Mistakes Were Made / Lost Elements

Chapters

A Grey Morning with a Colorful Surprise
Meeting The Guests
The First Big Mistake
Open Mouth, Insert Hoof
A Fresh Start
Old Friends
Through the Veil
Morning, and Mourning Routines
Creative Bonding Experiences, the stuff of Memories and Dreams

A Grey Morning with a Colorful Surprise

It was a cold and dreary morning. It was one of those days that was not quite winter any longer, but not yet spring. The snows had melted and refrozen causing the yard and street to turn into a monochromatic still life. The birds that graced the yard in winter had gone north, but the spring creatures had yet to return. The morning was silent as death.

The grey sunlight filtered through his window casting muted shadows across the mess that passed for the man’s bedroom. The hour was early. He woke, bleary eyed to the crackling of speakers as his stereo alarm began to fire. “Oh sonnova…”

The stereo suddenly blared like thunder.

“I woke up this mornin’ and the sun was gone. I turned on some music to start my da-“

With a crash, he fell out of bed clutching at where the stereo had been the night before grasping only air. The sound of Boston screeched in his ears as he landed with a solid thud next to the stereo. Slamming his fist on the CD tray of the aged Sony boom box the distorted music was cut short.

Slowly picking himself off of the floor, he fumbled around the nearby night stand attempting to find his glasses. After a few moments of searching, he felt the chill of the metal frames graze his fingertips as he silently cursed his luck and memory. As his the fuzz of sleep wore away, he began to remember moving the stereo the night before to ensure that he didn’t reflexively mash the snooze button, again. Silently cursing the day ahead, he began to go through his morning ritual.

First he cracked his various knuckles and other miscellaneous joints. He started low this morning with the small of his back, twisting round until his spine sounded like fresh popcorn. Next came his fingers, toes and lastly his neck. Donning the glasses, the grey blur of the room gained a sudden striking clarity. It was a mess. The same heaps of dirty laundry, the same disused piles of disks and books atop the desk, and even the same muddied work boots tossed in the corner where he had left them the previous week. Nothing seemed to change in this place.

He grabbed a fresh towel and made his way out of the room and into the bathroom to complete the ritual. The remaining cold felt as though it had seeped into his very bones. This morning, he stayed under the steam and hot longer than usual. His sinuses cleared and his beard softened, he proceeded to complete the ritual with his shave and scrubbing of his teeth. Feeling groggy yet, he made his way back and donned only his pants before making his way to the kitchen.

Once there, he set the aging Bunn to brew. Coffee. That sound as the water began to boil, that smell as it began to cascade into the pot… They were ecstasy to him. This was a sacred part of the ritual, the coffee. To him it was the only tangible proof that there was indeed a higher and loving power. What it was, he would never know, never care. But that liquid… Oh, that liquid. It made everything better.

As he poured the first cup he wistfully gazed out the window as a small smile began to spread on his lips. It was the first day. His roommates were gone on vacation. His boss was gone as well. He was the only man left in the house. He was the only one left to run the business. He was free. For a few days at least. He would finally have time to clean, to finish his book, to actually go out and DO something.

A remarkably unhealthy number of cups of coffee later, he was knee deep into the book. It was, as with everything he chose to read, wondrous fiction. Tales of advanced technology, magic or ancient times… He could care less. The setting meant nothing. The characters and creatures within those stories, in his mind, as he read, they gained life. He could see every expression on their faces, smell the heat of their breath and the sweat of their work, and hear every melodious tone I their voices as the spoke or sang.

It is worth noting that this man was unusual. He was in his mid twenties, but had never gone to a college or university. He had traveled abroad once as a young teenager, but remembered little from his experiences. His friends and associates were few. Those that he had, he held dearer than even his own family. He had many close shaves with death over the years. His work and hobbies of choice were dangerous. Many of them were anyway. Today though, there would be none of that nonsense.

Stretching, he returned to his room. All that was to be done today was retrieve the mail from the office. Nothing more, nothing less. Everything else beyond that point was his choice. That freedom was beautiful.

As he donned his clothes, he began to ponder what to actually do with the day. Perhaps he’d stop by the Arboretum, or maybe visit his nieces and nephews… He smiled at the thought. He’d been so busy and exhausted in previous months that he hadn’t had time to check in and say hello. As he donned the rest of his personal uniform, he made up his mind to do just that.

“His personal uniform,” now there is an odd phrase. He dressed unusually at best. He wore old western boots ‘neath faded jeans, topped with a white button down shirt under a grey vest, a steel ring on his left middle finger and a tarnished silver pendant of a hawk around his neck. The hat he wore was an old grey faded fedora. The coat he had donned was an ancient and faded blue military surplus tenchcoat.

Stepping out into the grey, he looked to his car parked in the driveway. It was covered in snow. The faded grey light had managed to melt the snow off the drive, the street, and even what was left of the lawn. Sadly, however, the car was still coated. With a sigh, he began to clear the windshield. It would seem that, though it was nearly mid April, a freak snowfall had occurred in the middle of the night. Traffic would be a nightmare.

As the little hatchback roared to life and the stereo began to blast, he pulled out and made his way, slowly, but steadily to work. Knowing that his day would be brief, he couldn’t help but grin in spite of the traffic on the way. Turning the music louder he began to sing along.

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Twenty minutes into the normally five minute drive, he finally arrived at the little dilapidated building that was his second home. Even though it was technically and office and a workshop, it actually looked much like an old slightly run down home. The only way anyone unfamiliar with the place could tell it was a place of business was the small parking lot and faded wooden sign out front. The mail was several hours out yet. Parking alongside the large utility van that passed as the company work vehicle he exited the car and made his way to the door. As he fumbled for his keys he heard a loud pop followed by a soft voice behind him.

“Um, excuse me… Sir?”

Turning around, key in hand, he started, “Hi what can I do fo-?”

Much to the man’s surprise, there was a small group of women in front of him. The group in question had not a single one of them wearing so much as a stocking. Even more surprising, was the fact that aside from their shivering, none of them seemed to notice.

“um… I… Ah… Are you ladies alright?” He stammered while desperately trying to maintain eye contact with simultaneously all and none of them.

“I’m cold.” Piped up one towards the edge of the group who’s hair had been died a stunning rainbow of colors.

One towards the center of the group shot her a scathing look. This woman had a dark purple tinge to her hair with a bright pink streak through it. “Rainbow, what’s wrong with you!? Show some manners!”

Collecting himself, the man turned to the door. “Please, let’s at least go inside. I have no idea who you ladies are, but we have a fireplace in the break room that you can warm up by. In the meantime I’ll see if I can find you something to cover up with…”

Fumbling the keys again, he unlocked the door and gestured towards the split entry downwards. Wondering what precisely he was getting into, he removed his outer coat and offered it to the apparent youngest of the bunch, her only defining feature being strawberry blonde hair that bordered on pink as she appeared to be the coldest of the bunch.

“Oh, no… That’s alright. I’ll be fine.” He identified her voice as the first he had heard.

“No please miss. I insist. You look like you’re freezing.”

“As long as it’s not too much trouble, I guess that’d be okay…”

“I assure you, it’s no trouble. Just relax downstairs and I’ll be down as quick as I can."

A thought crossed his mind. "Oh! The fireplace is gas! Just flip the switch on the left and it should fire right up!"

A few moments of raiding the coat racks, closets and old lockers strewn throughout the upper level or the building, he had scrounged just enough to give the ladies some decency. A few pairs of jeans, some old work shirts, a few sweaters... They were nothing fancy or flattering, but they would make a large variety of things easier.

Gathering the clothes, he made his way back towards the breakroom. As he made his way down the stairs he paused as he heard a few of them arguing in hushed tones. One spoke with a marked southern drawl, another with a high pitched almost shrill squeak that reminded him of a hyperactive cartoon character, and the third was the one who had reprimanded the other on the parking lot.

"What in tarnation 'ave you done to us now Twi'?"

"Who cares!? We're somewhere new! It's exciting and scary and cold and he's really nice to us; maybe we should bring him back with us if we can find a way back; that is if he wants to go with u-"

"Pinky. Shut it. I don't know what went wrong. I don't know where we are. I don't know what happened to our bodies. If I could just get to my books maybe I could find a solution..."

The third voice seemed on the edge of panic. Part of him felt sorry for the poor girl. After allowing them a moment to calm her down, he continued his way down the stairs.

"Sorry these won't fit particularly well, but it's just me and my boss here these days. Lucky for us all I suppose, today it's just me. They'll be a bit big on you, but they should make life a bit easier."

He was speaking from behind the pile of clothing in his arms. Part of him was thankful that the clothing piled so high he couldn't see beyond it. Making his way by memory to the breakroom table, he deposited the clothes on it with his back to the rest or the room. Tilting his hat downward so he could only see the floor directly in front of his feet, he began to make for the stairwell.

"I'll be down in an hour or so to check on you ladies. I have some work that needs to be done."

Work. That was one word. There was something clearly off about these women. For one thing, where had they come from? There was no car in the lot outside. And how had they managed to get here without anything on? Surely, someone must have seen them. Escapees perhaps? No. The man had known plenty of criminals as a kid. None of them fit the demeanor. Mental patients? Maybe. The nearest hospital was over 15 miles away though.

The only thing that seemed plausible was druggies. Plenty had shown up at the office in the past. The insane hair colors fit the stereotypical bill. That would also explain the lack of clothing and seeming indifference to said lack thereof. There was only one problem with that theory. They were all apparently stone cold sober. From the rigid eye contact they didn't show any of the usual signs. No dilated pupils, no pasty skin, no cold sweats, no indifference to the temperature. For lack of a better term, they seemed simply... ignorant. Whatever the case may be, some investigation was warranted.

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Nothing. Over an hour of searching and another of phone calls, the bewildered man could find no evidence of any prison breakouts, escaped mental patients, or even missing persons reports that matched the six women in the basement of his office. Today was not going to be the day at work he had anticipated. Looks like the next chapter of Scheherazade would have to wait. Nor could he find any examples of any drug that would fail to show any signs like those the women downstairs displayed. Well, he could find none that would be easily accessed in the least.

Whatever the case may be. At the end of the day, he had six, unknown women, apparently oblivious as to where they were or how they got there stuck in the basement of his office. He might be able to do many things during his day... but figuring this one out alone was not one of them. Picking up the phone he dialed a familiar number. After a few rings, the line was answered.

"Hey, Amy? Yea. It's me. I need your help. ..... Think you can skiv off of work today? ..... Sonnova. Alright. What time do you get off? .... That'll work. I think. Can you meet me at the office? ..... Awesome. Oh, and can you bring some spare changes of clothes? Not for me. Just some stuff you have lying around that you don't care too much about. .... Yea. That stuff we packed up the other day for Goodwill should work perfect. .... Why? Would you believe that a bunch of naked women showed up at my doorstep and I have no clue how to handle the situation? ... Har har. You're funny. See you then. Thanks bud. "

Hanging up the phone with an exasperated sigh, he reached into his suit coat. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, he proceeded to pack them, draw one and light it. Rising from the desk he had been sitting at he wandered down the steps and to, where if this were still the house it once was, the garage would be. Opening the door, he strode into what was now a workshop and turned on the stereo. As the music played and the music and nicotine from the cigarette eased his tension, he began to examine the latest broken piece of equipment that had come into the shop.

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After what seemed like mere minutes to him, what in reality had been hours, the computerized display was in hundreds of pieces strewn across three oak work benches. He had found the problem and had begun the repairs. The soldering irons were hot and the shop was as smoky as ever courtesy of the burning trace oil on the solder itself. The fumes from the Isopropil and Taluline he had used to scrub down the corroded parts filled the place.After finishing and carefully reexamining his work, piecing the display back together and finally washing down the exterior of the case with simple windex, he was done.

As the last notes of Tchaikvski's 1812 Overture rang through the shop he threw open the side door to let some air in and the smoke and fumes out. As he did so he found himself dancing across the shop floor around the piles of weights, and tool kits conducting an invisible orchestra with his hands to the great crescendo of the booming cannon and crashing cymbals. Once the crescendo was complete he sat back and began to hum the next tune on the playlist. As the Overture ended and the tune he had been humming started, he began to sing along.

By this point, he had entirely forgotten about his unexpected guests. Work such as this had that funny effect on him. When he was confronted with a task that required all of his attention, everything else was long forgotten until well after the task was done. This was always how he relaxed when no one was around. A puzzle accompanied by music followed by song, and, on rare occasion, dance. Today, the music was right. Sinatra always made him want to dance. Before long, he found himself waltzing through the workplace, eyes shut, entirely lost in the music.

Much to his surprise, halfway through an old favorite, his dance was suddenly joined. One of the girls had come out of the break area and instead of interrupting him, had joined him. Stunned for a moment, the man simply stood there, embarrassed and surprised. She stood there in front of him, her right hand in his left, her left on his shoulder and his right on her waist.

This woman had a dark purple color to her hair and a fair, almost alabaster complexion. At his sudden cease in movement, her face went from a slightly amused look, to one of disappointment. Without knowing why, he simply felt... good. The Hell with it. He thought. I may as well finish the song.

And the two did just that. The music ended. The dance concluded. When it was done, he stood back and gave a somewhat mocking courtly bow.

"My apologies. It's something I do to ease the stress a bit. I had honestly forgotten you ladies were here."

"Oh, it's no trouble my darling. The dance was wonderful. I'm simply glad I still can in... this." She said gesturing to her body.

He laughed.

"To be fair, old work jeans and a ratty old t-shirt are hardly ballroom dancing gear."

As he spoke, he noticed that the clothes she wore, while they were the same as those he had brought down, had been tailored to fit her form and figure almost perfectly.

"My sincerest apologies" she said with an odd dramatic emphasis. "The girls and I were just wondering if all was well and that you were alright. You have been absent for quite sometime.We were worried our sudden appearance may have, ah, disturbed you in some fashion."

"Disturbed? Not really. Surprised...? Yes. Very much yes. I suppose I should actually some down and meet you properly. Sorry. I tend to lose track of time while I'm working."

"That was work?"

Laughing he replied, "Oh no. That was my work." He said this as he gestured to the now shining piece of equipment.

"All things considered though, perhaps we should step inside and rejoin your... sisters...? friends? The others."

He gestured to the door allowing her to enter ahead of him. Together they walked down the stairs to join the others. Not knowing what was in store, who these women were, why they were here or even their names, he felt strangely at ease. He'd known just the one for mere minutes, and he already felt as though he'd known her for years. Now THAT was a strange feeling. Whatever the case may be, all he could really do at this point was hope that the rest would have similar qualities in terms of calming one's mood.

Meeting The Guests

As they entered the break room, a few immediate changes caught his eye. Every chair in the lower basement had been moved into the main room. That was to be expected. There were after all only three chairs in the main area. Aside from that though, there was one major difference. An old inversion table that had been kept in a side room used for fitness and the like had been moved to the main room as well. At this particular juncture, a remarkably fit blond woman was hanging upside down from it struggling to free herself.

The one that had lead him downstairs turned to him and said,

“My apologies dear, but she’s been like that for almost two hours now. That would be the main reason I risked getting you.”

With a laugh, the main instructed her how to free herself from the contraption. His mind launched back do a different time when he mad managed to get himself into the same predicament. After helping her down he sat on the hearth stone and turned to the group. Opening his mouth he began to speak again. The room fell almost reverently silent as he did so. That was certainly an unusual reaction to him speaking.

“Well… I’m not going to lie. I expected to walk in here today, read a few hours, collect the mail and then proceed to be on my merry way. I certainly did not expect you ladies to show up on my doorstep. That’s a new one even for me. All I can honestly say for certain is that you don’t seem to be missing, escaped or any other such nonsense. So…. Where are you from? And how in the blue blazes did you manage to wind up on my doorstep, buck naked and with your respective hair as it is without anyone noticing? That’s quite the feat. New York? I could see it. Here? Yea. Not so much.”

Silence followed his rushed speech and statement. The women looked awkwardly at each other with the exception of one. The one with the rainbow streaked hair glared daggers across at the more bookish looking character with the pink streak in her otherwise purple mane.

“Tell you what, all I ask is honesty. If you ladies are in trouble, I’ll be glad to help however I can as long as I don’t go breaking any laws in the process. In the meantime, while you decide what you want to say and how to say it, I’m a bit more tired than I should be. I’m gonna brew up a pot of coffee. Would any of you care for some? I think we’ve got some Tchai Tea kicking around if you’d rather have that as well.”

After a few more seconds of awkward silence, the Strawberry blond with the looks of a slightly disheveled supermodel spoke up first.

“Oh… Um Tea please if that wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

The pink haired one was next.

“No thanks, but d you have any soda or anything like that? I like sugary sweet stuff with extra sugar.”

Eyeing her askance he spoke slowly…

“We might have coke… It’ll be in the fridge over there. “He said pointing to the stainless steel monolith that graced one corner of the room.

“Anyone else?”

The bookish one was next to speak.

“Tea please.”

The blond who had been trapped on the table chose to speak up.

“Ah’ll have whatever you’re havin’. From all that poundin’ and cursin’ you were doin’ earlier outside you sound like a fella’ who knows how to get some work done. Ah’ve yet to meet such a 'feller who didn’ know what was best after a long day.”

“Heh. That’s fair. Coffee it is followed by a whiskey shooter later. Deal. How about you?”

He turned to the woman with the rainbow emblazoned hair. When she spoke, her voice sounded a bit hoarse as well as a bit nasally. It was not entirely unpleasant though. Her speech had a strange charm to it.

“Coffee? What the heck is that?”

“Oh… You poor soul. You’ve never even heard of coffee? That’s almost criminal.”

As he spoke he crossed the room to where a newer version of the stainless steel monster that graced his own kitchen rested and began to brew a pot. While doing so he put the kettle to boil and game the women a few extra minutes by busying himself with cleaning out some of the coffee cups that had managed to remain in the sink with the departure of his boss the night before.

As he cleaned, he caught snippets of their hushed conversation. From the rises and lulls in conversation, and looks that were shot his direction he pieced together a fair amount. The quieter one seemed optimistically cautious about what he’d think or say. The one with Skittles for a hairstyle didn’t seem very enthusiastic about saying a word. The southerner seemed to want to lay everything out on the table. The fair skinned one he’d danced with seemed to want to attempt to make some sort of bargain. The excitable one with the coke in her hands seemed more interested in exploring and seeing what was in and around the area than the matter at hand. The bookish one, who seemed to be the unofficial leader, seemed to want to give him some sort of test to figure out how much he knew already.

Once the coffee and tea were ready, he doled out the drinks, offering cream and sugar as needed to those that wanted it. After some polite small talk regarding how to properly drink a cup of coffee to the newcomers to the brew he finally asked.

“Alright ladies. What’s your story?”

The bookish one responded first.

“Well… That actually depends. I need to know what you know first.”

“What I know about what?”

“Us.”

“You’ve got utterly ridiculous hair for the most part and no apparent warrants out for your arrest or people searching for you. When I tried to punch your descriptions into a search engine, I got nothing but cartoon horses and unicorns. My attempt to figure out who you may be was, less than informative.”

He chuckled at the sheer ludicrousness of his last statement. It was true. As a last ditch effort, he had plugged in physical descriptions of the women into a search engine. He had some up with pictures from an 80’s cartoon reboot.The show was.. Tolerable. He had seen it once with his niece. He had not bothered to watch it again.

At the mention of Unicorns her face light up. She began to speak quickly, asking questions in rapid succession.

“What do you know about unicorns? Do you know what a Pegasus is? Do you know where they’re from? Do you know how to get there?”

“On the first two counts, they’re creatures of legend and myth. From? Well, I suppose Grecian mythology is one spot that they’re from. As far as getting there, that’s a bit outside my budget. Unless of course you’re speaking metaphorically. I remember a gal once dubbed me a Unicorn. She claimed that guys like me simply did not exist. I'll be glad to tell that and any other story you want to hear after I hear yours.”

He smiled at that memory. He had walked an inebriated girl home after hanging out at a bar with some friends. Her roommate refused to even consider for a moment that his motives were pure until he started issuing orders that would prevent her from suffering alcohol poisoning. It had been an eventful night that one.

As his smile grew wider, reminiscing about some of his more colorful adventures in recent history, the expression on her face went from one of near joy to borderline despair. Noticing this, he stopped with his reverie. Not fully understanding what there was to be upset about, he began fishing for information asking questions here and there, and making idle small talk out of the various things he hoped to learn, seeding in information where he could in his own responses.

After this going on for some time, he came to several conclusions. These women were either insane, or didn’t trust him at all. Either was a likely possibility. Under any other circumstances, he’d be suspicious of them. In fact, under these exact circumstances, he’d be suspicious of them. For some reason though, he wasn’t. Every time he attempted to focus on that idea, that he wasn’t feeling or thinking as he should, the thought would simply disappear.

As the conversation flowed, he eventually learned their names, or at least, what they wanted him to call them. The quiet one preferred the moniker, “Fluttershy”. The rainbow haired athlete simply chose, “Dash”. “Twilight” was the name of choice for the bookish one. “Pinky” was the title designated to the hyperactive one he now regretted giving the soda to. “Applejack” was the apparent southerner, and “Rarity” was the one he had danced with. He asked that they call him, “Mike.”

Mike gathered that Twilight had been performing some kind of experiment in the basement of her home with the help of the rest. Before they knew what had happened, they were here. According to Twilight, their bodies had changed somehow in the process. She seemed like she might be mentally unstable, if a bit harmless. At that point in the conversation she started going on about how she and Rarity were apparently unicorns, and the fact that apparently Dash and Fluttershy were pegasi. As this went on, the others remained silent attempting to gauge his reaction.

“So, let me get this straight.” He said over his third cup of coffee. “You’re telling me that you are in fact magical ponies of some sort from the far off land of Equestria and that a magic spell you were testing landed you here?”

“That’s right”

“That’s insane.”

“I can prove it.”

“This I’d love to see.”

At this, Twilight seemed to begin to meditate. As she did so, her fingertips began to glow. A cold sweat began to drip down her forehead as the spoon in his coffee began to stir itself. Startled, he dropped the cup with a less than manly yelp.

Straightening his vest and mopping the spilt coffee off of his jeans, he spoke again. This time, he did so with a little less conviction.

“While that was certainly impressive, that doesn’t prove that you’re a unicorn in another body. That does however prove that you are either remarkably gifted or that I have been impressively drugged. Since I am infinitely more comfortable with the gifted idea, I’ll go with that.”

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As time went on and the conversation progressed, one thing had been made clear. These women were clearly not from around here. Each had displayed a variety of abilities that could be described as abnormal at worst, superhuman at best. The one who called herself twilight displayed the ability to disappear and reappear at will in a different place. Rainbow could fly. Rarity displayed the capacity to use telekinesis. Fluttershy could speak with animals. Applejack was deceptively strong. Far stronger than any normal person her size and build should or even could have been. Pinky had the uncanny knack for apparently predicting the random and unforeseeable future. Learning that they each had such abilities was an adventure in and of itself.

It had started during a late point in the conversation, shortly after his crack about possibly being drugged. The coffee in his hand had run out. He had risen to get another, when Rarity had intervened.

“No, please. Allow me darling. You’ve already done so much for us. The least I can do is top off your drink.”

As she spoke her eyes began to glow. The coffee pot, creamer, and sugar levitated from their various locations throughout the room and filled his mug. Each item was surrounded in a blue/white nimbus of light that matched the radiance from her eyes as it went about it’s apparent appointed task. Staring incredulously, his spoon began to rotate. It was also surrounded by the same glow as it begun to mix the hot beverage. He, as well as Twilight looked on in awe.

“How did you… What the-?” He stammered.

“Did I mix it right? You seemed to go a bit heavy on the sugar…”

“Uh...”

He took a tentative sip. It was almost perfect.

“No, i-it’s good. It’s great. Thanks. You… How did you-?”

“That’s what I’d like to know!” Twilight suddenly exclaimed. “I could barely lift the spoon! You just did all of that at once!”

“You forget my dear, that I am used to lifting and moving a multitude of things at once.”

Twilight took a step forward from where she stood leaning against the refrigerator and disappeared. She reappeared inches away shaking an accusing finger at rarity. Eyes widening, Mike simply stared.

“That’s not my point! I’ve always been stronger with magic and I could barely do anything!”

The two got into a heated discussion regarding spell prowess and generalized magical aptitude. It sounded like something out of a demented harry potter novel. This went on for some time. Mike slowly stood, and made his way to a small cupboard near the sink. Thank god we keep this on hand, he thought to himself as he drew a large bottle of whiskey from the cupboard. He poured himself a shot, spiked his coffee, placed the bottle in it’s rightful place then interrupted the two.

“Look, lady, you just teleported across the room. I have no clue what the hell you’re banging on about, but maybe, just maybe whatever you think you can or should be able to do is a little different than what you’re used to. Or, maybe it’s exactly what you’re used to and not much else. She said she does that all the time. I’m willing to bet you’ve got a habit of not walking very far. Am I right?”

The two stood frozen.

“You… You might be right. How could you know that though?”

“In my experience, the idiot who knows nothing of what is going on, nor has any understanding of what’s at hand will always, at some point, make a lucky guess that will make everything else clear and easy. When you understand everything there is to know about something, you tend to forget to consider the simple stuff. It happens to me almost every day.”

After a moment of thought, Twilight spoke. “That makes a weird amount of sense.”

“It also certainly helps that I’ve officially got a healthy buzz going. I’m a little more open to the crazy and impossible,”

Mike said gesturing with his coffee.

“So, how about the rest of you? Any other impressive party tricks you can pull off?”

He began to laugh at the sheer ludicrousness of his own question. As he watched, Rainbow began to float. Applejack smiled and looked at mike.

"Ya'll got anythin' heavy kickin' around?"

"How heavy?"

"Heavy."

"There's a thousand pound weight in the shop."

"Not that heavy."

"It's on a cart. Even I can move it with some effort."

It was a true statement. What he failed to mention was the fact that it usually required an engine jack to really use the weight in question. He could move it. He was simply incapable of actually using it for anything other than a makeshift stool.

"Can ah see it?"

"Sure. Why not? Follow me ladies. It's about time I gave you the ten cent tour."

Mike turned and strode towards the stairs. He had no clue what he was going to do or how he was going to deal with his unexpected guests. All he knew for certain was that he didn't seem to be in any danger. If he could keep his guests placated, he should be able to keep it that way.

The First Big Mistake

I breathed a sigh of relief. The blonde one, Applejack, was entirely unable to move the massive weight in the center of the floor. As strange as it is to say, I could take the magic, the floating and the rest, but one of these women actually being able to move that thing? I likely would have passed out on the spot. The other things could be explained away by illusions and tricks. To perform a trick like that though on that weight, would take more planning than they had had the time to pull off.

No sooner had the tiny smirk hit my lips than a loud snap echoed throughout the room. Crap. I thought to myself. Looks like the old man was right. We *do** in fact have mice.* It sounded like it had come from behind the tool chest near the door. I’d have to give it a once over later. The sound had clearly startled my unanticipated guests though.

“No worries ladies. It’s just a mousetrap. I’ll clear it out once we’re done here.”

Guests… There was a funny thought. Something about all of this didn’t seem right. Yea, I’m a generally nice guy and all, but escorting a party of random, nude and exceedingly attractive women into my place of business without a single thought outside or helping them out…? That was a bit overly altruistic even for me, and I knew it. I could feel it in my bones. For some reason though, I simply didn’t care.

I knew I wasn’t acting like myself. Maybe I’d let them in and toss them a few jackets or something to cover up, but food, coffee and the rest? Okay, maybe I would do that too. Somehow though, I highly doubt that I would ever leave them completely unattended in the brand new break room. I also doubt that I would ever not have a few questions about the suddenly perfectly tailored clothing when I next laid eyes on them.

That, in fact, is another thing that should have bothered me. The instance in which I got to see the newly tailored uniforms... What I do in the privacy of my shop, my dancing and other nonsense, is seen by no one. That is my me time. Not a single soul on this watery rock gets to see that. In the event I’m ever caught, I’d immediately get either embarrassed or beyond irritated. This time around? Nope. I danced with her. I like to think I can dance with a partner on occasion, but I can’t. I’m terrible at Salsa and Swing. I can’t even do a box step without injuring somebody. Lord only knows how I manged to do a full waltz around the shop without killing us both....

Whatever the case may be, all of that mess is what I should have been thinking and feeling. At that point though, there was only one thing I could focus on. Fluttershy was giving me a look of the utmost horror as I explained the nature of the noise. That look on her face was enough to make me want to beg forgiveness for what I had done.

Except, I hadn’t actually done anything. I never put the traps out. That was my boss’s vendetta. I kind of liked the little critters. Apparently she did too. After a brief moment of dead silence, her face filled with a mixture of disgust and abject sorrow, two words managed to escape her quivering lips.

“Yo- you… monster.”

I couldn’t have felt more rotten if I had run over a puppy in the process of cutting off an ambulance on the way to a casino. I have felt that way once and only once in my life up until that moment. In that one instance, I simultaneously crushed my niece’s childhood and alienated myself from most of her family for several years. I had accidentally let slip that Santa wasn’t real with a four year old little girl in the room. In that exact moment, I was the worst person in existence.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

I watched as his tiny smirk was replaced by the deepest self loathing I had ever seen. As soon as she had spoken, Fluttershy ran over to the red, box… thing I had nearly run into when I had gone out to see what all the noise was about earlier. She tried to move it, but she simply wasn’t strong enough. I stood there and watched as one of my best friends sank to her knees sobbing over the loss of the poor little creature we hadn’t even known was here.

I wanted to do something for the poor thing, I really did. I was quite honestly too overwhelmed by everything though. This entire day had been utter madness.

One minute I’m in my boutique finishing up my latest design and the next I know, I’m being hustled into the library by Spike only to be told we’re all taking an unscheduled trip to Canterlot. At first I was irritated, but then Twilight explained the new spell she had been working on. I agreed to go along and instead ended up here. In… this.

I was expecting to see the palace steps while residing in my own body. Instead, I suddenly find myself here in this place inside this thing. I was cold. I had no fur to speak of and I was unceremoniously deposited in front of this sad, dilapidated little building. My hooves were gone and replaced by these uncomfortable sort of grabby paws. I was suddenly walking on only two of my legs which, instead, had some kind of mutilated version of the things that now graced my forelegs.

I wanted to cry so badly. I didn’t though. I held myself together and did my best to make something out of these rags he had been able to provide for us. I even took the initiative to make sure he was alright when even Applejack was too afraid to go near this mess he calls a workspace. How can he get anything done in here?

Then I saw what he was doing. I sing while I work too… Occasionally I’ll dance a bit, but what he was doing was, for lack of better words, adorable and utterly insane. That’s when he ran into me. It isn’t particularly lady like to stare, but I had never seen anything like it. I got caught up in the moment. It happens to the best of us. Instead of getting embarrassed as I likely would, being caught in such a private moment, he danced with me.

All of that strange and awkward joy he had possessed was gone now as Fluttershy sobbed next to the container. None of us seemed to know what to say. Trust Applejack though, instead of talking she simply walked over to our beloved friend and began to comfort her. In the same motion she heaved what was evidently a tool chest out of the way to reveal a perfectly healthy, albeit trapped, little mouse. I hate mice.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

I didn’t know what to say. How could anypony do something like that to such a defenseless little creature? Why would they? It was just wrong…

Then I saw that the little guy was okay. I was so relieved I couldn’t help but cry a little more. I did my best to help him out of the trap and made sure he was okay. Then I saw the look in his eyes. Both of their eyes actually. Mike was, sad. He didn’t know what to do. The mouse was just scared and stuck. He squeaked up at me and looked over towards Mike.

“He didn’t know?”

My new friend gave an affirmative squeak.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

He was. I told him to stay safe and let him go.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mike’s jaw dropped.

“What the fu-?“

Oh horseapples. How was I going to explain this? Fluttershy’s talent was something almost nopony in equestrian understood. Celestia only knows what the… people? That seemed like the right word. Celestia only knew what the people here might think. What the heck did I do wrong? How did I mess up that badly? Where even were we? What the heck did I turn us into? Why was my magic so weak here?

Just as I was about to say something to try to diffuse the situation, Pinkie cut him off and made an exclamation and pointing at the ceiling above Mike’s head. There was an odd sort of black reel hanging from the spot directly over him. When applejack moved the case, it had apparently gotten knocked loose. It chose that exact moment, to come crashing down on his head knocking him unconscious.

We were doomed. By the time he wakes up, it’ll have worn off. Buck my life.

Open Mouth, Insert Hoof

The girls stood in horror looking at Mike’s now limp form splayed across the floor with a small pool of blood gradually forming near the side of his head. The retractable power chord that had knocked him unconscious lay broken nearby. None of them had any clue what it was or its purpose for being where it had been. All they seemed to know was that their absurdly gracious host was now completely incapacitated. After a few odd seconds of silence and staring, the reactions were mixed.

Fluttershy immediately rushed to his side. Having never seen such a creature as a human before, she was both curious and terrified of him. At this point though, there was little he could do to potentially harm her or anypony in the room. For all intents and purposes, at this point he was simply another injured animal that needed her help. Considering that it was her reaction to the trap that had caused the series of events that had knocked the strange device loose from the ceiling, she simply had to help.

Applejack meanwhile was still in shock over her own apparent adrenaline fueled strength. While she had been unable to move the weight, she had heaved what was clearly a steel tool chest across the room with one hand. Not only had she moved the chest in question, she had practically thrown it. She was all the more stunned when she surveyed the damage after her friend had finished comforting the trapped creature behind it. It had been completely full. Now however, the great collection of tools, mostly steel themselves, were strewn across the floor. Some she recognized. There were a collection of hammers and wrenches scattered everywhere, as well as a few tools that were completely alien to her such as ratchets and varied electrical testing equipment.

Rarity reacted as one might guess. She began to panic. In her mind, this was the worst possible thing that could have happened to the poor creature that lay before them. He had shown them great kindness and done what he could even though he knew nothing about them or where they had come from. Now, through a series of unfortunate events, they had managed to knock him unconscious with his own tools. Her thoughts were summed up in approximately four words. What have we done? However, she used a significantly higher number as well as a larger variety of such terms to convey this message to her friends.

Rainbow Dash simply started laughing. Internally, she was scared. Her wings were gone, but she was still able to fly. She was in a weird and utterly alien body on top of it. She had no clue what to even call whatever it was she had been turned into. Her friends had just brutalized the one person they had met in this strange place who seemed willing to help. The entirely situation was utterly ludicrous. So, as she was wont to do in such a situation with no answer and no clear path to freedom, she simply laughed.

Pinkie meanwhile, simply studied the area around them. Most of the stuff around her she had no clue what they might be. She did recognize a few old objects on some shelves though. They were scales. As she studied the shelves lining the walls, she came to the conclusion that this place was half workshop, and half museum. Every strange thing lining the wall was either a tool chest or some kind of scale. Some were old enough that she could use them easily, some that were only identifiable by the steel platter on top of them. Well… She couldn’t exactly throw him a get well party, but she could certainly do something nice for him for when he woke up… An idea began to form in her head as she looked around. That was it.

As Fluttershy clutched Mike’s limp body, Rarity began to yammer as Pinkie planned, Rainbow laughed and Applejack stared, Twilight did the only thing she could think of. Panic. Every thought and emotion, minus the party idea, that her friends were feeling and voicing ran through her head at once. Her breathing exercises were useless. The books that she usually dove into for comfort in times of stress were nowhere in sight. In fact, they were literally an entire world away. Terror building, she began to hyperventilate. Unable to control her breathing, she soon joined Mike on the floor.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Sometime later, with Fluttershy’s insistence and Applejack’s aid, the others managed to get the limp bodies into the basement and into a room just off the break area they had been shown earlier. In this room there were two small beds. They were an unusual accoutrement in an office, but they were there.

Twilight, having landed squarely on top of Mike, was the first to be brought down. As soon as she had been laid to rest, Mike was brought down with significantly more difficulty. It became very apparent very quickly to those still standing that the man was far heavier than he looked. After several minutes of struggle though, his shirt and vest were removed and a towel placed underneath his head to prevent the blood from getting on anything. Soon after he was tucked into the bed across the room from Twilight.

The clothes that were removed were taken to a nearby sink for cleaning by Rarity. Some blood had gotten on the white shirt and if it wasn’t removed quickly, it would stain. She had spotted baking soda and something that resembled soap in the shop. Not perfect, but it would have to do. While she did her best to save his clothing, Fluttershy dutifully tended to her friend and the stranger.

The form of the creatures they had been turned into reminded her of some monkeys that she had seen in the garden during the Gala. While they weren’t a creature she was used to treating, it was all she had to go on for now. All she could really do for Mike was apply a cold cloth and bandages hoping that he didn’t have a concussion. In the case of Twilight, she could only hope that her friend didn’t have a psychotic break when she came to.

Not certain what they would find outside, Rainbow and Pinkie had elected to explore the building a bit. The “tour” that Mike had given them had been less of a tour and more of a vague point here and there as he described what each room’s intended purpose was. Pinkie for some reason had taken to looking through the forms and general clutter that existed on the main room desk. She hadn’t said much since he hit the floor. In fact, instead of her usual bubbly self, she was apparently doing her best impression of Twilight. She studiously read every document she found and studied every piece of alien technology that littered the desk. After a few minutes of watching her and getting no response as to what she was doing or why, Rainbow elected to look elsewhere.

As she wandered through the building, Rainbow discovered a copy of a different book that Mike had been reading earlier in the week hidden away in a back office. What drew her eye to the thin paperback was the cover. The picture on the front looked like Mike crossed with Daring Do. He even had the trademark satchel bag. Indiana Jones? Meh, it looks like it might be interesting… Cracking open the book, not certain of what else to do, she settled into the oversized chair that graced that particular room of the office and began to read. She had never seen anything like it in the Daring books she had at home. This book spoke directly to her. It put here alongside the titular title character and allowed her to choose what path the story took. That was certainly different.

As Rainbow enveloped herself in the juvenile Choose Your Own Adventure novel and Pinkie went about her uncharacteristic task, Applejack decided that she wanted another crack at that weight. There wasn’t much she could really do to help any of the others at this point. Striding into the shop she assessed the mess that had been made. Well, may as well clean this up first…

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Sometime around when Rarity had finished cleaning the shirt, Pinkie had gotten bored, Applejack had given up, and Rainbow had met a gruesome end for the umpteenth time, Twilight came to. Much to her dismay, she had not in fact been having an awful nightmare. She really had transported herself and all of her friends to an entirely different world and had managed to have a hoof in brutalizing the first sentient being they had met. She could see him sleeping peacefully in the bed opposite her.

What have I done? How long will it be before I can get us home again? Can I even get us home again? What do we do if I can’t? What will he do when he wakes up? Where even are we? What are we? Creatures like this don’t exist in Equestria… These were just some of the thoughts that were running through her mind at the realization of her current predicament. None of these, nor any of the others were particularly pleasant. With a squeak, she drew the covers over her head and began to tremble.

It was to this quivering pile of blankets that Fluttershy returned to the room. Realizing her friend was awake; she remained in the doorway and took a deep breath. In what sounded like one extremely long stuttered word she spoke.

“I-It’s okay Twilight. He seems to be alright. Are you? Yo- you just passed out. You’re not hurt are you? I couldn’t really tell. These bodies are so strange, we’re all scared of what might happen, even Pinky is quiet, and none of us know where we are… Do you know where we are?”

After a moment of silence, Twilight poked her head from under the covers and spoke.

“No Fluttershy. No, I don’t. I have no clue. All I know is that I messed up. I messed up really bad this time. i really hope you can forgive me. I really hope he can forgive me… I really hope he doesn’t take it out on the rest of you.”

“It was an accident. That thing that fell on his head hit him hard, but it was an accident. I’m sure he’ll understand. I think. Maybe.”

Fluttershy was clearly not used to being the one doing the comforting. Her voice was as quiet as it had ever been. Clearly, even she was uncertain about how true her words might be.

“That’s not what I’m worried about Fluttershy.”

“I-it’s not?”

“Did you see how he reacted to my magic? He’d never seen anything like it before. He’s never been exposed to magic of any kind. That spell could have done serious damage to him…”

“What spell?”

“It’s part of the teleportation spell I used. It’s just supposed to make it so that anypony who might be walking nearby doesn’t get upset if you suddenly appear right in front of them. It’s only supposed to last for a few seconds. On somepony who’s never even been near magic before? Who knows how long it might last or what it might do to them…. Even then, when it goes away, what will he do? What will he say when he realizes what I did to him?”

Twilight’s voice trailed off as she looked at the blankets clutched in her hands in shame. All she knew for certain at this point was that the head trauma Mike had received would most certainly undo the spell. What he might do or how he might react when he realized what had been done to him though… She shuddered at the thought.

As she spoke, voicing more concerns about what had happened Fluttershy merely stood there with an expression of horror and fear on her face. As Twilight’s venting continued, the rest of the party slowly began to collect behind Fluttershy, just outside the door. Each and every one of them bore the same expression of fear at the unknown man who seemed to be sleeping peacefully in the opposite bed.

A singular thought echoing in all their minds was voiced by Twilight at the tremulous end to her speech, “Could this get any worse?”

As it immediately turned out, yes, yes it could.

“Probably not. I have a large number of strangers in my place of business. Each said one of those strangers has abilities well outside my normal comprehension and one of them can and apparently did screw with my head shortly before I took a rather painful blow to it. In any case though, I’m not dead yet, and not dead strikes me as not entirely without hope. In any case, thanks for answering a large number of questions I had for you. Awesome. I still have one though. Would someone mind telling me where my shirt is?”

Fluttershy and Twilight both gave squeaks of petrified terror. Mike had woken up and apparently had heard everything.

A Fresh Start

The silence seemed unending. The tension that permeated the room was so thick it seemed one could cut it with a pocket knife. The women simply stood in shock and horror. What should they say? What could they say? Mike, meanwhile had yet to move anything other than his mouth. His eyes remained shut, and his breathing remained steady. If he hadn’t spoken, it would have been nigh impossible to tell that he was no longer asleep.

Mike hadn’t intended to deceive them. It was simply something he had always done since he was a child. He had always hated waking up in the morning. When he had company or slept at someone else’s home he had developed the unconscious habit of remaining perfectly still allowing himself to meditate and become a civil human being without the usual copious amounts of coffee he typically imbibed. It also allowed him to observe his surroundings without his presence being immediately recognized. The final bonus was that it had allowed him to avoid many a juvenile prank over the years.

Twilight shuddered in fear. This creature was completely unknown to her. What he might do, what he might say and what he was thinking were all an utter mystery to her. His knowledge was clearly beyond her own in regards to many things if he truly operated this place. His physical strength was beyond Applejack’s based on the weight they had gathered around earlier. Twilight began to tremble as she spoke. Her voice seemed on the edge of tears from what could be heard and not seen. The others remained silent.

“How… How much did you hear?”

“Everything. I’ve been awake longer than you. I knew something was wrong. I just couldn’t put my finger on what.”

“Wh-what are you going to do?”

“Precisely dick.”

A sharp intake of breath was all that could be heard in response to his choice of language. Fluttershy’s eyes darted back and forth between the pile of blankets that concealed her friend and the unmoving form that lay on the opposite bed. She didn’t understand. Was that some sort of punishment these creatures used? A form of banishment maybe?

A strange silence followed the soft squeak that erupted from Fluttershy at his pronouncement. The silence was broken by a scream as his eyes opened. He rose from the bed and in the same instant brought his feet to the floor. As he rose, Fluttershy dove across the room to protect her friend from whatever punishment he was about to give.

“No! Don’t hurt her!”

“Wait… What?”

While Fluttershy’s voice echoed the terror that was apparent on her face and those of her comerades, Mike’s was suddenly mirthful. He looked to first to her, then to the doorway where the rest were huddled. Lastly he leaned around to see the quivering mess of blankets against the far wall that concealed Twilight from view. His reaction at seeing the looks on their faces was simple. He laughed.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Oh man. This was rich. They were scared of me? What the heck was I gonna do? They could do anything they pleased to me. I was helpless. Between the telekinesis, ability to fly, communing with nature on levels that would make a Disney Princess green with envy and to physically throw a three hundred pound tool chest when the adrenaline kicked in? Yea. I’d lose that fight no matter how you sliced it.

I might not be the best guy ever, but on top of simply being unable to win a fight, there was no way I could even start a physical confrontation with any of them. One thing my old man had taught me and taught me well was to never, under any circumstances hit a woman unless it was in pure self defense. That, and how to shop for a decent set of clothing. The crazy old codger had some freaky knowledge of how to tell what would last an age and a half and what would permanently look good. My father's fashion sense was entirely inapplicable to this particular situation though.

Damn this was funny. I get that they were scared and all. I get that now anyway. In all seriousness though, what in the blue blazes did they expect me to actually do? Yes, my truly "mighty" form would lay a single finger on the sobbing terrified mess of a girl in front of me. That single finger would be immediately ripped off along with any other offending appendage that came even remotely close by whatever response they would muster. This was utterly insane.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Mike gasped between fits of body shaking laughter and hearty chuckles that seemed to emanate from his very core. While the women stood in terror, he could barely sit he was laughing so hard. Tears streamed down his face at the sheer ludicrousness of the situation he found himself in. As his laughter began to fade he finally spoke between some of the more minor bursts.

“Okay. Not the best choice of words. Nothing. I intend to do precisely nothing.”

Twilight was first to speak followed by a surprised series of outcries from her companions.

“What? Why?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me? Seriously? Even if I wanted to do something to you there’s no way in hell I ever could. I don’t hit women unless they hit first.” His voice suddenly turned deadly serious. His posture changed entirely. The laughter and shakes were gone as if they had never been. He shook his head slowly as he spoke again after a short pause. “Never. I will never strike a woman unless I have absolutely no other option. That is among the worst things any self respecting man could possibly do. I was raised better than that.”

His chuckles gradually returned as he waited a moment for his words to sink in.

“Let me put it to you this way. Even if I were that kind of filth, what could I possibly do that wouldn’t end up with most of me spattered across the new carpet down here? Not much. There’s no way I could take any one of you in a fight, let alone all of you. You can all do stuff that I used to dream about as a kid. On that note, you’re obviously not from around here..."

He continued on in that vein for some time. It was an old nervous habit. The more unusual the situation, the more he rambled. There were few things on his brain that didn't eventually get voiced to the atmosphere. As he rambled, speaking to no one in particular, the girls couldn't help but be just the slightest touch amused. One virtue of that odd quirk was how at ease it seemed to put those who might be nearby.

"...I may be upset yea. Whoop dee do. In the words of an old friend of mine, ‘Ya done goofed.’ In my words, ‘Shit happens.’ From what I heard, screwing with my brain wasn’t something you intended to do. Besides, I would have helped you regardless. I probably would have done a little less though, and likely would have responded a touch differently to... some of the situations we've all found ourselves in..."

He stood and looked Rarity directly in the eyes.

“If any of you actually need me for any reason and you happen to hear music like you did before, do me a favor and pound the hell out of the door for a few seconds before you enter. “

His voice lowered and his face reddened a bit as he mumbled, “Nobody ever sees me like that…”

Twilight was again first to speak. All traces of fear were gone. In fact she sounded like she was responding to one of the more ludicrous things her pink haired friend tended to spout.

“Seriously?”

Mike reached up and ran a hand through his hair as he began to speak again. This time his voice grew a bit more quiet.

“Well, yea. It’s sort of my personal style of meditation. The only time I’m ever really cool with somebody watching is when I swing poi…”

His voice continued to grow softer as he spoke. Much like Pinkie had been doing a passable imitation of Twilight earlier, Mike was now channeling the spirit of Fluttershy.

The tension and stress that had permeated the room was gone now. Everyone was clearly on equal footing. He was just as worried about they as they were about him. The silence grew both awkward and comical in short order. Shy smiles were exchanged between all save for one. Applejack had one of the largest grins she had yet to display in front of the stranger.

“Well, look like we’ve all been a bit silly over this whole darned mess. Plain and simple we, 'done goofed,' and started this whole affair off on the wrong hoof. What say we start over again, ‘ey fella’?”

Mike chuckled at the southern drawl of the woman in front of him. Extending a hand with a smile of his own he gave his response.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

Both grinning like idiots, they shook.

“Hoof? Seriously?”

“Cube, you've been ramblin' enough to make Pinkie quiet. Do us all a favor and shut it before you start chokin’ on your kneecap.”

"Ladies first, I insist."

Old Friends

With all of the excitement that had befallen them all over the course of the day, many things had been forgotten. The first of these things was the fact that, while it was small and currently operated by just the one man, this was in fact a business. The second was food. The simple necessity had been utterly neglected. The third was Amy. The first of these mental slips to rear a head was a lack of food.

Shortly following the odd reconciliation of the friends and their now clear minded host, many questions were asked and many more were answered. After a brief bout of verbal sparring between Dash and Mike, they came to a simple agreement. Each “side” would ask a question. The question would be answered honestly and to the best of one’s ability and followed with a new question from whoever had answered the initial question. A simple flip of a coin had determined that the girls would ask first.

“Where are we?” was Twilight’s immediate question.

“A small subdivision of the city of Saint Paul in the state of Minnesota based in the Upper Midwestern Region of the United States of America on the planet of Earth, third in distance from the star known commonly as ‘the sun’ or ‘Sol’ based by rough estimates of current science and technology to be near the outer rim of the Milky Way Galaxy. Is that a detailed enough response?” Mike couldn’t resist a smirk.

Dash immediately responded, “Yea. That’s more than detailed enough. My turn.”

“Wha-? Oh sonnova. I should have seen that coming.”

A slight snicker erupted from a few members of the group. “Yea. You really should have. Alright. Question: What in the hay are we? What in the hay are you?”

“Technically that’s two questions. I’ll assume you mean species based on what you said earlier. You’re currently a human. I am a human as well. I have been all my life. What were each of you before you came here?”

“Well, Ah’m an Earth Pony and so is Pinky back home. At least we were. Dash and Flutters are Pegasi while Rare and Twi’ are both Unicorns.”

“Huh. You were actually serious earlier. “

“Yep.”

“Good to know.”

“So, I’ve been wonderin’ what exactly do you do here?” Applejack waved her hand gesturing to the building.

“Oh! I know this one!” Pinkie shouted from her seat near the fire.

“You do? This should be entertaining.”

“Of course. It’s all over the stuff upstairs. You’re a Metro-logical Field Technician. According to the dictionary by your desk metrology is the study of measurement. A technician is somepony who fixes things. So, if you put those together. You fix stuff that measures stuff. Like scales. That’s what all those funny things on the wall are out where you got knocked unconscious right? One of the other things on the desk said it was a manual for a ‘continuous flow meter’. That’d be like the things that measure how much water goes into the clouds the make in Cloudsdale.”

The room was dead silent. Mike’s jaw dropped.

“N-not bad. Nobody understands my job… You actually got it right. She’s exactly right. Holy crap. How..?”

“I got bored while you two were asleep and started looking at the desk.”

“I see. Well, um, I guess the next question is mine?”

“Sure sug. You go ahead.”

“Thanks Jack. Well… Creatures like what most of you apparently are, Unicorns and Pegasi are myths and legends around here at best. We have, ponies and horses,”

Faces all around the room brightened at this.

“but they don’t talk. They’re not like you. They’re just normal animals. Considering the fact that you,” he gestured to Fluttershy. “can talk to normal animals, sort of anyway, I’m gonna hazard a guess that you at the very least are vegetarian. Is that right?”

“Vegetarian?”

“He means we only eat plants.”

“Correct.”

“Yea. We all are. Aren’t you?”

“Oh god no. I love the taste of meat.”

The women around him recoiled in horror at this announcement. Fluttershy gave an audible squeak of terror.

“Heh, look it’s no big deal. Most humans are omnivores. We’ll eat just about anything. To that end, an old girlfriend of mine used to be a vegetarian. I can cook for you and I’ll keep the meat to a minimum while you’re, ah, in town.”

“Alright, my turn then, I guess.” Twilight began to ask another question before she was cut off with a wave of a hand.

“My reasons for asking that one aren’t entirely altruistic. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m famished. I want some bloody food.”

His poor choice of slang was received with looks of horror and another terrified squeak. Mike reflexively face palmed. I have got to stop watching the BBC so damned often.

“It’s just an expression. I don’t mean I actually want bloody food. I just want something to eat. I assume you guys are cool with milk products. Are eggs okay?”

“Oh, um. Yes. Eggs are alright.. I guess. If it’s not too much trouble I mean.”

“Tell you what, kick back, relax and I’ll prep some of my ‘famous’ White Onion Cream Soup.”

“You’re famous!? That’s so awesome!”

“No Pinkie, I’m not famous. Neither is the soup. It just happens to be another expression…”

Mike's statement trailed off in a chuckle. Since his outer shirt was still in the dryer, he would have to stick to local places to pick up ingredients. He knew a few of the folks that would be working at this hour. So the, “No Shirt, No shoes, No service.” issue should be relatively moot.

“Alright ladies, I do have one other question for you, before I go. Where are you actually from? Creatures like you are Myth and Legend. Maybe you’re less in a different place and maybe a different time. A buddy of mine might have heard of wherever it is you dropped out of the sky from.”

“Go? Where are you going?”

It was Dash that had spoken this time.

“I need to pick up the ingredients for the food. You ladies will have to stay here. I’ll be back before long. I know Rainbow like the back of my hand.”

“You’ve never met me before today.”

He had to physically restrain himself form face palming again. Yea. Should have seen that one coming too.

“It’s the name of the grocery store I’ll be going to. Here, Pinkie..?”

“Yuppers! What can I do for ya?”

“Those little cards that you got my job title off of go grab one.”

“Okie!”

In a blur of pink she was gone and back in seconds. From her lounging position near the fire she somehow managed to sprint to the desk, procure the card, return down the stairs and finish the trip standing with the card outstretched in her hand, in less than two seconds. Blinking, Mike retrieved the simple white business card form her grip.

“Okay, see this series of numbers right here? All of you now, see these?”

He received a positive consensus from the women who were now huddled around the table he stood near.

“Okay, I’m going to guess that you’ve never seen a telephone before. So here’s how it works…”

Some explaining and experimenting with using the alien device later, the girls had seemed to understand how to contact him or the authorities. Satisfied that they all understood how to use it, he was ready and able to leave. Donning his boots and hat against the unseasonable chill, he strode out to the company work truck and prepared to leave. A few thoughts and worries passed through his brain as he fired up the engine. He wouldn’t be gone long, but it would be long enough should anyone arrive or call…. He shuddered at the idea of the sheer number of things that could go wrong in the time he’d be gone. Shaking his head at the situation he found himself in, he turned the key to the large red pickup, fired the stereo and began to leave.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“There’s nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed,

We still are made of greed

This is my Kingdom come,

This is my kingdom come.

When you feel my heat,

Look into my eyes.

It’s where my demons hide.

It’s where my demons hide.”

The music was loud and the traffic swift on his way to the grocery store. The song that was playing was well outside of his vocal range, or even usual taste in music, but it was one he knew. He didn’t much care about singing off key or the fact that this song was in a style he had never been able to sing. All that mattered was the fact that it was music he knew. He screamed the lyrics between puffs of his cigarette as he rolled off the highway and towards the nearby Rainbow Foods.

Pulling into the lot, he pounded his palms on the steering wheel to the heavy drum beat of the music. His head bobbed a bit, too enthusiastically to the music. He listened like a man who was trying to lose himself in the stereo. At this point, what he had seen thus far, the conversation he had just had, the conversation he had been so willing and able to believe… That’s exactly what he was attempting to do. Surprisingly, it actually worked.

After a few moments parked, the song finished. He killed the engine and pulled the iPod from the cable that attached it to the stereo. As was his custom, he attached it to the headphones that lay draped around his neck, and fired up the music again. He left the vehicle and made his way towards the glass building. As Mike strode through the doors, he was greeted by a concerned looking customer service manager.

“Holy crap man, you look like hell. What in God’s name happened to you today? I thought you had work?”

Looking to the side, he spotted the woman who had spoken. She was a full foot shorter than he, and just as comparatively thin looking for her height. With a weary smile he strode over to the desk she stood behind, reached over and enveloped her in a massive bear hug nearly dragging her from her post. After a moment, he released his friend and stood back with a now genuine smile.

“I’ve been at the office all day. You would not believe the mess I wandered into today.”

“I dunno man, your outer shirt is gone, your arms are bruised to hell and you’ve got a massive bandage on your head that looks like you’re niece decided to help make you an Ahkmun Ra costume. Somehow I doubt that that’s ketchup on it.”

“Yea. It’s been one of those days.”

“Yea. I get off in ten.”

“It’s that late already?”

“Yea… Wow. You are out of it. Did you still want me to swing in?”

“Yea Aim. It’s been a weird one to say the least.”

“Still want me to bring the clothes?”

“Yea. If you’d be willing, that’d be great.

“That request have anything to do with Miss Skittles and Captain Skintight out by the truck?”

“Wha-?”

Turning around, he saw the telltale brightly colored hair of Rainbow Dash sitting in the back of the pickup. Standing towards the rear was a clearly freezing Rarity who seemed to be scolding her comrade. Her movements were much more animated than when she normally spoke. Mike simply watched the two argue for a moment before turning back to Amy his hand rubbing his eyes behind his glasses.

“Yes. Yes it does.”

Amy raised an eyebrow and cracked a grin.

“Huh. I always knew you swung poi, but I never would have pegged you for picking up a pair of raver chicks on a work night…”

“They’re not Raver chicks. I didn’t pick them up. They showed up at the office completely lost. I’ve been trying to give them a hand most of the day.”

“That how you got the snot kicked outta ya?”

“Har har. No. That was a misunderstanding followed by an equipment malfunction in the shop.”

“Whatever you say man. You should probably hurry before those two turn into popsicles out there. I’ll see you at the shop in thirty?”

“Sounds like a plan. Thanks again Aim.”

He turned to procure his supplies. Hesitating e turned back to Amy.

“Hey, before I grab the stuff I need. Have you ever heard of Equestria?”

Amy froze at her computer console. She cracked a mischievous grin. Whatever he had just said, she clearly recognized the name of the country the women were supposedly from. She also found it hilarious.

“So, you’re a Brony now?”

“A what?”

“You watch My Little Pony.”

“No. I watch the Science Fiction Chanel and the BBC.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Yea I’ve heard of it. If you watch the show it’s a magical land in a faraway word inhabited by ponies, pegasi and unicorns. You’re little niece would probably get a kick out of it. Hell, you’d probably get a kick out of it. Actually…”

With that she paused and peered out the window examining the arguing women in the truck from their vantage from within the store.

“Your guests look like they could probably tell you all you need to know about it.”

Well, that was certainly going to give him something to chew on. His unexpected guests were apparently from the universe of a children’s show. If he hadn’t seen what they were capable of, he’d probably write them off as nutcases. Mumbling to himself, he said a brief goodbye and went about gathering the supplies.

*************************************************************************************

Fifteen minutes later, he had procured the necessary ingredients for the soup as well as a few extra items for filler. The multitude of bags slung over and through his arms contained rice, pasta, fresh greens of every sort he actually knew how o prepare, as well as what felt like roughly twenty pounds of various types of fruit. He had also taken the liberty of restocking on coffee and a few other things he deemed were, “necessities.”

Walking out to the truck, he found the two women still huddled in the bed of the pickup. They were now attempting to huddle together for warmth. It was just above freezing. This was insane. Easter was last week. It should not be this cold out. Being born amidst the schizophrenic weather patterns of Minnesota, he was accustomed to the chill. He wasn’t comfortable, but he could certainly shrug it off for a few minutes.

He opened the cab pretending not to notice his two stowaways in the rear. He loaded the groceries as slow as his resistance to the chill would allow.

“Alright you two. Get in. It’s warm in the cab. I’m not stupid. I know you’re back there.”

“I told you he’d notice you.”

“I wanted to make sure he didn’t abandon us!”

Climbing out of the back, Rarity continued her discussion with Rainbow Dash.

“He left us at his office dear. That would be akin to me leaving Sweetie Belle in my boutique. There’s no way in Tartauros that he’d leave there for any length of time. Am I right Michael?”

“You are indeed. Now get in before you both get frostbite.”

The return trip was surprisingly uneventful save for some amused reactions to the music along the way back. Driving was the exception to his rule of embarrassment while singing. At least, as far as Mike noticed, the drive had been uneventful.

“THAT! WAS! AWESOME!”

Mike winced at Rainbow’s sudden screech when they had come to a complete stop. Looking to the side, he saw Rarity hanging onto the “OS Handle” for dear life as Dash stared at Mike with some kind of cross between unbridled glee and some other emotion he was unable to identify.

“What?”

“This thing… What the heck is this? We had to have been moving way faster than an average Gallop. We covered the distance from Ponyville to Canterlot in like ten minutes!”

“I noticed dear.” Rarity seemed a bit shaken. “That was, uniquely terrifying. Although, I will admit, it was much nicer riding in here than back there.”

Comprehension suddenly struck their chauffeur. Wherever they were from, if they relied on magic and their supposed wings to get around… A truck would be something entirely alien to them. That would also explain the more heated discussion he’d witnessed form the interior of the store. Well, that and the cold. This was indeed going to be interesting.

Several refusals to allow Dash to drive as well as some less than knowledgeable explanations on the mechanics of an internal combustion engine later, they were all gathered in the kitchen area of the break room once again. While Rarity and Rainbow Dash related their experience in the vehicle to the others with varying enthusiasm, Mike busied himself about prepping the food. Since the women had elected to congregate in the room with the beds, he was blissfully alone for the first time since he had been in the shop earlier.

Drawing pots and pans from several cupboards around the area he found himself getting wrapped in his music again. The headphones were now on his head as the discussion between the others progressed and he went about his business. His movements from cabinets to the stovetop became fluid as he moved in time with the music. Oblivious to the goings on about him, focused entirely on his task and the music, Mike rotated with what would normally be considered an unusual level of grace throughout the area.

Keeping to the balls of his feet, he swayed and seemed to glide from the cutting board to the stove effortlessly between ingredients and spices. Browning the onions and performing idle tricks with his knife of choice as he prepared the final ingredients he put the finishing touches on the soup. As it finished simmering, he twirled the knife through his hands admiring the mirrored edge to the steel. With a sigh, he began preparing a light salad and dessert dish out of some of the fruit he had procured.

Once he was done he removed the headphones and looked up from his workspace. He hadn’t noticed, but Amy had arrived and had been watching him for an indefinite amount of time.

“Huh. You really do dance in the kitchen don’t you?”

He felt a slight rush of heat to his cheeks.

“Fluid movement does not a dance make, smartass.”

“It does when you do it to music. Unless those have been off the entire time ad you’ve simply been ignoring me, you were dancing.”

“Was not.”

“Yea you were. It’s good to know you still do that actually. The last time I saw you like that was before…”

“Shut it.”

His tone had turned icy. His movements became stiff. Whatever she had been about to mention, it was clearly a sensitive subject. Her face softened when she saw the change she had accidentally inspired.

“Look man. I know what she did to you-“

“I said shut it Amy.”

“ No. It’s your turn to shut it. I haven’t seen your ass in a month. No matter what you think, you didn’t deserve that crap. No guy on this sad rock deserves what that bitch did to you. I’m just glad to see that there’s still some of the old you under there. Judging by the squeals of delight when I dumped that box in the room with them, it looks like you’re still playing the white knight, helping whoever and whenever you can. It’s really good to see that that guy is still left in there somewhere. You should come out of this place more often. Nobody believes the crap she told us. We all miss you.”

His tone and demeanor softened at her words. With a heavy sigh, he looked up from the plates he was assembling the salads on.

“Look, Amy-“

“Look, it doesn’t matter right now. Alright bud? Seriously. We can hash out all that bullshit another day. Whatever the heck you’re cooking smells fantastic and I’m hungry as a horse. Gimmie some of that food and tell me what the story is with the six hotties in the back room.”

Mike snickered at this. Shortly after she had cut him off, the “hotties” in question had paraded out of the back area in the new clothes that Amy had apparently provided them. Amy had been utterly oblivious to their presence.

“They’re right behind me aren’t they?”

“You guessed it,” Mike replied with a grin.

“You could have warned me. Ass”

“Punk.”

“Jerk.”

“Midget.”

She squinted at that remark. “Hey, no short jokes Captain.”

With a cocky grin, Mike gave a mocking bow. “By your command, Princess.”

The group had remained silent during the odd exchange between the two old friends. The good natured insults were not a tradition that any of them were familiar with. At the, “Princess” crack though, all of them gave a sharp gasp. Reflexively each of them took a knee. With a bemused expression Mike simply watched as Amy turned on the spot only to look in confusion at the bunch. Twilight was the first to speak.

“We’re so sorry your majesty. We didn’t know. We’re travelers from a far-“

“Holy shit. You’re actually serious.”

Mike chuckled at this. “Uh, gals, go ahead and stand. She’s not actually royalty. It was just a joke.”

Amy turned back to face him. “That was a weak one. You’re losing your touch. What was that supposed to be a reference to anyway?”

“Princess Thumbelina, short stuff.”

Her face deadpanned. At this point, Mike had walked to the stove and had begun serving the onion soup into a series of small mismatched bowls.

“So, she’s not a princess?”

“She’s about as much as princess as I am. So, not even remotely.”

“And, this Thumbelina…?”

“Fairy tale character the size of your thumb. Hence the name.”

“You were making fun of her stature.”

“You catch on quick Twi.”

“You two are friends? Why are you such a meanie pants to her?”

“We’re not normal friends Pinkie.”

"Are you really a Captain?"

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint Fluttershy. It's a jab at my abilities in regards to a certain pastime we used to share. Video games to be specific. The entire title is 'Captain Misfire.' I never was very good at that game..."

Amy suddenly rejoined the conversation at that point.

“Wait, Mike, what the heck did you call them?”

“Oh, Sorry bud. Allow me to run the introductions. Ladies, this is my longtime friend, Amy.” He gestured to the bunch with his left hand. “Amy this is Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and the one hiding in back is Fluttershy.”

“Seriously dude?”

“Yea. Why?”

“Grab our food and log us into the computer upstairs. There’s something you should really watch.”

“Let me guess. That show you mentioned when I asked you about Equestria earlier?”

“Yea.”

“Heh. Don’t need to. Not now anyway.”

Amy walked forward grabbing mike by the eagle pendant around his neck dragging him down to her level.

“These girls are probably scamming you man,” she hissed in his ear. "I get the white knight shit, but really? Even you can't be that thick."

“I doubt it. See what I saw earlier and then tell me that.”

“And what did you see earlier aside from some apparent T&A?”

Mike leaned over the feisty and suspicious woman at his side and spoke in a louder voice towards the women now strewn throughout the room wherever they found it comfortable to sit with their food.

“Hey, Rarity, mind showing Amy here how you managed to make that dress you’re wearing fit so well?”

She looked up from her soup somewhat surprised.

“Are you sure Michael? You didn’t respond all that well when I showed you…”

Mike set Amy’s bowl on the counter instead of handing it to her. Reaching up he grabbed a clean mug.

“You still take your coffee with two spoons of sugar and a dash of cream?”

“Yea. Why?”

“Rarity, if you would be so kind…”

"Alright, if you insist."

The familiar ballet of the dancing coffee pot, utensils and additives made its way through the air. The glowing nimbus of Rarity’s magic surrounded the objects as they made their way. The same unearthly glow radiated from her eyes and fingertips. Stunned, Amy simply stared at the ceramic mug that floated in the air before her. The alien radiance surrounding the mug only served to highlight image of the faded Mona Lisa portrait the mug was emblazoned with.

“Well. Fuck. I didn’t see that coming.”

“Me neither. Like I said earlier, it’s been quite the interesting work day.”

“So I see.”

"Here's your soup."

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

An enjoyable meal and some interesting conversation killed what was left of the night. Amy left to go home around Eight Thirty pm, stating that she would be back sometime later in the week. Mike was just beginning to puzzle over sleeping arrangements and the like when the phone began to ring.

Great. He tentatively reached to pick up the line. The number on the caller ID wasn't one he recognized.

"Benchmark Scales and Services, this is Mike. How can I help you tonight? .... ...... I'm terribly sorry. We're rather short staffed at the moment. Can this wait until next week? .... I see. How soon do you need someone in to handle it? .... Understood. I'll contact some of our temp employees and our one standing technician. They'll be on site Wednesday by noon. .... .... No. I'm sorry. We can't come in sooner than that. Most of our temp employees have never worked on equipment like that before. I'm going to have to give whomever I bring with me a crash course over the course of Tuesday. ..... ...... No. Rest assured, all of the heavy lifting in the expertise department will be handled by me. The extra man power is the only way to have it done by then though."

He hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. His week had just gotten a lot more interesting than he had bargained for.

Through the Veil

Far and away from the trials and tribulations of Mike and his guests, Princess Luna, keeper of the night and mistress of dreams pondered upon what she had learned during her brief interaction with the, “human.” As she made her way through the polished marble halls lost in thought, she was abruptly pulled from her reverie by the sound of shouting. Increasing her slow pace to a trot she made her way towards the apparent source of the noise. As she neared, she began to recognize the voice that had broken the peace of the night. Her trot broke into a gallop.

“What do you mean, ‘more’ have gone missing’!? How!?”

“I-I’m sorry your majesty! We don’t know! More and more ponies are disappearing by the day.”

Luna erupted into the throne room to see something she had thought impossible. Her sister, Celestia, normally the more calm and patient of the pair bearing down on a hapless earth pony stallion. Her sister had born herself up to her full height. Her expression was one of mixed helpless rage, loss and fear. Celestia’s mane, normally a soft mix of pastel colored hues matching the colors of the aurora, was now tinted with shades of deep red mimicking the colors of a blood sunrise. The stallion before her was a bespectacled figure of slight frame with a dark grey coat. He possessed an earth toned mane with a quill and inkwell as a cutie mark. At his precise moment the stallion bore a look of fear mixed with sorrow as he shied away from his ruler.

“Sister! What is the meaning of this cacophony?”

“I’m sorry Luna. Th-“

“I understand that you are upset over the loss of your student and the other elements. You must calm yourself sister. If anything is to be done, this incessant shouting will not help.”

Luna turned her head to the beleaguered stallion currently standing before her enraged and disheartened sister.

“You, you say more have gone missing?”

“Y-yes your majesty.”

“I have just come across information that may aid in the recovery of those who have been taken. Summon somepony gifted in the art of teleportation magics. We shall require their expertise if we are to recover our subjects.

“A-at once your majesty.”

With a short bow, the stallion turned tail and fled the chamber. Flinging the doors open as he galloped away, he rounded a corner and was lost to sight. His galloping hoofbeats could be heard for several tense moments in the silence of the palace. Luna kept her eyes on the doors to the chamber until the sounds of his retreat had long since faded. With a sift sigh, the doors were surrounded by a nimbus of magic as the Princess of the night closed them before turning to her kin.

“Tia… I know you are upset, but, as the saying goes, we should not ‘kill the messenger.’”

“I know. Never in all my years have I felt this helpless. My little ponies are disappearing. More and more by the day are lost. The spells used to steal them away are completely foreign. There is no trace as to where they have been taken. Our remaining subjects are beginning to panic. I had summoned the elements in an effort to ask their help, and they were taken. My most faithful student, and her friends, possibly the last hope for us, are gone, lost like the rest. I-I don’t know what to do…”

Celestia’s voice faltered towards the end. Her student had had no clue why she had been summoned. Now, she, as well as her friends, were gone. In the weeks since that had transpired, others had gone missing. A minimum of one pony a week had simply vanished. Some had been alone in their homes. Others had been in full view of the public, one even on a stage for all to see. One moment they were there. The next, they were simply gone. No trace was left. Anything that they bore or had been wearing was simply gone with them. There was no flash of light and no sound. One moment they were there, and the next, they had vanished.

“Sister. I understand. Take heart though, for I have good news. I have found Twilight.”

Celestia looked up in shock at her younger sister, her expression now one of hope.

“What?”

Luna nodded as she spoke, “She is safe. She is in the care of a most strange creature. They are well beyond the borders of Equestria, and even this world. Somehow they are in another place entirely. They seem to have all of the abilities they possessed while here though, if a bit muted by the air of the world in which they have found themselves.”

“Creature?”

“Yes. We searched the lights of the Aether attempting to find any of those who had been lost. While there, somehow, a great beacon from a place beyond reckoning flared. It was brighter than even your beautiful sun. The mind that held such dreams was that of a creature that had come in contact with your student and her friends. He calls himself a, ‘human.’”

“A what?”

“A human, sister. His world knows nothing of magic. Your student and her friends, have apparently been transformed into creatures like he. Though, thankfully, they retained their abilities.”

“You made contact with this creature? Why not Twilight? I thought that impossible. Are you not only able to contact those of royal blood beyond the borders of our kingdom? Is this creature a ruler amongst his kind”

“I was unable to reach Twilight. His mind blinded us to those around him. In time, we are confident that Twilight may be contacted. As to the creature's lineage, we thought so. Apparently it would seem that he is of no form of royalty. His personal history shows him to be of a working class. His mark, though, is unlike any I have ever seen.”

“He has a mark? How? I thought you said that he was something called a human? Do they bear marks as well?”

Luna raised a hoof to her chin in thought for a moment.

“No, not that are visible to the eye at least. He seemed confused when I asked about it.”

“You spoke with him?”

“Yes. The creature detected my presence and took control of the dreamscape. It was only with his permission that I was able to see into his past.”

“Took control? How is this possible?”

Luna, unsure of how to respond, remained silent for a moment.

“Perhaps, it is best that you should walk with us.”

“What you have to say can be said here sister.”

“Tia, that is not what We mean. Upon the next moonrise, we will come for you. In order to truly understand, you must walk with us.”

Celestia's expression at this emphasis was one of shock. This idea was one that was utterly foreign to her. Though she had once ruled both night and day for a millenia while her sister was imprisoned, this, among all the abilities that she and her sister possessed, was the one that Luna alone was capable of.

“You mean-?”

“Yes.”

Morning, and Mourning Routines

Warning! This contains some violence and "strong language."

Mike woke to darkness. The alarm had not gone off. No light had begun to peek through the blinds over his window. The house was quiet but for a deep rumbling that seemed to emanate from somewhere below and behind his bed. Groaning, he reached over for his nearby phone. The time was apparently four in the morning. With a few muttered curses about crazy dreams and other things that pass through one’s mind in the middle of the night, he rose and began his, now less than usual, early morning routine.

Bleary eyed and still somewhat stiff, he donned an old track suit. Mike took a moment or two to run through his usual creaks, cracks and groans before wiring his mp3 player through his clothing to prevent it from bouncing or catching. He bent over to procure his old sneakers from beneath a pile of laundry only to hear a loud pop as yet another joint in his spine cracked. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he made his way to the living room where he intended to don the footwear.

Upon arrival, he flopped onto the great pile of blankets that presently lay on the couch. The ensuing terrified squeak that emanated from the blankets caused him to tumble off and onto the floor.

“What the-!? Fluttershy? Is that you?”

A strawberry blond mess of hair poked from beneath the covers. Even in her apparent dozy state Fluttershy’s hair seemed to be perfectly maintained in such a way that half her face was yet hidden behind her lightly tinted locks. This was in sharp contrast to the host, who sat gazing up at her from his position on the floor. His shortly cropped auburn hair, even with such a light sleep, seemed to stick out at every conceivable odd angle.

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No the apology is mine. I didn’t realize you were there,” he said with a groan as he stood and restretched his tense limbs. “I thought you were in sleeping in the bunks with Rainbow Dash. Mattress too stiff for your liking? I do the same thing now and again..”

“Oh,oh no,” she said vehemently shaking her head. “I just couldn’t sleep.”

A note of concern entered Mike’s voice. Fearing another potential breakdown like Dash had started to suffer earlier, he spoke as softly as possible, “Is something wrong? I’ll gladly listen if you need someone to talk to. I’ve been lost far from home too with no way back. Not quite the same situation as you six, but, I can at least sympathize…”

“Oh, oh no. I’m sorry. I-it’s nothing like that. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” He pressed.

“Rainbow snores.”

Mike stopped to listen. A bemused look spread across his features as he realized the rumble that had woken him moments ago was in fact coming from the room beneath his, now on the opposite end of the building.

“That’s Rainbow Dash?” he said with a hint of awe in his voice.

“Yes, dear, that is in fact Rainbow,” came a voice from near he stairwell.

Mike turned to look at the speaker only to feel his cheeks begin to heat. Instead of just Rarity, who’s voice he was happy he had identified correctly, there, silhouetted against the light stood both she and Twilight. With what light there was to be had, he could see many things in the dimly lit area. Chief among these observations was that his guests were apparently a bit cold. In an attempt to save their modesty, he raised a hand to his eyes pinching them shut with a thumb and forefinger.

With a deep breath he managed to stammer out, “I-I take it y-you two had trouble sleeping as well?”

“Yes. Rainbow is even noisier in her sleep than that contraption you used to convey us here.”

“Rarity!”

“T-that wasn’t very nice Rarity… E-even if it is true.”

Mike mumbled to himself behind the palm of his hand, “Magical nudist vegetarians from another plane of existence and they still think Bruiser’s a POS…”

“What was that dear?”

“N-nothing. Um, would you mind covering up a bit?”

Twilight was first to respond. “Is something wrong?”

Rarity, though Mike couldn’t see it, paled in horror. “Oh. Oh dear. I think I understand.”

“What is it Rarity.”

“Look at him Twilight.”

“What about him? He looks the same as earlier. He’s just wearing different… clothes.”

As she spoke, Twilight made the connection. So did Fluttershy, who, with a squeak, disappeared back under the mound of blankets that she was yet entirely covered in.

“Yea. Not my smoothest move,” Mike stated from behind his hand. “I probably should have guessed that clothes aren’t exactly a normal thing based on how you showed up at my place…”

“I had just assumed that it had something to do with the fact that you were at work. Most everyony wears something when they’re at work.”

“Everypony?”

“Yes, everypony does. Even it’s it’s just a pair of glasses or a hat or something. It’s sort of a signal that you’re on the job…”

“I see. Well… Ah, clothes around here are more of a mandatory thing. I apologize. I really should have given you all pajamas or something… Here. If you’ll step to the side, I’ll get you all some tshirts or something…”

“Darling, you’ve already seen everything we would be covering anyway. Go ahead and remove your hand so you can see where you’re going.”

“N-no. That’s alright. I’m perfectly okay with being blind for a bit.”

“A-are we not attractive?”

“NO! I mean, ah, no… No, you’re definitely all r-remarkably attractive. It’s just that, I, ah…”

Twilight thought for a moment before announcing, “Oh! I get it. You’re not into mares are you?”

“Into what?”

“Mares! You know, females.”

“No! NO. I assure you, I am definitely a fan of women. I just like to at least try to be a gentleman when the occasion arises.”

“Darling, Mike, regardless as to what or whom you find attractive, I am rather cold, and Fluttershy seems to have passed out again, more likely due to horror at her apparent condition. Would you be a dear and please procure us something so that we can at least look at each other when we speak?”

“Gladly, just step to the side so I don’t accidentally run into you or something,” Mike chuckled in exasperation.

“Fine.”

Twilight and Rarity moved to the side as Mike gingerly made his way past. In doing so, he used his hand as a shield, allowing him to view his feet and not much else. Returning to his room, he procured a pair of old bathrobes, several disused pairs of shorts, and roughly six extra long tshirts that he rarely wore or used any more. He returned with the laundry much as he had back at the office, piled high to purposely obstruct his view.

“Do me a favor. Explain the situation to the others before I get back, will you?”

“Gladly darling, if only to save you any further discomfort.”

“Thanks.”

Speaking from behind the pile of laundry, he extended a hand containing clothes for the two that stood on the other side of the pile. The pair immediately donned the meager offerings with few complaints. What complaints were to be had, as was expected, came from Rarity.

As he began to make his way down the stairs, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, his eyes met with a concerned look from Twilight.

“Wait, Mike, where are you going?”

“I can’t sleep. Weird dreams and Dash’s snoring make what sleep I can get tonight fitful at best. I’m heading out for a run and some exercise. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

“Is everything okay?”

With a sagely nod he responded, “Yea, pretty sure. It’s just been an odd day to say the least.”

Concern entering her voice as well, Rarity spoke, “Are you sure everything is alright dear?”

With a shrug and a wave he turned back and began his way out the door. “Just don’t burn the place down or something while I’m away.”

With those parting words, he stopped for a moment at the end of the short driveway. Bringing the small digital player to hand, he began sifting through the various playlists for a set that would ease his mind and motivate his body. After a few moments, he found a suitable list and began to jog in place. He let the first song flow through his mind, wiping the troubles away and energizing his stiff muscles. A quick jerk of his neck to either side relieved some of the stiffness and resounded in a loud crack that could be heard over the pounding music in his ears. With a satisfied smirk, he began to run.

The first song guided him around the block. The second lead him through a nearby park. The third brought him up a back trail that lead up a large hill. By song ten, he had arrived at a small playground at a relatively nearby elementary school. With a smile he recalled a routine he once used often. With a nod to himself, he made his way onto the school’s property. At this point, he was no longer cognizant of how long he had been away from the house. His mind only acknowledged the music and movement. Old routines, long forgotten, had returned.

He jogged his way to the small playset and began doing a series of pull up exercises. Once his arms tired, he dropped to the ground and began doing situps with his back resting in the soft sand underneath the “monkey bars” he had been using .When his stomach began to cry for mercy, he lay on his back, rolled to the side and began a series of pushups. Using the tiny playground as a gym, he performed every exercise he could think of that required little more than his own body as a tool or weight. Once he was capable of no more, he began making his way in a seemingly random direction.

After several minutes, a small coffee shop came within sight. He came to a juddering halt. Once he had begun, he had hit a state of auto pilot. The place before him contained a host of memories. Many of them were painful. Many were beautiful. Some were even both. Having been lost in the old routine, he had never considered where he had been going. Nor had he thought at all about what he had been doing. His mind had been blank.

At the sight of the shop before him, all the errant thoughts and memories that he had fought so hard to keep at bay came rushing back. He was blinded to the present world that surrounded him. Old joys and deep pains wracked his consciousness. As the painful memories flooded his brain, he suddenly was overcome with a very real physical pain.

He collapsed to his knees at the first blow to the back of his head. The second blow was to his face, shattered his glasses and brought him to his back. The third was a sharp kick to his kidneys. Another equally sharp, but less forcefull kick hit his neck, snapping the headphones and killing the music. Now, stunned and bleeding, he lay on the cold concrete.

“How dare you show your face here?” his attacker spat out.

Another kick to his ribs.

“Answer me!”

Mike sad nothing, initially able only to gasp in pain.

“I said answer me you sick fuck!”

The man aimed another strike. Mike, now in the moment, caught the steel tipped boot in his hands and twisted it sharply to the side. A sickening crack echoed through the quiet street as the offending limb was dislocated. He shifted his grip to further up the individual’s pant leg and used it as leverage to haul him up from the pavement. As he did so, Mike made another retaliatory strike with his elbow at the attacker’s kneecap.

The force of the blow caused the joint to bend at an unnatural angle and the attacker to scream in pain and rage. After making contact, he reversed his strike and took out the other leg. He dragged the attacker down to his level. The aggressor struck out at Mike’s face as he came crashing to the earth. The blow was deflected by his forearm and instead made contact with the unforgiving concrete. With a twist of his lower body and another jerk of his arm, Mike rounded on his aggressor.

Mike straddled the, now beaten, individual that had attacked. The man beneath him struck out again in rage and pain. This blow was deflected in the same manner as the previous and received the same treatment as had the attacker’s legs. A blow from Mike’s offside limb snapped the joint in the center of the assailant’s arm causing it to bend in the wrong direction.

The man who had attacked him was now truly crippled. With a snarl, mike reached forward and grabbed a chain that was slung loosely around the other man’s neck. Bundling the steel around his closed fist, he pulled the man’s face inches from his own. Mike's voice when he began to speak was cold, calculated. His words had been rehearsed to the dark in the dead of the night, and he knew them well.

“I have no idea who the hell you are. I don’t much care. Allow me to illuminate the situation for you. Maybe you’re a cousin, maybe you’re the latest idiot boyfriend. I don’t fucking care. Allow me to make one thing clear to you. Whatever you think happened, didn’t. What happened two years ago will not happen again. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been training. Once the cops haul your ass outta whatever pit they throw you in, be it a hospital, cell, or both, I don’t care, deliver a message for me. This is my home. I’ve been here my entire life. I will not be driven away. Last time, I sought peace with you people. I’m sick of hiding in my own backyard. If you, or anyone else, decides to pull this shit again, I will fight back. I will destroy you without a second thought. If any one of you ever so much as looks at them funny ever again, there will be bodies in the ground before I’m done. There is no one, and no thing that will stand in my way. Are we clear?”

The man on the ground could only gasp in pain and fear at the pillar of rage that held him in his grasp.

“Good.”

With a deft move, Mike, reached into the man’s pockets and withdrew his would be attacker’s cell phone. Dropping the man unceremoniously to the ground, he flicked the phone open and dialed the emergency line. He began to pace back and forth as he spoke to the operator on the other end.

“Yes, My name is Michael Fontaine. I’m calling to report an aggravated assault. …… No ma’am. I was just attacked with no provocation while out on a morning jog. ..…. “No, ma’am. I’m alright. I’ve had some martial arts training. With the situation as it was, I kicked the tar out of him. ..… Yes, he is severely injured. ..… No, he is not moving. …… I broke his ankle, shattered one kneecap, dislocated the other and did the same to both elbows when he continued to strike at me. He is conscious and breathing. … Yes, we’re near the espresso shop off of third avenue. We are in full view of the store’s exterior cameras. … Yes, I will remain on the scene until police and paramedics arrive. …. Yes, ma’am I am aware that that is an arguably excessive amount of violence. I have reason to believe that the assault was in relation to the last report I’m mentioned in with your department. …. No ma’am, I do not know the case or report number. However, the date of the preceding…."

The conversation with emergency services went on that way for sometime. Even after Police and Paramedics arrived, he was allowed and encouraged to remain on the line while as many details as possible were related on the recorded line. When the conversation was completed, a short police questioning and a once over by the paramedics followed. After police questioned several witnesses from the coffee shop who verified Mike’s story he was released until further notice.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Courtesy of getting lost in the music, as well as what Mike personally viewed as, “old business”, it was well after ten in the morning when he finally arrived back home. With a groan, Mike limped up the stairs and sunk into the now empty couch, his mind completely oblivious to the absence of his guests. His last thoughts before he drifted into a painful sleep, were of the striking quiet that permeated his home.

Creative Bonding Experiences, the stuff of Memories and Dreams

Mike turned to the women gathered before him. Well, this should be an interesting gamble.

“Ladies, I have a proposition for you.”

“Speak it sug, unless you’re thinkin’ funny business.”

Applejack’s smile was sincere as she spoke. So was the heavily implied threat of future pain should he step outside the bounds of propriety. Mike’s eyes widened in surprise at the implication.

“Wait, what? Good god no. Nothing like that. I need help, plain and simple. That was one of my biggest clients. My boss isn’t in town and I need some extra man power to get the job done. If you ladies help me knock this and any other necessary jobs out while you’re here, I’ll gladly supply you any food you need as well as the best I can rustle up for sleeping accommodations.”

A moment of silence ensued at his statement. Twilight was first to respond followed by Rainbow Dash.

“What would we be doing?”

“Yea. How the hay would we do it anyway? We don’t know anything about any of this stuff.”

“That would be what tomorrow would be for. You’d receive the ultimate crash course in what I do for a living and we’d proceed to go from there. Depending on how things go, I’d feasibly be able to take three of you to the job site while the other three stay here. That’s if we take the truck though. If we take the van,”

Mike received several looks of confusion at the unfamiliar words.

“The van is the big white machine outside. The red one is the Truck. Anyway, should we take the van, only one of you can come with me, but we’ll be able to bring more tools and equipment. The truck, on the other hand, can haul four of us.”

“So, you’re going to try to teach us everything you can about this job that you’ve been doing for…?

“Eight years. I apprenticed into this when I was fifteen.”

“Okay. Eight years, in less than a day.”

“Pretty much. It’s an insane gamble, but I need help. You would mostly be there to give a simulation of productivity. All I need you to really do is learn more than the maintenance guys know about the equipment. Trust me, that’s not much.”

Rainbow gave a derisive snort.

“Maintenance is their job. I’m fairly certain that what they know beats the heck out of anything you might be able to teach us.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. They only call people like me when they have no clue what to do. I’m a specialist. They’re not. The same five or six guys in that place are responsible for maintaining everything. They have a wide range of very nonspecific expertise. I happen to have a very narrow range of very specific expertise. You just need to fake it for a day.”

“Ah ain’t comfortable lyin’ to folks.”

“In your case, you wouldn’t be. You would actually be helping me move the weights. I’m willing to bet money that you’re the only one in this room who’s got the muscle to haul those suckers around for any real length of time. You said over dinner that you worked on a farm right? That’s the kind of endurance we’ll need.”

“I couldn’t get that sucker to budge though.”

“Not that weight. We only use those for crane type equipment. If you go back out there, there’s a pile in the corner of smaller fifty pounders. Those are what we’d be using.”

“Well shoot. Ah could do that easy.”

“Good to hear. Well, ladies, what do you say? Scratch my back, I scratch yours?”

Applejack shot him a glare laden with much less implied violence than her previous expression. Mike immediately raised his hands in defense.

“It’s just an expression! You help me and I’ll help you!”

“Ah’m gonna have to keep my eye on you…”

“Applejack dear, in terms I believe Mike would appreciate, ‘shut it’. His request is entirely reasonable. I for one am in. Although, I fear I won’t be of much use. I certainly can’t lift much…”

“No worries, we’ll hop on that tomorrow and figure out what each of you is capable of and go from there. In the meantime, there are only two beds here. I need to figure out how I’m going to get you all back to my place.”

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

After a large number of suggestions were proffered and rejected, only one was determined to be feasible. Mike would drive his little hatchback with Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack in tow. It was revealed, much to Mike’s surprise that Fluttershy was also capable of flight. They would don what cold weather gear was available and follow at a safe distance from above. Being unable to lose the highway for fear of losing them, the trip took roughly twenty minutes.

The house they arrived at was a relic left over from the fifties. It was a two story affair with the lower level half submerged. The lower half of the building was covered in faded washed out brick to just above the basement windows. The upper portion was covered in an unfortunate yellow color of newer aluminum siding. The cracked driveway was short and the meager front yard was littered with a few small trees. Near the end of the drive, was a standard mailbox that had clearly seen better days. The porch that graced the front of the building was little more than a raised concrete step flanked by a pair of false support beams that were linked to the underside of the small roof overhang. It certainly was not the prettiest building on the earth, but it was undoubtedly home.

As he ushered everyone indoors, Mike looked to the sky. Seriously. What’s the deal? It’s mid April. Why is there still snow? With a sigh, he bemusedly shook his head before following the women inside. Since it happened to be the largest room available, everyone had gathered in the upstairs living area.

“Okay, ladies, time for another grand tour. Downstairs is the laundry area, as well as two bedrooms you’re welcome to use. One is through the double doors at the far end of the main room. The other is down that tiny little hallway of to the right of it. It’s got a bunk so two of you should be able to crash there without bugging the tar out of each other. The other door back there is a bathroom with a small shower in it. I’ll teach you how to use that tap in a bit. Upstairs there’s one spare bedroom and of course the couch here.”

He gestured towards the aging black leather piece of furniture.

“It’s got a pull out bed in it, but if that’s not okay, the bedroom in back had a larger mattress and so the does the one through the doors at the far end downstairs. There’s another bathroom up here with a tub if you want to relax a bit. The other two rooms that aren’t obviously kitchens or laundry are a storage space and my room. Then of course, there is the deck. Go ahead and chill out there if you like at any point during your stay. Quite literally in this blasted weather…”

The verbal tour was completed just as the other had been. That is to say that there was a large amount of hand waiving and noncommittal gestures with only the vaguest information given. After this was done, he offered to answer any questions that may be had. Attention was immediately diverted to the large TV behind him. After a brief explanation Mike simply requested that it be left alone until later in the week. In the meantime, unlimited access to his personal library was granted to anyone who had any interest.

At the mention of a library, Twilight and Dash seemed to begin salivating. Twilight requested reference material of any kind while Dash simply held up the Paperback she had brought from the office. Tapping her finger on the cover for emphasis after each word she stated, “More. Of. This.”

“Oh god. I forgot about that thing. Sure. I’ll grab you the entire series. I use those to kill my lunch breaks. Nothing like a god old fashioned tale of ridiculous daring do, right?”

“Wait! You have Daring Do!?”

Mike gave Dash a questioning look as he turned back toward the quivering mass of excitement she had become. Twilight caught this. The look on her face was one of utter shock.

“Daring Do? How is that possible?”

“I’m not sure what you mean…”

“What do you mean you don’t know what I mean? You just said you had Daring Do!”

“Rainbow, that’s impossible.”

“Am I missing something?”

The others simply looked on in confusion as they watched the verbal debacle before them. Twilight began mumbling something about magic that was utterly incomprehensible to the rest. Dash and Mike simply kept going back and forth for several seconds, neither realizing that his turn of phrase was in fact a popular fiction series back home, or rather, that the popular book series back home was in fact, a mere turn of phrase here. After simply watching the goings back and forth for a moment or two, Rarity was the first to speak up.

“My friends. I fear you’ve managed to misunderstand each other. Mike, was that another one of your, ‘expressions’?”

“Was what another one of my expressions?”

“’Tales of Daring Do’?”

“Yea… Why, is that a thing where you guys are from?”

Dash, seemingly heartbroken, slumped onto the couch. Unshed tears began to well up in her eyes as the glimmer of hope for something from home was lost. Twilight, oblivious to Rarity’s observation continued mumbling under her breath. Mike, not certain what he had done wrong, yet still feeling guilty, slumped into a chair that sat in front of a small writing desk that sat along the far wall of the room. Rarity, recognizing the apparent anguish in her friend’s eyes, sat down and put a comforting arm around her shoulder before turning to address their host.

“I’m sorry dear. I’m sure it was an accident. We’ll be home soon. Mike, as you say, it is indeed ‘a thing’ back home. Daring Do is quite possibly the most popular fiction series in all of Equestria. It’s also Dashie here’s personal favorite.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry. I had no clue.”

“I know dear. It’s alright.”

“What’s it like? I mean, what kind of stories are they?”

As he asked, the light bulb within clicked on. The old Indiana Jones novel that she still clutched must be the closest thing to her beloved books she had seen. What he initially considered an overly emotional reaction to something simple and childish suddenly became clear as well. These women were far from home, impossibly far. There was nothing familiar about anything to them. He had unwittingly given the multihued woman a ray of hope, only to stomp it out like a rather distasteful bug. He cut the response off with a wave of a hand and continued while pointing to the book in her hands.

“Hold on. I feel like an idiot. Dash, how close is that to Daring Do from back home?”

She looked up from the floor, rubbing her eye with her free hand. Clearly, the seemingly inconsequential idea of having a book form home to read had hit her far harder than she had anticipated. No one in the room begrudged her the outburst.

“It’s almost exactly like this. Except, you don’t get to pick how the story goes.”

“Ah. I’ve got you covered. Have you ever seen a movie? Are those a thing in Equestria too?”

“Yes darling. We have them. I’d much rather read though than sit in one of those rooms and stare at a grainy picture for an hour. Why do you ask?”

“Rarity, things are a bit different here. Dash, cheer your ass up. I’ve got just the thing. It sure as hell isn’t like what you’ve got at home, but it’s about as close to seeing that book happen in reality as you’re going to get. “

With those words, he strode across the room to the cabinet near the television and began sifting through the DVD cases. As he walked past, Twilight was snapped out of her reverie. She started to ask him something but he ignored her words continuing his search. Many a confused and skeptic look was shared as he sifted through the titles. Twilight was first to speak this time.

“Mike, what are you doing?”

“Introducing you all to the wonders of technology and doing my level best to cheer Dash up,” he stated blankly as the titles blazed through his fingertips.

“I don’t need chee-“

“You’re full of crap Dash. I’ve been lost on the other side of the world before,” his tone grew soft as he spoke.

“I know how it goes. At least some of it. I actually had a place I could go to if worst came to worst. You’re just stuck with me. You don’t know where you are and have no way to get back, yet. In the meantime, you have to deal with my seemingly astounding level of ignorance until a better option presents itself. If a better option presents itself. I can’t help you get home. All I can do is help the trip not completely suck. To that end, sit back and watch.”

With a look of triumph on his face, Mike raised the title before them. The title read, “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.” Turning on his heel, he inserted the disc into the player and fired up the TV. As he did so, he gave them a brief lesson on what contained within the film they were about to watch was based in fact and what was based in fiction. It suddenly seemed rather important to make a clear distinction between the two.

“Alright, I’m gonna make us some popcorn. After this, we should probably hit the sack. We need to be at that office again by noon at the latest tomorrow if we’re going to have any hope of pulling this off on Wednesday.”

As he made his way to the kitchen, he had a sudden realization.

“Um, Fluttershy?”

“Y-yes?”

“It just occurred to me that this particular movie might not exactly be to your liking.”

"W-why do you say that?"

“There is a scene where a man’s face is melted off as his flesh dissolves and rots whilst his bones turn to dust.”

The realism of the sound emanating from the television and the clarity of the image had them stunned as the fanfare blew and the opening credits began to role. They all looked in horror from Mike and back to the television.

“I might also add that the character in question is not real, no one was harmed during that scene, and that the character in question is a Nazi.”

His statement was met with confusion.

“The guy who dies that way deserves it.”

“How could anypony-!?”

“Nazis, historically speaking, murdered anywhere from several hundred thousand men, women and children to several million.”

This statement of fact was met with horrified gasps. Fluttershy looked physically ill.

“Tell you what, that scene used to scare the bejesus out of me as a kid. I’ll let you know when it comes so you can turn away. Okay? I’ll let you all know.”

The movie began.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“Ohmigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh! That was awesome! That part where Indiana was being dragged behind that giant metal thing with the men inside was so cool! Then the part where his dad ruined that thing they used to fly… Do humans like you really use machines like that to fly? My favorite part though was when-“

Much to everyone’ surprise, the enthusiastic speaker was in fact Fluttershy. She simply could not get enough of the idea of the selfless hero versus the unabashed unquestionably evil villains. Though, she was not a particular fan of the character of the father, courtesy of a scene involving some birds and a rather unfortunate fighter pilot meeting a gruesome and fiery end due to an umbrella of all things. Once she realized that it was in fact all entirely fake and that no creatures were hurt or killed, she took to the rest of the film quite well.

Dash on the other hand simply stared at the now blank screen. Her expression was unreadable. Her demeanor was one of utter shock. The rest seemed to enjoy the film well enough, but where no great fans of the ridiculous exploits. Twilight was interested in the various myths and legends spoken of in the film and said as much as she and Rarity did their best to extricate the normally hyperactive Pinkie from behind the couch. Applejack sat looking at Fluttershy with a bemused look on her face. Seeing the normally calm and demure and terrified creature sing the praises of, whatever the heck it was that they had just watched, was truly something to behold. Mike waved a hand in front of Dash attempting to gain her attention.

“You, Earth to Dash, you alright there?”

“Huh? Wha-?”

“You okay?”

“Yea… I just… That was…”

“Awesome! I know!”

“Wait, Fluttershy?”

Mike snickered at Dash’s realization of the most avid fan in the room. The two discussed the film at length while the rest of the bunch decided on sleeping arrangements. Once the rooms had been chosen, the two former pegasi joined the conversation regarding temporary house rules. Soon after, everyone made their way to bed. Before turning in himself, Mike collected the books he had promised and doled them out to those who had expressed an interest. The night was sure to be interesting.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“You are strange, creature. You are prideful yet humble. You are cruel but kind, broken yet whole, a child within but aged without, and yet still wise beyond your years. You hate not instead of love, but because you love. You guide and protect those you feel responsible for, yet you abandon them to their own devices. You love lesser creatures, yet you eat of their flesh. You possess great skill but no ambition. You are a living breathing contradiction. What are you creature?”

The voice spoke out of a black void. There was no other sound. There was no other sense. There was no light, nor dark. There was no gravity. No walls or barriers marred the black. There was nothing but the voice. Mike attempted to respond, but he had no mouth. When he tried to look down, he realized that there was no body. With this realization, he found himself looking down upon his own form as though it had been there the entire time.

Mike saw himself standing before him through the eyes of another. His naked form simply floated within the void. Yet, there was no other present. Attempting to move his body, he found that it responded as it normally would to such commands. He still maintained control, though he was not actually occupying the… vehicle? As the voice continued its list of contradictions, images flashed behind the head of his body. From his vantage he could see what stories the images told.

Some were his past. Many were distant memories. Friends, family, those he had loved and those he had lost stood alongside those he had gained. There was no distinction. There was only fact. These were those he had some to know. His past actions were played out as on hundreds of tiny flashing screens. Moments of pain, and sorrow played alongside moments of purest joy and happiness. Confusion furrowed the brow of his body. His greatest dreams and darkest secrets flashed before him. Each was vivid as though they were happening in this instant.

What was this? Who was that voice? As these thoughts came to mind, his body voiced them.

“What is this place? Who are you?”

“Who I am is unimportant. This place is your mind. It is a gateway to your soul. You are dreaming Michael.”

“This is no dream. I know when I dream. My dreams are lucid. This is no dream.”

“It is creature. You are not in your world anymore. You are in mine.”

“Wrong. If this is indeed a dream, this is my world.”

With his declaration and affirmation of self, the perspective suddenly shifted. He looked out through his own eyes. His limbs were his own. His voice was his own. This dream, was his own. As such, it was his to mold, his to shape. The void around him began to shift. The empty expanse gained shape and definition. A stark white floor bloomed from beneath his feet. Stretches of the floor rose up fully enveloping his body. After a moment, the floor withdrew leaving him fully clothed.

His garb was a stark contrast with the blinding white floor and obsidian walls that surrounded him. He had clothed himself similarly to how he had the previous day. He wore blue jeans, with black leather boots and belt. His shirt was pure blinding white and his vest ash grey. Around his neck was a loose crimson neck tie. The sleeves were rolled to above the elbow. Slung across his hip was a strange tool pouch, much like that which he wore in the field. On his hands he wore a pair of dark grey and black fingerless gloves and a silver engraved ring on his left middle finger.

Reaching into the pouch, he withdrew a cigarette and began to smoke as he began to antagonize the unknown voice.

“Show yourself. You dare to invade my privacy; I demand to know who is here. I have seen some shit in recent history. I have no qualms in waging a one man war.”

“So I see.”

Images of recent events, well preceding the arrival of his guests, began to sift through in front of him. Walking in the dead of night, keeping watch over his family. Fighting to save a friend. Driving hundreds of miles to simply put a stop to the madness. Climbing a literal mountain solely to defeat his own internal daemons.

“These aren’t me fighting. These are what happen when I compromise. This is what happens when I fight.”

With a wave of his hand, the images shifted. Driving, with reckless speed. Tools being used as physical weapons. Taking another’s place to survive. Standing alone, surrounded, radiating fear, pain and loss. Standing, his back to a woman, the fist of another man in his hand. Lying, beaten, broken and crushed in the middle of a lamp lit street. Running, through water and darkness, searching and calling for those lost within…

“I see you fight creature. I know that you fight. I am here to understand why.”

The images shifted once more. Many the same, but enhanced, changed. A woman hiding in fear from an unseen attacker clutching a cell as the car comes to a screeching halt. Thieves destroying his father’s work. A nameless soul on the ground at his feet. A man readying an intoxicated blow. A man shredding an envelope, his face an expression of hatred as a small silver ring falls to the floor…

“I ask again. What are you creature? Why do you fight?”

The images of his reasons, his purpose, caught him off guard. His anger at the intrusion faded. He had never examined his reasons for those things he had done. He had simply done them. There had never been time to think. There was only ever time to act. New images appeared.

Beaten, broken. Injured. Lost. Alone in the darkness. His possessions gone. These, he was not the hero. There was no hero. There was only a singular victim.

“I’m a survivor. I fight so that people I care about don’t have to.”

“You knew very few of these others.”

“I knew that I was once them. No one came to my aid.”

“Why aid them then?”

“Why would I not?”

“No others did.”

“Do you have a point?”

“That is my point.”

Silence reigned for what seemed an eternity.The voice seemed to convey a hint of satisfaction. Whatever it was, whoever it was, was happy with whatever had been said. It was happy with his reasons for the things he had done. Ike suddenly realized that whoever they were, was no aggressor. They were afraid that he may be the aggressor.

“So. While it’s great to have the pleasure of examining my entire life before my morning shower and in my sleep to boot, who are you? Why are you doing this? Even better question, how?"

“I guard the night. I stand between nightmares and dreams.”

“Sandman? Interesting. Your voice strikes me as feminine. Who are you? You just watched my entire life fly by. Give me that courtesy.”

“You would not know us.”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be asking.”

A loud sigh echoed through the space. There was clearly no need for any formality or mystery on either side.Neither intended harm, only to prevent it. A soft clopping of hooves drifted from a corner. Slowly, a shape began to form. The black of the walls shifted forming a vortex. The black of the spiral shifted to varying shades of blue. As he watched, the colors spun free of the rotating mass and began to take shape. Soon, a stunningly alien, yet stunningly beautiful, creature stood before him.

The creature before him was equine in form, but was colored shades of dark blue. Its mane seemed to contain the entirety of the night sky as it flowed upon an invisible cosmic wind. The creature wore barding decorated in an ever shifting pattern of phases of the moon. A great pair of wings sprouted from the creatures back, arcing against its body in an unnaturally graceful curve. The face it bore contained a large pair of expressive eyes with irises of a deep azure blue. In the center of the creature’s forehead was a pointed horn.

Mike’s eyes widened in surprise. The creature that stood before him was something that didn’t exist in any of the myths or legends he was familiar with.

“You may call us, ‘Luna.’”

“Please, call me, ‘Mike.’”

The creature smiled.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, ‘Mike.’”

“I have to ask. Why the ridiculous charade? Was that really necessary? I assume you have something to do with my unexpected guests…”

“I do indeed. I know nothing of you or your kind. Your species is unknown to us. My teacher, student and friend is presently in your care. Through no fault of her own, she became your charge. We seek to discover a way to bring her home, and discover who is responsible for her appearance in your world.”

“I’m gathering that someone sabotaged her spell?”

“We believe so, yes.”

“Why me?”

“You were not chosen. You were simply in the right place at the right time.”

“Interesting.”

“That is not all that you would say is interesting. Who are you among your people?”

“What do you mean?”

“What is your station? Whom do you lead, what armies do you champion? Your memories show none.”

“I have no, ‘station.’ I’m just an ordinary working class joe.”

“That is not possible.”

“How so?”

“We are only able to communicate this way with our subjects who are within our kingdom. Or those with Royal blood.”

“Well, I’m certainly not one of your, ‘subjects,’ and, unless I missed something, I don’t have any kings or queens in my family.”

“Your mark would dictate otherwise.”

“My what now?”

“The mark emblazoned upon your chest.”

Mike looked down to see that the vest he had conjured forth from the aether was emblazoned upon the chest with an image. The image was that of the silhouette of a man standing tall with his arm outstretched holding a pair of balances. It was in fact, his company logo. He began to laugh.

“That’s not a mark of royalty. That’s the company I work for. Traditionally, it is the symbol for those born under the constellation of Libra. It is also an ancient symbol for justice and equality. The balance represents the final judgment. The man symbolizes god. I repair scales. None quite so important as the one depicted here, but the importance of the work is irrelevant.”

With a soft smile, she responded.

“That is not the mark we refer to.”