Apocrypha

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Prologue

It was the eerie howl of timber wolves that summoned her into consciousness. Evening Star fought to regain her senses as she shrugged off the laze of her unwelcomed slumber. Her blonde mane had matted against her coat and her body ached from lying on the cold stone floor. Through bars in the door, the flickering light of two wall lanterns fought against the shadows of her cell; the scent of their burning oil overpowered by the unpleasant stench of dried sweat and mildew.

As her eyes adjusted, she made note of a pair of shackles securing her hind legs to the floor. She collected herself, testing each of her restraints for a flaw that might free her; she found none.

How she got here she couldn’t fathom, but somepony was going to pay for this injustice. It wasn’t until she brought herself to her hooves that she could see the two armor-clad, white pegasi stallions standing guard over her. The fires of indignation ignited in her jade green eyes.

“Do you have any idea who I am? Do either of you realize what you have done?” Her nostrils flared as she snorted her protests. “You will release me at once! You have no right to hold me here!”

Her voice reverberated throughout the barren chamber, but the demands fell upon deaf ears. Neither of the guards had moved even an inch from their posts.

“Are you listening to me!? You will let me go, right now!” She grew louder and more agitated with each disregarded outcry. “Hello!? Can you even hear me!? I said, you will let me go!”

No response.

They couldn’t hear her—that must have been what it was. Nopony would just stand there and ignore her direct orders. Something about that didn’t make sense. She didn’t feel the presence of a silencing spell. In fact, she didn’t sense any magic at all—not even her own.

Evening pulled harder at each of her chains, desperate to break free. The shackles were forged of moonsilver—a rare metal with magic suppressing properties. As long as she was restrained her magic would be useless.

One of the guards coughed.

That had settled it. If she could hear them, they could hear her. Yet, she didn’t understand. Were these muscle-bound dim-wits unaware of who she was? Soldiers did as she commanded if they knew what was good for them. These two were no different; she would have to set them straight.

“I, Evening Star, daughter of Queen Sol, and future Princess of Equestria, am ordering you to release me this instant… or else!”

“Or else what, ‘Princess’?” The younger of the two guards glared back at her.

“Sergeant Cover!” The other guard frowned. “We are under strict orders not to speak to the prisoner.”

“I can’t help it, Doc. I’ve had to deal with this traitorous horse’s demands for the past two years.” He stomped a hoof on the ground. “Do you have any idea what I’ve had to put up with?”

“That’s Sergeant Trine,” he grumbled. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

“You won’t have to worry about that.” Evening made her best effort to look smug. “Sergeant Cover... was it? When I am released from this filth pit, you’ll be lucky if you are only court-martialed.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about me if I were you. As I see it, the only way you’re leaving this cell is if you’re about thirty pounds lighter.” He drew a hoof across his neck and smirked.

“Cloud Cover!” Doc waited to make sure he had the flippant guard’s attention. “Once I can tolerate; twice is pushing it. Disobey orders a third time and I will have no choice but to report the matter.”

“I do not think that will be necessary, Sergeant,” said a stern, yet softened voice. “I am already quite aware.”

The guards immediately snapped to attention as a third, taller, winged pony entered the room. Sporadic stains of dirt and blood plagued her lilac coat. Atop her head rested an oversized golden tiara, held in position by an elongated unicorn horn that rose out through her undulating, translucent pink mane.

Evening Star breathed a sigh of relief; everything was soon to be sorted. The guards would be punished for their impudence, she would be released, and shortly thereafter she would assume her rightful position as a Princess of Equestria, just as her sister had.

“Leave us.” The princess glanced at each of the guards before turning her attention on the cell door.

The guards raised their right foreleg to their chest in salute. “Yes, Your Highness.” They both headed for the exit in what appeared to be a practiced manner.

“Oh, and Sergeant Cover…” She paused until he turned to face her.

“Yes, Princess?”

“Wait for me in the Great Hall. We shall be discussing this incident further.”

He swallowed and lowered his gaze to the floor. “Yes, Princess.” He saluted once more, this time with less enthusiasm, before departing.

The cell door had not been opened for more than a second before Evening started in on her sister. “Starlight, oh thank goodness you are here. These ruffians have been treating me like some common Earth Pony. I don’t know how I managed to get here, but I am so glad to see you. I want that Sergeant Cover or whatever his name is to rue the day that he disrespected me. Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to let me out of here or not?”

Starlight opened the door to her cell. “I am afraid I cannot let you out, Evening. Not after what you have done.” She hung her head.

“You’re joking.” She laughed. Evening looked Starlight up and down. “Why, whatever happened to your beautiful coat? Is that… blood? Are you alright, Star?”

“It is not my blood, but that is not what is important right now.” She brought her eyes up to meet her sister’s. “How could you do it, Evening? Why would you do it?”

“Do what?”

Starlight stomped her hoof on the floor. The stone tile cracked underneath, releasing a thunderous clap, and the room darkened. “Do not feign innocence with me!”

Evening backed into the wall, but Starlight followed her. “Sister, you’re scaring me. Does mother know you’re doing this?”

“Stop,” she muttered, taking a step forward.

“Mother would not approve of you treating me this way, Starlight.”

“Stop it.” Two more steps.

“Where is mother? I want her to know, just how you treat your bigger sister since you became a Princess. Don’t you think she should–”

“I SAID STOP! She is dead, Evening! She died! Because of you! Because of your jealousy—because of your betrayal, she died!” Her lip quivered and voice wavered as she glared with unblinking, tear-filled eyes that burned with rage. “Because of you, I… I have lost everything.”

“She’s dead?” Evening couldn’t believe it. “Mom’s dead? How? Why!?”

Starlight turned away from her sister. “Malice. Malice killed her.”

“How… how did he get to her!?” she demanded, tears beginning to well in her own eyes.

“We had a trap set. We knew he was going to attack tonight. Adam, mother, and I were prepared for his assault.”

“Why wasn’t I told!?”

“Do I really need to say it?” Starlight shook her head. “Malice has spies among us. There is almost no way of knowing who has been compromised. With that threat, we could not afford to tell anypony. Everything had been going according to plan, until you drugged me—until you betrayed us.”

“But all I did was send you away so I could spend some time with him! The potion was harmless! How was that a betrayal?”

Starlight looked back at her sister. “Who do you think it was that gave you the potion, Evening? What did you think it would do to me?”

“It’s not… I didn’t… I just…” Evening couldn’t take any more. Her whole world had begun to fall apart around her. Her mother was dead, and she was responsible? How was she at fault? None of it mattered, she was gone. She would never see her radiant smile or hear her reassuring voice again. She collapsed to the floor and sobbed.

Starlight sat with her and began stroking her blonde mane, sharing her grief. She had almost managed to fix the tangled mess before Evening was ready to speak.

“I only wanted–”

“I know what you wanted, Eve. It was not yours.”

“I just wanted him to love me!” Her voice cracked from the strain of her sorrowing. “The way he loved you. You always got everything; I wanted just this one. Was that so wrong?”

She sighed. “Yes, Eve. It was wrong. His heart is not your to take, nor it mine to give away.”

Evening sniffed. “Is mom really…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it again.

Starlight only nodded.

“I am so sorry, Star. I want to take it all back.” She wished the Elements would smile upon them and somehow fix what she did; that she could rewind time and undo what had be done. Sadly, she knew better and so did her sister.

“I know you do.” Starlight hugged her.

Evening sat in her sister’s embrace for a few moments before letting go. “Can you ever forgive me? I mean, after all I have done – after all this – can you forgive me?”

“Of course, Eve. You are my sister. Of course I can forgive you.”

Evening began to feel relieved. Even after being partially responsible for their own mother’s death, Starlight forgave her. She could feel pressure being lifted from her shoulders.

“However, Equestria cannot forgive your actions.”

The weight slammed back down on her. “What? What do you mean?”

“If it were just me that you had wronged, that would have been the end of this.” Starlight closed her eyes for a moment as she stood. When they opened, they were cold and dead. “But your actions wronged all of Equestria. Her citizens: they are demanding your punishment.”

“Punishment? For what?”

Starlight held her eyes in a fierce gaze. “For betrayal of the crown, resulting in the death of the Queen, Equestrian law dictates only one punishment: death.”

“But it was an accident! I didn’t want to mom to die!”

She shook her head. “It matters not, Eve. The law is the law. It is also why I am here.”

“Why you are here?” Evening didn’t understand. What possible reason could the law have that would require Starlight to be here? Especially an infraction with a punishment so severe. It finally dawned on her. “What are you going to do, Starlight?”

“The only thing that I can, my sister. I hope that you will be able to forgive me for this.”

“You don’t have to do this! There has to be some other way!” There was no life in her eyes. She was really going to do it; Starlight was going to execute her. But why? Nothing she did could warrant this. Just because some stupid old law stated so, didn’t make it right. It wasn’t like she meant to hurt anyone. It was all an accident.

Starlight’s horn began to radiate with a magical energy. The same energy also built in her eyes as their color faded into a solid white void.

“No, please! Don’t do this, Star!”

“I am sorry.”

Pink strands of magic struck out from her horn, encircling Evening. As the power spun around her body, she could feel the shackles that held her drop away, but it was too late.

“Why? Why are you doing this!?”

The air spiraled into a cyclone and enveloped her. Gusts of wind burst out of the cell, extinguishing the lanterns. As the torrent of energy began to fade, Evening’s cries of outrage died out with them. When the spell finally subsided, Evening was gone.

Starlight trembled, fighting back her tears as the howls of timber wolves sounded in the distance. Equestria was in need of her strength – even if she didn’t feel strong at all. She just felt alone.

Author's Note

I would like to thank NotSoSubtle for taking the time to help me with this story. I had a frame, but he helped build it and flesh it out. It would not be the story it was today if it weren't for his help. I would like to doubly thank him for the name Evening Star. It was the perfect fit in so many ways that you will come to find out as you continue to read. He even helped me find a suitable name for this story. Thank you, NotSoSubtle for your patience.

I would also like to thank FrontSevens for his feedback. It has helped me greatly on the path to becoming a better writer.

Pre-read by: NotSoSubtle
Proofread by: FrontSevens

Chapter 1

“C’mon girl, not now,” Alex pleaded to the car.

Keeping in theme with the rest of the week, his metallic green, rust laden Civic threw in the towel as he was on his way to work. An attention demanding bang came from underneath the hood of the car and the roar of the engine sputtered out, quickly degrading to a still silence.

Alex had woken to the pillow-muffled sound of his alarm clock. At some point during the night he had somehow managed to cover it; probably while he was having that dream with the strange ponies.

He wasn’t normally prone to such misfortunes, but this had just been one of those weeks. Co-workers coming down with the flu caused his workload to double, which in turn had his boss breathing down his neck for results. As if the stress at work wasn’t enough, someone had decided that he was no longer in need of his wallet and removed it for him. Alex had seriously contemplated finding this Murphy character and demanding for him to keep his laws to himself.

That was almost all behind him now. All he had to do was make it through the day and he would have had the entire weekend to unwind. Or at least that is what he thought, until his car had decided to break down.

Alex struggled with the remainder of the vehicle’s forward momentum, but finally managed to steer the car onto the side of the road. Removing his seatbelt, he stepped from the car and approached the hood. The overwhelming scent of burning motor oil flooded over him. Thick clouds of grey smoke billowed from the engine compartment as he pried open the hood. Fanning the smoke away, he could see dark black splatters strewn across the top of the engine. Upon closer inspection, he noticed matching spots across the bottom of the hood.

“Great! Just fan-fucking-tastic!” He kicked a tire in a fit of frustration. As if accepting the implied challenge to defy him, the tire promptly deflated in retaliation. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”

Alex ran his fingers back through his thick hair and let out a groan. He didn’t have time for this. Without a single doubt, he was now going to be late. Dropping the support rod, he closed the hood and grabbed his briefcase from the passenger seat. He was going to have to walk the rest of the way to work, which was now not more than a mile away. He didn’t even bother locking the car; there was nothing of value inside and it wasn’t going anywhere in the condition it was currently in.

As he trekked his way down the semi-suburban street, he couldn’t help but admire the bright maroon leaves garbing the dogwood trees that were sentineled every few hundred paces along the sides of the road. Soon winter would bear down, and those leaves would succumb to its bitter cold, but for now they stood, stoically bearing their autumn regalia.

Alex began to think on the dream as he walked. It seemed strange that he would imagine up two ponies with such distinct personalities, and in such an awkward situation. He couldn’t imagine what the green one could have done to deserve to be banished from her home. Moreover, she’d had her horn removed with magic. Could that even be done? Since it was all just a dream anyway, he had to ask himself: why did it even matter?

The sound of a distant car horn broke him from his thoughts. Not wanting to delay any further, he redoubled his efforts, and widened his stride as he made his way toward the office.

“What in the name of Equestria is that?” Luna asked, staring at the strange figure reflected in the pool.

With her focus shattered, the image in the waters vanished and was replaced with the reflections of the cloud-filled azure sky. Celestia had been deep in concentration, not hearing Luna’s approach. Nopony had dared to enter her private sanctuary before, so naturally she hadn’t expected a visitor. Of course, the garden was no longer just hers; it belonged to Luna as well, now that she had returned. It would still take her some time for her to overcome little surprises like these.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Luna. Just a little hobby of mine.”

“Just a hobby?" Her brow furrowed as she looked up at her sister. "That strange creature was... a hobby?”

Celestia just smiled at her sister. She had grown quite accustomed to smiling over the past millennia in Luna’s absence—she found that ponies asked less questions when she smiled. They simply assumed if their ruler was smiling, then everything was alright. It had been as much a shield for her as it had been for them.

“A species from the past, that’s all. You needn’t worry, Luna. They have long since disappeared.”

Luna did not look relieved. “And just what is your interest in this ‘disappeared’ species, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Just me watching, as I am wont to do.”

“Sister, please. It is me you are talking to. I know when you are up to something.”

Celestia maintained her smile. She was right. Luna was the one pony who knew her more than anypony else. Even more so than Twilight. Her long exile had not seemed to diminish her ability at all, in that respect. She had missed having her sibling to talk to; having somepony that she could truly be herself with. Still, things had been put into motion. She had her secrets now, and she dared not let anypony that wasn't already involved in on them.

“What brings you out to see me so early this morning? I’d have thought you would be resting from your long night’s work.”

Luna let out a sigh of defeat, and decided to drop the matter. “I came to ask you a question.” Her face wielded a frown that attempted to cover her worry.

“What is it?”

“Why was our copy of Transmutation and Tribulations checked out by Twilight Sparkle?”

If Celestia was surprised by this, she didn’t show it. Nothing seemed to make it past the watchful eye of her sister. “Oh, that. That was just a small mix up.”

“A small mix up? With such a valuable and dangerous book?”

She nodded her head. “I believe she was seeking a translation spell book, but somehow the transmutation book was sent instead.”

“And you trust Twilight enough to let her read such a book? You of all ponies should know all too well just how dangerous transmutation magic is. Do you not recall the events that transpired just a few months ago? We nearly lost everything.”

“My pupil would not make use of such a dangerous spell outside her studies without just cause. As I recall, she alone is the reason why we did not lose everything to the changelings. I have as much trust in her as I have in you, Luna.”

Luna felt her face flush. She would forever be haunted by the demons of her past—there was no escaping that—yet here was her sister, who had not only forgiven her for her actions but was constantly imparting further faith in her. That alone was enough for her to drop the matter.

“Besides, once Twilight gets her hooves on a book, it is nearly impossible to retrieve it before she is finished.”

“I see.” Luna rolled her eyes before relinquishing a smile. She knew that when Celestia was scheming, it was impossible to get her to be forthright with anything that might be related. “Well then, when you are done with whomever your latest victim is, your breakfast is getting cold.”

Celestia blinked in confusion. “Breakfast? I didn’t order any breakfast.”

“Yet there is breakfast awaiting you, and it is growing colder by the minute.” Luna’s smile widened. “You were so busy with—whatever it is you are doing—that We decided to order breakfast for you, lest you try and skip it in favor of meddling. Princess’ prerogative.”

Celestia could only return the smile. “Princess’ prerogative indeed.”

Alex twisted the Rubik’s cube in his hands a few more times as he waited for the computer scripts to finish their work. Other than his car troubles, the day had been fairly normal. He imagined that the day might drag on forever with the way it started, but six o’clock had come around without too much coaxing. Everyone else had already left, leaving him to finish his routine maintenance. He had discovered that by just spending a little extra time in the office on Friday evening had almost completely eliminated the need for him to be called in over the weekend. After the way this week had been, Alex did not want to come back in for anything.

When the screen finally faded to black, he gave one last twist to the cube, then set it down with a sigh and started to leave. Alex adored puzzles. He would sit for hours with anything that he could get his hands on that stimulated his mind until he figured it out. The Rubik’s cube was one of those things that he just could not conquer. He had solved it several times, but it took hours of effort. There were people that could solve them in mere seconds. There had to be some sort of pattern to it, and he had been determined to figure it out.

Alex decided he would walk home, partially because he lived only a few miles from the office, but mostly because he had spent the last of his money on having his vehicle towed. He didn’t really mind though; he loved to walk. The only reason he even used the car at all was to save time. When he was just about a mile into his trek, near the location where his car had died, several dark clouds began to loom overhead. He just laughed to himself. Now even the weather was deciding to get a few jabs in. The week was determined to set some kind of record for irritability. Shortly thereafter, the first crack of thunder roared, trumpeting a fanfare of the approaching downpour.

Right on cue a torrent of rain descended, drenching both the ground and Alex in the process. He had a long way to go before he made it home, so he didn’t even bother trying to run. After the week he’d had, something as simple as getting wet wouldn’t come close to dampening his spirits. He had the weekend ahead of him and he had nothing to do but relax. He just enjoyed the rain for what it was, and kept walking.

The clouds overhead thickened, doubling their frivolous efforts to drown the Earth below. Bolts of lightning leapt from cloud to cloud, as if they were performing some sort of coordinated dance. Alex had never witnessed anything like it. He had been through storms before, but nothing came close to the intensity and speed at which this one had built. He found it rather odd, but tried to ignore it as he trudged his way down the street.

Alex half expected someone to stop and ask if he needed a ride, but for some reason the streets were unusually empty. He could only reason that people just didn’t like to drive in weather like this, so most of them stayed indoors. The street he was walking down was hardly the busiest in town, but even so he would have thought he would see at least one vehicle on the road.

There had been none.

His house had just come into sight when he felt it. Something was definitely off about this rain. Goosebumps swept down his arms, and another bolt of lightning ran across the cloud canvas. He stood still, expectantly waiting for the sound of thunder. It never came. Other than the faint noise of rain beating down on the pavement and the wind rushing back and forth, there was no sound.

“That’s strange,” he thought aloud.

Alex knew that where there was lightning there was supposed to be thunder immediately afterwards, especially when it was this close. He looked around as if to ask some bystander if they had heard the thunder, but he was alone. Of course he was alone. Only a madman would be standing out in the middle of a thunderstorm like he was.

Bolts of lightning continued their dance through the clouds, slowly changing hue. From their normal whitish-blue they adopted a reddish tinge. The lightning, becoming more and more frequent, began to traverse a circular pattern. Alex shook his head. His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. He knew lightning should not be red, and it most certainly did not travel in this kind of manner. Above all that though, he knew that where lightning struck, thunder crashed. Here, there was none.

No crash. No boom. No sound.

Alex felt the urge to panic as the realization came to him: he could no longer hear. The rain continued to pour, the lightning continued to circle, the wind persisted, but not a single sound was made; pure, lifeless silence surrounded him. He could feel the hair on his arms trying to rise as they fought against the weight of the rainwater. Suddenly, six magenta bolts leapt from symmetrical spots on their circular path, meeting each other in the center of the circle. The bolts flung themselves as one gigantic bolt to the ground, not ten steps away from him in a blinding flash.

Alex couldn’t hear and now he couldn’t see. If it weren’t for the feeling of the rain, he would have thought that he had just been killed by his streak of bad luck.

The deafening silence was shattered by a ringing in his ears. He could feel his heart beating in his head. The flash of light dimmed into several spots before completely fading away as his eyes adjusted. Everything was blurred, almost as if he were looking through a pool of water. The world slowly began to come into focus around him. When his vision finally cleared, standing before him at the site of the lightning strike was a lavender colored horse.

No, not a horse; a unicorn.

Author's Note

Pre-read by: NotSoSubtle
Proofread by: NejinOniwa

Chapter 2

“Great,” Alex muttered, “and now I’m hallucinating.”

He placed the back of his hand against his forehead, checking for a fever. With the rain beating down on him like it was, he couldn’t really tell if he had a high temperature or not. He held his breath as he quietly watched the unicorn, his eyes attempting to blink away the creature before him.

The unicorn’s flanks were graced by the shape of a magenta colored, six-pointed star, which was set upon a second offset white star, which in turn was surrounded by five smaller stars. Her violet mane was long, fairly well maintained, and had what appeared to be bangs. Narrow strips of purple and magenta strands ran down through it, highlighting the point where her horn protruded at the very top of her forehead.

Alex instantly recognized this unicorn; for he had seen her many times before, although never outside of a screen. He wondered how she could be standing before him, as real as the ground he walked on. It was simply beyond his ability to comprehend. When he felt that his jaw was hanging open in awe, he quickly closed it.

Her violet eyes darted around, glancing back and forth at her now unfamiliar surroundings in an attempt to gain her bearings. Alex could see a great deal of distress in those eyes. He wanted to try and calm her, but decided it would be best if he kept his distance.

“H-hello.” He closed his eyes, cursing inwardly. Why was he so nervous?

The unicorn, having not noticed the man standing mere yards away in the dark, seemed to jump at the sound of his voice. Her muscles tensed as she scanned the dark street, attempting to discover the origin of the voice.

“You needn’t worry, Twilight. I won’t hurt you.” Alex tried to keep his voice in a soft, calming tone, attempting to show her that he had no ill intent. He held his hands out to the side, showing her they were empty.

The shadows were beginning to clear as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Hurt me? Why would anypony... wait, how do you know my name?” She stared into his eyes intently, searching for the truth to his words.

Alex paused, confused by her question. Shouldn’t she know about her own television show? What was he thinking, how could she even be real? He thought that he must have caught some illness from being out in this weather, though there was nothing that he knew of that could set in this quickly with such a drastic symptom. Just to err on the side of caution, he decided it would be best not to be rude.

“Why don’t we get out of this rain, so we can dry off and talk? My home is right over there.” He lifted a hand, pointing at a dimly lit building in the distance.

She stared at him for a moment, still unsure of his intentions, before she finally answered him. “Fine. Please hurry.”

Alex had to practically jog to keep up with Twilight’s trot. She scanned both sides of the street as she moved, clearly not wanting to be seen by anything else. He couldn’t blame her. Even if she weren’t a figment of his imagination, no one had ever seen a living unicorn before. He couldn’t begin to imagine how someone else might react if they spotted her: a real, living unicorn. He was just grateful that she had the restraint not to break into a headlong gallop. As they moved, Alex spotted her occasionally glancing back; she was making sure to keep an eye on him as well.

By the time they both made it to the house, the weather was beginning to subside. The dark clouds remained, but the rain had all but vanished. Alex fished through his pockets for his keys and unlocked the door. Twilight looked at him, perplexed by his actions, but remained silent.

“Here we are.” He pushed the door open, and motioned with his other hand for her to enter.

Alex’s home was a meager dwelling, but it contained everything that he felt he needed: a bed to sleep in, a chair to relax in, a computer to keep in touch with the outside world, and a television to occupy his restless mind. The kitchen, however, was a bit understocked since he usually ordered takeout.

Closing the door behind them, Alex removed his shoes and headed toward the bathroom. Twilight studied his actions quietly from the hallway. When he returned with two towels and offered one to her, she relaxed slightly. “Here, you can dry yourself off with this.”

She gave him a slight smile, attempting to be polite. “Thank you.” Her horn illuminated with a translucent, magenta radiance as the towel lifted from his hand.

“Would you care for something to drink?”

Twilight’s tail swished as she considered for a moment. “Yes, water please, if it isn’t too much trouble.”

“Coming right up.” Alex smiled to himself as he opened a cabinet and removed a glass. He hardly ever had visitors, so he was overjoyed to have Twilight Sparkle as a guest, even if she was simply a fevered hallucination. Reaching into the refrigerator, he removed two bottles of water and opened one of them. He set the glass on the counter in front of her, and began to fill it.

The peculiar look returned to Twilight’s face as she watched him pouring the beverage. “You... bottle your water? Strange. We normally just use a tap.” She motioned with her head toward the sink. “Similar to one of those.”

He held the drink out to her, which she again took from his hand using her magic. “Oh, water comes from our tap as well, but it is heavily chlorinated to clean contaminants.” When he opened his bottle and stole a swig, she offered him another smile of thanks and took a sip from her glass. “I thought you might prefer water that has been purified over the bitter tasting water from the sink.”

Twilight nodded her head politely, but didn’t look as if she fully understood. “Anyway, you called me by my name before. Just how exactly do you know who I am?”

Alex swallowed another mouthful of water. “Well, to be honest, I have been a fan of your show for almost a year now. You and your friends' adventures helped to make my day brighter sometimes.”

“Show? My friends? What do you mean my friends?” Her brow furrowed with confusion.

“You know, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Flutter–”

“You know them too? Just who and exactly what are you?” Her eyes portrayed a mixture of fear and anger.

He wondered what she could be thinking and was a little dumbfounded. She apparently did not know about the show. “My name is Alex. Alex White. As for what I am... I’m a human. A man.”

Her eyes maintained their fire, as she stared at him. “And my friends? Have you been watching us?”

“Well, y-yes.” Alex swallowed the saliva that was building in his mouth. Why was he afraid? The Twilight he knew from the show wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially if they had done nothing wrong. But this wasn’t a show. Twilight was here, standing before him in his kitchen. He wondered how, or even if he should tell her. If she didn’t know, to hear something like this from a stranger would be devastating, but he would rather not lie to her. Besides, it was already too late to back out now. It would be best if he were to clarify the situation. “But so have a large number of people; too many to count, really.”

Her horrified rage looked to be at its limit. “Show me how, now.”

“Alright.” Alex walked into the living room and turned on the television. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if he found out that millions of people had been watching stories about his life without his knowledge. How could he do this to her? He swallowed again. She wanted to know; it wasn’t his fault. He grabbed the DVR remote, selected My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Episode One, and pushed play.

The screen darkened and then displayed an animated story book. The music started, followed by the familiar introductory voice that originally helped to draw him into the world of Equestria. He couldn’t help but smile at the fondness of the memory. When he turned to look at Twilight, he noticed that every joint in her body was locked, her muscles tense with anxiety. Her focus was consumed entirely by what she was watching and hearing from the screen. Alex’s smile of joy quickly evaporated.

They both stood in silence for the duration of the episode. Her eyes never once wavered from the screen; his, occasionally glancing back at her, trying to spot a reaction. There was none. When the ending credits were rolling, she finally broke eye contact with the screen.

“Is there more?” Her words were completely flat. There was no emotion in her voice; no tone.

Alex slowly nodded his head. “Yes, much more. I have all of the first season, but I am missing the second.” His eyes were glued to the floor, unable to look her in the eyes.

For the first time in his life, he felt ashamed for watching the show, and not for the reasons that were normally associated with it. He never cared what other people thought about his preferences, but now he began to think that he had been spying on the lives of these ponies without their knowledge. He started to feel sick.

“Play them. All of them.”

Alex couldn’t look at her. He simply nodded and pressed another button. “You can sit here and watch them all, Twilight. They will all play, one after another.” Her gaze immediately returned to the screen expectantly.

Once the credits had finished, the second episode began to play. He couldn’t bear to watch them with her. His clothes were still damp, and he was tired from his walk home, but only now did he suddenly feel the need to shower. “I think I am going to go clean off and...” She didn’t seem to hear him. She was completely focused on the television screen.

Alex walked down the hallway to his room and closed the door. Grabbing a change of clothes, he headed to the shower. He needed to think, and he tended to think a lot when he was in the shower. Besides, he wanted to get out of his wet clothes. Twilight really had no clue this show was taking place. He began to wonder how it was made, where the ideas and storyboards came from. While the show was animated, and the Twilight standing in his living room was certainly not, too many of the features were exact: the size and placement of her horn, her cutie mark, her mane, and even the color of her coat. It was too much of a coincidence.

He finished showering and changed, but he still felt very dirty. He returned to the living room to check if Twilight was still there. She hadn’t moved from the rigid, uncomfortable looking position he had left her in.

“You can sit or lie down anywhere you like, Twilight.” She didn’t even acknowledge him. On the screen, Twilight and her five friends that made up the Elements of Harmony were activating the Elements for the first time. This was probably the first time Twilight had been able to witness from an outsider’s perspective exactly what happened when the Elements were called upon. Alex began to feel awkward again; he didn’t want to watch this with her. “I think I am going to head to bed. You are welcome to stay and watch. I have a guest room down the hall and...” His words were lost on her, her attention consumed by what she was watching. “Well... goodnight.”

Alex retreated to his bedroom once more, and climbed into bed. He was exhausted from the walk and his day at work. The events of the past week suddenly seemed all too inconsequential. Both his worlds, real and fantasy, were colliding in the form of Twilight Sparkle, who currently stood in his living room, watching a show about herself that she did not know existed. He was either having a mental breakdown or was incredibly sick. Those were the only things that made any sense. Either that, or everything that he had ever known was a lie, and he had a great deal of reevaluating to consider.

Moonlight still poured across his bed through the bedroom window, when Alex finally woke. He mused to himself that it all must have been a dream. That everything that had occurred from the night before had just been the stress from the past week and his imagination playing a mean trick on him. The thought was quickly shattered when he heard what sounded like muffled whimpering coming from the living room.

Alex quickly rose from his bed and threw on a nightshirt. He opened his bedroom door and made way for the living room. Twilight lay on the floor in front of the television, tears in her eyes, barely managing to hold back a tsunami of emotion. The very sight of it crushed his heart. He couldn’t bear to see her cry. He swallowed back his sorrow, working up the courage to speak.

“I am so sorry, Twilight. I had no idea.” She looked up at him, her eyes red from her quiet sobbing. “I should have known... I am so sorry.” At that moment, Alex hated himself. Of all the bronies in the world, he was the one responsible for making Twilight Sparkle cry.

“It’s not your fault.” she whispered. “There’s no way you could have known.” She took a deep breath, slowly rising to her hooves. As she stood, her entire presence altered. Her muscles tensed, almost as if she were ready to strike at some invisible foe. The fires of rage filled her eyes. “This is... unforgivable. I’ll kill her.”

Alex’s mouth dropped. Never before had he imagined he would ever hear those words come out of the mouth of Twilight Sparkle, let alone any pony from Equestria. “Twilight, you can’t mean that. Don’t ever say anything like that again!”

Her rage was immediately doused by his tone and replaced by the overwhelming sorrow once more. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. It’s just... I’ve never felt so betrayed in my entire life.” She couldn’t hold her tears back any longer.

Alex was almost brought to tears himself. He didn’t like to see anyone cry; be it pony or human, it mattered not. “It’s okay, Twilight. It’s okay. I understand, but no one should ever say something like that, especially you.” He grabbed a box of tissues from a nearby shelf and removed a few. “Please, dry your eyes and we can talk about it.”

She took the tissue from his hand before lowering her body back to the floor once more, apparently too exhausted to continue standing.

Alex could see from the television that she had watched every remaining episode he had recorded, the rest of the entire first season, while he slept. He sat down on the floor in front of her, his mind toiling with the idea that Twilight and her friends were real and that everyone who had watched the show had been spying on them. He pushed that sickening thought back and waited quietly until she was finally ready to talk.

Author's Note

Pre-read by: NotSoSubtle, FrontSevens

Chapter 3

Alex combed his fingers through his hair. “What makes you believe it was her? What about Discord? You being here in this world is pretty chaotic, don’t you think?”

Twilight shook her head and sighed. “I know it was her. It’s the only possibility that makes any sense. Besides, if you know about Discord, then you also know that we already defeated him.”

“Maybe she had a good reason for it. Maybe she needed to do it.” Alex closed his eyes, immediately regretting his choice of words.

“Good reason? Good reason!?” The cinders of anger were close to reigniting, but Twilight lowered her voice and looked away when she noticed Alex cringe. “What possible ‘good reason’ could somepony have to let others spy into their personal lives, or even worse, into the lives of those that they called friend?”

Alex wanted to comfort her pain, but he didn’t know how; he could only try to empathize with her, having never before been a victim of an act of this caliber.

Twilight lifted her head and looked into Alex’s eyes. “How am I going to tell the others? What will they say? What will they do?” She paused for a moment, looking away again. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell them. I don’t want them to feel the way I do right now. I don’t want them to hurt like this.”

Alex shook his head. “Um, I’m not so sure that is a good idea, Twilight.”

“What do you mean? Why not?”

“What if your friends find out? What if they found that you knew about this and didn’t tell them? Wouldn’t that hurt them just as much... maybe even more?”

There was a moment of silence as she considered. The sun’s rays were just beginning to peek their way over the eastern horizon, and would soon be bathing the house in their warmth. “I suppose you are right.” She let out a sigh. “What do you think I should do?”

“Well, I would wait and talk with her first. Confront her with what you know. Find out her reasons. It might make more sense and would help to avoid the pain that you felt when you have to explain it to your friends.” Alex showed her a slight, reassuring smile. “At the very least, it couldn’t hurt.”

Twilight mulled the idea over a bit. “I guess I owe her that much...” Her voice trailed off into a low mumble that he couldn’t make out, but its general meaning was easily inferred. “So, what about you?”

He was surprised by the sudden change in topic. “What about me?”

“Well, what do you do?” The studious look she had given him the night before had returned. It felt like she was monitoring him as if he was a lab specimen.

“What do I... oh, you mean as in a job?” Alex couldn’t believe that Twilight would be interested in anything about him. She was practically a celebrity, and he was just a nobody. “I work for a small database management company. It is a software company for medical practices to keep track of their patients records.”

“Software?”

“For computers.” Alex had to remind himself that Twilight would have no idea what a computer was and so logically, she would not know what software was. He supposed he had better explain. “Computers are machines that can hold enormous amounts of information. Kinda like all the books in a library in one single location.”

He could have sworn that Twilight’s eyes had somehow managed to double in size. “Library? You have libraries? What kinds of books are in your libraries?”

“A multitude. We have a library in town that I would guess has about twenty thousand books, easily.”

Her jaw dropped. “Twenty... thousand? That’s more than the libraries in Canterlot have! Are you sure there are that many?”

“Very. The building is pretty large, and all the shelves inside are pretty much packed with books. The library in Hastings isn’t even that big though. There are libraries in larger cities that are multiple stories tall. Ours only has a single floor.”

“Would you take me to your library? The one in Hastings, I mean, if that’s where we are.” Twilight could barely contain herself. “I positively must partake of the plethora of periodicals and publications pertaining to persons and places of paramount pursuits, post haste.”

She inhaled deeply to catch her breath, attempting to suppress her giddiness. “Please?”

Alex couldn’t help but smile at her reaction. He would love for nothing more than to bring her to the library. A sudden realization stole his smile away. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for her response. “I would love for nothing more than to take you to the library, Twilight, but...”

“But?”

He sighed. “But people here aren’t used to seeing unicorns, or talking animals for that matter. The ponies and horses that we have here aren’t capable of speech. They are considered beasts of burden by most people.”

“Beasts of burden, what do you mean? What are beasts of burden?”

Alex gave the best description of animal husbandry as he could, with what little knowledge he had on the subject. While he did not agree with most aspects of it, he could see its potential and the reasoning behind such beliefs. Without it, civilization would not be what it is today.

“I see.” Twilight did not seem to be happy with the subject, but she left it at that. “I still don’t understand though, why can we not go to the library?”

“If people weren’t overwhelmed by the fact that you are a living, talking unicorn, which they would be, they wouldn’t allow you in the library for fear that you might damage the books.”

Twilight was appalled by the notion. “Me? Damage books? That would never happen. Not in a million years.”

“I know, Twilight, but other people don’t know you like I do. They would assume you are a beast of burden and wouldn’t allow it. Besides, the library is pretty far away. We would have to take a bus to get there. I’m sure they wouldn’t allow you on the bus, either.”

Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof, as if she were contemplating something. When she finally looked up she seemed to have come to a conclusion. “So, the only thing preventing you from taking me to your library is the fact that I’m a unicorn.”

“Right.” Alex nodded.

“Well then,” Twilight stood up and smirked, “I guess I will just have to do something about that now, won’t I?”

Alex was confused. “What do you–”

Before he could finish his statement, Twilight’s horn started to glow; a pulsing sound rang out from it, filling the room with a resonant hum. The glow grew out from her horn, encompassing her entire body. When she was entirely encased by the light, her silhouette began to change. Her hind legs appeared to shift, the joints reversing and the hooves growing thicker toward the bottom. Her tail shrank until it had entirely disappeared from view.

The joints at the hooves in her front legs also reversed, and the hooves themselves began to widen and lengthen. Both of them split into five separate multi-jointed appendages. Her torso thinned to match the legs of the new form. When her muzzle shrank back into her head, a small portion of it remained slightly elevated. Finally her horn, the last part unchanged, retreated into her forehead until it had completely vanished.

When the light and sound began to fade, Twilight lifted her front legs, which had changed into arms, complete with a pair of hands, from the carpet and began standing on her hind legs which now had small feet attached to them. She beamed with pride at what she had accomplished.

Alex stared, his mouth agape at her accomplishment. Twilight now stood before him, a petite woman, of no more than twenty years. Her mane had become long, beautiful hair, and her telltale bangs remained perfectly intact. She still had her cutie marks, although they were now located on opposing sides of each of her thighs. She was absolutely stunning to behold.

She was also absolutely naked.

When that fact finally dawned on him, he felt his face flush the brightest red and he quickly turned away. Of course Twilight had been naked the entire time she was here, but it wasn’t until he saw her in this form that he felt embarrassed, and somewhat enticed.

“Oh... did I screw something up?” Twilight examined her body for some sort of flaw. “I can try again if I need to. It’s a new spell that I learned recently, so I haven’t had much practice with it.”

“No.” He managed to choke out. “No, Twilight. You didn’t screw anything up. It worked perfectly.”

“Then what’s wrong? Why are you looking away?” She arched an eyebrow at him.

“Well, it’s because... your clothes.”

“What clothes?” She looked herself over again, trying to find what he was talking about.

“Exactly. You aren’t wearing any.”

Twilight was flustered by his statement of the obvious. “Why is that a problem now? It didn’t seem to matter before.” She was starting to get agitated.

“Well, among my culture, it isn’t proper for people, humans, to be so... naked around each other unless they are very close.”

“Very close? I don’t understand. Like this?” She took two steps toward Alex.

“No!” Alex blurted. He thought he felt his face redden even further. He was going to have to put it in words she would understand. “Very close, as in significant others. I believe Sweetie Belle once put it as, ‘very special someponies’.”

“Oh. OH!” Twilight blushed slightly when she finally caught on. “I suppose that would be misconstruing of our current arrangement.”

Alex exhaled, relieved she finally understood. “Yes. So you can see the predicament. I think I can remedy the situation though, if you don’t mind wearing someone else’s clothes.”

“I suppose that wouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“Excellent. I will go look and see if I can find you a few things.” Alex retreated to the temporary safety of his room, and began to dig through his closet for something suitable. He was suddenly glad that he had not thrown out his older things; even though they no longer fit, he had felt somewhat attached to them. He returned a few minutes later with a gray shirt, a pair of black pants and some undergarments. He offered the clothing to Twilight while attempting to avert his gaze.

Twilight examined the garments for a few moments, comparing them to her current body. In short manner she had figured out the order and placement of each article and pulled them on, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

“These are not the most comfortable things I have ever worn.” She pulled the pants up over her hips and began fumbling with the button. Being unaccustomed to the dexterity required by her newly formed fingers, it took a few minutes for her to accomplish the task of buttoning. When she had finally pulled the shirt over her head, Alex reluctantly helped her straighten everything out.

“Sorry about that. They are the only things I had that I thought might fit you.”

“They are a little big, but they will do.” She offered him a smile of appreciation before glancing down at the white writing on her shirt. “Snow Patrol? Is that something like the ground team for Winter Wrap Up Day?”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” Alex let out a small laugh. “It’s the name of a band, a group of musicians that make a living playing music for others.”

She looked somewhat surprised at this information. “And you are a member of this band, Snow Patrol?”

“No, it’s just a group that I liked and decided to show my support for, nothing more.”

Twilight continued to fire off a barrage of questions over the next hour that Alex found unusual to answer, to say the least, though he assumed that if he were a visitor in a world he knew nothing about, he might be asking very similar questions before he ventured out into it. He was thoroughly impressed by her ability to process information when he noticed her mimicking his gestures and associating them with their corresponding conversation points. It seemed that her prowess for magic had more fundamental roots. He answered her questions as best he could, while trying not to laugh at some of them. When at last she seemed ready to go, she stood up.

“Ok, I think I am fully prepared for the journey. Approximately how long will it take for us to arrive at this ‘bus stop’?”

“It’s not far; we passed it last night on our way here.”

Twilight seemed a bit worried. “And you’re sure it’s safe, this giant metal box that is moved by harnessing ‘controlled’ explosions?”

“Of course Twilight. It is completely safe. You can trust me. It will be just like the train ride to Canterlot.”

“Except for the explosions.”

“Right.”

Twilight wasn’t about to let this hurdle impede her progress to the library. She swallowed as she steeled her resolve. “Shall we be on our way then?”

Alex smiled at her determination and nodded. “Let’s.”

Author's Note

Pre-read by: NotSoSubtle
Edited by: FrontSevens

Chapter 4

Twilight gaped in amazement as the cars continued to drive by. Her head would turn to follow each of them as they passed, only to reverse as another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction would grab her attention. Alex attempted to smile as he watched her, but something had been weighing down on him; something he had been too afraid to ask.

“Are you sure that humans can’t do magic?” Twilight glanced at him as she sat down on the bench beside him. “This all seems pretty magical to me.”

“I am quite sure, Twilight. This is all done with science. I’d try and explain it to you, but to be completely honest, I am not fully aware of how they work.” He scratched his head. “I have a basic understanding of it all, but I couldn’t answer your questions in enough details to do it justice.”

When he noticed her frown, he added, “But when we get to the library, I am certain there are books on the subject. More books than you would ever need.”

“I hope so.” She grinned at him before turning her attention back to the passing cars. After a few moments, when she noticed Alex wasn’t saying much, Twilight decided she should break the silence. “So, do you have any family? Like brothers or sisters? I hope you don’t mind me asking.”

“Not at all. I’m an only child.” He inhaled slowly for a few seconds before continuing. “At least, as far as I know.”

“As far as you know?”

“I was an orphan. My parents couldn’t have children, so they adopted me when I was very young.” Alex couldn’t recall the last time he had thought about it. His foster parents had been forthright with him, never hiding the fact that he was adopted, so he never really questioned it. They had loved him, and that was all that mattered to him. “My mother died when I was sixteen. My father... he passed away last year.”

Twilight’s grin had vanished. “I’m so sorry.”

Alex shook his head and dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Don’t be. They lived a good life, and are in a better place now.”

“But I should have been more considerate with my questions.” She lowered her head and stared at the ground.

“You had every right to know. Especially after all I’ve learned about you without your permission. I’ve already mourned enough for my parents.” When she looked back up at him, he gave her a small, reassuring smile. “My father used to say, ‘you shouldn’t walk into the future backwards, or you’ll miss everything around you that’s worth living for.’”

Her smile returned. “That... is pretty wise advice.”

Alex nodded his head silently before turning away and gazing out into the street. “Twilight, there is something that I need to ask you, and it is going to sound awkward. I don’t want to upset you either, but...”

Twilight stared at him cautiously. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head and sighed. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just when I saw you upset before, it became the furthest thought in my mind. But now, I can’t help but think about it.”

“Oh, alright. What’s on your mind?”

“Well, to be completely blunt,” Alex turned back to her, “are you real?”

“Am I real?” Twilight’s mouth widened and her brow furrowed as she looked at him in disbelief.

“I mean, are you really real? When I saw you before I thought I was dreaming, or hallucinating, or that I had died.” He felt his voice begin to crack, so took a second to collect himself before continuing. “What I really want to know is, am I going crazy?”

They both sat speechless on the bench a few moments. Cars passed by, the sounds of the busy street filling the long silence between them.

And then Twilight suddenly burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Alex felt his face flush with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry... I’m sorry.” It was all she could manage to say between laughs. When she finally calmed down enough, she went on. “You just looked so serious, it was too hard to keep from laughing.”

“I was being serious.” He half-frowned.

She wiped a tear from her eye. “Alex, as far as I know, you are perfectly sane and I can say, without a doubt in my mind, that I am definitively real.”

“But how can I be sure?” He looked away once more.

Twilight placed her hand on his arm. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

Alex turned back to face her. The way she smiled at him, and the way she so matter-of-factly brushed off his concerns had started to ease his mind. He smiled and nodded his head appreciatively. Even if he didn’t believe her, he would know shortly when they got on the bus; he would have to pay for her. That proof wasn’t necessary though since he already knew. Twilight was real. Equestria was real.

Magic was real.

The screeching of air brakes snatched up both of their attentions. At the intersection nearby, a large blue bus had stopped at the corner, and was slowly beginning its turn towards them.

“What in Equestria is that?”

“That,” Alex took in a breath before finishing, “is the bus.”

Twilight’s head snapped back toward him. “We are going to get in that thing?” Her eyes were filled with a mixture of excitement and fear. “I’m not so sure about putting my life in the hands of some machine.”

Alex laughed. “I’ve seen you riding a chariot being pulled by pegasi, through the sky with no form of securing strap, and not so much as blink. I find that far more dangerous, and that’s before I take my fear of heights into account.” He shuddered at the idea.

“Really?” She placed a finger on her chin. “I never believed it to be as treacherous as you make it sound.”

Alex nodded. “There’s not enough liquor in the world to get me to even step foot on that sky chariot. When it comes to this, there’s nothing to worry about, Twilight.”

Her eyes darted back and forth from the bus to Alex. “I don’t know, that bus sounds... hungry.”

He stood and turned to face her with his arm outstretched. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

She hesitated, unsure of what to do, and looked up at him. He nodded his head slightly, and grinned reassuringly at her. Uneasily, she reached up and put her hand on his. He took it and helped her to stand. When the brakes of the bus let out their familiar squeal again, he could feel her tense, but she did not shy away.

Sunlight poured through parted red velvet drapes, illuminating the office. Countless books filled the shelves lining two of the walls in the room, along with a few antiques. The dark oak floor was accented by a pair of earthen brown, leather chairs which sat facing an elaborate bloodwood desk. The rich earth tones of the decor seemed to radiate warmth, making the room feel inviting.

A statuesque man sat behind the desk, his elbows resting upon it with his fingers entwined as he watched the door to the office expectantly. His short, straight ebony hair was styled and gelled. He was dressed in a black Armani suit that perfectly framed his blood red shirt and tie.

“Sir, Mr. Teger is here to see you,” said a voice over the intercom.

“Send him in, Rebecca.”

A few moments later, the door to the office opened. A pudgy man entered wearing a cheap gray suit and a dull blue shirt. His hair was combed over the top of his head in a futile attempt to hide a clearly visible bald spot. As he waddled his way over to the desk, the door closed behind him.

“Mr. Isham, thank you for seeing me.” The man offered his hand.

He shook the outstretched hand and smiled. “Charles, I’ve already told you. Call me Malcolm.” His voice was powerful, but seemed cordial enough. He let go of his hand and motioned to the chair. “Please, sit.”

“Thank you... Malcolm.”

He waited for Charles to be seated before he began. “Now, what brings you to my office this fine autumn day?” He returned his hands to their folded position and smiled.

“Well, you see, I have run into a bit of a problem.” Sweat beaded on his forehead as he rubbed his hands together nervously. His vision was focused on the floor and then the window; he seemed to be making it a point to not look Malcolm in the eyes.

“But of course you have. I don’t believe you would be here if it were otherwise, now would you?” Malcolm stared at the man, his icy blue gaze seeming to pierce through him. He had little patience for small talk, and even less for those who dawdled around subjects instead of getting straight to the point.

“Yes, I suppose you are right.” He adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. “There is this girl–”

“A girl, hmm? I suspect not the missus?” His eyes shifted to Charles hands, whose stubby fingers were fidgeting with a worn, gold wedding band.

“She claims she has pictures!” Charles blurted out, his hands balled into fists, slamming down the armrests on the chair, punctuating his sentence. His moment of anger caused him to forget that he wanted to avert his eyes. When Malcolm’s gaze met his own, he sunk back into the chair; he needed no further warning. “If those pictures get out, it will ruin me.”

There was a pause as Malcolm contemplated. “Yes... I suppose that would be a problem now, wouldn’t it?”

He nodded. “Clearly you can see the predicament I am in. That’s why I need your help.” Sweat was practically seeping out of his pores. “I have nowhere else to turn.”

“And I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to restrain your extracurricular activities.”

“You’d forgive a man for his vices, wouldn’t you?” He pressed his lips together, feigning an attempt at a boyish smile.

The emptiness of it only served to further test Malcolm. He wanted to throw the man through the window of his office. He wondered if he would repent on the way down? Would he bounce from all his excess mass or just splatter against the pavement? Most likely he would leave a mark of filth that no amount of scrubbing would clean. The man practically oozed wherever he went. The leather chairs would undoubtedly need to be cleaned after he departed.

“Will you help?”

He was broken from his daydream by Charles’ plea. “You may go.” He motioned with his hand as if to shoo away a pest.

“But will you do it? Will you take care of–”

Malcolm interrupted him. “Yes, I will deal with your problem. You needn’t worry, Charles. Everything will be all better by tomorrow.” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, smirking at the distraught man’s plight.

“Excellent!” Charles clapped his hands together, a wave of relief washed over him. “Her name is–”

Malcolm held up a hand to silence him. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Oh, right. No need for names.” He cleared his throat once more before continuing. “Well, she’s the blonde that works at the library.”

Malcolm lowered his hand and leveled a contemptuous glare at his guest. “I said that it will not be necessary, Charles. I do not like repeating myself.”

He looked at Malcolm, perplexed. “What do you mean, that it won’t be necessary? How will you know who I am talking about without her name, or what she even looks like?”

“You have your methods, I have mine.” Malcolm pressed a button on the intercom. “Rebecca, please draw up the paperwork for Mr. Teger. He will be right out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Malcolm turned his chair away from Charles and gazed out the window. “Rebecca will see to everything. Good day, Mr. Mayor.”

Charles stood from the chair. “Thank you, Mr.–”

“Malcolm.” he preempted.

“Right. Thank you, Malcolm.” He turned and as swiftly as a man of his stature could, headed for the door.

Malcolm sat in silence for a few moments after Charles left before speaking. “Misery, get in here. Now.”

A silhouette of a man stepped from one of the bookshelves. The shadows that clung to him faded into black vapor, slowly dissipating into nothingness. The hood of his grey sweater concealed most of his face, save for a scar that crossed his right eye. His ripped blue jeans were covered with various stains, some of dubious origins.

“What do you want?” His tone was flat, as if he were just saying the words out of an obligation. He didn’t seem to care at all about the subject or the answer.

Malcolm disregarded his despondency. “Something is amiss, Misery.”

“So.”

“I believe our wait is almost over. The veil has been breached.”

Misery harrumphed and lethargically waved his hand in a circle, as if to tell Malcolm to get to the point. “And that is important to me because?”

Malcolm spun his chair around to face him. “Because, you morose bastard, there are only two ways the veil could be breached. Either someone from here managed to cross over, which up until now hasn’t been possible.” As Malcolm’s grin grew wider, his tongue licked his lips. “Or, something which is infinitely more likely: one of them has crossed over to my side.”

Malcolm stood from his chair and walked over to the window. “They won't be able to keep me out much longer, Misery. Starlight's magic will fade." He could see Misery's slow smile growing in the window's reflection. It seemed there was one thing that could excite the man. "Soon we will be able to go home, and then... we can have our revenge."

Author's Note

Pre-read by: NotSoSubtle
Edited by: FrontSevens

Chapter 5

“Whad’ya mean disappeared?” The orange pony yawned as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Her blonde mane was matted from the pillow that she so desperately wished to return to. It was still very early in the morning; Princess Celestia wouldn’t be raising the sun for well over an hour. “Ponies don’t just up and vanish into thin air, Spike.”

Spike’s brow was furrowed with worry. “I’m telling you, Applejack, she’s gone. She was there when I went to bed, and when I woke, she was gone.” The distraught dragon grew louder as he went on. “She didn’t leave a note or anything! Twilight always leaves a note!”

“Simmer down, Spike. I’m sure there’s a mighty good reason she left without telling you. Maybe she didn’t want to wake you, being you were plumb tuckered and all.”

Spike frowned and shook his head. He had to make sure Applejack understood his dilemma. If she didn’t, nopony would. “Have you ever known Twilight to leave without having told somepony, or at least leaving a note? The very same Twilight Sparkle who has a check on a checklist for making a checklist?”

She seemed to think about it a moment as she scratched her head with a hoof. “You may be right. Twi’ sure likes everything planned out... almost too much.” She yawned again, struggling against her desire to return to her bed. “Have you asked the others if they’ve seen her?”

He shook his head. “No, you were the first I came to see. I thought she might come here if she absolutely needed something this early in the morning.”

Applejack needed no reminder as to what time it was. “Here? Why here? Sweet Apple Acres is the farthest place from the library, not counting Fluttershy’s or Zecora’s. What makes you think she would come here if she needed something?

“Well, Fluttershy is afraid of the dark. Twilight wouldn’t risk the result of waking Rarity without a really good reason; she needs her beauty rest and you know how she gets without it.” Spike shuddered at the very notion and even Applejack seemed to cringe a bit. “She would have better luck waking a rock than Rainbow Dash; that pony can sleep through just about anything. Not to mention that her house has a tendency to drift about.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Applejack nodded in agreement with Spike’s assessment.

“And Pinkie Pie... is just Pinkie Pie. That leaves you. Besides, everypony knows you are the most dependable pony in Ponyville.”

Applejack felt her face flush, and a slight smile graced her freckled face. “Oh hush now, Spike. There’s no need to butter me up. I’ll help you find Twi’.”

“But it’s true.”

She coughed and looked away from the little dragon before attempting to get him back on topic. “So, where was the last place ya seen her?”

“It’s like I said before; when I last saw her, she was studying a book. You know how she is.” He paused to wait for her acknowledgement, but continued when it didn’t come. “I was exhausted from a long day of being her assistant: picking up books, making lists, collecting supplies, making her meals, washing–”

“I get it, Spike,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh, right.” He scratched his head as if trying to remember where he left off. “After that, I went to bed. When I woke up, she was gone.”

“Well then, I guess that’s where we should start looking. Let’s go.” Applejack took one step out the door before stopping. “One sec.” She rushed back inside, returning a few seconds later with her trademark brown cowpony hat. She never went anywhere without it.

Applejack appeared to make her way through the night with ease. From her years of late night chores on the orchard, she was practiced in more than a few tricks to aid her in seeing in the dark. Spike, being a dragon, could see just as well in the dark as he could in the light. Neither of them talked much as they made their way through the empty streets of Ponyville. The slight chill of the late autumn wind urged them both onward.

When they passed by Sugarcube Corner, the sound of a bell rang out in the distance. Before it finished its toll, it sounded again. Three more times the bell chimed before finally fading away into dark night once more. Spike thought he heard Applejack muttering something about the time, but he imagined it best to just leave it be. Besides, there were more pressing concerns.

As they rounded the corner, the gargantuan golden oak which housed the Ponyville library came into view. The building was intricately carved by master craftsponies over four decades ago. Hoof-cut glass panes lined each of the windows, each strategically placed in order to take the most advantage of the natural light. From when the sun rose at dawn until it set at dusk, this library was almost completely illuminated by sunlight. When they had almost made their way to the library, Applejack and Spike could see that the door was left open a crack.

“Twilight would be furious with me if she knew I left the door open!” Spike clutched his tail like a child would a protective blanket.

Applejack couldn’t help but smirk as she pretended not to notice. She pulled the door open the rest of the way and strode into the great library.

“HIYA!” erupted a rambunctious, yet familiar voice which echoed throughout the room. A pink pony, who had seemingly been waiting in ambush stood before the two of them. Her playful blue eyes radiated with the warmth of a summer day. Her untamed mane was a darker pink, full of curls that all seemed to come together in organized chaos.

“Pinkie Pie!?” Both Spike and Applejack said simultaneously in a volume that matched her own.

Applejack let out a small snort of umbrage; it was far too early to have to deal with Pinkie’s over-the-top antics. “Now what in tarnation are you doin’ here at this hour? Don’t ya know what time it is?”

“Nope. Do you know what time it is?”

“I... uh... it’s... early.” Applejack closed her eyes and let out a sigh. There was no point in fighting it. “Too early to be so gosh darn cheery.”

Spike looked at the pink pony with concern. “Pinkie, have you seen Twilight?”

“Uh uh.” She shook her head. “Why? Is she hiding? Are you playing hide and seek? I love hide and seek!” She bounced up and down excitedly.

Applejack clasped a hoof to her face and shook her head. “We’re not playing hide and seek, Pinkie. If you aren’t with Twi’, then what’re ya doin’ here so early?”

“Well, I woke up when my Pinkie Sense started acting up.”

“Pinkie Sense!?” Applejack and Spike both exclaimed together once again as they looked around nervously.

Sweat began to bead on Spike’s forehead. “What was it? Did something bad happen? Is Twilight in trouble!?”

“No, silly,” she giggled. “This was an ear flop, knee twitch, back shudder, tail swipe; and you know what that means.”

Confused, they glanced at each other and then back at Pinkie Pie. “We do?”

“Mm-hmm. It means that something is going to pop up, AND it’s going to happen right here at Twilight’s! Isn’t this exciting!?” She beamed with pride.

Spike was still confused. “Pop up? But Twilight is missing. What could that possibly mean?” A sudden look of horror overtook him. “Maybe she’s been ponynapped and a ransom is going to show up!”

“Horsefeathers.” Applejack frowned at the increasingly distressed dragon. “I highly doubt that Twi’s been ponynapped.”

“But it could be the Diamond Dogs again,” he continued, ignoring her and getting swept up by his overactive imagination. “They could’ve found out that she knew how to find gems, like Rarity. Maybe they figured out a way to control her. Maybe a dragon took her. Maybe–” He started to hyperventilate, unable to control his increasingly panicked breaths.

Applejack shook the small dragon by his shoulder to get his attention. “Maybe you should calm down and work with what we know, instead of worrying up these crazy things to fret about? I’m sure Twi’s just fine and when we find her, she will tell you so herself.”

“Okay, I'll admit it: it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” Twilight let out a relieved sigh. “But I’m still not too enthused by the whole idea of it.”

Alex only smiled at her. She was far braver than he was. He knew for a fact that he could never get on the chariots that she had rode around in, but she hardly hesitated before stepping onto the bus. The amount of faith she had in him after so little time surprised him. The bus was slowing down at a stop in preparation to pick up another passenger. There were currently only two other passengers, sitting in the front: two older women who seemed preoccupied with discussions about the weather or something equally as boring.

“I’m impressed with how much courage you have, Twilight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even though you were,” he paused momentarily, searching for the appropriate word, “unsettled... by this ‘hungry’ bus, as you put it, you still got on it with me. Most aren’t that able to overcome a fear, just like that.”

“You have been completely honest with me since I appeared before you, not to mention exceptionally kind. I had no reason to disbelieve your word.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. How exactly did you get here anyway?”

Her face flushed a bit. “Oh, well, I had a minor mishap while studying an ancient book and accidentally cast the spell that brought me here.”

“Is that a frequent occurrence? Mishaps when dealing with spells, I mean.”

Twilight shook her head. “Not particularly. When reading and learning spells, they are drawn with diagrams and instructions. They are clearly labeled as so the focus or foci and activator are never used simultaneously without intent. It’s a safeguard that has been used for over a thousand years.”

“Right.” He nodded his head agreeably a few times. “I have no idea what you mean by that.”

“I’ll activate your focus, honey.”

Both Alex and Twilight turned their attention to the voice that erupted from behind them. A teenager garbed in all black grinned back at them, his eyes scanning Twilight up and down. The black paint on his fingernails was fading and blonde roots were clearly visible through his dyed black hair. Stylized words that read: ‘Bullet For My Valentine’, were written on his shirt.

Alex rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Twilight. She was completely fixated on the boy.

“You can do that? I didn’t think it was possible for somepony to activate the focus of another.”

Alex had to cough to stifle a laugh from escaping. It appeared she had taken the child at his word, not seeing the actual intent behind his words. Something about that just struck him as hilarious.

“Somepony?” He frowned. “Don’t tell me you are one of those brony people.”

Twilight looked confused and turned to Alex. “What’s a brony?”

“I’ll explain later,” he said under his breath. “She is; we are. What of it?”

He scoffed at Alex. “I wasn’t speaking to you, dickhole. I was talking with cutie over here.”

Alex could feel his fist start to clench. Twilight must have noticed because she placed her hand over his tensing arm and tapped it softly a few times, calming him.

The teen leaned forward, placing his arm on the back of the seat. “So, what’s your sign, babe?”

“My sign?” She blushed at his question. “No one has ever really asked me about my sign before. Why, it’s a six pointed magenta star, representing myself and the potential that I have, surrounded by five smaller white stars that represent my friends. Together, we can accomplish anything. Apart, we are incomplete.”

He remained silent as he stared at Twilight, attempting to process the information she just gave him. She didn’t give him the chance.

“You know, you are kinda cute. You remind me of my last boyfriend. Daddy didn’t like him much, but he managed to get away with just a few broken limbs; nothing too serious.” She started playing with her hair, twirling it around her finger. “But don’t worry, I am sure he won’t be as hard on you as he was with him. After all, you only look like him. It’s not like he would get confused or anything.”

The teenager’s brow wrinkled as sweat began to bead. “I... umm...”

“And that’s not the half of it. I’m sure you could easily survive any beating that he would deal out, even if he used to be a soldier.” She turned to Alex. “I mean, it was only an accident that he killed that guy, right?”

Alex, playing along, nodded his head in agreement.

“Of course, once you meet daddy, we could get married and then have children. You would get a job and I would stay at home and watch the kids.” She suddenly frowned. “I don’t really know how to cook, but I guess I could try and learn. I only burnt the kitchen down twice and it wasn’t my fault the second time.”

The children remark had been enough. “Uh, sorry, but this is my stop. Gotta go!” He reached up and frantically pulled the cord to inform the driver to stop. He quickly got up and moved toward the door. Before they had fully opened he forced his way off the bus, in effort to get away from the predicament he had placed himself in.

As the doors closed, Twilight turned back to Alex beaming with a smile of satisfaction at a job well done.

Alex was thoroughly impressed. “Twilight, that was amazing! How did you know how to get rid of him like that?”

“It’s simple really. I just gave him too much to think about at once.”

“I don’t follow you...”

She raised her hand with one finger extended. “Well, first I answered his question about what my sign was with something I figured he wouldn’t understand; describing my cutie mark instead of telling him that I’m a Virgo.” She raised another finger. “Then, before he managed to process what I’d told him, I proceeded to place the thought in his head that I was interested in him.”

Alex nodded his head as she continued.

“Third, I gave him the worry of an over-obsessive, overprotective parent, with a penchant for violence. To top it all off, I threw in the thought that I am an accident prone, overbearing control freak. It was just too much for him to handle at once.”

He was almost speechless. “That... that was amazing. Where’d you learn to do something like that?”

She shook her head, adjusting her hair. “A mare has to fend for herself. It’s not all that easy being the protege of the princess. More than a fair share of colts thought they would swoop in and sweep me off my hooves, in efforts to advance their social position within Canterlot.”

Alex was dumbstruck. He had never thought about Twilight Sparkle as someone who was constantly harassed by the opposite sex. The show never really demonstrated it and she had never mentioned it, so the thought never crossed his mind. In fact, the only mention of a pony being beautiful had been when Spike was talking or dreaming about Rarity. However, if Twilight’s current form was any indication of her appeal as a pony, then it was no wonder she had been assaulted by suitors.

“What exactly is a brony?”

“I’m sorry?” Alex blinked as he was pulled back from his thoughts.

“What’s a brony? The thing that guy said I was.”

He scratched his head. “Oh, well, it is an adult fan of the ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’ television show.”

“I am not a fan of the show,” she said flatly. Her smile had been replaced with a disapproving frown.

“I know that, Twilight, but it was the easiest way to pass off your knowledge of Equestria, and the occasional grammar slip. Though, I think telling him you were Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, a unicorn from Equestria, might have had a similar effect to what you did. But the danger involved in doing that wouldn’t be worth it.” Alex smiled at her. “Just know that I had the best intentions when I said that. I didn’t mean to offend you, and I am sorry if I did.”

She sighed. “I understand. Sorry for jumping to conclusions.” She looked back out the window. “So, how much longer until we arrive at the library?”

Alex took a look at the buildings they were passing by, trying to recognize their location. “We’re probably something like three miles from the library; maybe five or so more minutes. Then you can have a look at all the books you can get your hands on.”

Her smile returned, her spirits renewed by this information. “Great! This is going to be so exciting! I can’t wait!”

Seeing her so excited made him smile all the more. There was something about it he couldn’t put his finger on. He couldn’t wait to get her there either. He needed to get her there.

Author's Note

Pre-read by: NotSoSubtle
Edited by: FrontSevens