You Do (Not) Belong

by 2dextreem

The Sixth Day: The More Things Change...

Most would agree that the sensation of warm sunlight on one’s skin was a pleasant experience, and the light from Celestia’s Sun was no exception. To many ponies in Equestria, it was more than just a ball of heat and light in the sky. It was like a mother’s comforting embrace, protecting and watching over everything in its domain.

Connor might not have been getting that exact impression at the moment, but it still felt pretty good to just sit back on a bench on the side of the road, soaking up the sun’s rays.

He’d been sitting alone for a few minutes, Twilight having told him to stay there while she left to quickly take care of the next item on her list. It was something having to do with getting back a telescope she’d lent out to another pony named Lyra, but that was all he could get out of her before she departed. Connor, for one, certainly didn’t mind the break, as it afforded him a moment to himself to both relax for a bit, and to think about the embarrassing exchange he’d had with the unicorn, as well as the awkward silence that reigned between them for a while afterwards.

It was bad enough for Twilight to suddenly and unexpectedly ask about his relationship status, as it was seeming less and less likely that she had done so for purely academic reasons. But if he could have just left it at that and moved on, it would’ve been better for everyone involved. Instead, in a display that was becoming all too obvious to him in recent days, he had to start talking before he started thinking.

As much as he wished he’d kept his mouth shut, that wasn’t to say he didn’t mean everything he told her, including what he said near the end. Or rather, what he was about to say before he stopped himself. The truth was, it would be awesome if he could meet someone on Earth who was anything like Twilight. Both smart and funny, naive and quirky, but at the same time deeply compassionate and strong-willed. She was also cuter than a basket full of kittens; but then again, so were a lot of other ponies. He could admit to finding a certain amount of appeal in such a person if they were human, but... Twilight herself?

Nope. Not gonna happen, he concluded resolutely. No ponies. I’m not that desperate.

Connor opened his eyes and blinked a few times before taking in a deep lungful of air and leaning forwards. He placed a hand on his neck as he twisted it around to work out a kink that the wooden bench had given him, then sighed as he folded his hands together and looked out at his surroundings.

“Why am I even thinking about this?” he muttered to himself. As if a relationship with an alien horse from another universe could even be considered within the realm of possibility. He was better off stopping that line of thought as quickly as he could, before his treacherous imagination took that idea to its logical-- Too late.

“No. Bad brain. Stop it.” Connor gave himself a few chastising knocks on the head. “That’s a bad place. Don’t go there.”

True, it didn’t really matter as long as he was perfectly safe in his own head, but simply the fact that he knew it was wrong was enough to send a subconscious shiver down his spine.

I wonder when Twilight’s gonna come back, he thought to himself in an effort to focus on something else. It had only been a couple of minutes, and the unicorn had said she was only going a few houses down the street. Out of curiosity, Connor raised his head up and looked from side to side.

“Speak of the devil,” he said, catching a glimpse of lavender fur coming up the road to his right.

He got up to his feet, stretching out as he did, as Twilight made her way over to the bench. Her eyes flickered up to acknowledge him and her neutral expression turned a bit more friendly, but other than that, she didn’t say anything. Connor noticed that she didn’t have the aforementioned telescope with her, which was surprising, given that it was the only reason for going there in the first place.

“Hey, no telescope?” he asked her when she was close enough, hoping nothing was amiss.

Twilight shook her head. “Not quite. Lyra asked me if she could keep it for a little longer. I told her I need it back within the next two weeks, but she promised she’d be done with it by then, so I allowed it.”

“Oh, okay,” Connor replied as Twilight walked past him with a flick of her head, and he fell into step next to her. “By the way, I’m curious: what does this ‘Lyra’ need your telescope for, anyway?”

At this, Twilight grunted and gave an exasperated shrug of her shoulders as she kept walking. “I have no idea, and I didn’t feel like asking her about it. Lyra’s always had a few… eccentric hobbies.”

“‘Eccentric hobbies’?” Connor asked, cracking an amused grin. “Like what?”

Twilight looked up at him with a look of caution in her eyes. “If you ever get the chance to ask her yourself, don’t. Trust me, she’ll be talking your ear off for hours.” She returned her gaze straight ahead and sighed. “I honestly don’t know how Bon-bon puts up with it.”

“Bon-bon?”

“Her housemate,” Twilight explained.

“Ah,” Connor said, nodding, and left it at that. He took it as a positive sign that Twilight was speaking to him again, since he’d assumed there would still be some lingering discomfort around the fact that they’d touched on an issue that neither had expected to come up. Thankfully, this didn’t appear to be the case.

It was easy to see that Twilight’s demeanor had changed slightly in the time she’d been gone. As opposed to being purposefully distant after the “marefriend” comment, she seemed to be a little more relaxed and amenable, leading Connor to hope that maybe she’d forgotten about the whole thing, or at least put it out of her mind. This was only partly true, for while Twilight had used their short time apart to critically analyze her own behavior and settle on it simply being a fluke based on unsubstantiated observations and poorly chosen wording (on both sides), she’d hardly forgotten about it.

Regardless, it was something she could sort out as soon as her current tasks were done, and Twilight was determined to recapture the mood she’d been in at the day’s outset, when she hadn’t been made so self-conscious about her behavior towards the human.

Anyway, it relieved Connor that she wasn’t about to bring it up again, which was fine by him, because he’d rather take another pleasant traipse through the Everfree than reopen that can of worms.

“So, what’s happening in two weeks?” Connor asked, changing the subject. By now, the two of them had made their way into a more residential neighborhood of Ponyville, so there weren’t as many ponies on the open streets, and the quiet was much more noticeable.

Twilight’s ears twitched slightly, and she seemed a little caught off-guard by the question. “Oh, um… Well, do you know what comets are?”

“Pfft. Of course I know what a comet is.” Connor waved his hand condescendingly. “Wait, is that what’s happening? There’s gonna be a comet?”

“That’s right!” said Twilight, a little more enthusiastically. “Exactly two weeks from tomorrow, the orbit of Astrolia’s Comet is going to take it right past Equis. It’ll be so close, you could see it with the naked eye!”

The unicorn’s features were almost sparkling while she talked, as if a switch had been flipped, and it was obvious that this was a very big deal to her. And it wasn’t hard for Connor to imagine why. After all, who didn’t think space was cool?

“That’s pretty neat,” Connor commented, attempting to match his friend’s excitement. “I’ve never seen a comet before, but I’ve always wanted to.”

“Me neither. About the having seen the comet part,” Twilight clarified with a smile creasing her muzzle. “It’ll be the perfect chance to study their composition up close. That’s why it’s imperative that I have my telescope by then. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“Heheh…” Connor chuckled, amused by the unicorn’s childlike glee at the prospect. “Well, you sure convinced me. If I’m still sticking around by then, can I come too?”

Twilight answered without a second thought. “Of course you can. In fact, I was planning on inviting the others, too. It’ll be just like the centennial meteor shower we all watched a while ago. Gosh, that sure was a night to remember…”

Twilight sighed, her eyes clouding over as she fondly recalled the memory of that night. How it seemed like every pony in Ponyville turned up to watch the stars fall like diamonds streaking across the night sky, and how having her friends to share the occasion with just made it all the more perfect. A small snicker escaped her lips when she remembered how Spike fell asleep curled up in Pinkie’s empty punch bowl, and she had to carry him all the way back to the library. Not to mention that was also the night she’d met Owloysius. With such an eventful day like that, she wondered what delights could be in store for her on the night of the comet...

Twilight snapped out of her solipsism to realize she’d spent almost half a minute lost in her memories, which had left her with an idle curiosity about Connor that was a far sight more innocent than the one she was determined not to address any time soon.

“Speaking of which, have you ever seen a meteor shower?” she asked, turning her head up at Connor to find that he had a puzzled expression on his face. With his head cocked to the side, he seemed to be too focused on something else to hear her. “Um… hello?”

Connor blinked a few times and did a double take in response. “Oh, sorry, I was just... uh,” he mumbled distractedly, still apparently listening for something. “Do you hear that?”

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. “Hear what?”

“It sounds like…” Connor paused and concentrated, just to make sure. “...music. It’s music.”

“Oh, not this again.” The mare brought a hoof to her face, believing her friend was about to have another overblown reaction to one of Ponyville’s run-of-the-mill musical events.

“No, no, it’s different this time.” Connor quickly rebuffed her with a raised hand, and just to humor him, Twilight stopped and listened too.

The human was right. There was something vaguely musical floating through the air around them, but it wasn’t somepony singing, or some kind of instrumental song. All it consisted of was five faint, low frequency beats, repeating in a pattern nearly once per second. It wasn’t what would typically register to Twilight as “music,” which is why she hadn’t picked up on it before now. But to Connor, it was more than just an arrangement of five bass notes.

It was a familiar five bass notes.

Without another word, Connor suddenly took off running in the direction the song was apparently coming from.

“What? Connor, where are you going!?” Twilight called after him before putting her own hooves in motion and chasing him down the street.

It can’t be. It’s gotta be some kind of fluke, Connor thought at first as he ran. But as he grew closer to the apparent source of the music and could now make out the accompanying vocals and other instruments, it sounded unmistakably like Phoenix’s “1901”; a song that couldn’t possibly be heard in Equestria.

Connor didn’t have time to think more about it as the source came into view. On the porch of one of the houses lining the road was a snow-white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and tail, a musical note for a cutie mark, and large, tinted purple sunglasses covering her eyes. She was currently bobbing her head to the beat of the song, which was emanating from a black box about the size of a toaster, with speakers and an antenna that she had a foreleg draped over. It looked just like a simple radio, but the fact that it was playing Earth music made it just as much a source of confusion.

The white pony seemed to notice Connor rushing up the street and she tilted her head quizzically, reaching up to lift her sunglasses and get a better look. She squinted her shockingly red eyes for a second before recognition dawned on her face and she grinned, lowering her shades again. Meanwhile, the music kept on playing at a volume that was just shy of socially acceptable, even though the bass was set high enough to almost make Connor’s skull vibrate from his horn to his teeth.

“Hey, you’re that guy!” the unicorn said with a distinct lack of specificity, waving a hoof at the human as he came to a halt just in front of the house. “What’s up?”

“Where is that song coming from?” Connor wasted no time in asking, displaying an amount of urgency that caught the pony off-guard.

“Uh…” She looked down at her simple music player. “It’s a radio, dude.”

Connor sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can see that it’s a radio. I mean how is it playing that song?”

The bespectacled pony just stared at him for a few long seconds, like she was trying to judge whether he was being serious or just acting crazy. Just then, Twilight caught up to him and came around to his side, catching the other pony’s attention and causing her to grin again.

“Oh, hey, ‘sup Twilight?” She raised her hoof in another lazy wave. “Somethin’ wrong with your buddy, here?”

“Hello, Vinyl. And no, I don’t know what’s going on,” Twilight responded hurriedly, before looking up at Connor. “What on Equis is this about, Connor?”

“Th-that song! It’s not supposed to be here!” He pointed at the radio that apparently belonged to this pony named Vinyl.

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization and she brought a hoof to her lips. “Wait, you mean…”

“Yes!”

The lavender unicorn tossed a curious glance at the device. “But, how is that possible?”

“I don’t know, it shouldn’t be! The only place in Equestria those songs could come from is my…” Connor stuck his hand in his pocket, expecting to produce his iPod and headphones.

His hand came back empty, and just for a second, Connor couldn’t breathe. With increased urgency, he tried his other pocket; also empty. Patting his jeans came up the same. Gone. His iPod was just… gone.

At the very least, he now knew how Phoenix had ended up playing on an Equestrian radio, but this fact didn’t bring him any comfort. In fact, it did the opposite. It meant that someone, somewhere, had his iPod switched on and plugged in to some machine that was broadcasting its contents to the world, all the while bringing it steadily closer to being nothing but an expensive blue paperweight. And this only raised even more questions. Did he lose track of it somehow, leading to it being picked up by some random pony? If so, how did they know it was supposed to play music, let alone how to turn it on? Or even navigate the touch-sensitive screen without fingers!?

As these questions and more strained Connor’s thoughts, Vinyl slowly leaned forwards with a look of concern on her face. “Uh, would one of you guys mind telling me what’s going on?”

The white unicorn’s question snapped Connor to attention, and he turned to look at Vinyl with grim seriousness. “How long have you been listening to this music? What station’s broadcasting it?” he demanded.

Vinyl’s ears perked up, and the smile returned to her muzzle. “Oh, check it! So, I was just sittin’ here, ya know, minding my own business and flippin’ through the channels, when I get to one on a frequency I never heard nothin’ on before. Musta just popped up today.”

“And how long has it been since you found it?” Connor asked through grit teeth.

“Dunno, ‘bout an hour, I guess?” Vinyl gave an innocent shrug of her shoulders. “It’s gotta be some kind of underground indie thing. Like, real underground. These guys have been playing stuff from groups I ain’t even heard of. Some of it’s been kinda ‘meh,’ but check out the bass on this one! Pretty crunchy, right?”

The “crunchy” bass that the audiophile pony was referring to had just overtaken the vocals of the song as it transitioned into the ending refrain, but far from being able to enjoy it, Connor was instead fraught with worry. His iPod had been playing for an hour at least, meaning it could’ve been close to dead already.

Connor closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on mentally retracing his steps in the hope that he could figure out at what point he and his iPod parted ways.

The last time I actually took it out was back at Zecora’s. Did it fall out of my pocket when we were running from the timberwolves? Did that stupid rabbit take it while I was sleeping? he asked himself as 1901’s final note faded to silence. It surprised him how everything that had happened so far that day could render him ignorant of the fact that his jacket pockets were empty the whole time. How did I not notice this earlier!? Dammit, why can’t I keep better track of my shit!?

Suddenly, a burst of rustling and static emitted from the radio’s speakers… followed by a revelation that was going to make a lot of things very clear, very quickly.

“Hey, there! Thanks for tuning in to CMC Radio!” squeaked a tiny but excited voice. “Once again, I’m your host, DJ Sweetie B! Still dunno what a DJ is, but that last song sure was something, huh?”

CMC... The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The schoolhouse. His coat, hanging on the wall when “DJ Sweetie B” excused herself from the playground to use the restroom. Everything came together in that instant, causing a tide of righteous anger to start welling up inside Connor, even as the blissfully unaware voice of Rarity’s kid sister continued to play.

“And we’ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.” There was a brief pause. “Uh, that’s something radio people say, right, Apple Bloom?”

“Why’re ya askin’ me?” followed the earth pony filly.

“Do we even have sponsors?” questioned a third voice, belonging to nobody else but Scootaloo.

This was followed by even more silence, and while Connor might have found the exchange entertaining at literally any other moment, right now his fists were clenched so tight that Twilight could hear a few of his knuckles pop.

“...Aaaanyway, what’s coming up next, Scootaloo?”

“How should I know? You’re the one with the thing,” Scootaloo countered.

“Oh, right. Juuuust a second.” More rustling came over the speakers, bringing Connor to imagine that she was fumbling with the device using her hooves, trying to activate it in the way he had been all too willing to demonstrate at Pinkie’s party. For some reason, the thought just made him more upset, like they were treating it as if it was just a toy or some plaything. But it wasn’t, not to him. “Here we go, next song! Enjoy!”

“And don’t forget, everypony, yer listenin’ to CMC Radio,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “Comin’ to y’all straight from our clubhouse down here in beautiful Sweet Apple Acres! Till next time!”

So they’re in Sweet Apple Acres, Connor considered, at least glad to have had that question answered before he needed to ask it. The only thing left to do now was to get to this clubhouse of theirs and take back what was his… before it was too late to do anything about it.

Connor looked over to Twilight. “Which way is Sweet Apple Acres?” he asked her, his body itching with the desire to get moving as fast as he could, while the opening guitar sting of what he recognized as the song "Spotlight" began coming through over the radio via his iPod.

“Just hold on, Connor,” she cautioned, understanding that he was justifiably angry, but at the same time worried he might do something rash. “I know that--”

“I’m not playing around here, Twilight. Just point me in the right direction,” he restated, trying to keep from raising his voice at her. After all, she wasn’t the one in trouble, unlike three certain young ponies who would be very soon.

It took one second of Twilight looking up into her friend’s eyes to see that he really was on a hair trigger right then. “It’s, uh…” She hesitantly raised a hoof towards the general direction of Applejack’s farmhouse. “It’s over that way, but we should--”

The exact moment she finished pointing, Connor turned in that direction and took off running.

“Connor, wait!” Twilight called out to him as his legs pounded the street as if his life depended on it. Seeing that talking through this wasn’t going to be very effective, she started running after him as fast as her hooves could carry her. “Just hold on for a second!”

And just like that, they were gone, leaving behind a particularly perplexed Vinyl Scratch, who merely looked on with her head tilted to the side and a dumbfounded expression on her face.

“Doubleyou-tee-bee?” she muttered, before ultimately deciding it really wasn’t worth worrying about. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders again, turning her attention back to her radio just as the song picked up tempo with the starting up of the drums. Her ears twitched appreciatively with the beat, and she reached over to crank up the volume even more.

She was really digging this new station.

The sound of his shoes hitting the street felt loud in Connor’s ears as he continued to sprint through Ponyville, his mind laser-focused on a singular goal: stopping the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And he didn’t pause even for a second to consider how absurd that sounded.

Right now, it didn’t matter that he was already breathing heavily, or that exerting himself like this after what he pulled off the day before probably wasn’t a good thing for his body. It also didn’t matter that Twilight was trying to keep up while simultaneously imploring him to slow down. He was a man on a mission, and nothing was going to stop him before he got to Sweet Apple acres, because every second counted -- literally.

As Connor rounded a corner in the road, skidding his shoes on the coarse dirt, his goal came into view far in the distance. The red-painted barn and townhouse that belonged to Applejack sat on a hill overlooking the town, so it was in plain sight now that he’d reached the end of the residential areas. He kept his focus on it even as he ran, unheeding of the ponies lining the street that took notice as he rushed past them.

Connor tried his best to avoid running into anything in his mad dash, and in actuality, it wasn’t really that hard. He’d gotten a lot of practice in during middle and high school, weaving between the throngs of students on his way to his next class. The only difference now was the fact that he was dodging ponies, not people.

But, focused as he was on a straight line in front of him, he was left blind to obstacles coming in from the sides, and he had only a moment to spare as a wooden cart unexpectedly pushed out of a nearby side street and directly into his path.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, angling his momentum to keep from impacting the cart, which he noticed was piled high with leafy green vegetables. He succeeded, if barely, only he caught the edge of it on his hip, which almost sent him sprawling. The action caused the cart to tip over, spilling some of its contents on the ground while Connor regained his balance and continued forward, only taking a brief moment to look back at what had happened and issue a quick apology. “Sorry!”

“My cabbages!” The beige-colored earth pony who had been pushing the cart watched in horror as his precious wares fell to the dirt. Then his eyes flashed with anger beneath the green beret he was wearing, and he looked back at the person who’d committed this atrocity and raised his hoof in indignation. “Hey! Get back here, you… you brigand!”

A purple glimmer in the corner of his vision caught the cabbage peddler’s attention, and he glanced over to see the dropped cabbages wrapped in a magic field and floating back into place atop the cart. Soon after, the violet unicorn who’d just cast the spell ran by, saying a quick “Sorry about that!” before continuing pursuit.

“Ergh, but… but...” the pony stuttered, looking back and forth between the chase and his cart in a moment of confusion before giving up and shaking his head. With a sigh and some nondescript grumbling, the cabbage peddler went on his way.

As the thatched buildings gave way to the shop stalls and colorful tents of the Ponyville markets, the effects of Connor’s prolonged sprint were catching up with him. His legs burned from the effort and his still tender muscles were aching for a break. He was starting to seriously doubt he could make it all the way up the hill at the rate he was going; a doubt that became a lot more justified as he developed a painful cramp in his side, forcing him to put on the brakes near the outskirts of town.

All but panting for breath, he used one arm to prop himself up on a nearby fence post while the other was busy trying to massage away the knot just beneath his ribs. This left more than enough time for Twilight, who had been keeping pace the whole way, to make up the rest of the distance between them. The pony was also slightly out of breath, but had more than enough left to say what was on her mind.

“What’s gotten into you!?” she demanded.

Connor looked down at her with an annoyed expression. “Weren’t you paying attention?” he said between gasps of air. “Those stupid kids stole my iPod!”

Twilight snorted. “Yes, I could gather that much,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “That’s still no reason to just take off like a madpony. I can see why you’re upset, but forgive me if I don’t share your sense of urgency.”

“It’s not just the fact that they stole it. That’s not what I…” Connor breathed out and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Look, do you remember what I said about its battery? If those three run it until it dies, then I’ll… I’ll lose… Ugh, never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”

By now, Connor had rested just enough to get back some of his stamina, and he pushed away from the fence to start down the dirt path again, though at a much slower pace than before. Twilight stayed back for the moment, thinking about what Connor had said and, armed with this new information, trying to see the situation from his point of view.

“No, I think I do understand,” she spoke up suddenly, her shift in tone causing Connor to stop and turn around. She nodded to him, her face displaying a certain amount of empathy. “Alright. I can probably teleport us the rest of the way. And when we get there, we can explain the situation to Applejack and let her handle it, okay?”

As much as he felt like protesting, Connor had to admit she had a point. Teleporting right there did sound more appealing -- not to mention faster -- than running.

“...Fine,” Connor said shortly, folding his arms together and making his way back to Twilight. As long as we don’t waste any time when we get there.

Twilight nodded again, closing her eyes and concentrating. Her horn lit up in a faint glow as she built up enough magical energy, before it loosed a wave of solid violet light that filled Connor’s entire field of vision. He felt that same odd, shifting sensation he’d experienced the last time he’d been teleported, and a split second later, the light faded to reveal that the two of them were no longer standing by the side of the road out of Ponyville. Now, Connor found himself right underneath the vine-covered wooden arch that was the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, both the familiar sights of the bright red barn and townhouse sitting off to the side. Even the air was noticeably different, as it carried the slightest hint of blossoming apple trees.

Twilight looked around as well, just to make sure they were where they were supposed to be. “Okay, now we just need to find Applejack and--”

“There she is,” Connor said suddenly, interrupting the unicorn by pointing his finger over at a nearby field, where the unmistakable silhouette of a stetson-wearing pony could be seen pulling a large plow across the ground.

“Oh! That was fast,” Twilight remarked, before she noticed Connor already walking away from her in that direction. “Hey, wait for me!”

Together, Connor and Twilight strode purposefully across the unplanted field towards Applejack, who was too focused on her work to notice them approaching until they were close enough to hear. She raised her head at the sound, and looked over to see the two of them. The farm pony seemed surprised for a moment, before her green eyes shone pleasantly and her muzzle broke into a wide grin.

“Well, howdy, Twi! Hey there, Connor! Nice to see ya!” the orange-furred pony greeted them excitedly, raising a foreleg to wipe the sweat from her brow. “Ah sure wasn’t expectin’ company today. Y’all just come by to say hi?”

Twilight spoke up before Connor could. “It’s nice to see you too, Applejack, but I’m afraid our reason for coming isn’t that simple.”

With that, Applejack came to realize that neither of her friends shared her happy expression, with Connor in particular giving off a particularly intense scowl. Her smile fell instantly. “What’s wrong? Did somethin’ happen?” she asked, her tone turning serious.

“I’ll say. Your sister and her friends stole something that belongs to me,” Connor explained bitterly, causing Applejack to gasp with disbelief.

“Stole!? Yer sayin’ mah own sister stole from ya!?”

“We don’t know all of the details,” Twilight was quick to point out before Applejack got too excited. “But we have reason to suspect that the Crusaders have Connor’s music… thing… with them in their clubhouse.”

“And I need it back, now,” Connor added.

Shades of disappointment and dismay played out across the cowpony’s face as she absorbed this information, looking directly at Twilight. “Y’all absolutely sure?”

Twilight nodded solemnly.

“Ergh... Dangnabbit, Apple Bloom! What’d you get yerself into this time?” Applejack muttered as her face hardened and she twisted around to unfasten herself from her plow. “Come with me, their clubhouse is over yonder. We’ll get to the bottom a’ this.”

The earth pony motioned with her head to an area behind her barn and started leading her friends in that direction.

After about half a minute of walking, Applejack couldn’t help but overhear Connor sigh impatiently, and she glanced over. “Ah’m really sorry ‘bout all this trouble, ‘specially considerin’ yer… ya know, horn problems.”

What she said caught Connor by surprise, since he didn’t remember mentioning his horn at all to the orange pony, and in fact hadn’t seen her in person since the night of the party. He looked up at the top of his vision, checking to make sure it was still hidden, which it was. “Where did you hear about that?” he asked warily.

“Oh, Ah heard all about it from Rainbow Dash,” Applejack explained as the trio rounded the corner of the barn, heading deeper into the orchard. “...who heard it from Rarity, who heard it from Fluttershy.”

Connor groaned inwardly. Great. Is there anyone in town they haven’t told?

Perhaps sensing his consternation, Applejack tried to put his mind at ease. “It ain’t like that. We all know not to tell nopony else. We’re just worried about ya, that’s all.”

“Thanks, but you don’t need to worry about me. I can handle it,” Connor told her. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Fair ‘nough. We’re almost there.”

After another minute of traveling through the dense grove of apple trees, Connor could see what she meant, as a small wooden building came into view. Built into a big, gnarled old apple tree in the middle of the clearing was a simple treehouse made of salmon-pink wood with windows put in the sides. It was situated on a raised platform six feet off the ground, lined with a fence and with a green staircase leading from the front door to the surface. It looked very similar to the kind of treehouse Connor and his dad and brother built together in their backyard when he was younger. The only major difference was that this one had an ugly arrangement of what looked like metal coat hangers and wire twisted together into a crude antenna sticking out one of the windows. Based on that, it was a pretty safe bet that they’d arrived at “CMC Radio.”

Applejack took the lead as they approached the steps, the wood creaking under their weight as they made their way up. At the top, next to the door, Connor could hear the muffled sounds of three young voices talking just inside, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Another thing he noticed was that there wasn’t any music playing, either. He didn’t know if he should take that as a good or bad sign.

Applejack cleared her throat loudly before giving the door three solid knocks with the base of her hoof, and the voices inside immediately went quiet. “Apple Bloom, Ah know yer in there. Can ya come out fer a second?” she called out sternly.

A few long moments of silence later, there was the sound of hooves coming up to the entrance, followed by the door creaking inwards, revealing the fuzzy yellow head and bright red mane of Applejack’s sister.

“Uh, hey, Sis. What’s…?” Apple Bloom stopped talking suddenly upon seeing the bottoms of Connor’s jeans, and her eyes shot upwards. One look at the expression on his face and her heart dropped next to her stomach. “Uh oh...”

“Where is it?” Connor asked brusquely.

The Apple filly knew exactly what Connor meant, but the sudden pressure caused her brain to lock up. A bead of sweat started to slide down her face as she scrambled for an answer. “Wh-where’s what?” she replied, eyes shifting around nervously.

Needless to say, Connor wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “You know what.”

“Apple Bloom…” Applejack sternly stressed, glaring directly at her sister.

“Ah… uh… Well, ya see…” The little pony cast a worried glance back into the clubhouse as she stalled for time. She really didn’t know what to do or say.

By now, Connor was fed up with waiting. “Outta the way,” he told her, pushing the door in and stepping past before the filly could have a chance to object.

The inside of the clubhouse wasn’t much different than the outside. It was simple, sparsely furnished, the only decorations being a couple of posters lining the walls featuring hoof-drawn depictions of other ponies. A majority of them looked like Rainbow Dash for some reason, if the mane colors were any indication. Regardless, that wasn’t what Connor was focusing on.

Sitting toward the back, lying on a broad table, was what looked like a hastily assembled contraption made up of sheet metal, wires, and bits of various devices that included a boom mike, several sets of speakers, and a strobe light -- among other things. All connected to the makeshift antenna that was poking out the window. And close to one end, around which Scootaloo and Sweetie were currently huddled together, was his disconnected earbuds and his iPod, plugged into the machine by a single large wire.

The two fillies looked up at the intrusion, their emotions quickly mirroring that of their partner in crime. Connor crossed the floor in a few long strides, causing them to rush to their hooves and skedaddle out of the way, joining Apple Bloom by the door. Once he was at the table, he reached out and picked up his music player, yanking the connector out of the audio port before holding it out in front of him.

Please don’t be dead… Please… he silently pleaded. With one trembling finger, he clicked down on the button at the top.

The screen flashed white once, and then, nothing.

No, no, no… He pressed it again, futilely hoping beyond hope that the first time was a fluke. No such luck as the screen went dark again, and Connor realized that what he was afraid would happen had come to pass: the batteries were completely drained. For as long as he was stuck in Equestria, his iPod would never play another song.

Of course, it was an occurrence that would’ve happened eventually, as simply choosing to never use it again would have accomplished the exact same thing. But that was supposed to be his decision to make, and nobody else’s. As it stood, those three kids didn’t just steal his iPod for a while, they’d stolen his only remaining connection to Earth. And for what?

Connor was silent as his rage at this revelation started simmering again just under the surface, and it was at that moment the Cutie Mark Crusaders did the exact opposite of helping by starting up the inevitable blame game.

“I-it’s not mah fault! It was all Sweetie’s idea!” Apple Bloom protested, pointing a hoof at her unicorn friend.

“What!? No, it wasn’t!” Sweetie Belle argued back. “You’re the one who thought of ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Radio Players’!”

“Oh, yeah? Well, Ah’m not the one who took it in the first place.”

“You’re the one who didn’t want to ask first, in case he said no! And we were gonna give it back when we were done.”

“Well, yeah, until you broke it,” Scootaloo added on the sly.

“I didn’t break it!” Sweetie shot back, turning to face the pegasus. “It just stopped working!”

“That’s pretty much what ‘broken’ means.”

“Stop!” Connor shouted, his one word cutting through the air and silencing the three fillies on the spot. “Just… stop.”

Applejack herself had been just about to interject, but was cut short when Connor beat her to it. Both her and Twilight could only stand by the door and watch as the teenager took the opportunity to say exactly what was on his mind.

Fighting to keep his voice down, Connor turned and faced the Crusaders humorlessly. “Do you three have any idea what you’ve done?”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie and Scootaloo subconsciously shrunk back a little.

“We… broke it, didn’t we?” Sweetie asked meekly.

Connor breathed out in a sigh. It wasn’t actually broken, but he didn’t have the time nor the patience to explain that. “Yeah, it’s broken. It’s broken and I can’t fix it. You want to know why? Because I would have to go home to do that, and that’s kind of a problem right now!”

With the raising of his voice, the three young ponies cringed and started blinking rapidly, though Connor failed to notice as he continued to vent.

“Why did you do it!? Why was it so important for you to go behind my back and take this from me!? This was the only thing I had left!”

He held up the dark screen for them to see; the thing that until recently contained the only tangible reminders of the world he might never return to. That was the key detail here. It wasn’t just a collection of his favorite music, it was something he could always turn to for those rare moments when he needed something familiar to keep him going. And having that comfort taken away so suddenly and unexpectedly made him more upset than he thought possible.

“Well!? Do you have anything to say for yourselves!?”

The inside of the clubhouse was deafeningly silent while Connor waited for his answer. Three sets of large, downcast eyes were glued to the floor in front of him; three sets of shoulders hunched together in obvious remorse.

“...We’re sorry,” three wobbly voices choked out in harmony, punctuated by a tiny sniffle from Sweetie, the one in the center. And that brought Connor’s attention to something he’d missed, something he didn’t pick up on while he was too busy chewing them out to care.

Great big pools of moisture was welling up in the eyes of each of the three fillies, right on the verge of turning into tears, and time seemed to slow down for a moment as Connor took it all in. As surprising as it was, he felt his anger subside as he took a metaphorical step back.

Breathing in and out a few times, he brought up the front of his iPod to his face, catching his own blurry reflection in the dark surface and taking note of his own expression.

...What am I doing? he asked himself, touched deeply by the downright pitiful sight before him. He had a right to be angry, he knew, but just because he could act on it, didn't necessarily mean that he should. It didn’t have to be like this. He could’ve handled this differently, without crushing the spirits of these kids in the process. And they were just kids. As painful as it was to admit, all they did was make a dumb mistake. They didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.

Connor closed his eyes and slid the device into his pocket, sighing one more time while forcing himself to release his grip on the rest of his animosity. “No… I’m sorry,” he admitted slowly. “It’s… really not that big a deal.”

With a few short gasps at this unexpected confession, the Crusaders raised their eyes to him, like little lost puppies, still full of tears waiting to fall. He didn’t want them to start crying; he couldn’t handle it if they did.

“Hey… hey, don’t be like that.” As non-threateningly as he could, Connor went to his knees, his arms open and outstretched to the three ponies. He motioned with his hands that they should come closer. “Come on. Get over here.”

Hesitantly, one by one, they took his offer, getting up on their hooves and plodding their way over to him. Once they were all there, he tried to keep a stoic face as he wrapped his arms gingerly around their bodies and pulled all of them into a tight hug.

“It’s okay… I forgive you.”

One of them, Apple Bloom, sniffed loudly as she moved her head from the crook of his shoulder. “So... y’all aren’t mad?”

“No. I’m not mad.” At least, he wasn’t anymore.

“Does this mean you still want to be our friend?” asked Scootaloo, trembling against him as if the weight of her world rested on the answer.

That question went deep, delivering an emotional slug right in Connor’s gut so hard he could almost feel it. Even he was starting to get misty-eyed, so he picked his words carefully.

“Of course,” he answered without hesitation. “I’ll always be your friend. Nothing’s ever gonna change that.”

It seemed like that was exactly what they needed to hear, and he could feel all three of their soft, warm bodies relax in his embrace. And now it was his turn to take a long breath of air through his nose, uncomfortable of the fact that this was making him emotional, too. Regardless of his earlier feelings, he was nowhere near immune to the impact of those three (undeniably adorable) young ponies accepting the comfort he offered them.

Before he let the feeling last long enough to make it unwelcome, he gave the Crusaders one last squeeze before releasing his grip and leaning away from them. Each of them still looked deeply remorseful, but their eyes were dry and he could tell that he did the right thing in making them feel a little better. He could almost forgive himself for yelling at them.

Connor nodded to Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, receiving gentle nods in turn, and he stood up, very much ready to leave. He took a quick second to also grab his headphones from the table and stick them in his pocket before moving back towards the door.

Connor made one apologetic look at Applejack, trying to think of something to say that communicated his regret about stepping out of line with the kids. A simple “Sorry,” was all he could come up with.

“It’s okay,” the farm pony said quietly, flashing him a reassuring smile that told him she understood what he meant.

Relieved at this, Connor turned to Twilight standing next to her and motioned with his head. “Let’s get out of here.” And with that, he set off down the clubhouse steps without a look back.

Unsure of what exactly to do at that point, Twilight looked between him and Applejack, blinking a few times. “Should I… um…”

“Go on,” the orange mare told her. “Ah can handle everythin’ here.”

“Okay... I guess I’ll see you later.” Twilight twisted around, giving one last nod to Applejack before galloping off to follow the human back through the orchard.

Meanwhile, AJ watched her go before closing her eyes and releasing a pent up sigh. With a hoof, she tilted her stetson back and prepared to face her sister and her two friends, who were still sitting glumly in the clubhouse interior.

“Alrighty. Now, then, Connor mighta seen fit to forgivin’ y’all, but that don’t mean yer not still in trouble.” She eyed each of them with a chastising glare as she talked down the line. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Ah’m gonna be havin’ a word with yer parents about this. As fer you, li’l missy...”

Apple Bloom looked up as her big sister addressed her directly. “...Yeah?”

“We’re gonna be havin’ a niiiice long chat with Big Macintosh n’ Granny later, understand?”

The cream-colored filly lowered her head. “...Yeah.”

Applejack nodded, satisfied. “Good. Now, start cleanin’ up this here mess y’all made. I’ll be back in a bit with a pitcher a’ lemonade and some fresh apple buns, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am...” all three said at once, and everyone got up to start working while Applejack returned to the house.

And as soon as the mare was safely out of earshot, Scootaloo started airing the grievance on her mind to her fellow Crusaders. “Aw, ponyfeathers. And I just got done being grounded for that thing with the rose bushes.”

Though it didn’t take long for Twilight to catch up to Connor on his way out of the orchard, not a word was shared between them at first. Though the sun was still shining bright through the budding branches overhead, it felt as though it should’ve been cloudy.

Twilight herself was unsure exactly how to engage him, considering the unpredictability of his mood confronting the Cutie Mark Crusaders, while Connor just didn’t feel like saying much of anything. He wore a neutral face as they came out of the grove of apple trees near the barn where they entered, and started making their way to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres.

Finally, Twilight mustered up the courage to make as innocent an inquiry as she could. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Without pausing in his stride, Connor looked over to the lavender unicorn, seeing her ears pulled back like she was stepping on eggshells. “What is there to talk about, Twilight? We were too late, nothing we could do.” He sighed, using a hand to rub his eyes. “It’s just… stupid. Doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“But it does matter, at least to you,” Twilight said consolingly. “It might’ve just been music, but it was obviously something you really wanted to hold on to.”

Connor idly fingered the device in his pocket, feeling a slight pang of loss. “Yeah, you’re right. And I really wanted them to know it. But when I saw those three like that, I just…” He flashed back to the fillies’ faces, still fresh in his mind. “I couldn’t do it. Everyone makes mistakes, especially kids. It wasn’t worth our friendship just so I could be angry about something nobody can change.”

The human’s words struck a surprising chord in Twilight. It was the first time she’d heard him refer to friendship like that; like it truly meant something beyond the meaning of the word.

“You’ve really changed, haven’t you?” she said after a while.

That was something Connor didn’t expect her to say. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Since you got here,” Twilight clarified. “When I first met you, I honestly couldn’t see you doing and saying these kinds of things. In fact… you’ve been surprising me a lot, lately.”

“You really think so?” If Twilight was referring to the scene with the Crusaders, Connor was doubtful. Rethinking the situation, he couldn’t see himself acting any differently, considering the circumstances. “I don’t feel like I’ve changed any. As far as I can tell, I’ve just been being myself.”

Twilight reflected on this for a moment. “Maybe that’s it, then. Maybe you’re just finally letting yourself, be yourself.”

Connor didn’t respond right away, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Twilight could’ve been on to something. “I have been feeling a lot more comfortable, lately... Maybe a little too comfortable.”

It was true. Whereas before, Connor felt like an outcast among these ponies, now it just seemed… normal. What a scary thought that was: that he might actually be growing accustomed to his state of affairs. But was that really a bad thing?

Given the chance to return to Earth, Connor was still fully intent on doing so. Yet, perhaps it was time to face a very uncomfortable truth; one he’d been trying his hardest to run away from ever since he arrived. He could be staying in Equestria... for a very long time. In the back of his mind, he knew it was always possible, but the loss of his iPod was a crystallization of this fact.

And in light of all this, Connor couldn’t help but consider: Equestria, Ponyville, these ponies… his new friends. If he really was trapped in this universe, perhaps forever, well… he could think of worse things, he supposed.

Because even if he was, and the days passed by with his chances of going home growing ever more remote, he knew he had the best friends he could ever ask for there to help him when he needed it.

By now, he and Twilight had reached the bottom of the hill and were back on the road to Ponyville, and Connor realized he’d left the unicorn hanging on his last thought, and she’d been patiently waiting for him to finish.

“You know, most of that’s probably thanks to you guys,” he told her, trying to lighten the mood and cheer himself up a little. “It’s nice… It helps, knowing that you have friends that’ll always be there for you, no matter what.”

Twilight nodded. “You’re absolutely right. We’ll always be here for you… no matter what.”

“Thanks. It’s really nice to hear that.” And it truly was. He could almost feel a little flicker of snuggly warmth settling in his body, and for lack of a better word, it felt good. “I guess the thing I really wanna say is… I’m glad I met you.”

“Oh, um,” Twilight could feel a bit of blush coming through her fur, even though she was pretty certain he meant “you” as in her and her friends. But just in case, she felt like she should return the sentiment. “...I’m glad I met you, too.”

There was a calm silence between them for a while, save for the gentle breeze through the trees, as the distance between them and Ponyville slowly grew shorter. Twilight was still thinking heavily; about many things, some freshly stirred up by everything Connor had told her without reservation. But one thing in particular stood out in her mind.

“Did you really mean what you said to the Crusaders back there? That you’d always be their friend?” she asked him out of the blue.

Connor looked over to her, puzzled. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just… Well, you don’t know that; not for sure. Celestia could send you back to Earth eventually, maybe even tomorrow, and then you’d never see any of us again,” she continued. The words were out of her mouth before she really considered them, and on hearing herself say it, the thought made her… sad.

Connor put a hand to his chin, considering what she was saying. “But would that really change anything?” He took note of the unicorn’s slightly concerned expression, like she was honestly expecting an answer that she herself couldn’t figure out on her own. Considering her established reputation, Connor actually found this amusing. “Come on, Twilight. Aren’t you supposed to be an expert on friendship, or something?”

Twilight reared back a bit, unsure if it was phrased as an inquiry or an insult. “And just what do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is, friendships don’t just end when your friends go away,” he explained to her, feeling strangely sagelike. “As long as you remember how they made you feel when you’re with them, and they do the same for you, then you’re still friends… no matter how far away they are.”

Twilight gasped sharply as Connor’s words made something click. Hearing it said like that… Well, it somehow made perfect sense in such a way that she was shocked she hadn’t considered it before. She actually had to stop and think about this for a second.

It seemed that even after everything she’d been through during the past two years of living in Ponyville, she still had a few lessons in friendship left to learn; and from a source she never in a thousand years would have expected. “Wow…”

Connor caught on to the reason for her surprise, and was able to find humor in it. “I know, right? Maybe I really have changed,” he said with a smile. “I don’t usually wax philosophical like that.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Connor?” Twilight joked back. “Keep this up and I’m gonna start suspecting you of having been replaced by a changeling.”

Connor chuckled. “Don’t worry, I think I’m done being all sappy and sentimental for today.” To illustrate his point, he reached his arms up and stretched out his arms, groaning from the built up feelings of fatigue. “I actually could really go for a good nap right now.”

“Why? Do you feel tired?”

“Mmm, a little,” Connor said, massaging his shoulder. To be honest, he was feeling a lot more than that. His sprint from earlier really hadn’t done him any favors, and it felt like the day was literally catching up with him, making his body start to feel weird and achy all over. Connor relayed this to Twilight.

“You can get all the rest you need when we’re back at the library,” she assured him with a smile. “Maybe I can ask Spike to whip up a fresh kettle of tea, too.”

“Yeah…” Tea and a nap sounded like an excellent idea. “I think I’d like that, Twilight.”

Twilight and Connor took their time returning to the Golden Oak Library, and the angle of the sun when they got there left the impression that it was getting on in the hours. But it didn’t matter to Connor what time it was; he was ready for a well-deserved break after a day as eventful as this.

Twilight went first, opening the door with her magic and stepping inside, followed by Connor, who closed the door behind him. He leaned his back against the hardwood, breathing out slowly and feeling a little lightheaded.

“We’re back, Spike,” Twilight said to her draconic assistant, who was currently busying himself dusting off some of the higher shelves of books using a tall ladder.

Spike turned his head at the new arrivals. “Oh, hey, Twi! Hey, Connor!” The baby dragon grabbed the sides of the ladder and slid all the way down before walking towards the door. “So, how was your day?”

“It was… eventful,” Twilight replied, looking back at Connor out of the corners of her eyes. “But it sure feels good to be back home. How about you?”

Spike shrugged his scaly shoulders. “Eh, nothing much. Oh! But we did get a reply from the Princess!”

Twilight perked up instantly upon hearing this. “Really? What did it say?”

“No idea. I didn’t read it,” Spike said, making his way to a cabinet against the wall, on which a bundled scroll sat, wrapped tightly in a purple ribbon. “It’s addressed to Connor.”

“Huh, I wonder what it says.” Twilight eyed Connor to gauge his reaction, though it seemed like he wasn’t paying that much attention. “Connor? Are you listening?

“Huh? What?” Connor blinked a few times, then looked down to notice for the first time that Spike was standing there, holding a scroll up in his claws for him to take. “Oh, right. Letter.”

He reached out and accepted the scroll from Spike, then started walking across the room toward the stairs. As he did, Twilight noticed how he seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked him, taking a few hesitant steps forward.

“I’ll be fine... Just need to sit down for a bit,” he said, brushing her off and easing himself down on one of the steps with a groan. Trying to ignore the annoying buzzing sensation that was trickling into his extremities, he unspooled the binding on the scroll and slowly unfolded it in front of him. “Dear Connor,” he started to read.

He tried to focus on the next words, but for some reason he was having trouble concentrating. Connor thought that sitting down would make him feel better, but on the contrary: that weird feeling had only grown more pronounced, settling into the pit of his stomach like… He didn’t even know how to describe it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Twilight asked again, starting to get concerned. “You don’t look so good.”

“No, I uh… I don’t…” Connor put down the scroll, using his other hand to rub his eyes, behind which an unsettlingly familiar pressure was forming. “Something’s not right. I feel… weird.”

“Should I go get a bucket or something?” Spike suggested, pointing a thumb towards the kitchen, before Twilight inhaled sharply.

“I don’t think that’s the problem, Spike,” she said, her voice taking on a new level of urgency. “Connor… your horn…”

“My… horn?”

Connor glanced up to see what Twilight was referring to. The unicorn’s invisibility spell was apparently wearing off, the image bending and shifting as if it was being disrupted somehow. But beneath the fading enchantment, something else was happening. Connor, Twilight, and Spike looked on with rapt attention as tiny motes of light peeked into existence through the veil, followed by what was unmistakably a glow. A maroon-red glow, softly encapsulating the white horn.

Before any of them could begin to question it, the glow flashed briefly, and Connor flinched, feeling a static discharge race across his skin. Then, another pulse, another flash, the aura surrounding his horn undulating and steadily growing brighter, until there was a sudden explosion of red light at the base of his forehead.

“AGH!” Connor cried out. Pain. Pain so immediate and intense it nearly knocked the wind out of him raced through his body, radiating out from his core. He wrapped his arms around his stomach as he hunched forwards, almost falling to the floor.

“What!? What is it, what’s wrong!?” Twilight called out frantically, her eyes going wide with fear.

Keeping his eyes clenched in anguish, it took a massive amount of will to keep his words from devolving into screams. “It hurts! It hurts! Oh, God, Twilight, it hurts so much!”

Connor loosed another strangled cry as a fresh wave of pain erupted from his spine, causing him to wrench back and fall to the ground on his side. It felt like his bones had been replaced with molten metal, every nerve ending alight and burning from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Meanwhile, Twilight looked about desperately, unable to understand what was going on.

“What do we do, Twilight!?” Spike asked her, looking to her for answers she didn’t have while Connor writhed in agony before them.

“I don’t know!” Everything was happening too fast, and the sudden stress was making it hard to think. That, and the horrible sounds of her friend’s stifled screams.

“I-I’ll go get somepony to help!” Spike offered, getting up and running to the door.

“Spike, wait!” Twilight held up a hoof to stop her assistant.

“He’s in trouble, Twi! We gotta do something!”

“I know, but not here!” the mare spoke as fast as she could formulate the plan that was assembling itself in her head. “I’ll take Connor to the hospital, you get the girls and tell them to meet us there!”

Spike started to nod, but paused when something didn’t make sense about Twilight’s plan. “Wait, how are you gonna get him there?”

“I’ll teleport us!” Twilight answered shortly, her horn already beginning to smolder violet.

“Are you crazy, Twi!?” Spike sputtered out. “The hospital is clear across town! You can’t--”

“I can do it!” The unicorn placed a protective hoof on her friend, picturing the hospital interior as clearly as she could while the spell formulated around her. “Don’t worry about me, just go!”

Twilight closed her eyes and let loose the spell. With a huge burst of violet light, both she and Connor vanished from the library, leaving behind nothing but a few quickly dispersing sparkles and a thoroughly freaked-out dragon child. To Spike’s credit, though, he was determined to follow Twilight’s orders to the letter.

Twilight’s gonna be fine, she can handle it, he reassured himself as he sped out the door, his heart hammering. He was far more afraid of what he was going to find when he made it to the hospital. Oh, Celestia. Please be okay, Connor.

Humming an airy tune to herself, Nurse Bedside Manner closed the door to Mrs. Fields’ room after just stopping by to deliver her hospital dinner. She turned around to the cart sitting in the hall, stacked high with trays filled with more of the same, and gently nudged it along to continue her rounds. At the next door in line, she stopped the cart and stepped right up to the door, raising a hoof.

As she cleared her throat and prepared to knock, something made her stop abruptly. One of her ears turned around, focusing in on a subtle clinking and clattering coming from the trays of food behind her. Her head followed suit, just in time to catch a glimpse of her cart vibrating almost imperceptibly in response to… something.

“What in the world?” Betty tilted her head slowly in confusion, idly curious about this oddity visiting her on an otherwise uneventful workday. Then, her workday got a lot more interesting.

With a burst of air pressure and light washing over her sky-blue fur, two beings popped into existence right in front of her.

“Oh, my goodness gracious!” she shouted, the abrupt event nearly giving the poor mare a heart attack. After taking a second to calm herself, she was actually able to take stock of what she was looking at.

The two figures were familiar, that much was apparent from the start. There was Twilight, the violet unicorn that everypony knew about, and then there was the curious bipedal being she had treated for his case of spontaneous horn growth a few days prior. Connor; that was his name. The second thing she noticed was that Twilight had gone from standing on all fours to sitting on her haunches, breathing heavily, and Connor was curled on the ground in something resembling the fetal position.

The third thing she noticed was the anguished cries coming from the human, and she snapped right back into reality.

“What is going on here!?” she inquired right away, rushing over to the boy who was obviously suffering in immense pain.

Twilight raised her head, looking like she was fighting to stay conscious. “No time… Help him…” she gasped out.

“O-okay, dearie. Yes, that’s right, um...” Like the professional she was, Nurse Betty went from being a startled mare to recognizing the criticality of the situation. “Emergency! We have an emergency! Prep the ICU! Somepony get a gurney over here!”

Through vision that stung through his tears, Connor could see the two sets of hooves around him quickly joined by more, along with more frantic shouting as orders were dished out and duties were assigned to deal with this emergency. Soon after, he was lifted up -- most likely by magic -- onto a gurney to be whisked away to another part of the hospital.

With doors opening all up and down the hall to reveal curious patients wondering what the commotion was about, Twilight tried to recover from her (some might say reckless) expenditure of magic, shakily getting to her hooves to try and follow Connor. She almost stumbled, but Bedside Manner was there to keep her steady.

“Careful, dearie. You look like you’re about to pass out, there, don'tcha know.”

“I’ll be fine,” Twilight said, trying to shake her head free of fatigue. “I just… need to--”

“What you need is a glass of water and a place to lie down,” Betty argued, with a voice that was gentle but as firm as the grip she held onto the unicorn with. “Your friend is in good hooves. Now, come with me before you go joining him in the ICU a little prematurely, eh?”

Twilight didn’t want to admit it, but the nurse had a point. She turned her head and nodded weakly in response, letting the earth pony mare lead her away to somewhere she could regain her energy. With a final look back in the direction they’d taken Connor, Twilight’s expression was filled with regret, and she silently vowed to return as soon as she could.

Meanwhile, the scene in the emergency room was total chaos.

The doctor on call, a tan unicorn in a white coat with a heart monitor cutie mark, surveyed what was in front of him as two nurses wheeled in the emergency patient and put him on the bed. He was passingly familiar with the odd non-pony, having initially examined him when he was brought in the first time. Already unconscious, he was a lot easier to deal with then. Now, the human could barely keep still, thrashing about in constant pain from a condition the pony had absolutely no idea about. But, he had to start somewhere.

“Nurse, I need you to pull up his file,” he gruffly addressed one of the hospital staff standing nearby, who nodded and rushed out of the room. Next, he turned to the only other pony in attendance. “Redheart, try to keep him still. He’s likely to hurt himself if he keeps going on like that.”

“Yes, Doctor,” the white pony replied, taking up position next to the patient. “What do you think is wrong with him?”

The doctor frowned as he adjusted the spectacles on his snout. “I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with a case like this before, and I--”

The unicorn was interrupted as Connor loosed another earsplitting scream, accompanied by something else; another sound that sent shivers down the spine of the seasoned medical veteran. Something that no doctor ever wants to hear: the unmistakable sound of splitting bone.

“What in the name of Celestia is happening to him?” he wondered aloud. His hesitation only lasted a moment, however. Now was the time for action, not conjecture. The differential diagnosis could wait. “Whatever this is, we need to do something to handle the pain. I doubt normal painkillers will be enough. We’ll have to sedate him.”

“Are you sure, Doctor?”

“Until we know more, it’s our only option.” The doctor moved around to a nearby table, encasing it in a green glow from his horn and removing a thin syringe. From another drawer, he fished out a tiny bottle of clear liquid. “Roll back his sleeve. I’m going to give him the sedative now.”

The nurse did as she was told, taking Connor’s arm in hoof and revealing the skin. As she did so, she couldn’t help but notice his hand clenched so hard his nails looked like they were about to draw blood, but she didn’t have long to dwell on it before the doctor stepped in beside her with the readied syringe. With barely any ceremony, he directed it towards a vein that he located using his magic, and pressed the plunger.

To Connor, the prick of the needle barely registered against the firestorm of sensation wracking his body, but at least the effects of the tranquilizer were mercifully immediate. Right away, the pain began to subside, and with it, his grip on wakefulness. As his body went slack and his vision dimmed, he was awake just long enough to overhear the next few things said in the room with him.

“Nurse, help me get the monitor cuff around his limb, and when you’re done with that, prep him for x-rays.”

“Of course, right away, sir. Although, I don’t think the machine is designed for people like him.”

“Well, find a way to make it work! We need to figure out what’s going on inside of him, and soon. I want this room staffed…...nurse at all times…...Notify me of any…...get through this…...alive.”

Then, finally, everything went dark.

Minutes? Hours? Days? It was impossible to tell exactly how much time had passed since his last flicker of sensation. There were only two things: darkness and silence. If there was any consolation, at least Connor could no longer feel the pain.

Then, suddenly, there was something. Only for a moment, something registered to his senses. It was faint, but it was there, and Connor, with whatever conscious faculties left to him, focused on it. After a few seconds, as Connor slowly pushed through his stupor, he was able to understand what it was: sound. It came and went, and he couldn’t hear it well enough to know what it was, but as time passed it grew from faint whispers to muddled notes.

Still barely able to form a coherent thought, Connor instinctively called upon his eyes to open -- and they did, albeit slowly. Joining the muffled sounds hitting his ears were blotches of light, fighting to resolve themselves into some kind of shape. But trying to deduce the picture was hard. The lights kept shifting around, resulting in nothing but a washed-out, fuzzy mess. So he let his eyes slide shut in order to focus harder on his hearing, which was steadily becoming clearer. Now he could pick out some particulars, of which there were four that were distinctly different from each other.

One of them was a high-pitched, rhythmic noise, coming at a steady beat of nearly one per second. The next was irregular, coming across in deep, measured tones. But as soon as it stopped, it was followed by another. The same kind of sound, but unmistakably higher, and louder, with the same kind of pauses. And when it was finished, the former one would come back. A conversation, Connor realized. Someone -- or rather, two someones -- were talking to each other, though he struggled to make out the words.

And through it all, a fourth sound, somehow clearer and sharper than the rest. But this one was random; no pattern at all, coming in bursts that had a strange, reverberating quality to them.

Whatever it was keeping Connor under was wearing off faster now, and in a short time, much more of his hearing was restored. But not all the way; while the sounds were much clearer, they sounded slightly warped, like echoes coming down a long corridor.

The rhythmic noise could now be heard for what it was: beeping. The steady beat of a heart monitor. It made sense; he was in a hospital, after all. But that wasn’t important. What was important now was the conversation going on between the two nearby talkers, and Connor fought to understand the low-voiced speaker even as the strange fourth sound started to resemble a kind of unsteady, unsettling crackle.

“I’m sorry…...simply can’t allow…...delicate......unusual circumstances...” came the low voice, Connor only being able to make out a few words at a time.

“...don’t understand!” the higher voice called out, a female voice. A familiar voice, but Connor couldn’t quite place it. “Why…...let me…...to see him!?”

The first voice tried to sound consoling, but it was obvious he was losing his patience. “I’m sure you…...emergency situation…...need to be ready, in case…...only be in the way.”

“You can’t expect me to…...don’t care about any…...because he’s my friend!”

All at once, it was clear. Twilight. That was Twilight’s voice ringing out next to the other one, and she was close by.

With a surge of effort, Connor tried again to open his eyes to see the world around him. His eyelids pulled back, though he could only muster enough strength to open them halfway. He found that the mess of colors and light from before had resolved itself into something vaguely resembling the hospital room with two pony-shaped blurs by the open doorway, one blocking the other from entering. But like his hearing, his sense of sight was also slightly warped, like he was looking through some kind of filter that made things a little too bright and out of scale.

Meanwhile, the two ponies continued their talking.

“As you’ve pointed out to me several times now, Miss Sparkle,” the pony in the white coat stated, presumably the doctor. “But that doesn’t change my answer. Let the nurses and I handle this.”

There was a clacking noise of a hoof being slammed into the tile floor. “You won’t even tell us what’s going on! He could be scared or in pain! He needs somepony to be there with him!”

Twilight was right. Even in his half-lucid state, Connor could feel a fear as real and intense as any other time, and right then, he wanted nothing more than the safety and security of knowing that he had a caring friend beside him. If he could have that, at least, then he felt that he would make it through this okay. Whatever “this” was.

Connor parted his lips to try and speak, but something was wrong. His mouth wouldn’t open the way he wanted it to, as if his jaw refused to move correctly, and it was interfering with his ability to form syllables.

“T...Tii...ligh…” was all he could manage, the unicorn’s name coming out more like a strangled moan than a call for help.

He heard Twilight gasp. “Connor!?”

“Good Celestia, he’s awake!?” came an equally startled exclamation from the doctor, whose head turned around sharply at the sound. Twilight took the opportunity of his moment’s distraction to shove past him and into the room, and Connor watched the lavender blur come closer, to the point where he could barely make out the distinct features on her face. Fraught with worry, her large purple eyes slowly tracked up and down his body, taking in the sight.

From the look of her expression, she didn’t like what she saw. He couldn’t be sure, but it even appeared as if a small amount of tears were starting to well up in her eyes as she finally looked directly toward his own.

“Oh, Connor…” she said, fighting to maintain her composure. In response, Connor attempted to speak again, but only got a little bit out before Twilight silenced him by solemnly shaking her head. “Don’t talk. Just… try not to talk.”

Don’t… talk? Connor thought vaguely, confused, but compliant. Yet, even as he wondered why his friend was so upset, something else was being brought to his attention. Feeling was starting to return to his body, and with it, an unsettling reminder that his earlier torture wasn’t over; only stalled.

Tearing her gaze away, Twilight turned to the doctor as he stepped up next to her. “Doctor, isn’t there anything you can do for him?”

“Miss Sparkle, you need to leave,” the stallion told her sternly. “Now.”

If the doctor was trying to be intimidating, it failed. Twilight’s expression only hardened, staring at the other pony with grim determination.

“I’m not leaving.” It was a statement of fact, with an undeniable force underpinning the words themselves. As if to bolster her remark, Twilight’s horn flashed briefly. Not so much a threat, but a warning, giving her declaration all the more impact. “And you can’t make me.”

The doctor pony held her gaze for a few seconds more, but he knew that nothing he could say would sway the unicorn any further. He’d lost the battle of wills, and trying to force the issue just wouldn’t end well for anyone, least of all his patient. “...Fine,” he said with a snort. “But, please, stay out of the way so we can do our jobs.”

While Twilight nodded slowly and reluctantly stood aside, the last effects of the tranquilizer were just starting to fade, and with it, the last thing keeping Connor from feeling the full force of whatever was afflicting him. His eyes shut tight from the fresh sensation, setting his heart to racing from the stress and causing the beeps of the heart monitor increase in frequency as a result.

“Doctor,” another voice, belonging to one of the nurses, drew attention to the monitor.

“I know. We have to act quickly. I’m increasing the dosage to forty CCs. That ought to keep him under.” There was the clinking of glass and the shuffling of items on a tray. “And where are those bucking x-ray results!?”

Just as the fire in his body started to reach its peak, Connor felt another needle pierce his skin, followed by another wave of numbing sensation, and his awareness started to dim yet again. Both the pain and the sounds of his surroundings retreated as his hard-fought grip on consciousness waned. While he knew on some level that it needed to happen -- that it was for his own good -- it didn’t make the transition any less frightening than the last time. But there was a very important detail that was missing before. This time was different.

This time, he wasn’t alone.

Just when he was about to go out completely, a voice, as perfectly crisp as a soothing bell chime, rang out against the encroaching darkness.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” the voice told him. “I’m right here. I’m right here with you.”

I’ll always be here for you…

...no matter what.