and emptiness where they'd been a moment before.

A Starlit Conversation (Bonus 2)

A flash of light. Angel had taken Silver back to their apartment in Canterlot, looking as confused as ever. "I don't understand, I thought you said the library was safe."

"It was, I don't think anyone would get hurt there. Its not... there's just things I don't want you to see, Angel, because I don't want you to get hurt. Really hurt." He felt paternal and it made him feel sick, he was the bad one of the two, if anything she should have been mothering him. He had to find an analogy she would understand. "Sometimes, in a hospital, you have a sick filly who is going to die. Would you tell the filly, alone and without parents, that she was going to die?"

Norman had seen a lot of things. A lot of horrible, heartbreaking things that had forever changed him. But nothing could compare to seeing tears trickle down the face of a lovely alicorn. Her answer was wordless, but unexpected. He suddenly had the feeling that, as a nurse, she'd been put in that exact position before. "No." She said quietly. A simple, single word, that carried the weight of a thousand.

He wouldn't say more. Angel wasn't dumb by any stretch, she was as intelligent as any woman on Earth. That said a lot about her. Perhaps humans had to be extra smart in such a cruel world. Even by pony standards she was protected and innocent. He craned his neck around hers. "Shhh, Angel, I'm right here. Here, I'm not going anywhere... come back to bed with me." He calmly spoke into her ears, nuzzling them.

The next several hours were a blur. He later recalled talking softly, nuzzling, consoling. Her tears gave way to soft kissing, and one thing led to another after that. An act which had never happened before, but it happened now. It was several hours after that by the time he found himself in the Canterlot Library, as if he'd find something there that Angel didn't need to know about. Libraries calmed him, they were a wealth of information. Information on Equestria, a place that continually managed to surprise him.

At any rate he needed a walk to cool off, she was sleeping again. He hadn't been more awake in his life. A stallion, he smirked. Was he really one now? Could he still travel back to Earth, and if he did so could he take human form even for only a few hours? Alicia had promised to meet him here, and promises were important to keep in Equestria. He sat down in the gardens, feeling proud of himself. He would be a father in not too many turns. "A father…" Had he been a young undecided teen no more than six months ago?

Angel had promised that he wouldn't be a father until he was ready. Could she make promises like that? Was there powerful alicorn magic that covered those sorts of things? Canterlot Gardens were expansive, and most of it open to the public. A few sections however were attached to the castle, and completely off limits. It was from one of these private sections that a familiar figure emerged as the sun went down, and he found himself staring into the kind features of Princess Luna. "Good evening, Silver Key."

That sobered him pretty quick, and bowed before the princess. "Princess Luna?" He probably looked a mess, mane unkempt, tail as well, probably reeking of sweat. "I uh, apologize for being unkept." Why am I bowing again? I usually don't do that. So he picked himself up and dusted off his forelegs. "I'm not myself tonight." He said with a blush.

The Princess seemed unphased, and with a glow of her horn, he felt his mane fix itself. His coat straightened out, his tail was brushed, he was clean. Was it really that easy? "We thought you appeared slightly distracted." A visit from the princess was not a common thing, even for someone engaged to an alicorn. "Can we help you?"

He wasn't a puzzle solver for nothing, he was just caught at an inopportune time. Concentrated, he knew little about Luna. "You didn't bump into me accidentally. Though you like to occasionally meet your subjects, you tend to do that through dreams or during ceremonies. Hence you're here for a purpose. What purpose?" It was always exciting waiting to see if his guesses were onto something. It was hit and miss mostly. What did she know of Alicia. "Something to do with Discord?"

Luna smiled. "You are a registered unicorn of Canterlot, Silver Key. I keep track of all my subjects." She said. "No, Discord is not as much trouble as he once was." She informed him. "I'd let you talk to him yourself, but he usually does not mingle with the commoners. No offense."

"That answers my last question and not my first. You are, or you should be aware of the special circumstances about my occupation in Equestria." He didn't doubt her ability to keep track of so many ponies, but didn't buy that she did it on a one on one personal relationship. Since she was the sister of Celestia and they seemed like two peas in a pod, he didn't doubt that he knew of him. They should. "Special worry about me then?" You aren't looking for a certain little magical item I requested did you? And shame on you if you're reading my mind.

If she was, she didn't make mention of it. "My business out here is none of yours." She said with a cryptic smile which indicated that she was indeed aware of where he came from. "You are a wonderfully talented unicorn, Silver, you'll fit into Equestria perfectly." She said kindly. "You're destined for great things."

"Hopefully not, I'd rather be a humble puzzle maker than do great terrible things." His one ambition in all of this, other than what came with a good position, was to keep Equestria safe in case another human with ill intentions went here. He had an idea for one great thing though. "I'm still new here Luna, so I don't know how it works. You and Celestia seem to be the most powerful ponies there are. Can you grant blessings? I... want to be a father" The thought of a flock of fillies and colts scared him, and emboldened him at the same time. "Can you bless me in that?"

Luna seemed to not have been expecting that, and her smile softened. "You will be a wonderful husband and father, Silver Key." She said. "Our blessing is yours, but I have only one request in return."

"Quid pro quo, this for that, your request, my honour." He would be a father, he'd tell Angel tomorrow during breakfast that he had decided, he wanted to see her as a mother. They'd already had a good journey around Equestria.

"I understand the significance of this request, and I do not ask this lightly. But you are free to come and go from Equestria until your foal arrives. But upon that day, I would like to request you remain in Equestria and keep Angel safe. Can you do that?" She asked. Angel was fully capable of taking care of herself, but she seemed to have other reasons she wasn't ready to divulge.

Coming and going was something he wanted to do on occasion, and it might be necessary at some point to go to Earth. There were other ways, some which he might propose to Novaria once he felt confident that they could be implemented. He wanted this world to be safe, but that wasn't the only thing he wanted it. It should be safe for Angel, and for all the little foals he would have. And he wanted every blessing he could get in that venture. "Granted." He said finally.

Luna rose, and disappeared back into the shadows. "Go home now, Silver Key. Go and be with the one you love." She wasn't one for long conversations. Angel would surely be up by now.

Calm Before the Storm (Bonus 3)

Silver was on his way home, intent on spending the remainder of the evening with Angel. Alicia teleported next to him, floating a few inches off the ground, yet keeping up with him. She knew all about the horrors of Earth, but seemed unphased by it. She was who knew how many centuries old, she'd probably seen too many terrible things to count. "What do you think of Equestria?"

That was an interesting question. "Good to see you again, Alicia." He smiled, pondering it. "Equestria is different from Earth. Sillier, though I guess that's just me. It has things Earth doesn't. I like it, I can live here." Live well in fact, or at least he hoped so. At the moment he was bubbling from his ever evolving relationship with Angel. If Alicia had found him in a prison cell at that moment, his mood would probably still be uplifted.

Alicia rolled her eyes. She had Silvers best interest at heart, but tended to do her own thing. If it hadn't been for her, Angel would be asking about the Holocaust right now. "Listen, I got a hot tip for you. If you want to impress Angel, take her to the Lake tomorrow, exactly 2:33. There's something happening then that I think you'll both really like." She winked, and disappeared as mysteriously as she always did.

Silver never did get a long talk with Alicia, and still no talk of repayment. Then again a near omnipotent creature like her couldn't have many wants in material goods, so perhaps whatever outcome of her meddling was what she sought. Another puzzle. He stored it away along with her suggestion. Right now there was only one place he wanted to be. When he got close enough he teleported home, which left him nicely drained and fatigued. Going into the bedroom he entered the fragrant musk of Angel, and shimmied his way into bed, putting an arm over her side, nuzzling her mane.

Angel was asleep, and remained asleep. She cuddled closer to him, but eventually fatigue overcame Silver as well. Hours passed. When she woke, she seemed momentarily surprised to find him next to her. She had been unusually jumpy in the last few days, and hadn't spoken of anything bothering her. But that was Angel for you, even if her leg was broken in three places she wouldn't dare inconvenience others by asking for help. "Who... Silver!" She sounded relieved.

"So tense." Silver smiled warmly, awakened at her cry, and attempting to calm her nerves. "You've been like this so often." It wasn't something he'd have her spill unless her reactions became severe. "Angel, you know the spells that prevent you from getting pregnant?" He reached across her shoulder and held her hoof in the ankle of his. "Well I've decided, I don't want to wait any longer. We can always take our foals with us on holiday if we're going far, and hire babysitters if we want to go alone."

He immediately had her attention. "Silver, we discussed this. We were going to wait until the time is right." She said gently. "You are still learning about Equestria, you've only been a stallion for a few months." She coaxed. "Don't worry, the time will come."

Silver wouldn't argue with her, at least not now. "Alright, when you feel its time we'll do it, just wanted to let you know." He nibbled her ear a bit, hugging her against him. Deciding to be a little more frisky he reached down and stroked her wing with his hoof.

Surprisingly, Angel teleported a few feet away from him, out of bed. In a matter of seconds she was ready for a public appearance, her mane, coat and tail clean and brushed. She hadn't been entirely herself lately. "Let us go down to the lake instead, there is an event this afternoon and we must go early before all the good spots are taken." She said casually, changing the subject entirely. She didn't seem to like her wings being touched.

Silver was genuinely suprised by what had happened. Though Angel had always liked to snuggle, she had of course kept herself a little distant. Perhaps earlier last night had just been a lapse of her self-control, which made him feel bad for now offering extra intimacy without checking that she would have enjoyed that. However the suddenness of the way she had teleported was a surprise. He remembered what Alicia had said, 2:33 precisely. They could be there in a few minutes if Angel teleported them, perhaps he had to stall her a bit so that they'd arrive at the exact moment. He checked the clock.

It was quarter to noon, nothing would be happening for several hours. Angel smiled at him, although it wasn't as bright as usual. "I do love you, you know."She said, and there was no denying the truth in it. "I'd follow you to the ends of Equestria and back."

Stalling, definitely. He looked at his hoof for a moment, the one that had stroked her wing. "Angel is this something you want to talk about now? You're not just getting ready to go now because you're an early bird." It always hurt when he saw her express discomfort about her wings. To get her to even unfold them and fly he had to take her to a very private plain. No flight since then.

Something was bothering her, yes. But was it really about her wings? "No." She responded. "Come on, let's go." She nuzzled against his neck, and trotted for the door. "I must admit, I'm immensely surprised that you knew about the Flyover. You've been keeping up on Equestrian customs."

Deciding that he couldn't stall her so that they'd arrive at the specified point in time, he got himself up and gave himself a quick short shower. Working fine control was so much easier when your telekinetic magic was under control. He didn't have enough control of teleportation yet to do anything but send him to very familiar places. And never longer than a few hundred leggings (semi-obsolete pony length, comparable to three feet, not used much in Canterlot). He shook himself off his mane still clinging to his neck and had Angel do a quick-dry spell on him and come his mane through quickly. Their combined efforts got him muscled into a formal attire. "Do I look ready?" He noticed the dress she had put on while he was getting ready. Very Canterlot chic, which looked a bit Victorian to him. A few long dashing feathers coming from the hem of the dress, not meant to look like wings, but many dresses would have feathers there because they symbolized the grace unicorns associated with Celestia and Luna. Her own wings tucked away hidden inside the dress. He never noticed until now. He put on a smile for her. "Ready?"

Angel could be jaw droppingly beautiful when she wanted to be, but often kept herself casual. She nodded, and her usual magic took hold of them both. Teleportation was familiar by now, and in a matter of moments he felt grass underneath his hooves. There were ponies everywhere, some in the air, some on the ground. Couples snuggling on blankets, others playing in the lake. It was a typical, beautiful summer day. There must have been a good couple hundred ponies gathered altogether.

Few lookers like his wife to be. Smug pride was on him, and Angel was in his eyes, walking along his side. The place wasn't where he had proposed to her. It had been more than a week in planning. First he had done the hardest thing in his life, arguing out his permission to marry her from Novaria, who in theory held the possibility of him becoming her advisor in her hooves. Though she respected him for his abilities, he never knew if she trusted him. She hadn't said much as he explained to her how much her daughter meant to him, and what lengths he would go to to defend her. Eventually he was handed a very old engagement ring. A simple golden band, a family heirloom. He proposed to her the day he saw her fly, as a final surprise. Some fillies ran past them, a unicorn chasing a pegasus. A sheepish smile crept onto him and he nuzzled her. Now what was all this about? Flyover? A flock of dragons coming by?

Time slowed to a crawl, and although they were surrounded, there was only the two of them. She lay with her head on his neck, cuddled close, occasionally she would lean up and kiss him. All was right. His tranquility was broken only by the eventual excited screams of children. "They're coming! They're coming!"

Silver often wondered what being a parent would be like. Some of it he anticipated with dread, being kept awake at night by the constant crying of a little foal. A rather significant loss of freedom. Having to feel like a bad guy when it became time to punish his foals to teach them good manners. His heart fluttered with excitement when he saw the excited little colts and fillies going to their respective parents, he looked to Angel just to see if they were on the same wavelength.

Angel was not watching him, she was watching the children, though a soft smile on her face. "I want one..." She whispered quietly, presumably to him. Overhead, the biggest shadow he'd ever seen in his life soared, to the wild applause of the children. It was followed by another, and another. Dragons, full grown dragons, his first encounter with them. Massive beasts of scale and muscle, some flying so low they brushed the tops of the trees.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. He was so caught up with her that it took those giant majestic creatures to distract him. "Wow!" Though he had learned now that dragons existed in this world, actually seeing was a world of difference. "I almost can't wait until its our turn to have one." Not just one Angel. We'll see how many we can manage, but I don't think any number will be enough for me. He checked the time on his watch, was this what Alicia had wanted them to see? "Have what, a dragon?" She quipped. "Sure, YOU can push that one out."

He had met the baby dragon Angel had brought him at the hospital, and met Spike on his trip to Ponyville. But this... this was something else entirely. His watch read 2:34. Angels tail wrapped around his, and she leaned on his shoulder. "I want to be a parent with you, Silver." She whispered, looking up at the sky. "I don't know how I ever managed without you."

He had never wanted her more than he wanted her now. There would never be any regret in him over marrying her, or letting her become a mother, and making him a father. A deep lingering kiss. When it broke he leaned close, and looked into her eyes. His gaze explained his intentions. His desires.

It was a rather sudden question to ask, especially surrounded by children. But she smiled at his forwardness, and stared into his eyes with her bright blue ones. If a year ago someone had told him he'd once be madly in love with a horse, he'd have laughed in their face. But here, he'd landed arguably the prettiest pony alive.

"The dragons are beautiful and majestic Angel, lets see this next year. We can bring our baby daughter." It was a promissory note. "Right now there's only one mare I want to see for tonight and tomorrow. Teleport race you home?" It would be no contest, so in reality he was asking her to take them home. He'd ask her to call in sick. They both knew they were ready to be parents, and they both wanted it, come rain or shine. Though in Equestria most rains have scheduled rainbows, he knew it would turn out alright.

The alicorn beamed, and he knew she wanted nothing more than to be with him that night. As the two left, a figure rustled in the shadows of the forest. A figure that had been watching them for quite a while. "Aw, isn't that cute." It smirked. "You may think Equestria is a safe haven, Silver Key. But just you wait. A storm is coming. You'll earn that horn of yours yet." The figure strode deeper into the forest, waiting and watching.

[ANGEL AND SILVER WILL RETURN IN "ANGELS AND DEMONS 2" COMING SPRING 2013!]

Sneak Peek at Angels and Demons 2: Timelock

The dull thobbing began in the back of his head, he may very well have to call upon Alicia at some point. The sun was barely risen, just after sunrise. He was considering going back to Earth, when a bright light appeared before him. At first it was just a glowing sphere, but slowly began to take a shape. The shape of a pony. As if that wasn't enough, it spoke to him. "Silver Key!"

Climbing out of the fountain, drenched, shaking himself off, probably taken either for a cider-laden unicorn who had tried for a quick trip home, or for a teleportation beginner still out of practice. A nice big jug of cider would be just the right thing right about now. The sight of a pony materializing out of nowhere blinded him a little and he shielded his eyes with a hoof. Interesting, he'd sent himself to a random spot and someone showed up. Coincidence was unlikely. Someone was watching him. It wasn't Novaria though. "Yes... I'm Silver, who are you?"

The large sphere seemed to be made of light and fire itself, and his brain slowly processed this. It wasn't just a random appearance, it was an ethereal projection. And only a couple ponies were powerful enough to do that. As the form took shape, within the glittering fires he could make out not just the shape of a horn, but large majestic wings as well. "I need your help, Silver Key. You must get to Canterlot Castle, as quickly as you can!"

There was only one pony this could possibly be. "Yes Princess Celestia, I'll get right there!" He smiled, there was always the off chance that this was Luna. The voice commanded respect and dignity, ergo it wasn't the new princess Twilight who from the few friendship speeches he'd seen her give, though confident was young. This was the voice of a majesty. Luna was unlikely, she was rarely seen in the morning. Also her magic tended to be shadowy and dark. He genuflected. Something to get his mind off things. How had Angel come to read.. and what had she read? Who had given her something to read? Puzzle solving. No answers presented themselves at the moment, the pieces weren't in. He wondered whether the trainyard left for Canterlot this early, although the Castle was merely on the other side of the city. Teleport? His headache mingled with a throbbing sensation in his horn, better not. But his only alternative was to run. He'd have to suck it up. Teleporting would be faster.

The Princess sounded urgent. Scared, almost. "Luna has spoken of your abilities most highly. I have a conundrum for you to solve, Silver Key. The fate of Equestria may depend on it. Please hurry! I will do what I can here to hold it back." The pony of light burst into fragments, and sizzed into smoke as the fragments hit the ground. Something was wrong.

He looked up through the spires of Canterlot, to where castle straddled the mountain. A unicorn, he'd break wind soon enough and it wasn't good for his headache. Deciding that there would be medical assistance up on the castle, but that there was an even faster way to get up there he rushed up to nearest royal guards with wings patrolling the city streets. "Silver Key, Princess Celestia contacted me urgently I need a quick trip to the castle pronto." He held a shard of the ethereal projecting that had been left, hoping it was proof enough. If not, he had a gem that might be good bribe. Then again the royal Canterlot guards were moral to a fault, a bribe might send him to a jail cell... but since that was in the castle, that would still work to his advantage.

If it was or was not enough, he was not told. If the guards did or did not believe him, he was not told. However, between something he did and something Princess Celestia had told was enough. The guard nodded, and touched his horn to Silvers own. There was a brief flash and moment of disorientation, and he found himself outside the Castle gates. He was ushered inside, the gates swinging open to accommodate him. "Princess Celestia is expecting you in her throne room immediately." One of the guards said politely.

Silver's headache was singing an aria about how much agony was in his skull. He rushed through the gaudy corridors and up the wide stairs, bursting into the throne room. Being friends with Angel, he had been through here without it being a tour, though he'd never had an audience with the regal princesses, except his short brush with Luna where he had asked her for her blessings.

Something was wrong. The throne room was empty. But he'd been told to come here, where was Princess Celestia? Or at the very least, Princess Luna, if Celestia was going to be late? His head hurt and his eyes needed a moment to adjust. Something was moving at the far back of the expensive room, something large and bright purple. But it wasn't an organic being, what WAS that?

Alarm clocks started ringing. He was a unicorn but he didn't know any form of defensive or offensive, firstly because magic like that was deemed dangerous enough that it was taught to very few unicorns, and secondly he doubted his meager horn could punch a hole into anything if he wanted. He decided against giving away his position just yet by announcing himself. The princesses would know he was there, and if they weren't here when he arrived… the Celestial figure had said something about holding something back. Keeping close to the door he tried studying the purple spectacle.

It was a light, no, that wasn't right. A bubble. It started at the back of the room, encapsulating everything it touched. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor. And it was moving towards him at an alarming speed. From a side hallway barreled a brown earth stallion, with an hourglass on his flank. He took only one look at Silver, an expression of urgency and fear on his face. "Run!"

Something had definitely gone wrong. He didn't know the earth pony next to him, but he judged his assessment of the situation was as good as any and ran back out of the large set of doors, holding them open for that pony, in case he wanted to follow. The castle doors were fairly sturdy. He had no idea whether they resisted magic, but seeing as Luna and Celestia were magical users, them not reinforcing the doors with magic would seem odd. Then again ponies weren't always known for the strategic forethought.

The bubble was fast, too fast. In the moment he stopped to hold open the door, they caught up with him. The earth pony was gone, which was absolutely strange seeing as he hadn't come through the doors, he'd only been there a moment ago, and there was no other way out. But either way, he was overtaken by whatever it was that had consumed the throne room. It hurt for only a moment, and then he found himself completely blind.

No, not blind. Everything was still in its place. The door in front of him, the throne room behind him. It took him several minutes to regain his bearings, and finally become able to see the chaos behind him as his eyes adjusted to the overwhelming darkness. The beautiful, decorated throne room he had been in only moments before was completely destroyed. The thrones for both Princesses had been torn apart and broken, and lay useless, overturned. Rats scurried amongst the debris. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling had long since fallen to the ground, their crystals deformed and irreplaceable. But perhaps the most heart wrenching sight was the stained glass lining the windows. Somepony had once spent hundreds of hours on the half dozen or so works of art, and every window was now smashed, thousands of pieces of multicolored glass lined the hallway. Not even a puzzle solver could put them back together.

Part I/Into The Rabbit Hole

[DAY ONE]

In any given household, there were always to be a number of accidents and mishaps. Anything ranging from simply forgetting to turn off a garage light to cancelling a favored meeting in order to ensure the stove was turned off, and everything in between. Norman was one of those slightly compulsive types, he liked everything to be in order and organized. Not to an extreme, but enough so that he was comfortable. Little wasteful things bothered him, such as leaving a light on in an abandoned room or someone taking an unnecessarily long shower. But even accidents did not escape him. The one which took him down had been as simple as a misstep in the kitchen on a recently mopped floor. He recalled a sense of loss of balance, and when he next regained a sense of orientation, was laying on his back on a stiff hospital bed, staring at an unnaturally bright ceiling. A slightly bored looking nurse had been checking on him. "Oh, good! You're awake. That's fantastic. Do not overexert yourself, your questions will be answered. How are you feeling?"

"Iffglweff." His mouth was dry, had gone dry during his blackout. How long had he been out? The disorientation had him. There was no remembrance of the fall, but the memory of losing balance, and the discontinuous transition to a hospital bed meant that he had fallen. Opening his mouth wide he unpeeled the tongue from the roof of his mouth, making a dry cluck noise. "Mouf is dry... I'm ppfine, headache." He did have one. Actually he feared he had a headache before he felt any pangs. The laws of causality weren't particularly favored to a skull injury, and they tended to slant in the direction of things impacting otherwise wholesome human tissue in improper ways. He wasn't thinking completely straight, must have been quite quite a knock he recieved. "Wapffer pweapff."

The nurse gently raised her hand. "Be still, Norman. You have quite a formidable concussion. Nothing dangerous, but there was a deal of brain swelling, which has since gone down in the days you've been unconscious." She explained. "Your father found you on the floor, and naturally, was extremely concerned." She obviously didn't know his father that well, he was not an extraordinarily caring man. She extended a plastic cup of water to him, and pressed it to his lips. "Drink, revive yourself."

He drank, or rather sipped, or rather attempted to sip with dignified grace. Regardless, he merely achieved some spillage down his cheeks, his lips and mouth had gone supremely dry. The water dissolved the parchy sensation immediately, though his lips still felt worse for wear. Had they given him some powerful medicine? Brain swelling... that was pretty bad. He didn't feel as bad as he imagined he would feel if he was in that position. Pain killers? Artificially induced coma… did that stuff cause mouth dryness? Maybe he was just a bit dehydrated. "Thank you." He told her and remained as still as he could be. His head hurt, he was in a hospital bed. It was all a serious kink in his routines, but... he felt alright. Definitely he was in control of the situation.

The room was clean and organized, that much was a relief. There was a sense of order here, and the beeping of the machines he was hooked up to was lulling and hypnotic. "I'm just the orderly, I'll inform your regular nurse that you're awake. She'll want to see you. Relax, she'll be with you in a moment. The woman said gently. "Shall I inform your father as well? I believe he stayed overnight in the lounge, though he may have gone home." Yes, that sounded like him. Caring for only so long until boredom set in.

"Yes please." A hospital was fairly ordered. He wasn't obsessive, but it was definitely his favorite environment. Slackers who messed up their apartments didn't make him comfortable. Cleanly pressed trousers and punctuality did. He had learned it from his father, who had learned it from his grandmother, and so on back to the days of old. "He's probably really worried,"

The woman nodded, and left him alone. He was alone for about five minutes with the rhythmic sounds of the machines. He wasn't sure exactly what he expected from his nurse, but it certainly wasn't what he got. The first sign that something was amiss were the footsteps coming down the hall. He couldn't quite place them, but he knew what walking typically sounded like, from a relaxed gait to a full out run. It wasn't like anything he'd heard before. The door opened... and... his immediate thought was that he'd been hit harder on the head than anticipated. What other reason could there be for a brightly colored horse standing in his hospital room? And that was before she even said anything. The dark of the room was lit up by the glow coming by a growth on her head, which levitated his medical charts in front of her eyes. "Lets see here... looks like you've had a bit of a fall recently, Norman. Some minor swelling... I see that's being treated... a few cuts and scrapes, could have been a lot worse." The chart lowered, and she gazed at him with bright blue eyes. "Feeling alright today?"

Norman wasn't panicking. Not yet. It wasn't real that was all. He had been hit very hard on the head. However the pastel colored character was asking him a direct question. She might be the nurse. He had read once of a bicycle rider who after twenty hours broke down and thought his entire team was a group of aliens who were kidnapping him, when they were really taking him to the nearest hotel room. "No, I'm not sure I'm alright." He admitted, hoping he was speaking in his sleep.

The horse was wearing a white hospital coat, a stethoscope around her neck. The coat shifted as she walked, and he was able to see a red hospital cross near her back end on either side. "Well if you were alright, you wouldn't be in a hospital, and I wouldn't be tending to you, silly." She said kindly. "But all things considered, you're doing very well. I want to keep you for a few days for testing, but I think I can have you back home by the end of the week."

A talking pony that had walked straight out of Dreamworks studios animation department. Norman liked animated movies, and although he wasn't obsessed about them, he didn't see obscure stuff in his daily activities. Not like this. Any animation fan with respect for himself would be able to mention five times the number of animated pictures than Norman knew about. So why on Earth was he seeing a pony? "What do I do in case of hallucinations?" They say you know that a hallucination is a hallucination. Normal felt he knew that what he was seeing wasn't what it was. He just wish that he knew, that he knew it.

However, at some point, the hallucinations stopped becoming hallucinations. She stopped at the edge of his bed, and placed her horn against his arm. A strange warmth rushed through him, and the bruises faded from sight, as well as the small cuts he'd sustained had healed over. "I regret I cannot heal you completely, larger injuries still take time and care to recover properly, and I won't risk your health by being impatient." She assured him, leaving him all the more confused. "What sort of hallucinations are you experiencing?" She asked. "If you see continual hallucinations, I may need to run additional scans."

This was turning into a very strange day indeed.

Familiar Faces

Alicia smiled lightly, seeing his enthusiasm, and her voice assumed a warning tone. "I think this Novaria seems more bark than bite, she's just looking out for her little girl. Norman, I must warn you, about one thing, if you are sure about this."

Always a catch isn't there. Embarrased by his wild exuberance he gathered himself up again, scratching the back of his head with a hoof. "Sorry for the outburst.. what's the fine print?"

"I must apologize for involving myself in your personal business, but you deserve a warning. If you were to... shall we say... 'get with' Angel, you would be unable to return to this realm. May I offer my suggestion of keeping things... platonic? If she is as kind as you say, I'm sure she'd understand." Alicia paused following giving her warning about courting the alicorn. Having as much power as she did, one might think that she would not want anything, being able to summon or create whatever she wanted. But alas, she was not as selfless as Angel was. "Alright, so assuming I send you back to Equestria right here and now, on top of you being able to come and go as you please, what do I get out of it?" She asked with a curious smile. "Nothing is free, you know."

A trickster is asking me what I can give. "A lot of bad stories about wishes starts out like this" We had our stories of genies, he thought. So what could he give that you'd want. "You're supposed to ask me some small thing or favor, something that seems trivial and later it'll be revealed to be very significant… at least stories with creatures like you typically go like that. What do you want Alicia?" He offered up his arms helplessly.

The draconequus looked offended, and clutched at her chest dramatically. "I'm hurt. You really think I'd try to take advantage of you like that? After ALL we've been through together?" Despite the fact he'd only met her several hours earlier. She glanced about his room, and her eyes settled on the bit that Angel had given him, which she pointed out. "How about that? It's useless to you here."

He went over and picked it up, turned it around. Was it just a bit? He wanted to be sure as much as he could. Was there any hidden magic? A message? A way of communication? Experimentally he touched his horn to it, trying to see if he could activate some latent magical powers inside it. Any small hidden writing? Anything?

There was no magic, no hidden messages, no hidden meaning. He may not be able to use magic, but he'd at least be able to sense magic. He sensed a powerhouse of it coming from Alicia. The bit was just that, a bit, a gift from one friend to another.

Nothing, it was just a bit. Technically it was the only bit he had, when he got to Equestria he'd be broke. "Where am I going to turn up if I teleport to Equestria? Evodia? Or somewhere far away?" You could at least go out of your way to figure out these things.

Alicia shrugged. "Technically, I can't transport you to Canterlot, I'm not...exactly allowed in Canterlot anymore. They have a thing against the draconequui race, sins of the father and all that, you know. But I'll get you as close as I possibly can." She promised, taking the bit from him. "If you can't find Angel, ask around, surely somepony knows where she is." She hesitated only a second. "Ready?"

He considered it for a moment. "Alicia, I don't know who you are. Discord is something new to me. If you're helping me, I'll be friendly to you." Had he simple been overly skeptical, it was something he was about to find out. "Don't be a stranger… and thank you for helping me out in this world. I'll see if I can't pay you back some day" He made sure not to word it as a promise, since he didn't really know her intentions. That wasn't very pony of him, distrust, but then again, he had been a human for most of his life.

Alicia saluted him, and snapped her claws. For a brief moment, everything went black. Teleporation was something he doubted he'd ever get used to. He landed on his face, upon a friendly WELCOME mat sitting inches away from a large, bright red door. Well that was unpleasant. The thought of being able to switch between worlds was gratifying, he might not have to give Angel up after all.

It was Equestria for sure, he knew that just by the bright vibrant colors, before he even saw all the ponies going about their business. Three or four stopped near him, all of them complete strangers asking if he was alright.

"I'm alright, bad teleportation.. I uh.. need to find my way back to instructor." It was a lie, he hoped it would pass. He had no idea how easy or hard it was to teleport. Since he didn't see it too often it seemed likely that it was fairly difficult, and fairly difficult things can go fairly much wrong. "I seem to be in one piece.. did both ears arrive with me.. okay, I'll be fine."

The ponies assured him he was alright, and went about their way. The red door he was standing in front of cracked open, and he found himself looking into the eyes of only the second dragon he'd ever seen in his entire life. Except this one was purple with green fins, and had a half eaten sapphire in one claw. "Whoa. Dude, you need to work on your landings. I watched you crash through the window." The little dragon snickered. "You alright? Nothing broken?"

"Teleportation mishap.. I uh arrived a few very long steps away from where I should and uhm.. a few steps too high above ground. Could you tell me where I've arrived?" He hoped he wasn't too far away from Canterlot, he needed to find Angel and stat. Had she said something about a library?

The dragon shook his head. "You don't know where you are? You must've hit your head harder then you thought. This is the Ponyville Library, everypony knows that." He said with mild amusement. "Normally I'd offer you more of a reception, but Twilight is away on business, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit behind. Come inside if you need to." He swung the door open.

Ponyville library, it was always possible that this was where Angel had gone. "Have you seen a white alicorn by the name of Angel? We got seperated, and I'm wondering where she went. She's.. uh.. teaching me about teleportation" Not that far off, since she'd taught him what to expect when she teleported him from his world this one. "I've tried coming back to her, but I can't find where she's gone"

The dragon wandered into the kitchen, which was an enormous mess covered in flour and what appeared to be some sort of batter. "Angel? Sure I know her! She's the traveling nurse, right? She stops into Ponyville sometimes on emergencies. You want some jewel cake? I'm super determined to actually make it this time."

Jewel cake? How did that work, the thought of teeth breaking against the hard translucent rocks. He shuddered. "No.. thanks… I was wondering if she's been by here, recently? A few hours ago?" It was always possible that he was lucky, or more likely that Alicia would have known more things than she had let on.

Again, the dragon shook his head. "Naw, I haven't seen her in a couple months. She's real nice though, always brings gems for me when she stops in." He drooled slightly. "Tell you what though, we have a guest staying here this weekend that MIGHT be able to help you. Want me to call her?"

"Sure thing." Jewel cakes? Dragons ate jewels? What had the dungeons and dragons rulebook guide said about that? Silver never had many opportunities to play that game with people. Perhaps he could introduce it to ponies! At the moment his main thoughts were on finding Angel, as quickly as he could, he had a bad feeling.

"Great. I'll get her. Quick suggestion for you... fix your mane. It's a mess." He said, in a tone indicating it wasn't really a suggestion, but more of a 'do it anyway' type thing. He left the room, singing to himself. "Twilight's out of town, so its time to make.. make myself a jewel cake! Dum da dum da dum..."

Mane's a mess? He found a mirror if that was all possible, at the moment thinking about where Angel would have gone. She had contacted him, tried to, but it had been difficult, why? Had Novaria already set up a magical blockage? Was Alicia unfriendly after all? Something had prevented her from coming to Earth, otherwise she would have. Something was wrong, because she had gone out of her way to contact him. So if not this library, then which one? There was a huge in Canterlot, that was his best bet.

A few minutes passed. He heard the now familiar clop of hooves in the hallway, before the biggest pony he'd ever seen entered the room. Her coat was a deep purple, and her mane... he'd never seen anything like it. It seemed to be made of starlight. She smiled at him, a smile which held years of patience and wisdom. "Good evening, Silver Key." She said kindly. "We trust thou art enjoying your stay in Equestria?"

Princess, he saw it immediately from the wings. She was even taller than Novaria, ergo older. Luna, he'd seen her sometimes in artwork and her name had come up during some discussions with Angel about this world. The one who raised the moon? Awe settled on him, and shame that he was now trying to find out how to best proceed in getting her help. The truth. With a short genuflect he went straight to business. "Princess Luna, I fear princess Angel is in danger" He didn't know whether Angel still had the title, even if she didn't pull the duty.

The mare of the night smiled upon him. "Angel is not a princess, Silver Key. Thus is her right. We would have guessed you'd be aware of that. If she were a princess, she would not have time to do what she loves to do, nor would he have time for meeting new ponies like you." She explained. "But you are half-correct. While she is in danger, it is not life threatening. Not at the moment, at least."

She knew, that made things easier. "I have to know. I'm not from this world your highness, she offered me to come here as a trip. However I realized that this world was different from mine. Less evil is here. In order to protect her from my world, I told princess Novaria about all of this, she ordered me home, and so I went. However in getting there.. I was still a pony. I only turned into one when I got here. Then I got a message from Angel.. but I didn't understand it, the voice was garbled." Since Novaria already knew, it did no harm to add this information to Luna's knowledge.

Luna frowned slightly, but she did not appear upset. "Be calm, Silver Key. My sister and I hath been aware of this for some time. We study the intentions of all ponies who come to Equestria, to ensure they are not a threat. Granted, we are occasionally wrong, but we know that despite the world you come from, you are good." She said.

He nodded. Inside he felt strange, a pony from this world had called him good? He'd been afraid the badness from his world had been leaking out of him. It was the cause of such relief. Coming back here he would risk harming Equestria as such. He bowed his head. And decided to let her do the talking. This wasn't his situation to control.

She continued to explain. "When entering our realm, just as you are bound to our form, you are bound to our rules. You would be unable to perform such acts even if you wanted to. However aside from a few high ranking ponies, knowledge of such acts is nonexistent, and I trust you will not burden my little ponies with such horrors." She cast him a wary glance.

"Only Novaria, only to keep Angel from going to my world." Unable to do them? Must be some powerful spells. That kind of magic couldn't restrict all kinds of evil, but he was glad that it protected this world from harm. He agreed to her caution "I won't tell anyone of those things, your majesty… where.. is Angel?" He had to know.

It was then that he knew Princess Luna was keeping something from him. Perhaps not intentionally, but she knew, and she was avoiding it. "You are a good pony, Silver Key. Even if you go back to your world, you are always welcome here."

"Princess.. you're hiding something from me. I've asked you three times about Angel, starting out with that question, and you haven't answered it. I need to know" He already knew. "She's gone back to my world hasn't she? Searching for me?" Idiot, he was an idiot, what had he expected would happen? Tell her mother about a world of fears and horrors ponies didn't dream of, and then tell Angel who had shown love for him that he was going back there… had she found out that he'd done it protect her? If that was the case then of course she would have gone. Tears formed in his eyes. Please Luna tell me I'm wrong, he thought.

Luna looked into his eyes, an apologetic sigh escaping her lips. "I do not know her reasoning, outside of an unparalleled desire to see you again. But yes, Silver, she went to find you." She said gently. She had hidden herself the first time he'd met her, so she wouldn't appear as a pony. But he had seen her. Who was to say others couldn't see her as well?

No time to stand around and explain his world to the princess. "Is there any assistance you can give me. She's in mortal danger! Mortal!" He needed a search team. He needed spells. "Teleportation magic? A tracking spell? Anything. She never left the hospital I was in.. she can sense hurt, she'll be drawn to it… for crying out loud Luna, she's an innocent pony in hell! Quick, any help? If not, then I'm teleporting back now" He had to be quick, the princess had inadvertent wasted an ocean of time. He could have been there searching for her.

Angel wouldn't have known where he lived, she wouldn't have had any idea where to find him. But she loved him, was it any wonder she wanted to find him? She'd likely run to the other side of Equestria and back if only he asked. "I'm sorry, Silver Key. I am a princess, yes, but can only do so much." She said gently.

"If you had said this in the beginning I'd have had thirty seconds more." He was disgraceful, he was angry at himself and it affected his manners. "Forgive me Angel, Luna… wish me luck" No assistance then. Activating what magic Alicia had given him to teleported back and landed… in the garden outside his house.